Sega Phantasy Star Online Instruction Manual

1

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -02
BASIC CONTROLS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -03
SOFTWARE KEYBOARD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 04
SAVING - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 04
STARTING A GAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -05
CHARACTER CREATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -05
CHARACTER TYPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 07
MODE SELECTION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -08
ONLINE NETWORK STRUCTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -09
THE WORLD OF PSO ONLINE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10
A TOUR OF PIONEER 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -13
PLAYING PSO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16
GAME DISPLAYS AND MENUS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -19
OPTIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27
ACTIONS USED IN PSO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -27
WEAPONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -29
ARMOR & SHIELDS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- 30

PSO requires a memory card [Visual Memory Unit (VMU) sold separately]. 15 blocks are
required to save the main game file and 30 blocks are required to save the guild
card file. Additional blocks are required to save any downloaded files. This game saves

automatically when you quit. While saving or loading data, never turn the Dreamcast power OFF,
attempt to remove the memory card or disconnect the controller. For de tails about saving, see p. 4.

Thank you for purchasing Phantasy Star Online. Please note that this software

is designed only for use with the Dreamcast console. Be sure to read

this instruction manual thoroughly before you begin playing.

Note: “Phantasy Star Online” will hereafter be referred to as “PSO.”

2 3

PROLOGUE BASIC CONTROLS

Faced with the imminent dest ruction of their home wo rld, a large-scale evacuation plan known as
the Pioneer Project was established to find a new home planet. Unmanned probes sent into deep
space discove red a habitable planet th ey dubbed Ragol and the fi rst inte rstellar tra n s p o rt ship
Pioneer 1 was sent to establish a colony. After confi rming Ragol was suitable, the initial colonist s

b e gan pre p a ring the planet sta rting with const ruction of the central dome.
7 ye a rs late r...
Pioneer 2 comp l eted its long voya ge

w i th the main wave of re f u gees aboard
but just as th ey ente red orbit and opened
a communications link with the Central
Dome, an enormous explosion occurred.
All contact with the men and women
of Pioneer 1 was lost .

E xa c t ly what happened on Ra g o l ?

PSO is a net wo rk RPG. Online you will meet a va ri et y
of people from all over the wo rld. Ove rcome language
b a rri e rs by using the fi ve language “wo rd select”
fe a t u re that enables communication with users whose
l a n g u a ge is diffe rent from your own. Organize a te a m
to play the game online or embark on Hunte r’s Guild
qu e sts, all the while chatting to exch a n ge info rmation.

Of course you don’t have to be online to play PSO.
T h e re is also an offline mode that enables ga m e p l ay.
Online or offline, we hope you will enjoy the exc i t i n g
wo rld of PSO.

What is PSO?

PSO is a one-player game (fo u r- p l ayer when playing online). Connect the controller to be used to Control Po rt A.

To return to the title screen at any time
during gameplay,
simultaneously press
and hold the A, B ,

X, Y and Start Buttons.

Never touch the Analog Thumb Pad or
the Triggers L/R while turning the
Dreamcast power ON. Doing so may
disrupt the controller initialization

procedure and result in malfunction.

ANALOG THUMB PAD

X BUTTON
Y BUTTON
B BUTTON

DIRECTIONAL PAD

A

BUTTON

It is not possible to play PSO without a memory card so be sure to insert one before starting gameplay.

ANALOG THUMB PAD SELECT MOVE CHARACTER

NOT USED ROTATE CAMERA

ENTER USE LOWER ACTION PA L E T T E

DISPLAY INFO USE LEFT ACTION PA L E T T E

CAMERA VIEW (Reset to behind character)

GAME START RETURN DISPLAY THE MAIN MENU

NOT USED NOT USEDROTATE CAMERA TOGGLE ACTION PA L E T T E

CANCEL USE RIGHT ACTION PA L E T T E

SELECT SELECT

ENTER

CANCEL
NOT USED
NOT USED D I S P LAY SOFT KEYBOA R D / W ORD SELECT (TOGGLE = X)

D I R E C T I O NAL PAD (D-PA D )

TRIGGER

L

TRIGGER

R

A

BUTTON

B

BUTTON

X

BUTTON

Y

BUTTON

START BUTTON

TITLE SCREEN/

GAME MENUS/

SHIP SELECTION SCREEN

CHARACTER

SELECTION

V I S UAL LO B BY /
WITHIN THE CITY

IN BATTLE

TRIGGER L TRIGGER R

When using the Jump Pack (sold

separately), always be sure to

insert the Jump Pack into

Expansion Socket 2.

CAUTION

Insert a memory card (sold separately) into

Expansion Socket 1 of the controller.

