General Discussion

MMORPG.com Perfect World International Correspondent Robert Sollazzo takes a first look at the beta for the upcoming free 2 play MMORPG Perfect World International.

Perfect World... Now where have I heard that name before?

There's a simple answer to that; an answer that doesn't involve questioning your sanity or using advanced psychotherapy to recover memories best left forgotten. Originally launching in China three years ago, Perfect World transitioned from a subscription based platform to free play, garnering enough interest to warrant a United States launch as Perfect World International. Servers for this new offering went live in closed beta August 19th, and we here at MMORPG.com couldn't help but to wonder what changes had been made for the international release.

As it turns out, not that many.

Like its Chinese and Malaysian cousin, Perfect World: International appears to be a game of give and take, excelling in some areas while falling critically short in others. While such oversights would be clearly unacceptable under a subscription based model, free to play changes everything.

Read the article here.

Regarding the detail of the world: The cities are detailed nicely (in particular the Elf City), but there are also areas where you can find a whole lotta nothing...Not even a bush. The first spot I hit like that killed the game for me.

Also, this F2P game has a cash shop that threatens to eat you alive faster than any P2P game out there...

Author pretty much nails it.

You forgot to talk about the game's features. Many of them like territorial battles and territorial ownership, free flight, sea and air combat, ... aren't even in most of the pay  2 play games.

Here's a features list : http://pw-wiki.onlinewelten.com/Features.ashx

* Territorial Battles

The game divides the whole terrain into smaller domains and has a built-in territorial battle system where clans and factions can build, arm and fortify a city or multiple establishments at the same time. Fortify the captured city with catapults and armaments to effectively guard your location against opposing attackers who are keen on expanding their territory.

* High detail character customization

The game allows players to customize character features from head to toe. Every detail of the human body: hair style and color, facial features such as distance of the eyes, shape of the brows, body shape, skin color, torso size, width of limbs, etc., can be customized using a unique slider system that offers full control to the user. Using this customization system makes each character unique.

* Battle in Land, Sea and Air

Each character and class in Perfect World has the special ability and peripherals to fly, trek, and swim in different terrains. Inherent attributes, special equipments, summons or even mountable animals make it possible for characters to not only fly, trek, and swim but also to duel and clash on any of the terrain. Perfect World created a world with flying monsters and floating cities and ruins, all waiting to be explored.

* Massive Quest/Mission System

The game itself has more than 5,000 quests waiting to be discovered and completed. Quests can be race- and class-specific. Instance quests are available for players who would like to make their own adventures.

* Huge continuous terrain

The entire game world is within one large map that requires no loading or no changing of maps so players can move around without waiting for scenes to change.

* Day, Night and Weather Shifting

The game shifts from night to day and sunny to rainy season on a regular cycle, changing the view of each area to suit the time. This “real world” effect will immerse the players more effectively in the game.

* 16:9 Widescreen Mode

Allows players to play in widescreen mode to simulate a movie-type experience.

* Perfect World Mailing System

This enables players to communicate with their online and offline friends, clan mates or factions. Aside from mail, items can also be sent through this unique system.

* Perfect World Messenger

Perfect World has an in-game messenger that allows players to easily keep track of and chat with friends. The messenger always works, even if you’re outside the game.

* Player Chatrooms

Chatting among players is now made easier with in-game chatrooms, allowing easy and clear communication among them.

* Personalized Clothing

With this feature, one can truly express him/herself through his/her in-game character. Players have more options when it comes to what their character wears. They can even design their own in-game clothes.

* Crafting System

Each crafted item is unique as the item will bear the crafter’s name.

* Item Upgrading System

When a player upgrades his/her items, the item will have a glowing effect, the color depending on what gem was used.

* Double Experience Option NPC

Leveling is easy with the Double Experience Option. A non-playing character (NPC) can provide 12-14 hours of 2x EXP per week (non-stackable) at the discretion of the player.

* Martial Training System

This system allows you to train your character and improve its martial combat skills. Now players can be sure that the warrior they send to battle will dominate in the battlefield and bring you honor.

* Riding Pet System

Pets are not just companions in Perfect World. Players can train their pets, mount them and use them as a means of transportation.

* Partner Ride Systems

Mounts can accommodate up to two players at the same time, enabling you assist a fallen comrade and bring him to safety during a battle, or take a nice stroll in the woods or fields with your in-game loved one.

Edit
Additional known features

* Create your own hometown

You can create the houses, the plants,furnitures,etc.
 

* Many social animations

* Many social skills like craft, mine, etc.

Any character can craft any thing, so you don't have to ask the other craft-player to creat the armors or weapons for you.
There are 4 craft professions:
blacksmith: craft the weapons
dressmaker: craft the armors and the fashion cloths
artificer: craft the jewels,bows and ammos(arrow).
apothecary: craft the potions

* Tons of amazing pets and mounts

* PVP System

PVP on land sea and air. City PvP, Guild VS Guild PvP and more

* Guild and factions system

* Instanced dungeons

Additional to the world there are also instanced dungeons where the players can experience their own adventures with a group of up to 6 people!

