As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

[Perfect World] A very pretty free MMO you should check out if you're into free stuff

AldoAldo Hippo HoorayRegistered User regular
edited December 2008 in MMO Extravaganza
Perfect World
PWbanner.jpg
^^^^^^^^click^^^^^^^^


Perfect World is a free MMORPG (pronounce: mmmmmoarrp-gee) coming from China, but with an international (zero Engrish!) version available to the rest of the world.

So why is it fun?
For a number of reasons:
  1. Beautiful graphics that are shiny
    Oh yeah? yeah!: link
  2. Loads of tweaking
    Not only do you get to decide on how your character looks, but you will also have to make some painful decisions on how you want to develop your character. You will have to decide how to allocate your points among vitality/strength/magic/dexterity and you will have to decide what skills you want to develop as you won't be getting enough points to get more than a select few spells to the highest level. There's also a lot of options on how you want to enchant your armour, but that's more for endgame.
  3. Attainable goals
    You get new skills or better versions of skills about every level. New armour becomes available, you can explore the world a bit further without having to fear for your life and you can earn flying swords, ridable ice bears and a long list of other things you always wanted. You can gain a lot of exp through doing quests and grinding goes (compared to games like Ragnarok and WoW) fast so the next level and/or goal is never far away.
  4. Completely over the top armour, mounts and spells
    Oh yeah? Yeah! example of the nonsense you run into. Strong spells make your screen shake and are accompanied by bright flashes of light. Scroll down to the text about the UI to see how ridiculously badass my character looked on lev14.
  5. Quests that go beyond the usual FedEx and grind quests
    There are a few quests that require you to top a building, grab a chest and head back to the quest giver within a few minutes. And there's quite a few quests that you can finish if you bother to save up the stuff you find. Of course, like any other MMO, most quests are about killing a dozen enemies and looting an item off their corpse. Perfect World does what other games refuse to: every mob you kill has the quest item you need.
  6. Meaningful PvP combat
    Guilds can own territory, which earns them a lot of $. This was the map of the Malaysian version from some months ago:
    PWworldmap.jpg
    The areas with the icon of a man and an arrow next to it are contested, the big arrows in the north east show that the purple guild (a big Russian one) is taking over. As a small time player this does not concern you, joining in the PvP is an option you have.
  7. Huge world without any invisible walls
    See that mountain over there? Jump on your magical sword and fly to the top. Oh? You can't fly yet? No problem, just climb it. Nothing and no one is going to stop you.
  8. Unique characters
    The character creator puts Oblivion to shame. Oh yeah? Yeah! link to a Youtube clip of the Chinese version People have recreated Mr. T with this.
  9. Gravity is your bitch
    You can double-jump to all the weirdest places. Some quests even evolve around jumping to these weird places. And there's no fall damage, so you're completely free to try and take that impossible leap to the next rooftop.

What Perfect world offers is a very smooth and complete MMORPG experience that can be compared to contemporary Pay to Play MMOs. The game recently has a new international version with perfect English, updated skills and a better community manager. The Chinese version also had housing and some other functions in it, maybe they're going to do put those in the international version as well, if the developers are confident that it looks and feels good enough. All in all I am having a lot of fun.

Fun: the reason why we play games. From level one to where I am now I have been amazed by the beautiful graphics and over-the-top combat. Every character has, at least, a unique face, making something as mundane as waiting around in the city a fun thing to do. You can purchase fashion items and colour them at special shops if you really want to get a unique look. Mobs look insane and highly detailed, when you rip through them you feel like a bad ass.

If you are not convinced by the above, let me tell you this little factoid:

You can ride a huge polar bear! And not just that, you can pick someone up to sit behind you. "Hey baby, wanna take a ride on my polar bear?" becomes a viable pick up line! What more do you want out of a game?


Extra information:

I'm not living in the US, can I play the "international" version as well?
Unfortunately people living in a country with a localized version of Perfect world will have to play that version of the game, according to a Q/A thread on the subject: "[t]his includes Malaysia, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and others." [url=http://pwi-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=89701&postcount=94GM Xarfox stated that European IPs will not be banned.[/url] See this list for all the different localized versions of the game.

