[Guest]

If you think you can be much of a fixture around here, let us know if you'd like to help with moderation. You don't technically have to do anything really, but it would look better at least if Emilio didn't have to bear the brunt of it all (truthfully there's nothing much to moderate -- but a larger onboard "staff" presence might make others feel more comfortable pitching in )

I wear glasses too

It's just my personal impression, but I think the old Haven (popanime/sumarucity) wiki is fairly tainted by the reputation/legacy of that whole strain of Megaten nerdom on the internet. This site has always been pretty dispassionate, and as long as I'm admin I'll see that it remains as much so as possible. So I think truthfully, "your" wiki, and the support it has received so far as very positive for Megaten documentation remaining alive on the internet. I still think our site can provide a vital function (if the people want it!!) as an authoritative source (just anyone can't post stuff on our site) and as centralized hub for the non-Japanese enthusiasts.

The main benefit we have versus your wiki is this site can be made to do anything, whereas the format of the wiki is pretty straight jacketed. Nevertheless an alliance of sorts would be great. Especially if we could somehow get some of your contributors into our forums / maybe even helping to contribute to this website.

Our article format is fairly different from a wiki. We're not designed to be a web of links that people jump to willy-nilly, but instead the format is layers and layers of increasing information rich documentation. You know, more traditional. It would be nice to get the whole database angle in check one of these days, but only time will tell.

I will try to fix that bug now that I'm aware of it btw. Especially if we get a significant more amount of data to feed into the database. Wolfzau was working on it, but he may have run out of steam.

If you want the tarot card graphics for the Persona let me know. I'm actually supposed to rename them for our database so I can add them to that viewer. That's what I promised Wolfzau at least.

It was nice when we had all the international flags illuminating our front page. Lately we've had a number of articles, but not so much translating. Just saying it's beginning too look like we're not really trying to be multinational anymore

Thanks for showing up, and glad to see someone else using my mood/disposition/whatever indicator system


PS: Thanks for resuscitating this thread

It's definitely news worthy, as is just about anything... but time will tell if any of our newsies get it up or not. Either way, thanks for the heads up / info

I'll definitely take care of all the paperwork if/when we have an article

Sounds interesting. I think some people might just like to see video of the people that make SMT happen.

Of course we're presently in no position to host video. Though I'd be happy to download a copy from somewhere once it's ripped in case we ever can host such a thing. Best option would be to upload it to Youtube or some other embed-able video hosting service. Then we could definitely make a page of it.

I'd love to see all the vids on the old site I had to take down put on Youtube as well, so we could put them back.

I'm supposed to be developing a Media Library system, so we don't even have to host images and stuff directly. Also so people can just upload stuff with impunity to the site, like a giant scrapbook or something.

I'm just trying to find a way to make anyone give a hoot about the website in this day and age. Though I gotta admit, I don't have a ton of enthusiasm lately. In fact the truth is the only reason I really have been developing the site for a long time, is because I'm sort of using it to develop a template for future websites and teaching myself internet tech.

PS: Always good to see some signs of life around here

Yeah, proxies work of course, though the official reason for the current block is to keep gaijin from hacking the game/severs (supposedly just to narrow down the odds of a repeat hack) ...so proxies are a form of network hacking, which could theoretically get you in trouble. I learned recently that for now you can just login via proxy, then disable it once you're in the game. You'd think that wouldn't be the case if CAVE really wanted to slow down hackers.

Technically if you were on a VPN, you wouldn't be hacking. Because VPNs don't have regions assigned to their IPs, you basically come from nowhere. Of course I'm not sure if the policy is to block foreigners, or just to block anyone not coming from a known Japanese IP.

Bottom line, people shouldn't put up with this sort of shit if the block doesn't go away soon. Megaten is a big franchise with multiple vendors/producers, so we could send a message that such a move would be explosive financially for Atlus and crew if we weren't just a bunch of unorganized, immobilized, lily-livered, punks

PS: Be careful with the names using that database, because I just noticed a bug I did not know of. The graphics always load correctly I think, but it seems possible for the info to get confused somehow. So if you go back and forward a lot in the viewer, it's possible you'll be looking at a graphic that doesn't match the info. It's the info that is bad, but if you're not going by the graphics, then it might not matter

Do you mean this?

http://www.digitaldevildb.com/demonary/velvet-room/persona/

It was a prototype for actually turning this website into a "database" I developed. But no one really showed any excitement for databasing megaten once the tech was actually up and going. Presently there isn't enough info entered to take it out of the construction area (ie. give it a proper home on the website)

That is the final URL, but it is not linked to on the website, other than being listed in the Under Construction pages.

