Editing Phantasy Star Online (section)

==Development==
By the late 1990s, the popularity of [[Online game|online gaming]] on personal computers had grown substantially in the west, but was almost nonexistent in Japan, where [[Video game console|consoles]] were more popular. Sega chairman [[Isao Okawa]] believed the internet was the future of gaming and wanted a flagship online game for Sega's [[Dreamcast]] console. None of Sega's development studios wanted the project, as they were occupied with their own ventures, such as ''[[Jet Set Radio]]'' (2000) and the ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' series.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.gamestm.co.uk/uncategorised/behind-the-scenes-phantasy-star-online/|title=Behind The Scenes: Phantasy Star Online|date=February 16, 2011|website=gamesTM|access-date=May 24, 2018|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728060111/https://www.gamestm.co.uk/uncategorised/behind-the-scenes-phantasy-star-online/|archive-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref> Okawa gave the responsibility to [[Sonic Team]], led by [[Yuji Naka]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7">{{cite magazine|date=Christmas 2000|title=Phantasy Star Online|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cc/Edge_UK_092.pdf|magazine=Edge|issue=92|pages=3, 50–56}}</ref> Sonic Team was not particularly receptive to the decision, but continued with development.<ref name=":0" /> After Okawa became ill, Naka sent reports to the hospital to update him on progress.<ref name=":0" />

=== Concept ===
[[File:Yuji_Naka_-_Magic_-_Monaco_-_2015-03-21-_P1030036_(cropped_again).jpg|alt=A photograph of the game's producer, Yuki Naka, in 2015|thumb|Producer [[Yuji Naka]] in 2015]]Sonic Team began experimenting with the Dreamcast's network capabilities after completing ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' in 1998.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/yuji-naka-interview/1100-2681879/|title=Yuji Naka Interview|last=Ahmed|first=Shahed|date=February 5, 2001|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=May 27, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726174507/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/yuji-naka-interview/1100-2681879/|archive-date=July 26, 2015}}</ref> They saw the creation of an online game for Japan, a nation of console gamers, as a serious challenge, akin to creating a new genre.<ref name=":0" /> Much of their time was spent learning the basic elements of online gaming; they wanted to make sure the network functionality worked before developing the gameplay, setting, and story.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sega.com:80/segascream/developers/post_interviews.jhtml?article=int_yujinaka|title=Interviews: Yuji Naka, Creator of Sonic and Phantasy Star Online|last=Cellucci|first=Mark|date=2001|website=Sega|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021208112249/http://www.sega.com/segascream/developers/post_interviews.jhtml?article=int_yujinaka|archive-date=December 8, 2002|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their network experiments became ''[[ChuChu Rocket!]]'', released in 1999 as the first online game for the Dreamcast.<ref name=":13" /><ref name="chuchustore2">{{cite web |last=White |first=Matt |date=March 7, 2000 |url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2000/03/08/chu-chu-rockets-to-stores |title=Chu Chu Rockets To Stores |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web|last1=Justice|first1=Brandon|last2=Gantayat|first2=Anoop|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/12/igndc-talks-shop-with-sonic-team|title=IGNDC Talks Shop with Sonic Team|date=February 11, 2000|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085121/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/12/igndc-talks-shop-with-sonic-team|archive-date=May 18, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/yuji-naka-prope-interview-feb-2009-p2.asp|title=He's Back: Yuji Naka Prope Interview (Page 2)|last=Doree|first=Adam|date=February 4, 2009|website=Kikizo Archives|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825195028/http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/yuji-naka-prope-interview-feb-2009-p2.asp|archive-date=August 25, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref> Sonic Team used the lessons learned from ''ChuChu Rocket!'' to implement network technology in the larger project.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" />

Because of the lack of Japanese online games, and the developers' experience with the genre, Naka looked to western games for inspiration,<ref name=":0" /> and studied three online RPGs popular at the time: [[Diablo (video game)|''Diablo'']] (1996), ''[[Ultima Online]]'' (1997), and ''[[EverQuest]]'' (1999).<ref name=":0" /> ''Diablo'' in particular impressed him on a gameplay and technical level; he enjoyed how smooth the graphics and action were despite requiring significant system memory.<ref name=":13" /> ''Diablo'' was a 2D game, however, and Sonic Team wanted to develop a 3D game with the same degree of smoothness and gameplay. This concerned Naka, as he did not want his game to use the cheap and bland graphics associated with online games.<ref name=":0" />

