Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

Coming from an artists point of view, I see much more alike than dislike. The PSIV Wren just has a few moderate changes made in the body. The joints have been recolored, the head has been slightly redesigned, the armor slightly recolored, and the perportions redone. There's really not that much differance between the two when you really look at them. As my art profesor tells her students "Before you can create, you must first learn how to see."

I'm guessing the Mi-type androids were created on the Alisa III.

Heikabuchi wrote:Coming from an artists point of view, I see much more alike than dislike.

So you study art? Fascinating. I can't say that I'm some great artist, but I'd like to think that I have an eye for detail.

The PSIV Wren just has a few moderate changes made in the body. The joints have been recolored, the head has been slightly redesigned, the armor slightly recolored, and the perportions redone.

Their frames are completely different. The similarities are few and far between. It's not about the colors, but the way the two are built differ as well.

And since you're keen on detail, I'm sure you've noticed how much more "human" the PSIV Wren appears at a glance. If it wasn't for the metal (Antennas? Sensors? I have no clue what they are!) protruding from his head, he could've probably passed as a Palman.

There's really not that much differance between the two when you really look at them. As my art profesor tells her students "Before you can create, you must first learn how to see."

Heik, I don't think we'll agree on this. xD

Shinuzzo wrote:I'm guessing the Mi-type androids were created on the Alisa III.

Aye. I'd like to believe that Mieu-types were Orakio's creation, but that's just a theory of mine.

I wouldn't be surprised if Orakio specifically created the Mi-types, figuring only he and his decendent ever were able to use them.

The PS4 wren looks more man than machine, not to mention he put some clothes on. He'd have to have gone through some serious face modifications to become 3-4, but the rest is mostly covered, so its really not easy to say they're the same or different.

So you study art? Fascinating. I can't say that I'm some great artist, but I'd like to think that I have an eye for detail.

^_^ I'm majoring in graphic design. It's a popular feild for game design, but I'm in it because I have a strange perspective on art and apearantly I produce "intresting works" so I thought, why not get paid for it? =D As for the eye for detail, I mean no offense whatsoever when I say this. I thought I had a great eye for detail when I did my own artwork before I took art classes, but after I took the classes I found that I saw things completely diffrently. I constantly compare the implied lines of objects that I see everywhere.. almost a little too much for my own good... But thats another story. xD
My point is, you have to train your eyes to look at and compare much more than color and lines. Pleas don't take this as an insult. So many people think I'm insulting them when I tell them things like this. =s

Their frames are completely different. The similarities are few and far between. It's not about the colors, but the way the two are built differ as well.

And since you're keen on detail, I'm sure you've noticed how much more "human" the PSIV Wren appears at a glance. If it wasn't for the metal (Antennas? Sensors? I have no clue what they are!) protruding from his head, he could've probably passed as a Palman. [/quote] With a few modifications to the PSIII Wren, you'll have the PSIV Wren. I could do it in under 40 minutes. The way that PSIII Wren is standinig in the picture you provided decpits him in a wider stance than PS4 Wren. If you put them in the same stance, modify the face, resize the perportions just slightly, and shorten the.. um...

(Antennas? Sensors? I have no clue what they are.

yeah, those things by a few milipixels, then you'd be staring at PS4 Wren.

Heik, I don't think we'll agree on this. xD

Probobly not. xD

Heikabuchi wrote:Odd. I was sure that their ages coincided with one another. I highly doubt they the gamemakers would use the same name twice. Especialy given that the two Wrens look more alike than dislike.

Remember that in the Japanese, the original game makers did give the two Wrens different names. PSIII Wren's name was Shiren, PSIV Wren's name was Forren. They only have the same name in the English games because Sega of America thought it sounded good.

All of the visual designs main cast of PSIV (Chaz, Rika, Rune, Wren, Alys, Hahn) are based on characters from the previous games. PSIV was meant to bring together all of the things everyone liked from the previous games in one package. Chaz and Alys are based on Rolf and Anna, with color changes of their clothes and other slight alterations. Hahn is Hugh, wearing clothes from Hugh's Text Adventure, with color changes also. Rika is Nei (she was originally even called Nei, according to one magazine's preview), and Rune is Noah/Lutz. None of them are the exact same characters, but nods to the past heroes. Likewise, Wren is meant to represent PSIII in the line up, but also to be a completely separate character.