Nevertheless I'd like to see it finished (sufficiently so) in anticipation of the upcomming PSP MIP release. Though that doesn't seem to be in the cards so far.

It does have all the Persona names however. I must warn you though the "English" names have never appeared in any games as such. They are the academic names which would be the root link in our mostly hypothetical "Encyclopedia" database.

In case this is not what you're looking for, sorry for wasting your time


PS: I'd like to speak with you before you go about mirroring your wiki somehow. Websites like this one are really dinosaurs. They just can't grow like a wiki does, still there is a certain virtue in maintaining them as authoritative sources / collection of resources. Anyway, I'd like to make the website more of a hybrid between a proper site and a wiki. I was thinking your wiki seems like the best candidate. Basically we would just cache info from your wiki and show it on our website in a very straightforward way with no editing widgets, sidebar, of wikia advertisements (assuming wikia is ok with that)

As far as I can think they're all in the same "world" as in on planet earth!! They're also all in the same timeline, other than some games like "If...", which the title itself implies it's an alternative reality... either just for shits and giggles or because some nefarious demiurge made it so.

Now this is for the "Shin Megami Tensei" titles produced by Atlus. I'm a big fan of the original non-Shin games prior to Atlus' takeover/bastardization (however you like to think of it) ...anyway the Shin games in essence are their own alternative universe. Anything non-Shin is in the original universe presumably.

Now the title itself has a word similar to "reincarnation" in the title, and the premise of the games is reality goes thru rebirths so to speak or whatever. So some far flung setting like with the Avatar Tuner (DDSaga) games might happen in a post reincarnation universe or who knows, but it's still part of reality... and in fact the SMT universe physics probably do not allow for coexisting alternative realities, so all games are also part of the same "timeline".

Now about "universes" ...many of the casts of characters and settings in games don't overlap at all. I would call the games that do overlap series. So Persona1/2 (as much as I would like to forget about 2 myself) are a series, but 3 and 4 are not part of that series. 3 and 4 might be a series, but I don't know enough about them. Nocturne is in a series with SMT1 and SMT2, but since it has a subtitle it might actually be a gaiden of some true SMT3 someday. Just some examples. If you really want to know the details you gotta at least read about the different games (if not play them) somewhere/how


Edited: Welcome!



PS: I think Atlus has dropped the Shin Megami Tensei from most of their sequel titles, but if you go back to the original there is usually either SMT or Megami Ibunroku in the title.

Well your time spent is just a drop in a bucket then compared to others!!

Most probably... eventually the block will be lifted. But for now yes, we are blocked from accessing our accounts by normal means. If we are ever required to register a domestic street address with our account, then that would probably signify an official lockout. So far foreign IPs are just blocked from connecting. Which though I don't have time to read the official press releases myself, reports seem to be saying CAVE believes (probably with good reason) their servers were somehow hacked, and feels blocking foreign IPs is a practical act of triage until the security hole in question can be isolated.

It would be nice to make it clear immediately however that a permanent block will not be tolerated. I for one won't be paying money for Megaten merchandise until my char is playable again

This is a short and simple sticky until the block is lifted. I don’t know much except I can’t login, and I’ve sunk hours into this game, and can’t wrap my head around the entity that would just pull the plug on that sort of investment for someone else. So in short, this is a petition. To pledge, not to spend any money on Megaten products from any region until the block is lifted. You don’t have to play on the Japanese server to sign the petition - ie. leave a comment. Just agree it’s a shitty thing to do, and the wrong way to treat your fans. We live in a day when pirating software is much easier than ponying up at your nearest retailer. This site makes no bones about piracy, it’s a personal decision, made by people who fill like they’re being served or not.

We understand CAVE feels there servers have been compromised, and have decided to block foreign IPs until they feel secure. But let’s make it clear to all entities profiting from Megaten merchandise, we won’t stand to see this go on indefinitely.

I probably haven't heard from Jose since 2008

Oh, fuck it...

Here's the new banner, "The database is a community effort. It needs help to survive and thrive!"