Naka decided against creating a [[Massively multiplayer online game|massively multiplayer]] game similar to ''Ultima Online'' and ''EverQuest'', which would handle many players simultaneously in a persistent world; the necessary servers would have required two years of programming, and the Dreamcast did not have a [[hard disk drive]] to support continuous online patches. Naka was also more interested in working on new projects instead of continuously updating the same game for years, and doubted Sonic Team would be able to keep the game interesting.<ref name=":6">{{cite magazine|last=Reyes|first=Francesca|date=February 2001|title=Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/e/ec/ODCM_US_11.pdf|magazine=Official Dreamcast Magazine|issue=11|pages=36–41|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625161150/https://retrocdn.net/images/e/ec/ODCM_US_11.pdf|archive-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> The team therefore adopted ''Diablo'' as their main inspiration, determined to outclass it.<ref name=":0" />

=== Art and setting ===
Sonic Team built a science fiction-fantasy game under the working title ''Third World''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /> The art style was "comic-like" at first, but became more realistic. One of artist Satoshi Sakai's early concept drawings of a dragon reminded Naka of Sega's ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' series, which had been dormant since ''[[Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium|Phantasy Star IV]]'' (1993) for the Genesis.<ref name=":0" /> Naka had been the main programmer on [[Phantasy Star (video game)|''Phantasy Star'']] (1987) and ''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' (1989).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last1=Justice|first1=Brandon|last2=Chau|first2=Anthony|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/02/interview-with-sega-legend-yuji-naka|title=Interview With SEGA Legend, Yuji Naka|date=February 1, 2001|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220201437/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/02/interview-with-sega-legend-yuji-naka|archive-date=December 20, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref> He had always wanted to develop a multiplayer ''Phantasy Star'' game, but previous hardware did not allow for it.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/02/igndc-interviews-sonic-teams-yuji-naka|title=IGNDC Interviews Sonic Team's Yuji Naka|last=IGN Staff|date=October 1, 1999|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220201837/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/10/02/igndc-interviews-sonic-teams-yuji-naka|archive-date=December 20, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref>

With the ''Phantasy Star'' series chosen as the setting, Sonic Team continued developing the gameplay and story. The team was given freedom not to adhere strictly to elements from earlier ''Phantasy Star'' games.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13" /> The game would not continue the story from the previous ''Phantasy Star'' games, something that made Naka feel liberated.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /> Since few of the ''Phantasy Star IV'' staff still worked at Sega, the art team felt little obligation to adhere to the previous games' style, retaining only the science fiction look and some enemy and item names. Naka and Sakai believed factors such as the change in graphical fidelity and genre were enough to differentiate  it from previous ''Phantasy Star'' games.<ref name=":0" />

=== Music ===
The soundtrack was composed by Hideaki Kobayashi using a [[Roland JV-2080]] synthesizer, with live orchestration on some tracks, including the theme song. Kobayashi composed [[ambient music]] for calm scenes, and incorporated more rhythm and melody for battles. He composed short four-[[Bar (music)|bar]] melodies that are sequenced depending on gameplay; for example, when an enemy appears, the system plays music associated with that enemy. The process was a drain on the Dreamcast hardware, and gained the nickname "the crasher" among staff for how often it would [[Crash (computing)|crash]] the game during development.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mielke|first=James|date=2020-08-09|title=Phantasy Star Online's music has defined the series for 20 years|url=https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2020/8/9/21357456/composing-phantasy-star-online-music-20-years-hideaki-kobayashi|access-date=2020-08-23|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref>

=== Online functionality ===
Sonic Team had conceived their 1998 [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] game ''[[Burning Rangers]]'' as an online game for four players, but abandoned the idea due to insurmountable network problems.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last=Mielke|first=James|date=2020-08-02|title=Phantasy Star Online's director talks Diablo influences, cut features, and Christmas Nights|url=https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2020/8/2/21348946/phantasy-star-online-director-diablo-cut-features-christmas-nights|access-date=2020-08-23|website=Polygon|language=en}}</ref> They used the ''ChuChu Rocket!'' networking system as a template for the online functions for ''Phantasy Star Online''.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /> This presented new challenges, as the new network would connect players between different countries.<ref name=":13" /> Sonic Team ran experiments with different [[internet service provider]]s, [[Modem|dial-up modems]], [[cable modem]]s, and other networking configurations to ensure the game would work for all players.<ref name=":2" /> In Japan, Sonic Team gave [[Software release life cycle|beta versions]] to 10,000 users who pre-ordered the game, so they could work with a variety of equipment and internet services to eliminate problems.<ref name=":2" /> They wanted to run a worldwide test but did not have time.<ref name=":2" /> 90% of the testers were able to play online.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/21/pso-broadband|title=PSO = Broadband|last=Gantayat|first=Anoop|date=December 20, 2000|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142451/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/21/pso-broadband|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> Despite technical success, Sega was concerned that the high cost of internet access in Japan would be prohibitive for gamers and reduce sales.<ref name=":1" /> Japanese internet service providers charged per-minute fees for [[Dial-up Internet access|dial-up access]], and high-speed options such as [[broadband]] were not yet widely available. To combat this, chairman Okawa personally paid for free internet access for one year to be bundled with each Dreamcast.<ref name=":0" />

