Top 5 Pro's and Con's of PWI

TOP PRO REASONS TO PLAY PWI:

1) Amazing Class, Race, and Character Model Creation: The moment you install and get into the character creation…you will be blown away. The game came out around 2006, which means it was in development before. So you even though the game is “aged” it’s character creation still beats majority of mmorpg’s out there. Male or Female characters are sort of “sized” according to race. So the “Fish” race has a little more scales and webbing in their humanoid features, the beast kind are uniquely male or female (and hugely different between them), and the humans and elves take the more standard human model. The difference is you can take and tweak every single point of these models. You can make a human and turn in it into a hideous beast with huge head small eyes, or small head, huge eyes and alien like skinniness. Or you can make it look like…you! Or you can make your fantasy look come true. The modeling is huge in this game and the kicker is that it complements its race and class choices. I have never played another mmorpg that can get it as enjoyable as PWI does.

2) Skill Builds: Sick and tired of the theme parks that auto stat your character? Sick and tired of games that say “We are so open to build whatever you want!” but find out they follow the “holy trinity” build or gtfo? Well, check out PWI. You are 100% free to build your stats how you want. There are some builds that are very effective for the class you chose, but you can stray far enough away to hybrid. Your only guide really is demand of what other players have deemed “useful”, but **** what society says is good! Want to build a magic using barbarian? Try it out! See what happens. But the real motivation to build certain ways (or at least “base stats”) is the gear. Some gear for your class will require X amount base STR, etc… once you meet that requirement, get the weapon, you can build the remaining points into experimental or supportive stats. One good example is an assassin that happens to be my guild leader. She not only is super strong and level 103 reborn x2, but she mastered the bow…An archer skill. So when she is done destroying the enemies with her daggers, she pulls out a bow to show off she spent some extra points in dexterity…For example, to wield the bow. That is cool! To boost and compliment builds, there are in game progression choices to make. One is called Sage or Demon. When you hit around level 89. You have the choice to chose a Sage or Demon path, and you get a little angel or demon avatar floating around you followed by stat boosts to certain attacks, defenses, spells, etc..How you build is important and the world evolves around it. Not just another cookie cutter stat system.

3) World: What killed World of ******** for me was too much building out. The moment the first expansion came out that put a magical portal from the “old” map to the “new map”, the game died in my heart. Crossing the portal added c ompletely different looking area that had no emotional connection to everything I had been doing for the last years. RIFT had an opposite effect, but same “build out”. As soon as I left the “RIFT” world for their first expansion into the forest like land, you literally are pulled from the old map “world” and instance over to the new stuff that Is a huge upgrade (not as ugly and dull as the entire original RIFT experience was). In most cases the concept is the same: “Take this instance, say bye bye to the old land you grew attached too (or wish to leave), and welcome to this huge different thing that loosely has anything to do with where you come from”. My ideal world is one that builds UP inside it’s own territory. Nothing was more exciting in an MMORPG experience than to see a new dungeon / city / camp / mini instance be installed in lands you have worked to level up in, and read lore on. It made sense. It felt alive. It felt smart and good. Like a living world that does not need “live events” to bring it together. Perfect World International understands this. They have a huge main world that they do nothing but BUILD UP inside. New islands are smartly placed on the outskirts but you are never instanced into or out of them. Just recently they started an instance area…but logically. It is “sky islands” and have reason to be floating in a different dimension and are not all as important as the main land is (with it’s ingame build ups it has been doing).
As far as looks go. This game has some of the most photo realistic lands I have seen in an mmorpg since 2006 – until recently with games like Archeage and Black Desert. Pretty good for on old title huh? Saying no would mean you need glasses checked.

