Why do you play PSO?

[Forge]

From reading a few of the more recent posts and threads, there seems to be a lot of people out there who wish to be the best at PSO. This may be a good goal, but with a game as deceptively broad as PSO it is probably not entirely possible.

PSO, when compared to World of Warcraft or similar, seems very restricted in its scope - the levels are shorter, there is no way near as many quests, there are fewer 'different' things to do within the game. Yet the area where PSO can be huge is in the combination of every aspect of itself, from the weapons to the armours, to the MAGs and even the Symbol Chat icons. There is still scope for personalisation.

I am confused as to why so many people wish to top everyone else on statistics. PSO is not a competition, unless you play Battle mode. It is not an efficiency run unless you play Challenge. PSO is a community, and I think that the best part of the game is that you can express individuality through it.

People like different things. Some people like to play Ep3, some do not. I do, partly due to the play style, and partly due to the sheer variety of the deck creation. In Ep3, I will admit that I am somewhat of an uberist - but only in the Johnny way (see Wizards of the Coast for an explanation!). My favourite decks include hideously inefficient combinations with very good results. My aim at Ep3 is to break some of the cards. Such as my combination of two sub standard cards (Gulgus and Duel Strike, which are more difficult to use on their own) to create an incredible effect - a nearly unblockable instant death effect.

But in Ep1&2, I have changed my tack. There was one time when I wanted to play PSO to be the best, but I realised that there was no way that I'd quickly reach the top, and if I did then there would also be lots of other characters at Lv200. So now, I play my characters with a personal style - and very often that involves equipping sub standard weapons and armour just for aesthetic reasons. I've also decided to raise Bhima's for my characters, just because I've seen so few. Everyone else has a Sato, why should I have one?

Currently, I cannot get online, so I also play PSO to have fun with my friends, and participate in a challenge together. While I am the strongest character, that is irrelevant. I have played the game for longer, so that is to be expected. In fact, I enjoy it when the characters I am playing with are weaker, because it gives me more of a challenge to keep them alive.

And the final reason that I play PSO? Story. I want to finally work out the entire backstory and interlinking aspects of PSO, to find the links to the early PS series and to find the links to PSU when it is released. There's no way that I'll know more about the stats than some people here, but I can specialise on the story.

'But the story is not necessary to the playing of the game?' No, no it is not. However, that is one of my reasons to play the game, so I choose to do it. I read all of Rico's messages. I know them all, but I do it anyway. I might pick up a scrap of information I'd overlooked. Plus, I use it to figure out how far I am through the levels (especially in the ruins).

That is why I play. Reciprocation would be much appreciated.

[Lee-yoshi]

You definately have a few good reasons for playing PSO indeed, even if it is offline! The reason i play PSO though, particularly in the case of Episodes I & II (And Episode IV of course) is just because it's dam enjoyable, despite it's repetitivity (A new word?), particularly when playing online! Meet loads of friends, and dice through loads of enemies in a RPG environment which doesnt involve hours of endlessly walking around and hence decreasing my levels of utter boredom and "Where the f**k am i?" kinda situations! Story is also a big reason why i play, just the way it fits together that is (Albeit a bit dodgy! lol) through the feeling i get from making my way through quests i do.

In terms of Episode III, it's a completely different experience and requires a bit more thought and strategy/tactical thinking. I'm loving that what with it still being PSO orientated and everything - it's perfect! The reason why i don't play it as much is mainly because there's never anyone else playing it But that doesn't stop me from whipping COM ass every now and again, online/offline. Shame whenever i go to play online i can never remember my bloody decks or what the cards do! XD

[NetNomad]

You touched on some very good points, Forge. I've always felt that if you wanted a simple "kill everything" game, you'd play something like an online FPS, not PSO. PSO has a lot of interesting-looking as well as decent items ([plug]some of which I've noted on my site[/plug]), and I've always thought it was a waste to not make use of some of them.

Now, on the other hand, there IS a reason for wanting to own things beyond all reason. There will never be a true "best" in PSO, so that's why people do things like time attack in cmode and soloing PW4: just to prove that you can do it, to make your times better, etc... though I don't find this enjoyable in PSO, I can understand where they're coming from. As long as everyone gets an even share of the exp in-game, I say play however you like.

[whiteninja]

I love how there is always room for improvement.

[Forge]

Whiteninja, I can agree with your idea to some extent - and for me that is understanding of the plotlines! To some extent I am a glutton for knowledge - I would like to know as much as I possibly can about the story. I suppose that I aim to be the best at knowing what is going on storywise! It's almost like post count on forums. If there are already people with 3,403 or 5,648 posts, there is no way that I will be able to top them with haste - so I've decided to specialise.

Likewise, there is this possibility of finding a niche on PSO.

[Mirinee]

Fun
Green elaborate dresses
FOmars
Cute MAGs
Funky weapons that I'll never be able to find because they're so rare

I've thought about this question a lot because my family asks it far too often. The real answer is probably escapism. I've tried an MMORPG, but that often leaves me with a 'drained' feeling after playing; Phantasy Star Online never does.

I like helping new players out and when others help me because I am still so noob even after having played for years and years.

p.s. That's such a structured post, Forge. I wish I could voice my opinions like that, but instead I end up making a silly list.

[K_I_R_E_E_K]

it has a very special and diferent "fun" that makes it unique....fun is a very important fact, but if i join fun and face pso as a "job" i get a very good reward after several hours, either a lvl up or a rare weapon, it is always new even if i play the same zones again and again....

[Anti Hacker]

I don't play voluntarily those shiny red crates are addictive... Too addictive. If there were no red crates, I'd lose interest

[Kitsadoodles]

I play PSO because it is a very, very, very fun game that really gets you into a whole new world! I will continue to play it because I know that there's no limit to the fun you can have! I don't play to be the best, and I certainly hate competing, but between myself, my bro and my online friends, there's always more to do in the exciting world of PSO.

[nomercy]

I don't play voluntarily those shiny red crates are addictive... Too addictive. If there were no red crates, I'd lose interest

There has yet to be a machine created that can measure my indifference to that remark.