START BUTTON

4 5

SOFTWARE KEYBOARD STARTING A GAME

When playing online, select “Quit Game” from the main menu. To confirm
disconnection from the Network, use *@ to select “YES” or “NO” and press A to
enter and save your game. If you are playing with a team, you will disband from the
team. At this time, any experience points gained in battle or items collected, etc. will be
saved. If you disband from your team while on a quest and should the team complete the quest without
you, the entire team may not be eligible to receive the reward unless all members go to claim it together.

SAVING ONLINE

When playing offline, select “Quit Game” from the main menu. You will be asked if
you wish to save. Use *@ to select “YES” or “NO” and press A to enter.

SAVING OFFLINE

A memory card is required to save PSO game data. 15 blocks of free space are required to save the
main game file and 30 blocks are required to save the guild card file. Additional bloc ks are required to
save any downloaded files. To save your game data, select “Quit Game” from the main menu. N ever
attempt to turn OFF the Dreamcast power, remove the memory card or disconnect the controller while
saving. Also, the data may not save correctly if the memory card is removed/re-inserted during gameplay.

If you quit the game without saving properly (via “Quit Game” on the
main menu)or if for any reason you are disconnected from the server while playing online,
any items or money (Meseta) held, left in the city or game field will be lost.

CAUTION

SAVING

Use the software keyboard to chat with other players while playing PSO or connect a Dreamcast
Keyboard (sold separately) to Control Port B, C or D.

D-PAD/ANALOG THUMB PAD - - - - Select Characters

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Enter (to display text)

B BUTTON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Delete 1 Character
X BUTTON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Toggle Screens
Y BUTTON - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Close Keyboard

TRIGGER L/R - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Toggle Symbols

B S or

SIGN or

ENTER

EXIT or

SOFTWARE KEYBOARD

Once the title screen appears, press the Start Button to display the title screen
menu. Use *@ to select a mode and press A to enter your selection.

Select to begin a new game starting from character

creation. Select the memory card to which you want to
save the main game data. Only one main file (one character) can be saved to
any one memory card. If a PSO file already exists, you will be asked whether to
overwrite the older file. Also, it is not possible to save game data without a memory card.

TITLE SCREEN MENU

You will need to create a character whenever you start a new game.

Use $ ^ to select the type of character (see p. 7) you wish to use and press A
to enter. A brief summary is displayed under each profession/species header
alongside a graph indicating the attributes (see p. 6) of each character. Press A
again to proceed to the CHARACTER CREATION screen or press B to cancel
and return to the previous screen.

NEW GAME

Select to continue playing a previously saved file.

Once the memory card selection screen appears, use

*@$ ^ to select the memory card containing the PSO file you wish to play and

press A. A mini-menu with the options “OK” or “DELETE” will appear. Select load
(“OK”) or delete the file. Press B to cancel.

CONTINUE

Here you can modify the various game settings.

See p.27 for details.

OPTIONS

Use this link to access the official PSO website

or the SONICTEAM homepage.

WEBSITE

SELECT A CHARACTER TYPE

CHARACTER DATA

CH A R ACTER CREATION

6 7

CHARACTER TYPES

CHARACTER CREATION

Select a facial type.

To customize the appearance of your character, use *@ to select a modification
item (see below) and press A. Then use $ ^ to select a style for that item (the
available settings will vary among different character base types). Use L/R to
rotate the character. Press A or B to return to the previous screen. Note that if
you press the Start Button while on the CHARACTER CREATION screen, all of
your settings will be erased and you will return to the CHARACTER SELECT
screen. Once you press OK your character will be assigned one of the 10 available SECTION IDs. Press

A to continue. (It is not possible to cancel after entering OK.)

MODIFY YOUR CHARACTER

FACE

Select an outfit color.

COSTUME

Select to enter the character modifications.

OK

Select a skin color.

SKIN

Select a head type.

(Androids only)

HEAD

Select a hair (or hat) style.

Use $^ to adjust the color with the RGB bars.

HEAD

Use *@ to adjust the height and $ ^

to adjust the body size.

PROPORTION

Input a name for your character.
Press A to display the software keyboard. After
inputting a name, press A again to enter. Note that you
can not select OK to proceed without inputting a name.

CHARACTER NAME

Press A to automatically create
a character at random. Press A again to create a
different character, and so on.

AUTO

Select a body color.

(Androids only)

BODY COLOR

MODIFICATION ITEMS

The character attributes graph will give you a general idea of the strengths
and weaknesses of each character type for the following attributes:

CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES GRAPH

Accuracy rate when attacking.