System requirements, what is recommended:

Operating System: Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista
CPU: Pentium 4 Processor 2.4Ghz
Memory: 1Gb or higher
Graphic Display: Geforce4 3D Accelerator, DirectX–9.0c
Sound Card: Support DirecX8.1 or Higher
Hard Disk Space: 2.5G disk space
Internet Connection: Broadband/ADSL/Cable

Races/classes
Blatantly copied from Wikipedia:

Human
The race which compares to our own species. Humans here use swords for fighting and have skills to improve land-based movement.

Blademaster
Courageous, righteous, and resolute—these are the defining traits of a Blademaster. These damage-dealers come from a long line of seasoned warriors, and have been hardened by years of combat training. Specializing in melee combat, Blademasters can also master and harness their inner energy, called Chi, in order to channel the most devastating attacks.
Type: Melee, Tank
Available Weapons: Dual Sword, Dual Blade, Blade, Sword, Scythe, Spear, Club, Poleaxe, Sledgehammer, Dual Handaxes, Dual Hammer, Iron Fist, Sharp Edge
Comments: High Physical Defense, Low Magical Defense
Wizard
Trained in arcane knowledge, Wizards have learned that heavy armor is only needed when the enemy is allowed to move in close. Thus, they have developed an array of long-ranged and high-powered magical attacks utilizing the elements of nature. As masters of the conjuring arts, Wizards are vulnerable while casting, but once the casting is complete, they deal great damage to enemies.
Type: Ranged Magic Damage
Available Weapons: Wand, Magic Sword, Pataka, Jewel Quoit
Comments: Highest Skill Damage, Slow Casting Time

Wing Elf
This Elf-like race has wings on their back, which are used for flight and give them further abilities with air-based movement.

Archer
As guardians of the Winged Elves, Archers are both strong and agile. Like all members of their race, Archers are gifted with the ability to fly, and thus make formidable long-range fighters. The heightened reflexes of the Archer provide the steady aim required to vanquish enemies from afar. With an unwavering sense of pride and duty, Archers can learn to shoot arrows both elemental and poisonous in nature.
Type: Ranged Physical Damage
Available Weapons: Bow, Crossbow, Slingshot
Comments: High Critical Percentage, Low Physical Defense

Cleric
As the primary healers of Perfect World, Clerics are masters of supportive and recovery spells, which makes them an invaluable addition to any group of adventurers. In addition, Clerics specialize in using Metal element attacks, and can curse their enemies to reduce their defense, speed, or attack damage. Clerics are a good match for close-combat companions, since their long-range magical prowess complements the short range of melee fighters.
Type: Hybrid, Primary Healer
Available Weapons: Sword, Staff, Wand, Quoit
Comments: Heal, Buff and Revive Skills, Party Based

Beast
The Beast classes are demi-humans which half resemble another creature, and they have the ability to fully become this other creature with the use of a skill. Beasts ride on the backs of flying creatures for flight and have special skills which let them swim better than others.

Barbarian
Barbarians have evolved from tigers, lions, and other bestial hunters. Fortified for melee combat, the Untamed Barbarian is a natural-born warrior on the battlefield, and is most comfortable taking hits and returning the punishment. These fighters also have plenty of powerful spells at their disposal and can shapeshift into tiger form.
Type: Melee, Tank
Available Weapons: Dual Sword, Dual Blade, Blade, Sword, Scythe, Spear, Club, Poleaxe, Sledgehammer, Dual Handaxes, Dual Hammer, Iron Fist, Sharp Edge
Comments: Highest Physical Defense, Low Damage

Venomancer
Evolved from an assortment of serpents, foxes, and other small creatures, Venomancers are cute, seductive, and deadly. Do not be misled by the winning smile and bushy tail—these foxy-ladies specialize in poisonous concoctions and should be considered very deadly. Venomancers have the ability to charm animals and tame them as pets, and, similar to the Barbarian, can take the form of a fox.
Type: Ranged Magic Damage, Pet Tamer
Available Weapons: Sword, Staff, Wand, Quoit
Comments: Excellent Solo Class, Low Hit Point


Engrish? A few weeks ago a US based company has been founded with the sole purpose of making the international version of this game the best free game known to man. The first version of the game we played was Malaysian and was translated to English by Malaysians, so that was pretty painful. With this new company I am very hopeful that they will make the game completely readable and understandable.

