Well, you're the only one! I couldn't have more work to do at the moment! If you wish the forums and website would become more active as it once were though, you needn't wait too long, as things should hopefully start picking up in the coming months (Lets say Summer!).

Is there anything you'd like to see on the website? What would you like to see on the forums? We're trying to do what we can with little Phantasy Star Online action occuring on SEGA's side nowadays!

Yes, you're right, it hasn't actually been working for a while now. However this public announcement confirms that i am (Obviously) aware of this.

PSUniverse.net will return in the near future, but in the meantime, post everything PSU related in the flagging community forums!

Ragol.co.uk Forumer FireFox276 has sent in news that the last official version of Phantasy Star Online that's still going from SEGA - Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst - is to closedown at the end of March 2008.

Posting on the official PSO: BB forums come the following as the reason for closure:

"To give players some insight into the goings on of PSOBB, I've drafted up a brief explanation that covers the why concerns for the game closure. The reason for closing ultimately falls on two core reasons:

1. PSOBB is not making any money, in fact Phantasy Star Universe is the only reason it has been going as long as it has. Even with the lack of updates (no development, localization, or management costs), the server and bandwidth costs exceed the amount of money generated by paying subscribers.

2. Persistent billing issues and server timeouts (error 906, etc) cannot be resolved by our billing server team. We've been working on them for months and they simply cannot be resolved, I would go into more detail, but the end result will always be the same.

As a company offering a subscription-based service, we cannot charge people for a broken service, and we can't offer a free service without offsetting the cost. The sad result is a closure of the game."

- From the official PSO: BB Forums

Hunters' Licenses will no longer be able to be bought from 6th December 2007, while all subscriptions will end on January 9th 2008, making online play on Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst free to all users who have had at active account with the game at some point in it's lifetime from January 9th until March 31st 2008 when the game will closedown for good.

During this final period of Phantasy Star Online: BB's play, XP & Drop Rates are to be increased should you finally wish to get your hands on the goods and levels you always wished for!

For those also wondering, yes March 31st 2008 also marks the 1 year anniversary of us losing SEGA Dreamcast & Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online.

The discussion on this topic has already started on the forums - click here to be a part of it.

Apologies for the lack of updates on any part of Ragol.co.uk, PSUniverse.net & the Ragol.co.uk Community Forums. My time has been taken up so much so by university work and outside interferences that absolutely no updates have been made to the site by me in the past few months!

Because of this the website & forums traffic & usage has obviously dwindled in numbers recently. Unfortunately i can't guarantee that the opposite will happen in the coming months, but at least until June you probabily won't see much difference in the website. However, if you're still with us, thanks for sticking it out and i hope you're still either enjoying Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Universe, or discussing it in our forums!

Of what little i can offer, updates will be here for christmas, so be sure to be with us around then, until now be sure to continue discussing all things Phantasy Star at those lovely ol' forums!

It's time for another new feature here on Ragol.co.uk!

It's actually been online for a few days now, and to those that have noticed the new link on the menu, it's full of great Phantasy Star Online artwork, amazingly titled the Phantasy Star Online artwork page!

Full of wallpapers, logo's, environment shots and general artwork, some official, some otherwise, it's definately worth a look if you love all that stuff!

You'll be able to see it for yourself, once you click this differently coloured text.

If you go down to Ragol today, you may be in for a surprise! That's because the frontpage... yes, it's changed!

Ragol.co.uk & PSUniverse.net now both take you to one page, with everything you'll need to know when you're in a hurry, or when you fancy a gander at something a little different!

The new page, including the new PSO Vs. PSU Poll feature, also includes a randomly chosen (From a set list) weapon from both the Ragol.co.uk & PSUniverse.net weapon databases, the news headlines in short, and another brand new feature to Ragol.co.uk - The Phantasy Star Latest Pic - To which you are in complete control!

How does it work? Simply click here, upload a pic, and you'll then find it on the new homepage for the world to see! Someone else uploaded one just after yours? Don't worry, it's still available on Ragol.co.uk in the 'Your Pics' archive, here!

It'll also be up on the main pages for both sites soon as well as a couple of other things, so keep it here!

Let us know what you think of it, what you might want on the page in the near future, or of any problems with the new page in our forums, by clicking here.

