Editing Phantasy Star Online (section)

=== 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" />