4) PvP and other risk vs. reward ventures: I play on a PvP server. Things have died down a lot since large populations left. But when this game is packed, the action is hot! So far, I have hit and continue to level on past level 80 with only getting openly pked while questing a total of three times. One time, I told the guy “STOP”! and explained I am not a bot and wish to get to know him. He stopped, immediately helped me with all my dungeons and we are now friends. I had another guy X2 powerful than me, drop in, scare me, then ask: “Need help with anything?”…I have also had people just out right gank me and message me “Thanks for the kill”. I wait, try and find another route back, or wait another day. The game flows causally like that as far as PvP, want to fight? There are great events and meet up places for it. But what steals the show is territory wars. To prove the PvP is balanced in this game, just look at the Terriory Wars map. The game is hugely contested by different fractions.
One of my favorite memories when I played back in the day, was when my small nothing guild, rose up under a good leader who helped, realized it’s a helping group play game at it”s core, and boosted his guild to get into territory war. At the same time, other powerful guilds started to have power problems. People got greedy, their leaders got weak, people got back stabbed, rumors fly, and they got weak and we got in and held all the key territory for a few months. It changed hands later as people left for other life things and other games etc…the point is…never underestimate and the game is balanced.
It is true however that you can lose a duel 1 vs. 1 to another player that has better armor than you. Why you should weigh your battles and stop blaming the game as P2W.
There are other ventures to take up in the game that offer a risk vs. reward (like Phoenix Valley) that can pay off if done right or waste your time. Again, leaving multiple ways to “approach progression” as I mentioned earlier. Giving it a sort of sand box feel to it.

5) Graphics and business model: What can I say! 2006 and still better than majority of titles. The next update called “Perfect World 2” in China will bring a graphics rehaul to the game. So giving love to this title is on the list of developers still. Also, their stock market is always on the rise and the obtained Crypitc and Runic games. Giving different directions and creativity to different tiles.

THE CONS OF PERFECT WORLD ONLINE:
1) Economy: It is broke. I mean REALLY broke. In the millions “farm for 5 years to get one piece” broke. It is so broke the text box’s that hold the numbers can not even calculate the inflated numbers. You see: “BUY: 999999*insert broken frame of the text box*. That kind of broke. The sad thing, the community nestles itself deep in this and writes it off as “normal” as people are swiping credit cards to buy gold to get one piece of armor. EX) they may have farmed for 2 years 16 million gold. Then to buy that 32 million gold sword, they go to the cash for coins shop and pay real cash for the rest of the coins to get it. You could work for everything and avoid the cash shop, and the player shops, and craft your own goods. But it requires group efforts in the dungeons. After, the GAME CATERS TO THIS BAD ECONOMY.
Some materials from NPC’s are literally the same prices as other players in the “9999999” range. The worst is seeing tools and developer ability to control, rein in, and put caps on cat shops and mechanics…but they don’t. And for one reason: “There is always a dedicated sucker or gambling addict mentality that will break his bank to pay for what he wants”. And / Or (like in Forsaken World example), people will log in and play our game every day to get what they need (log ins are cash in mmorpgs, something you should know about how they get cash. It is like how “likes” are sold on face book). Soooo… it is a big ugly turn off that turn most solo players and other players away. Another short cut around this is making and running multiple characters to run your instances…but that is not practice
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2) Minor interface logic: Some user interface items work clunky. If PWI graphics are next gen. Their interface is old school. Sometimes pressing ESC backs you out of SOME menu’s and some times it does not. It keeps you guessing what menus, windows, and functions do what all the time.
The Buttons can be sticky, and some skill vs animation attacks can be frustrating. This leaves the player spamming his finger over and over on the same attack until it actually executes the animation. Again, this is something that feels like the developers completely igone over time. Recently, I heard PW2 update will have “clickable active URL links in chat”. Which, if true, is nice, but WORK ON THE OTHER SMOOTH UI FUNCTIONALITIES!
What really get’s to me is the new “cultivation system” or “bot” system. It is the same interface as the one they use in Forsaken World. Except they cut out two major functions: Enter targets name to attack only X target and no “assist” box to link potions. They do this because they sell in the cash shop HP potions that “auto” use when you hit less than 50% and charms that do the same thing. These are not P2W edge, since you can do the same manually (hit the HP in your bag)…but it was designed knowing you might want to do AFK farming, so they want you to “pay to be lazy”…but why introduce a bot system half assed? I will not complain too much since it helps the fingers when I have to kill “80” mobs…and I still have to baby sit the botting feature because he could run off and hit the wrong mob types…all this took to fix was being less greedy and rethink the cash shop. Everyone I know that spends in game spends largely on fashion, refines, and charms. So these little inconveniences should be fixed to get a better rounded out user experience.