Back in March, it was the last moment that you could enjoy of what was left on the Nintendo Gamecube (Officialy that is!) of Phantasy Star Online, and back then we polled you on wether you were gonna make a return or not to celebrate this occasion - Here's what you said:

• Will you be returning to the Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online in March?
• Definately!
• 526 Votes
•  62.3%
• Probabily
• 72 Votes
•  8.5%
• Maybe...
• 89 Votes
•  10.5%
• No, sorry!
• 156 Votes
•  18.5%

We're now introducing (What'll hopefully be) a more regularly updated set of PSO Vs. PSU Polls - What do you prefer? Simply vote!

For our first poll, we asking you on whether you prefer those giant ships in the skies - Is it Phantasy Star Online's Pioneer 2, or Phantasy Star Universe's Guardians Colony? Vote now!

A small while ago, you wanted it, now finally, the Ragol.co.uk Community Forums have a whole new board, especially for you fans of Role-Playing ('RP').

If you love it, you can now do it, right here!

If you know of another feature you would love to see on Ragol.co.uk or the community forums, then please feel free to let me know, using those very forums!

More updates to Ragol.co.uk & PSUniverse.net are on the way, though they're a little while away unfortunately - Not THAT far away, but coming soon! Enjoy!

Today, finally, Ragol.co.uk is proud to announce Ragol.co.uk Chat - Powered by Gabbly - A new personal chatroom-esque feature allowing you to chat with anyone else on the website!

It's been available for a little while as Gabbly bettered the chat program, but now we feel the time is right to let you all use it (Isn't that nice?).

To chat, simply go to: http://www.ragol.co.uk/chat.shtml - Or click on the link at the top of any page.

If there's any problems please pass them on in our community forums.

Please note that Gabbly is currently not compatable with all Internet Explorers, but most!

Hello again Folks!

Just a quick word to apologise for the lack of 'The New & Improved Ragol.co.uk & PSUniverse.net' of which was supposed to arrive earlier this past week. As you may have guessed it has been severely delayed due to technical problems and i hope you'll stick it out with me for what's hopefully going to be these coming days and not coming weeks to see some awesome improvements arrive to the websites, forums, and even the different versions of Phantasy Star!

For the meantime though you'll just have to enjoy it as it is, but remember you can always make some meetings between yourselves ingame through our community forums should you be getting a bit tired of having others point and laugh at your lonely 1-man games!

Thanks for waiting with us!

Lee-yoshi

P.S. Remember that if you wish to be a contributor to PSUniverse.net (Or even Ragol.co.uk?) please let us know! The news post below details it in more... detail!

Next week PSUniverse.net and Ragol.co.uk will undergoe some much needed improvements so you'll have you're old website's that you used to love and cuddle before they stopped getting updated back!

What do we mean by this? Well we'll be holding some competitions over both Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst & Phantasy Star Universe (And possibly even on the Schtack PSO servers for Nintendo Gamecube), as well as improving the websites by adding some extra goodies onto them and hopefully start getting some more regular news updates. And with that in mind if you would like to become a news reported for PSUniverse.net and Ragol.co.uk to report on everything that's going on the in Gurhal system of Phantasy Star Universe then please let us know either by E-Mail or by posting in this Ragol.co.uk forum thread!

In that very same thread please be sure to let us know what you would like to see on Ragol.co.uk & PSUniverse.net in terms of what kind of competitions you'd like to see, what you'd like to see on the websites, forums, etc etc.

Thanks! Lee-yoshi

So, what the f#$! is going on with Ragol.co.uk i hear you cry?

What happened to all of the updates, the news, the Gamecube Phantasy Star Online and PC Blue Burst coverage?

And for that matter, what happened to Ragol.co.uk altogether in the past few days?!

Well, i'm afraid my recent need to do loads of constant work has meant that Ragol.co.uk has indeed suffered, and it may continue for a little longer as well, so don't be surprised if the trend continues a little longer through the month of April. Sorry! As to the latter problem of Ragol.co.uk disappearing altogether in the recent days... well domain problems came into play there, though me and Sol were working hard to get it all back together as soon as possible, and here we are again!

So... what have we missed out on in the past month and a half?