One of the biggest challenges was bridging the [[language barrier]] between global players.<ref name=":3" /> Sonic Team felt that developing a universal language system would be the largest barrier to a global gaming network.<ref name=":13" /> The team started by developing the word select system, which allows players to select predefined expressions to be translated to other players.<ref name=":7" /> The system had about 2000 words near the end of development, and Naka found it difficult to add more words to satisfy all player needs.<ref name=":6" /> Sonic Team built support for five languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, German, and French.<ref name=":8">{{cite magazine|last=Fischer|first=Blake|date=November 2000|title=Phantasy Star Online|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d1/NextGeneration_US_71.pdf|magazine=Next Generation|volume=2|issue=11|pages=23–25|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143151/https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d1/NextGeneration_US_71.pdf|archive-date=June 12, 2018}}</ref> They omitted Italian and Portuguese due to time constraints. Korean was also considered because of the internet boom in Korea at the time.<ref name=":6" /> Japanese and English were easier to implement because the only concern is the word location in the sentence, whereas Spanish and French have [[grammatical gender]]. The language system had to be fully redesigned at least once.<ref name=":6" />

Each server could accommodate one thousand players.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/03/24/amazing-new-phantasy-star-online-screens|title=Amazing New Phantasy Star Online Screens!|last=Williamson|first=Colin|date=March 23, 2000|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612151545/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/03/24/amazing-new-phantasy-star-online-screens|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> Sega initially prepared 20 network servers to accommodate 20,000 online users for game's launch, with room to add more servers as necessary.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pso-network-details/1100-2643220/|title=PSO Network Details|last=GameSpot Staff|date=October 20, 2000|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> This was increased to support up to 36,000 players right before launch.<ref name=":16" /> Sonic Team partnered with [[Swatch]] to use [[Swatch Internet Time|Swatch Internet time]] (or "beat time") as a universal clock for the game.<ref name=":13" /> The clock was implemented so players could coordinate with those in other countries on when to play online.<ref name=":19" /> The clock system divides each 24 hours into 1000 beats, with one beat equaling one minute and 26.4 seconds.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/07/24/phantasy-star-online-faq-frequently-asked-questions-updated|title=Phantasy Star Online F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) Updated!|last=Chau|first=Anthony|date=July 24, 2001|website=IGN|publisher=Ziff Davis|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145810/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/07/24/phantasy-star-online-faq-frequently-asked-questions-updated|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{cite magazine|date=February 2001|title=Insight: Phantasy Star Online|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6a/Hyper_AU_088.pdf|magazine=Hyper|issue=88|pages=26–27|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142512/https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6a/Hyper_AU_088.pdf|archive-date=June 12, 2018}}</ref> The time was maintained directly on the server and not based on the user's clock on their system.<ref name=":13" /> Sonic Team decided not to add jumping to keep the levels simple and simplify the network code.<ref name=":02"/>

Naka joked that future gamers would laugh at the word "Online" in the title, as he believed that online gaming would become standard; it was included as the concept was new and so important to communicate.<ref name=":13" />

=== End of production ===
''Phantasy Star Online'' was planned for release in March 2000, but was delayed so more features could be added.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2" /> The team planned 18 character types, and had male and female sketches for each, but settled on nine.<ref name=":2" /> A [[player versus player|player-versus-player]] mode was included in beta versions given to journalists, but this was omitted in the final version because it distracted players from the cooperative focus and introduced game balance issues;<ref name=":2" /> additionally, as the console-playing audience was younger than the PC audience, Naka did not want to evoke competitive behavior.<ref name=":13" /> The development team had more ideas for features to implement as development came to a close, with Naka wishing he had six additional months to add more features.<ref name=":6" /> ''Phantasy Star Online'' took two years to develop.<ref name=":3" /> Naka found it difficult to make a networked game for consoles, and developed an appreciation for Microsoft for supporting online games so well.<ref name=":13" />