* 3 races and 6 classes

Wingkin: Archer and Cleric
Human: Warrior and Mage
Beastkin: Werebeast (Polymorph) and Werefox (Summoner)

have to laugh at people who list all the features of the game, yet completely miss the important stuff.

Cash shop is extremely expensive.  Hence, you can't call this game free to play, it fits in a new class, expensive to play(e2p).

Best thing is to avoid this game like the plague, unless you have a very rich uncle.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

have to laugh at people who list all the features of the game, yet completely miss the important stuff.

Cash shop is extremely expensive.  Hence, you can't call this game free to play, it fits in a new class, expensive to play(e2p).

Best thing is to avoid this game like the plague, unless you have a very rich uncle.

Talk for yourself and laugh how much you want at your clueless post. It doesn't change the fact that the game is free 2 play, nobody is forcing you to pay. If you think you need some items to set yourself apart from others or you think you need to be one of the servers super heroes then you have the choice to purchase things from the cash shop.

The casual players who don't need to be "server super heroes" don't need to pay anything. I have played this game on the Malaysian English server for a couple months and I have never felt like I needed to purchase anything, the same goes for my online friends and guild mates.

The only players who will "need" to purchase anything are the hardcore players aiming for server domination. Those are the only ones anyway who can (and want to) compete at the servers top, and this is the same in every mmorpg, be it f2p or p2p. As for the casuals, they can play for free thanks to the people who pay and they are also free to chose to purchase something if they want.

I tried WoW and could not see why waste $15 a month.  I heard about Perfect World, and tried the closed beta.  It is a great game.  I would rather play PW than WoW anytime, even if PW started charging.  The staff of PW are still doing upgrades and will take anyones suggestions.  If you are playing now, you should not be able to say you hate it untill at least a month after its initial release.  Remember -- PW is still in its beta form.  Like I said----- I am hooked on PW. 

Originally posted by Ozmodan

have to laugh at people who list all the features of the game, yet completely miss the important stuff.

Cash shop is extremely expensive.  Hence, you can't call this game free to play, it fits in a new class, expensive to play(e2p).

Best thing is to avoid this game like the plague, unless you have a very rich uncle.

I played Perfect World(MY) version in Malaysian server. This game needs real money for levelling. This is the most weird part of this game.

Played Perfect World as a froob player and i am quite convinced now that this game is not going to give you endgame without going for the item shop. Moreover the Hierograms or the mp and hp auto fill ups are a must and hence there is no or limited chance to make the character go and grind without them starting at levels 50+. Thus may be it is a temporary game but i do mind going for a game where the end game is item shop dictated and as such i will consider playing a paid game rather than this to go for the end game. It surely needs more real money in the long run than a P2P game for that amount of time.

Is Perfect World Perfect At All?

The name of the game is perfect world and thus we assume that this is a completely balanced game world, where you can spend hours having fun. So thus I installed the client and started playing the game. In the beginning you do like OMG! “Look at the graphics” and then you do the quests. Many quests are quite a change but mostly are the same old kill this number of that and collect this many that. Thus with the graphics and the journeys consuming your energy, time and giving you a complete breath taking view of the world you just hang on.

You quite hang on till the late 30 levels and then you ask yourself, what am I doing in here? Occasionally there will be a FB mission and thus this dungeon completely impossible for a team of that level to do will rejuvenate you and you start wondering, why? But again you hang on. At 45+ levels you will need to use the cash shop or the Auction House and from here you will loose money and you ask yourself, why am I doing this? Now by this levels the quests have thinned out and you are grinding yourself to sleep.

Then you go and read forums and you soon find the game is made to make you buy Hierograms for the mana and the health. A few levels later, you will go through into deep grind, where the lack of money and the lack of levels and the toughness to get levels will frustrate you. You will soon ask where is the fun in this game? , I mean dungeons and team gaming.

There is completely lack of party content and if you play a were-fox, I do not see why you should not be able to grind more and reach the top levels. So the character were-fox is your key to success but you are tired to go and grind the same mobs and same levels and do the same skill unlocking quests.

And thus you end it here and say to yourself “Give me a break “, there are better games to be played and there are smiles to be smiled than this tough grind to stardom.

So Perfect world finally got out of your mind and it is no more a perfect world now, but just another Asian grind fest where you lost a few weeks of your entire life.

But on the contrary, this game had everything from breath-taking graphics to a huge world, to many monsters and many skills and above all cute fully customizable characters. It lacked dungeons, it lacked team gaming and it lacked the most essential part and that is fun of gaming where you log back in to find your friends planning something out or your guild making some raids or you going to try some tough boss at the end of a wild run.

With boredom in your hand, you go and do FB caves and often you kill boss but you never get xp and never do get the molder drops you look for. The molder drops need a tablet and thus you go searching for low level players willing to get help from you for their FB missions.

For me it lasted for a month and for my friends who happen to be hardcore gamers it lasted a few days lower than a month. I could have made it last for a bit more by buying Hierograms using real money but , why will I do that ? Thus there is no answer to this why.

Finally discovered word wrap...lol so true. I tried the game, and it crashed on me almost right away, and I never touched it again. I have a well maintained e8400 based s