PSO Network Trial Edition?

Sylverant is a homebrew open source server for Phantasy Star Online. Dreamcast users still play PSO online with this server even today! This is the official forum for both the online game server as well as the open source project itself. Feel free to post and get a gathering started online! We can also show you how to get connected!

Moderators: BlueCrab, Aleron Ives

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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by BlueCrab »

Aleron Ives wrote:Does it have Episode II?
It appears to have Episode 2, but the server won't create an Episode 2 team for it since it is convinced that I'm on DCv2. When creating an Episode 2 team, it doesn't give you the option to make a Challenge mode team.

Also, just as an aside, the Episode I & II Trial does have an offline mode. Although, it appears that it only supports split-screen multiplayer. There doesn't appear to be a single-player offline mode.

Oh, the only opening cinematic seems to be the Episode I one, as the game kinda restarts itself after sitting on the title screen and going through that (it even asks whether I want to do Progressive Scan mode again). After that restart, it never budges from the title screen until you press start or something like that.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by BlueCrab »

Onto initial observations of the Episode III Trial Edition...

For some reason the game starts (and rather abruptly stops) playing the opening theme of Episode I on the screen asking you whether you want to display in Progressive Scan mode. Not sure why they'd do that, but whatever...

The cinematic that you get when you sit on the title screen for too long appears to be the same one that was used in the final version of the game (at least as far as I can remember), complete with horrible English grammar. However, the opening cinematic when starting a new game is... well, lazy. Not quite as lazy as the one on the Dreamcast NTE, but pretty close. I don't remember it being that way in the final version, but maybe I'm just remembering incorrectly.

Just like with the Episode I & II trial, there's no option to change the language from Japanese, which makes things a bit more difficult for me to mess around with, but whatever.

There does appear to be a regular offline mode, although I can't read anything to see if there's interesting functionality missing. At some point I probably should play through the final version of Episode III to try to figure out what to expect. :P

As for online mode, the Episode III trial does use the normal Gamecube version encryption scheme, and works fine with Devolution. It connects to pso-ep3t.sonic.isao.net on port 9002 (so, I added the hostname to the Sylverant DNS and the port to the login server in r720). The game can connect just fine to Sylverant at this point, and you can get to the lobby on a ship. However, for some reason, there's no background music once you do. Not sure why that would be as of yet. Starting a team seems to make the game crash, and thus disconnect at this point. So, it's only slightly less functional on Sylverant than the final version of Episode III. :lol:

So, much like the final release of Episode III, there's a lot of work that would still need to be done, but it does at least connect at this point with minimal fuss.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Aleron Ives »

The lack of BGM is probably a similar problem to the one PSO PC experiences when you don't have serials, i.e. you can't hear lobby music without them.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by BlueCrab »

Aleron Ives wrote:The lack of BGM is probably a similar problem to the one PSO PC experiences when you don't have serials, i.e. you can't hear lobby music without them.
I was figuring it was probably some packet I didn't send that the game was expecting. For some reason, I remember something weird happening when you got to the lobby with the final version of PSO Episode III when I first added "support" for it a while back. In that case, the issue was caused by not sending the card list, I think...
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Treamcaster »

Now that I'm at home and have quite some time, I wanted to give these babies a try, however I don't own a freeloader disk yet. Before purchasing one, I would like to ask if you could try them on you GC and test bba compatibility? Thanks in advance.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Tymek »

BlueCrab wrote:Gee... Look what happened to come in the mail today...
Image
Do you happen to remember how you aquired this? I won this on eBay yesterday for $1,25...
BlueCrab wrote:So... After a bit of hunting, and a lot of waiting, these came to my door today:
Image
Image
Hoooooooly crap.
In my possesion:
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE III:
C.A.R.D. Revolution (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE
NETWORK TRIAL EDITION (Dreamcast)
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by BlueCrab »

I got all of them from the Chinese shopping site taobao.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Treamcaster »

Tymek, when you receive it, send me a PM or post in my nishi's report thread so we can try this out online together.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Tymek »

Treamcaster wrote:Tymek, when you receive it, send me a PM or post in my nishi's report thread so we can try this out online together.
Sure.
I'm just going to...
....have to...get...a Dreamcast. :oops:

But out of curiosity, do you use a Broadband Adapter or a Modem Adapter?
In my possesion:
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE III:
C.A.R.D. Revolution (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE
NETWORK TRIAL EDITION (Dreamcast)
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Treamcaster »

I'm using a BBA, but you should be fine with a modem...
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by sonicblur »

BlueCrab wrote:Unfortunately, my copies don't have any sort of cardboard case cover that you'd expect on a Japanese Gamecube game (I suppose I can't expect much for how cheaply I got them), so I can't consult that to see if the BBA is mentioned there.
Old, but thought this might be relevant. They didn't come with cardboard sleeves. I got the PSO3 Trial edition brand new when I pre-ordered the Japanese version from Play-Asia, it didn't come with one new.