Hit

Health Points availability.

HP

Technique Damage - rate at
which TP decreases when used.

TD

Technique Points availability.

TP

Armor Class - level of defense
against enemy attack.

AC

Attack Damage - level of damage
inflicted upon enemies.

AD

CHARACTER PROFESSIONS

Proficient with blade weapons,
we excel in close-range combat.

HUNTER

HUmar

Hunter+Human
I am we l l - ve rsed in

c l o s e - ra n ge
combat, have a
balanced grow th
p otential and can
handle some
re c ove ry and
a t ta ck te ch n i qu e s .
Beginner ori e n te d .

Hunter+Newman
My TP is higher

than HUm a r’s so
I have a much
b et ter balance
b et we e n
te ch n i que usage
and close-ra n g e
combat skills.
I n te rm e d i a te
o ri e n ta ted.

HUnewear

Hunter+Android
Among all the

characters I have
the highest HP. As
Hunters go, I have
the most attacking
power, and can
use a variety of
different weapons.
However, I can’t
use any techniques
because I have
no TP.

HUcast

Proficient with gun-type weapons,
we excel in long-range combat.

RANGER

RAmar

Ranger+Human

Though shooting is

my speciality,

I can also

do some atta ck and
re c ove ry te ch n i qu e s .
My grow th pote n t i a l
is the most balanced

of all the Ra n ge rs .

I n te rm e d i a te

o ri e n ta ted.

Ranger+Android

I am famous fo r

my opt i m a l

a c c u racy ra te. I

can use all

weapons but no

te ch n i ques. I have

m o re atta ck i n g

p ower than any

other Ra n ge r.

RAcast

Ranger+Android

I too am famous

for my optimal

accuracy rate
and can can use
all weapons but

no techniques.

While RAcast

may have more

attacking power,

I have the best

defense power.

RAcaseal

FOnewm

Force+Newman
I can use all

te ch n i ques and am
p roud to have th e
h i g h e st TP level. Once
I learn a va ri ety of
te ch n i ques, I can
become a leader
on the battlefi e l d .
Ad vanced ori e n te d .

Force+Human

I am able
to handle

techniques

quite well

and I have

the most

balanced

growth

potential

as a Force.

FOmarl

Force+Newman
My TP level and

technique usage

is the same as
FOnewm’s but

I have more

defense power.

My slightly

lower HP makes

me a bit weaker

in close-range

combat.

Advanced

oriented

FOnewear

Proficient with

techniques, we
are best suited

for combat

support.

FORCE

In the world of PSO each of the nine character types is one of three
species (human, newman or android) whose profession is either
Hunter, Ranger or Force. While members of each profession start
out with the same equipment level, the attributes of each character
vary according to their species.

8 9

MODE SELECTION

After you have created your character you will proceed to the mode selection
menu. Use *@ to select whether to play PSO online or offline and press A. The
content and how to proceed will vary according to which mode is selected.

OFFLINE MODE

The NORMAL level is automatically

selected the first time you play PSO.
After you clear the game at this level, this screen will appear the next time you play.
Use *@ to select either NORMAL or HARD and press A. Press B to cancel. Clear
the game in HARD to earn the right to attempt VERY HARD.

GAME DIFFICULTY

The first time you connect to the PSO

network to play online you must input

the unique serial number and access
key from the label that was included inside your PSO package. Use *@ $ ^ to
select each character and press A to enter. Press B to cancel. Enter the serial number
as it appears on the label and select the enter key, then do the same for the access key. When you have
input both the codes, select ENTER and press A. This information will then be sent to the PSO server and
once verified, will be saved to the main file in your VMU so that you won’t need to input the serial
number and access key every time you connect. However, it is very important that you do not lose

these numbers or allow a third party access to them before you can register with the PSO
server. You must use the same Dreamcast to play PSO in the online mode.

SERIAL NUMBER & ACCESS KEY

As with the online mode, th e re are a number of Hunte r’s Guild
qu e sts for you to embark upon in the offl i n emode in addition to the main sto ryl i n e .
E s s e n t i a l ly you will proceed th rough the scenario alone. Howeve r, th e re are a number of NPCs (Non Playe r
C h a ra c te rs) with whom you will inte ract. You can also use the offl i n emode to build your ch a ra c te r’s ex p e ri e n c e
and then make your debut online.

OFFLINE PLAY

You will need to pay for access time from your Inte rn et
S e rvice Provider (ISP) and any additional phone ch a rge s
needed to connect to your ISP’s access point.

