I think the scrapping of Rondo is simply happening as part of the 'reboot' of the franchise.
The PSP games, the card game and the style of the newest shinkis seems to all be pointing at a sort of relaunch, trying to refocus the series to generate money again.

I wish the new girls would still come with codes, but maybe make them used in Battle Masters instead (input them in the online shop then download the girl to your game). I feel kind of annoyed that I'll now be expected to buy a virtual version of certain shinkis if I want to play with them.

Sonja wrote:I wish the new girls would still come with codes, but maybe make them used in Battle Masters instead (input them in the online shop then download the girl to your game). I feel kind of annoyed that I'll now be expected to buy a virtual version of certain shinkis if I want to play with them.

If they go this way, they'll leave me behind. I would have to buy a PSP, the game, plus the character I want; and from what I've seen of BM on Youtube, it isn't my kind of game. I enjoyed the free, big graphics of BR, when you can just watch the girls fight in every detail, I wouldn't want to steer some tiny models (half obscured by some scales and stuff) that you can't really see while hammering on some buttons. It's probably great for people that are into ego shooters and the like, but I totally preferred the BR approach.
(Also, when losing a battle, I could always blame the shinki and scold her, goddammit. With BM, I'd have to slap myself, that can't be right!)

Sonja wrote:I think the scrapping of Rondo is simply happening as part of the 'reboot' of the franchise.
The PSP games, the card game and the style of the newest shinkis seems to all be pointing at a sort of relaunch, trying to refocus the series to generate money again.

*blinks* card game? What card game?

Caterwaul wrote:*blinks* card game? What card game?

Maybe this one? Saw it but never knew what to think of it:
http://www.amiami.jp/shop/?set=english& ... splay.html
All shiny cards.

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that card game has absolutely nothing to do with our beloved Busou Shinki. I think it's something entirely different because I hunted down information on that deck the minute I saw it up at AmiAmi and I couldn't find anything remotely related to ours. I think it's just something that carries the same name, there's also no affiliation with Konami shown there.

persocomsan wrote:I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that card game has absolutely nothing to do with our beloved Busou Shinki. I think it's something entirely different because I hunted down information on that deck the minute I saw it up at AmiAmi and I couldn't find anything remotely related to ours. I think it's just something that carries the same name, there's also no affiliation with Konami shown there.

Could be, actually.
I just saw it on AmiAmi while buying Moe Sleeves and made the assumption that it was related because I have no interest in japanese-language only card games.

Well, since chances of anything happening are diminishing by the hour, I intend to send the letter pretty soon say, the 20th latest). Can I send it on behalf of all the persons that voiced their sadness in this thread? If not, speak up now!

Plus, it'd be great if anyone knew someone that speaks Japanese who could translate the letter, if someone browses Japanese fan sites, maybe there's someone that could help out? I posted it yesterday in a Japan forum, only responses I got so far are that Konami is an international company and someone surely speaks English. Well, if there's no other way, I'm gonna send it in English, maybe with an additional Google Translate (which seems pretty accurate - meaning: when I re-translate it into English, it's not gibberish but pretty close to the original).

[Report:]
Good luck and god speed with the letter. My Japanese is only the beginner level so I can't help but to give you my cheers.

...I still can't find the background idea of BM over BR, but I guess dollar value spoke the loudest to 573's ears. *sigh*
[End of report]

This really makes me sad, I only started last month and so far was really enjoying it. I couldn't wait for my figures to get here to add them to the game so I could have my fave girls and now it's ending? =C
This always seems to happen when I join the party late.

I hope the letter/email really makes an impact. Good luck.

As the spokesperson of the "committee for the preservation of virtual shinkis" I can give you following update: after receiving an e-mail-address for shinki-net (since their usual contact form only allows for 1000 characters), the letter has been sent, in some kind of Japanese and English.
Quick as customer service is, I already received a first answer:

KONAMIカスタマーサービスです。

この度は弊社武装神姫オンラインへの感想とご要望をお寄せいただき
ありがとうございます。

お寄せいただきましたジオラマスタジオのオフラインソフト化のご要望は、
弊社担当部署へお伝えいたします。

また何かお気づきの点がございましたら、お寄せいただければ幸いです。

サービス終了までの間とはなりますが、
引き続き神姫NETをお楽しみいただけますと幸いです。

[株式会社コナミデジタルエンタテインメント カスタマーサービス]
担当：南雲
※本件に関するお問い合わせにつきましては返信にてお寄せください。
※返信内容の転用・転載はご遠慮くださいますようお願いいたします。

which translates into something along the lines of:

KONAMI is customer service.

Once again Thank you for your comments and requests of our online Busou
Thank you.

Offline software needs of your questions submitted diorama studio,
We convey to you our department.

If you have noticed some points again, I would appreciate your questions.

Between the end of the service but,
And I hope God will continue to enjoy the NET princess.

[Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. Customer Service]
Contact: Nagumo
※ For inquiries on this issue, please reply at your questions.
Diversion rights of the reply will ask that you refrain ※.

So they forwarded the suggestion/question to the appropriate department and are asking if we have further suggestions, right? Because there might be some, for example a viewer for replays as gundamboi suggested - I try my best with screen capture software like Fraps, but it's not the best to record fights, the framerate drops a bit too much. (By the way, if someone has a useful tool to do this, please let me know.)