Other comments:
1. Probably irrelevant, but you mentioned the I&II trial using PSOv2 encryption, so I should mention it. You can run all of the PSO versions (at least up to episode 3, haven't tested BB) without encryption. Just don't send the packet that enables it. Not sure if this is common knowledge or not.
2. I took packet dumps from the Episode 3 Trial server when the real thing was live. I think it was just lobby stuff though, I don't think I took any in-game. If you're interested, I can provide those privately.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by BlueCrab »

sonicblur wrote:
BlueCrab wrote:Unfortunately, my copies don't have any sort of cardboard case cover that you'd expect on a Japanese Gamecube game (I suppose I can't expect much for how cheaply I got them), so I can't consult that to see if the BBA is mentioned there.
Old, but thought this might be relevant. They didn't come with cardboard sleeves. I got the PSO3 Trial edition brand new when I pre-ordered the Japanese version from Play-Asia, it didn't come with one new.
I suspected that was the case. :)
Other comments:
1. Probably irrelevant, but you mentioned the I&II trial using PSOv2 encryption, so I should mention it. You can run all of the PSO versions (at least up to episode 3, haven't tested BB) without encryption. Just don't send the packet that enables it. Not sure if this is common knowledge or not.
It is of limited utility to do that, though, but yes, I'm aware that you can communicate with the games without encryption. :)
2. I took packet dumps from the Episode 3 Trial server when the real thing was live. I think it was just lobby stuff though, I don't think I took any in-game. If you're interested, I can provide those privately.
Those might be nice to have, and I'd gladly take a look at them. :grin:
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Tymek »

Treamcaster wrote:I'm using a BBA, but you should be fine with a modem...
Okay. (Doesn't the modem require dial-up which in turn requires extra costs though?...)
sonicblur wrote:
BlueCrab wrote:Unfortunately, my copies don't have any sort of cardboard case cover that you'd expect on a Japanese Gamecube game (I suppose I can't expect much for how cheaply I got them), so I can't consult that to see if the BBA is mentioned there.
Old, but thought this might be relevant. They didn't come with cardboard sleeves. I got the PSO3 Trial edition brand new when I pre-ordered the Japanese version from Play-Asia, it didn't come with one new.
But
Image
and
Image
In my possesion:
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE III:
C.A.R.D. Revolution (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE
NETWORK TRIAL EDITION (Dreamcast)
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Treamcaster »

Tymek wrote:
Treamcaster wrote:I'm using a BBA, but you should be fine with a modem...
Okay. (Doesn't the modem require dial-up which in turn requires extra costs though?...)
Yes. Either way you'll spend money. A BBA is not that cheap nowadays...
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by sonicblur »

Tymek wrote:
sonicblur wrote:Old, but thought this might be relevant. They didn't come with cardboard sleeves.
But
Those are the instruction manuals.
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Tymek »

sonicblur wrote:
Tymek wrote:
sonicblur wrote:Old, but thought this might be relevant. They didn't come with cardboard sleeves.
But
Those are the instruction manuals.
So the Trial Versions really didn't come with those cardboard sleeves?
That's so weird...
In my possesion:
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE III:
C.A.R.D. Revolution (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE
NETWORK TRIAL EDITION (Dreamcast)
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Tymek »

Yooooooo my PHANTASY STAR ONLINE NETWORK TRIAL EDITION just arrived :D
I'm curious though, how much did you guys pay for it?
In my possesion:
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE III:
C.A.R.D. Revolution (Gamecube)

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE
NETWORK TRIAL EDITION (Dreamcast)
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Re: PSO Network Trial Edition?

Post by Aleron Ives »

Nothing. I do miss my left kidney, though... :oops:


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