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Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:53 am
by Oswego del Fuego
Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know that I have released a "modernization" hack for Phantasy Star II.

Details and the download can be found here:

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1404/

Please let me know if you try it out. This is my second major hack and I think it turned out really well. Just to let you know, this is an improvement hack rather than total rebuild. The idea is to streamline the gameplay experience and also include more allusions to the other games in order to improve the sense of continuity. The story is not changed in any way.

Thanks!

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:26 pm
by Missagh
Very cool! Our hack page has not been updated for quite some time now. Would you mind if we added to the collection?

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:00 pm
by Oswego del Fuego
Please feel free to do so, I would be honored!

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:14 am
by LegoMuskCat
I was thinking of playing PSII again, but I was dreading the hours of grind that would inevitably drive me away from the game in the first place. I'll definitely give this a shot whenever I do get around to picking it up again. :D

Only way you could make this better would be if you could add Nei in after the confrontation with Neifirst. :P

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 10:13 am
by BenoitRen
Phantasy Star II's difficulty sure is controversial! I think it's part of the game and not a flaw at all.

I'm interested in seeing how the Technique selection and acquisition is improved, as I agree that was something that made me scratch my head in the original.

One bullet point worries me: "Optimized for use with Kega Fusion.". What does that mean? It makes me think of all of those SNES fan translations optimised for ZSNES that fail in other emulators.

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:43 am
by Tryphon
I think it means : "works for sure with Kega Fusion, didn't try anything else", which is not the same as 'optimized for' :D

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:46 pm
by Zio51
BenoitRen wrote:Phantasy Star II's difficulty sure is controversial! I think it's part of the game and not a flaw at all.

I agree with Benoit here and always thought that PS2 wouldn't really be PS2 without it's difficulty level. The actual joy when you beat the game back then on the Megadrive after long hours (more like month to be honest) of playing. I was a kid though so just going through the dialogue in English was difficult.

Also having replayed it numerous time (the Megadrive/Genesis version), I find that the grinding is not so intense as what it is made to be. Sure the very beginning of the game is very steep and this is where most of the grinding is required. But once you get to half-way in the game, about the Dam then you get item which have good abilities when used.

If the party is organized properly and items are shared right, it is possible to progress smoothly with relatively small amount grinding (excluding Dark Force cause you sure need to grind a bit and even luck when you fight him).


Anyway I will gladly give a go at this hack when I have some time. I am interested in looking at the technique choice/progression.

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:35 pm
by Oswego del Fuego
General Reply:

"Optimized for use with Kega Fusion" means that the game works best on that emulator. I am not happy with the results on Genecyst or several other emulators that I tried. I tried to make acommodations for the other emulators but was not able to make up for what I perceived as performance issues.

Phantasy Star II has always been my favorite game in the series, and I think that PSIV is too easy, but the grinding of PSII can kill the flow of the action, especially for a new player. It's one thing if you tried the game back in the day when crazy grinding was the norm, but I think it turns off a lot of people now. I would like those folks to find the game more accessible so that they will give it a try.

Also, like all hacks, this is something of a vanity project, so... there you go (as the Clone Lab Grandma would say).

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:41 pm
by Oswego del Fuego
Also, please note that some versions of the ROM will need to have their checksums fixed before the patched ROM will play. I suggest using FixChecksum.exe to fix the problem. You can find it here: http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/342/

Thanks!

Re: Phantasy Star II Modernization Hack

PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:54 am
by spookeydonkey
Hey thanks a lot for releasing this! I've started and restarted PS2 multiple times but I always get to a point where I get bored with the fighting engine, cuz honestly it's VERY dated. Less battles is better in my opinion.