The biggest story is of course that the SEGA Dreamcast & Nintendo Gamecube servers are now non-existent :( It's OK to shed a tear or two, as the end of an era has now passed and all of those good times we had are now but distant memories. Oh the days, come back! ;_; As it turned out though the only people who were rewarded for using Sonic Teams servers in the last few years were the Japanese as everyone else had to pay as per usual for that oh so necessary Hunters License, and hence we were unable to plan any competitions we would have loved to hold to see PSO out.

Ragol.co.uk also turned 4 years old! Can you believe it? Nice work Sol for starting and producing such an amazing site for fans worldwide to carry on their PSO'ing while their not aboard Pioneer 2.

Of course Easter was last week as well - I hope you all enjoyed the eggy experience and had some luck finding the defiant Easter Rappies! Hehe.

Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst also seemed to start recieving a few more updates as people began to leave Phantasy Star Universe for what they know and love the most, Phantasy Star at it's best!

And so with that, watch out for a Phantastic Summer as Ragol.co.uk considers some in-game fun for all to enjoy when the sun has gone down.

What do you want to see both in Phantasy Star Online and on Ragol.co.uk? Let us know in the forums!

Until next time though, Happy Hunting!

The website is completely back up, as are the Ragol.co.uk Community Forums - Let me know if there's any problems!

With the recent loss of the official Sonic Team Phantasy Star Online Nintendo Gamecube servers, many people have been asking me two main questions?

1) Does this mean i cannot complete any of the online quests anymore?
2) What is Ragol.co.uk's stance on the Schthack servers now?

The answer? No, online quests can obviously not be completed anymore. However, online play is still possible through unofficial PSO Nintendo Gamecube servers, that being what's known as the Schthack server.

With there being no alternative now for online play, the Schthack server can now be discussed on Ragol.co.uk and it's community forums as the rules loosen a little. HOWEVER people should be warned that it is not recommended to be played on by Ragol.co.uk, and that the possibility of cheating and hacking occuring during your online PSO gameplay experience while aboard these unofficial servers varies widely at differing times. To this end all players if deciding to use this server for online play should ideally check the place out first using a completely different character on a completely different memory card and then decide if you wish to use the servers more with your usual characters as memory card corruption is still possible. The servers are not updated, maintained by, or have anything to do with Sonic Team or the SEGA Corporation.

Discussion rules on Ragol.co.uk and it's community forum concerning Schthack include that the server itself can be discussed with meeting times and place, or experiences, etc, BUT as usual any links posted to external sites and/or forums which contain cheats or hacks (Including methods of such activity) on the forums will lead to the links being promptly removed by a moderator & may also lead to a sudden unwarned ban as we take this issue very seriously and like to lead players into an enjoyful gaming experience.

To this end Ragol.co.uk is in no way responsible for anything that occurs on these servers and would like to suggest that players using this method of online play to take the utmost care, and only hang around with the right crowd!

With all of this in mind, details concerning how to play on the Schthack servers will be left upto anyone with more information and comments can be placed in this Ragol.co.uk Forum Thread.

Well... we haven't changed the poll in quite some change, but with that final month of online play constantly creeping closer and closer, it's only fitting we ask you... yes, that question... but before we do, let's go over the previous poll:

What do you think of PSUniverse.net?

• It's Fan-fookin-tastic!
  •  27.1% (110 Votes)
• Marvelous!
  •  9.1% (37 Votes)
• Ok...
  •  8.3% (34 Votes)
• Could be improved
  •  11.8% (48 Votes)
• I'm staying with Phantasy Star Online & Ragol.co.uk!
  •  43.4% (176 Votes)

With the release of Phantasy Star Universe, we of course launched our new sister website, PSUniverse.net, but what did you think of it? Well, overall most of you thought it's pretty decent as far as fansites go, though with 11.8% of you thinking that it needs a bit of improvement, there's still obviously some work to go! That is however if PSU keeps on going as the majority vote went to the option that see's people relucant to change and stick with Phantasy Star Online (And maybe also with us here at Ragol.co.uk!). If you have a suggestion for an improvement to PSUniverse.net, why not let us know on the community forums?

And so to our new poll... yes, sadly an era is ending, as Sonic Team of Japan are to finally closedown the SEGA Dreamcast and Nintendo Gamecube Phantasy Star Online servers. Yes, of course i'll leave you to hold that thought for a moment as you reflect back on the good times, the memories, and bring a few tears to the party from your eyes, but as that last month comes, so does a free Hunters License... but is it enough to make you return? Place your votes now!