That's why you see similarities in the two Wrens artistically. Those similarities are meant to be there to remind you of the PSIII character, but that's all. But don't put too much faith into these similarities: Siren and PSIII Wren look exactly the same except for their coloration (and so do Mieu and Miun), but they aren't the same being either. All the androids are designed for mass production and are therefore very similar to others, with the exception of Demi. PSIV has common android enemies that look just like PSIV Wren, some of whom are even called Siren and have red hair.

The Wrens' ages are similar in the English games, but that is because PSIII and PSIV start at about the same time (1000 years after PSII). For Wren to be the same character in both games, that would mean Wren has to travel to Algo and then back to the Alisa III constantly over a period of several hundred years. Wren created Demi less than 400 years before PSIV, plus he also monitored and controlled Algo's climate systems since shortly after PSII. Unless he has a starship capable of flying at much greater speeds than the Alisa III, it wouldn't work out.

SparkyIII wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if Orakio specifically created the Mi-types, figuring only he and his decendent ever were able to use them.

Yeah, I think you hit the nail right on the head there. He probably tied them into some kind of DNA check or something.

The Mi-types look a lot like the android girl from Phantasy Star Adventure, too. I think their design might have been based on her (in-universe only; PSA was made after PSIII, IIRC).

Heikabuchi wrote:^_^ I'm majoring in graphic design. It's a popular feild for game design, but I'm in it because I have a strange perspective on art and apearantly I produce "intresting works" so I thought, why not get paid for it? =D As for the eye for detail, I mean no offense whatsoever when I say this. I thought I had a great eye for detail when I did my own artwork before I took art classes, but after I took the classes I found that I saw things completely diffrently. I constantly compare the implied lines of objects that I see everywhere.. almost a little too much for my own good... But thats another story. xD
My point is, you have to train your eyes to look at and compare much more than color and lines. Pleas don't take this as an insult. So many people think I'm insulting them when I tell them things like this. =s

No offense taken. I see what you're getting at, but I did say that it wasn't about the color in my previous post.

With a few modifications to the PSIII Wren, you'll have the PSIV Wren. I could do it in under 40 minutes. The way that PSIII Wren is standinig in the picture you provided decpits him in a wider stance than PS4 Wren. If you put them in the same stance, modify the face, resize the perportions just slightly, and shorten the.. um...

(Antennas? Sensors? I have no clue what they are.

yeah, those things by a few milipixels, then you'd be staring at PS4 Wren.

Maybe. But you'd also have to make PSIII Wren taller!

Thoul wrote:The Mi-types look a lot like the android girl from Phantasy Star Adventure, too. I think their design might have been based on her (in-universe only; PSA was made after PSIII, IIRC).

I never knew about that! Their resemblance is rather uncanny. Still, I'll always prefer Mieu!

Yeah, PSA girl even has the same blue gem on her chest. That's got to be more than coincidence, I think.

But she'll never hold a candle to Mieu's greatness.

Maybe the guy in Adventure is really Orakio? Miller was his name, right? He lived on Dezoris, so he would have been evacuated to Palma, so he might have been on the Alisa when it escaped.

At any rate, all the androids seem to be built to last. Siren, Miun, Wren, they all live for about a thousand years with few signs of slowing down. I think Mieu would just continue to live with Rhys' family. It would have been neat if they had a sequel to PS3 that featured Wren and Mieu.

Ah yes, Mieu. Hecka my favorite PS character.

So, the most logical response to me was that she simply continued to serve Sean/Crys/Adan/Aron and their descendants until she finally just shut down and stopped functioning. This would be in accordance with the American version, which has it that she was programmed to serve Orakio's descendants. It is possible that her programming could've been changed afterward so she could have a more independent life after defeated Dark Force, though.

There's a fanfic that a member of the PSCave sent me and that suggests that she made it to Earth (probably in Aron's timeline) and became a history teacher, since she probably knows quite a bit about the history of the Alisa III and maybe even Algo itself.

Then there's the H-Man PSIII fanfic series approach, which suggests that the Alisa III arrived at a planet based more or less on Mystera from D&D and had numerous adventures before marrying some peculiar fellow named Corg. I find that theory particularly fascinating.