3) The Community Paradox: Every MMORPG I have ever played has it’s “flavor” of general community. Sometimes it is easy to find that perfect fit guild. Other times it is hard and takes effort. This game is a mixed bag, but over all, what I find as the paradox, is the fact this game is design for “take your time, you are in up against BIG numbers” approach. From the EXP needed, the “what level is end game?” mystery, to the “999999999” economy…you need time. The majority of players I run across are average age 16, level 90 (assassin) and “Do this now! Group up now! Let’s go go go”! And it works to a point (before they get level 103 reborn burnout). They want rush. Which is odd…I mean, even the music in game is calm and put you at ease tone. What is weird, when I am in games like RIFT, Guild Wars 2, and other theme park games that take just two weeks to get to end game…people are taking their TIME! I clearly remember the level 30 not leveling his toon, but coming to the level 10 lands to chat with me in Guild Wars 2. I asked “Why are you here and not leveling?” He replied: “To meet pretty people like you”….ok…so the laid back people in theme park games should move to PWI, and the PWI power level uppers need to get over to RIFT, Guild Wars 2 etc…you are in the wrong GAMES! In the end, there is a very international presence, and social scene and this game is very good at finding the right people fast. I literally had them drop in on me. Also, I know people married today due to this game…

4) No Cutscense: WoW did something around it’s Litch King update. It added cinematic aspects to it’s story. This was updating the game with some nice loving. PWI, for how much cash it gets, and how much they show they can use cinematics in their titles (Swordsman), shows us they are, as usual, IGNORING their flagship title by NOT giving some up to date modifications. Hell, even F2P Ever Quest 2, just as dated as PWI, has added “virtual emotes” where the video camera tracks your face to make your avatar smile etc…and Voice in game. Sadly, PWI has a very stale ignorant approach to their main game. And it is sad because they need to realize that you can attract people with honey and not vinegar when it comes to love. Give the game some honey loving, and we will pay for it’s awesomeness. Give us the cold shoulder. You lose players. The story in PWI is very cool. It is more interesting than most anything I have played in other MMORPGS, with comical, serious, sad, and gross side quest story lines. Today, most kids skip over text. Adding some video to bring, at least, the juicy parts of this game together would be a nice addition…That we will probably never see.

5) Guides need updated: There needs to be a way to let players know what is in story for them more clearly to motivate new players. As it is, I found out too late that there are free charms (one of the most important cash shop items) give out FOR FREE EVERY DAY by a hard to find NPC in the main city (Archosaur)….No guide. No quest. NOTHING tells you this!!! I found out too late by a random conversation. Some people assume you know so do not talk about it. Others just have no clue! It is insane! In addition, in my guide I created, there is a way to get as much coin as you want, up to 1million per day, by doing a certain NPC quest like seven times per day…I had no idea, again, until too late (it ends at level 80). This game needs way more clear guids and direction. They try in this level up NPC thing that just does not work to well. Again, if they used cinematics to guide us, that would be even better.
In addition, Weapon crafting guides would be great too. I happened to hop over to the Chinese web site, and it has WAY more information than the English one does. But again, most gamers to don hang out in websites, but expect the in game experience to guide them. Perhaps if that was updated better it would retain more new users from feeling drowned out with the games depth.

Conclusion:
PWI has been true to it’s MMORPG roots in group and grind game play. It also has adapted to the new demand of faster leveling and more rewards. But it has not let go of what makes MMORPGS special: Working together in groups. The game hits almost all the core things most newer mmorpgs over look. Perfect World International has a great story to follow and gret graphics that are constantly updated. This game is about mile stones and making goals for yourself.

Perfect World International also has some rough spots. Majority of its problems are developers lack of love for the title. And what they do update usually caters to the cancerous problems that exist (like broken economy). It makes me wonder if it is like Archeage, where merging or cleaning house would disrupt player housing. People already put in hard work to get that 9999999 bank account, if you put caps on the max people can sell, that would be nice, but some might rage quit (good riddance in my opinion, you will bring the better players waiting for games to clean their act up). Or perhaps tidying up that cash shop to let us fully use our UI features and game mechanics. It pops up all over dead buttons or illogical functions due to the “cash shop accessory won’t sell if it is activated”. There has been a HUGE drop in population. The game is not dead, and lots of people still populate the map, but it is no where near how it was before. The player based cat shops that used to populate the main city is now very low (50 max?) the pvp has dies down very low in the open world and over all it shows and feels. This game shines with lots of player activity, and I hope the next update addresses it’s glaring issues. Until then, I rest fidel to the title and enjoy it as my casual / social mmorpg where I go to unwind and gain some levels, rewards, or just moving that exp bar a few percentages higher.
b:bye