With this last month, why not tell us which Episode you'll mostly be playing? Maybe it's the classics on Episodes I & II, or maybe you're up for a bit of C.A.R.D. battling with Episode III? Would you like to see one last competition from Ragol.co.uk on the Nintendo Gamecube servers? Please, click here to let us know!

Sonic Team of Japan recently held maintenance on the Nintendo Gamecube servers, adding the seasonal favourite 'Valentines Quest'.

This quest is available online in Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II and Phantasy Star Online, Episodes I & II Plus, for a limited time only - 20th February 2007 to be precise - and is playable for 1 player only.

Sonic Team of Japan have recently updated the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst with a few extra's, mainly just for Valentines, but with a couple of other special gifts to!

• Valentines Day Lobby Decorations
  • Available until 20th February 2007

• Valentines Event
  • Episode I
  • Available until 20th February 2007

Everyone's (Well, at least the girl character's) favourite quest returns as the chocolate making sisters return to Pioneer 2 for the Valentines holidays! Gather together the special ingredients, and churn them together in the right order (In the medical centre of all places) to produce some lovely valentines chocolate! The problem is... do you keep it for yourself, or pass it onto your loved one this Valentines?

This quest is playabale for one female player only.

• Valentines Event II
  • Episode II
  • Available until 20th February 2007

Valentines Event II - The Return of the Chocolate once again hits PSO seeing your character get to Episode II for some Valentines themed fun... and choco tasting! This quest is playable for 1 - 4 players.

• Maximum Attack 3 - Version II
  • Episode IV Expansion Pack

Wow, how's this for a nice little extra pressie for the holidays from Sonic Team?

The third episode in the Maximum Attack series of quests returns for a more permanent amount of time, but don't let the fact that it's not for prizes fool you into thinking that they've made it a slight bit easier for you!

Hit the Episode IV Expansion Pack for some timed slaying VR goodness. Can you last the whole 30 minutes without a single team member dieing on you? Can you reach the end of the quest intact and with time to spare? Well, there's only one person who can answer that question, and that's you! Good Luck!

This quest is playable for 1 - 4 players.

• In the Wilderness [Version II]
  • Episode IV Expansion Pack

Made your way through Maximum Attack 3, Version II alive and gained yourself a 'Lucky Ticket!'? Well then, you'll need to head on over to this quest so that you can redeem it to gather special prizes - Yes, there's some very special prizes available indeed! This quest is playable for 1 - 4 players.

• Transaction #3
  • Episode I
  • Available until February 27th 2007

The merchant/client of this quest makes a third appearance with (For the last time) some completely different stock... Quick! Collect the items she requires or you'll miss out on your chance to recieve in return something very special, oh yes!

This quest is playable for 1 - 4 players.

Everyone loves Ragol.co.uk! And with that statement, Ragol.co.uk forumer dnd has produced his very own Ragol.co.uk Newsletter as a part of his school coursework, reporting on both Phantasy Star Universe and the Nintendo Wii's release.

We've got it up now for download (No copying please! Hehe), so why not give it a gander? Click here to go to our downloads page, or download it directly using the link below:

Click here to download this file [Requires Microsoft Publisher (.pub file) - 427k]

Ragol.co.uk Forumer K_I_R_E_E_K brings you something very Phantasy Star Online for your walls - It's Ragol.co.uk Phantasy Star Online Wallpaper!

See many Ragol.co.uk regulars in all their PSO characterised glory in this amazingly well done 1278x1022 resolution desktop background.

To download the wallpaper for yourself in full sized glory, click right or visit our downloads page by clicking here!

Cheers K_I_R_E_E_K! And great job!

Happy New Year to all Ragol.co.uk Viewers!

Hope you all have a great 2007!

Sonic Team of Japan have announced that New Years lobby decorations, and a very special gift will be heading towards the way of all Japanese Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst players!

Server Maintenance occurs on January 1st 2007 where the above mentioned lobby decorations will be setup in the online lobbies! All players will also be recieving a very special gift containing one Photon Crystal! This item has aparently come straight out of the 'Dangerous Deal with Black Paper' Episode IV quest, and been swapped for something else instead... what could it be? There's only one way to find out! Happy New Year everyone!