ONLINE NETWORK STRUCTURE

Once you have organized your team, you will be transpor ted to the city Pioneer 2 to begin play.
Here you and your team members can equip yourselves at the shops, etc. to prepare for your
expedition. When your team is ready, proceed to the main transporter within the city. Once inside,
select a destination on the planet Ragol (the game world) and your team will be transported there.

In the event you are felled by an enemy (p. 18), etc. you will be transported back to the city.

SHIP (p. 10)

BLOCK (p. 10)

Move to
Another

VISUAL

LOBBY

V I S UAL LO B BY (p. 21

SHIP

CONNECT ONLINE

SHIP SELECTION

TRANSPORTER (p. 11)

PLANET RAGOL (Game Field)

C I TY (PIONEER 2 - p. 13 )

ORGANIZE TEAM

(p. 10-11)

INFORMATION

COUNTER (p. XX)

Proceed to the main game story.
Embark on quest missions from

the Hunter’s Guild (p. 15)

Move to
Another

BLOCK

TRANSPORTER

(p. 10)

Each SHIP is comprised of various
BLOCKS from which the city can be
accessed. It is possible to move
between BLOCKS or to a different
SHIP via the BLOCKS and join a
team within the same SHIP.

SHIP

Move to Another SHIP

ONLINE MODE

CHARGES FOR ONLINE PLAY

Inquires

S E GA Customer
S e rvices Depart m e n t
I n te rn et: www. s e ga . c o m
Telephone: 1-800-USA- S E GA

10 11

THE WORLD OF PSO ONLINE

THE WORLD OF PSO ONLINE

Whenever you connect to the network via the ONLINE mode, the SHIP selection window will appear.
Consider this screen to be your gateway into PSO.

Use *@ to select the SHIP you wish to join and press A. To see how many
players or teams there are on a SHIP, select that SHIP and press X. After
selecting a BLOCK, you will be transported to the visual lobby there. You
can move between SHIPS and/or BLOCKS by selecting TRANSPORT from
the information counter. Use the transporter located in the corner to move
between visual lobbies within a BLOCK.

Another feature available on the SHIP selection menu is a quest downloading service which you can use
to download and save new quest missions to your memory card. Select “Download_Server” to display a
list of the available quests. Use *@ to select a quest to download press A. If there are not enough free
memory blocks available, a message will appear and you will automatically return to the previous screen.
For details on accessing newly downloaded quests, see p. 15.

SHIP & BLOCK SELECTION

Once inside the visual lobby you can move around and chat with other users
within the same block in real time. Visit the information counter and select
“Organize TEAM” when you wish to create a new or join an existing team.
Select “Transport” to move to a different SHIP or BLOCK. Use *@ to select
menu items and press A to enter your selections. Press B to cancel.

V I S UAL LO B BY INFO R M ATION CO U N T E R

You need to belong a team in order to investigate
the planet of Ragol. To do so you can either join
an existing team or create one of your own.

TEAMS

Use the transporters to move between SHIPSor BLOC KS to interact with PSO
users located in other lobbies. Use *@ to select a destination and press A.

TRANSPORTERS

The visual lobby is where you can interact with other players of PSO. You can chat with anyone who is in
the same visual lobby. When playing the game or while on quests you will only be able to chat with those
players on your team. Another form of communication called Simple Mail is also a vailable (see p. 26).

CH AT T I NG IN THE VISUAL LO B BY

Select this to display a list of the teams available in this

BLOCK. Display information about the members in each team by pressing X.
Select and enter a team to join in and you will be transported to the city in
the field where that team is currently playing. A lock mark will appear next
to teams that require a password to join. If you do not know the password,
you won’t be able to join that team.

JOIN A TEAM

Select this to create your own team and become its leader.
Input the team name and password required for entry (if preferred) and set the
difficulty level. Once you enter the information, your team will be created and you
will be transported to the game field city. Other players can now join you. (Note
that if no password is set, other users can join simply by selecting the team name.)
A maximum of 4 players can join your team. Once 3 other players have joined,
the team will become automatically locked. Provided that any one member is still
connected online, that team will remain available for play. However, if all
members of a team return to the visual lobby or disconnect from the networ k, that team will disappear.

CREATE A TEAM

TEAM NAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Input a name for your team.
PASSWORD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Set a password to limit access to your team.
DIFFICULTY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Set a difficulty level of NORMAL, HARD or VERY HARD.
BATTLE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Set ON/OFF to enable/disable friendly fire damage.

Press Y at any time during gameplay to
display the software keyboard. With the software k eyboard displayed, press X
to display the Word Select menu and then press X again to display the Symbol
Chat menu. Press X once more to toggle back to the software keyboard.

TOGGLING MENUS