Any guess/theories about where Paseo went after PS2?

[Cherok]

I'm finishing urban planning grad school am and itching to do something creative, so I decided that it might be fun to illustrate and develop a master plan for Paseo immediately after PS2's events.

Anyway, I wonder if some of the folks here wouldn't mind reaching back into their collective imaginations (and or fanfic) and give me their best guess about what happened to Paseo before Phantasy Star 4. It survived a thousand years between PS1 and 2 - what kept it from surviving a thousand more? Was it the sloth of a culture of people who became so reliant on Mother Brain? The governor in PS1 actively says 'The Motavians didn't appreciate our colonization efforts' and in addition, the Motavians attack you in the first game. Is there a chance that they were hostile and vengeful after PS2?

Anyway - I'd love any input that you have on the history of Paseo after 2.

[JoelP4]

Hey, congrats on finishing up Grad school! That’s an interesting question. I think years back I’ve read in blogs that it could’ve been supplanted by another city in PSIV. However, my creative take would probably be that it was simply abandoned at some point, having fallen in disarray until buried by the sands of time. Maybe in some sort of fanfic way the Motavians came to look at the city as a bad reminder or failure of sorts as a premiere city. In planning a layout I wonder if it could even be interesting to chart a decline of sorts and eventual absorption into another community structure or city. Whatever you end up doing, please share. Sounds cool!

[Cherok]

Thanks for the congrats! It's crazy to see this topic revived - here I thought I wouldn't hear from anyone. So I've been working away on this project and falling in love with all of the little nuggets that the creators left as I endeavor to create my own connections as well. The location of Paseo was a particularly interesting thought that I had when I lined up maps from 1,2 and 4. Look at this.



I used to think that the PS2 and PS4 maps were totally different (many games totally change maps in the same world for game design convenience), but a few things began to gel. To me, it's likely that instead of sand, Paseo was washed away by the ocean. It doesn't make a ton of sense that Paseo would be flooded and not Zema since they occupy locations with similar features, and presumably similar height above sea level.

Lining up two similar looking maps seemed too easy, so I figured that I'd use Zema as the central point. It would make some sense that SEED and the artificial lifeform would have originally been built into the cliff-face behind Zema in 2 as in 4 (though there are no mountains behind the town in 2. What got me excited was the location of Biosystems lab near Oputa. Is it reaching to assume that a biomonster/fauna production facility stretched from the lab, beneath the empty reservoir and up toward Zema? Is it possible that it extends even further? For Neifirst to pump out as many Biomonsters as she did from AW1282 through to AW1284. you would need quite the facility.

Outside of Uzo's location, there's nothing else that really persuades me that it's the same map, but if a person were to use this idea as a jumping off point for writing stories about the lore in the collapse centuries, there's a lot of inferences that could be made about why the map changed. What force caused Piata to move? Did the Motavians exact some centuries-long revenge on Palmans and take their town (Palmans killed them on sight in PS1 don't forget).

Anyway, this project has taken me on a wild ride in terms of inferring what happened to physical places on Motavia during the intervening millenium. If you have other ideas about Paseo, I'm all ears!

[Doctor Hooves]

I can see some similarities between the maps, but it’s a bit too hard for me to properly make out. Land probably wouldn’t change that much in just 2,000 years in reality, though I guess it obviously wouldn’t be very interesting for two games to use the exact same map.

While we’re at it, in IV, on Dezolis, there’s a reference to II.

South of the Esper Mansion, behind unbreakable mountains, there’s a large area of unexplorable land. There’s nothing really there, but it’s next to a large crevice. Sound familiar?

Even if it’s not a lot, I do like the jobs they did at connecting the games.

[etony33]

The Motavian natives got tired of the invaders' crap and waged a coup shortly after Mother Brain was destroyed is my personal theory. They ended up with Tonoe and Molcum, and despite not having a total victory, the city of Paseo was abandoned not unlike the ancient city of Constantinople.

[Cherok]

I like that thought - especially around the Motavian rebellion.

I've been working on a project for the last 6 or so months that I hope will culminate in a proposed 'growth plan' for the city of Paseo 50 years before the events of PS2. I've finished the research, timelines and pulling design influences and am beginning the process of designing the city right now. Basically, the premise is that after the installation of Mother Brain and the catastrophes caused on Mota after the alignment of the planets (or whatever), a series of booms and busts have led the people of Mota (and Paseo specifically) to re-arrange what was a very Palman driven society into the Mother Brain oriented one that we see in PS2. The growth plan document is sort of a utopian vision that sees a opportunities in Mother Brain's vehicle and space flight ban, and is optimistic about what the year AW1280 (50 years into their future) will look like.

As far as the Motavian element is included, I'm super excited about how to integrate their tumultuous relationship with Mota's government over the years and how the attempt at reconciliation between the two peoples plays out before the events of PS2. That, and how the curtain of Mother Brain's intentions is slowly being pulled up to reveal something more sinister.

...And all in a city planning document! Haha

[etony33]

There was no hope for them to win any sort of freedom during the period when Mother Brain was around. But once Mother Brain was destroyed, it created a power vacuum. Either (depending on whether he lived or died in the battle with the Earthmen) Rolf or perhaps another government official would have probably taken over, but there would certainly be a tenuous grip on power at best. It is unlikely they'd have much of a military to speak of. The population at large would be quite confused and disenchanted due to having lost their guiding principles that they had known forever. The devil they knew, if you will.

Perfect opportunity for the natives, who never really trusted Mother Brain to begin with, to take back some of the land of their ancestors.