Cash shop shenanigans? The game has 3 currencies: "coin" is the in-game currency, "gold" is special currency used to buy stuff from the cash shop or some special functions from other NPCs (ex: marriage) and "Zen" which you can buy with RL money (1$=100zen). You can exchange your Zen for Gold through the game, but you can also get Gold by buying it with Coin from other people through the Auction House. What this means is that all functions of the game are available for free, RL money will just make everything a bit easier and faster.

What is the UI like? I made this to clarify some of the elements
pwuielementstd6.jpg
Spoilered for being huge.

Fansites:
www.1perfectworld.com
http://www.asiapworld.com/pw/


Who is playing?
Currently playing on the international PvP server
Aldo = AliBaba
Nida = McKenzie

Guild?
We are not strictly a PA-Guild, but we are looking for more people to dick around with.LoliLove. Contact in game: AliBaba or McKenzie or PDFile.

Aldo on
«13456719

Posts

  • SegSeg Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Looks pretty enough.

    Seg on
  • citizen059citizen059 hello my name is citizen I'm from the InternetRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'll admit that I made fun of this in the last thread, but I may have to give it a try and see how it plays.

    My gametime is very limited, usually less than 2 hours a night at best. Finding an MMO that can accomodate this and still provide a sense of accomplishment is tough.

    citizen059 on
  • darklite_xdarklite_x I'm not an r-tard... Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I've been interested in this for awhile, but I haven't kept up lately. The last time I heard the game wasn't finished. I'm assuming (I can't actually check from this location) that it's complete now? If so, how's the population? I'd hate to pick this game up and find myself the only one playing.

    darklite_x on
    Steam ID: darklite_x Xbox Gamertag: Darklite 37 PSN:Rage_Kage_37 Battle.Net:darklite#2197
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    darklite_x wrote: »
    I've been interested in this for awhile, but I haven't kept up lately. The last time I heard the game wasn't finished. I'm assuming (I can't actually check from this location) that it's complete now? If so, how's the population? I'd hate to pick this game up and find myself the only one playing.
    It's no finished yet, but all core functions are in place. I haven't seen the high-lev zones, but where I am (around the city of Ethersword) it is fairly populated.

    If the activity on the PvP map is any indication then there should be enough high levs playing as well, I think?

    --
    I forgot to add that I'm playing on the Delphi server. I updated the OP already to prevent confusion.

    Aldo on
  • maraxus94maraxus94 Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm willing to play. Got an 11 werebeast right now. A little hung up on Cabal right now though.

    maraxus94 on
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm on another Korean MMOG kick, I'll give it a try.

    EDIT: Also, the graphics don't look very good to me. They are standard sub-par models with a healthy dose of bloom applied. And by healthy, I mean "MEIN EYES, ZEY BURN!"

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
  • HallowedFaithHallowedFaith Call me Cloud. Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Bloom is the new Hotness. EVERYTHING MUST HAVE BLOOM.

    *Cranks contrast and brightness way up*

    HallowedFaith on
    I'm making video games. DesignBy.Cloud
  • SabanSaban Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Zee download has begun.

    Saban on
    371839-1.png
  • DigitoDigito Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    My only question is how many characters can you make at once? Given the slightly over the top combat I hear about, I'm intrigue in both a solid melee and solid spellcaster character.

    Digito on
  • autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    so, how fun is it?

    autono-wally, erotibot300 on
    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
  • maraxus94maraxus94 Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Just started a elf archer. How did I ever play anything else?

    maraxus94 on
  • That Dave FellaThat Dave Fella Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Wow this looks really nice. May give it a try if my laptop can handle it D:

    That Dave Fella on
    PSN: ThatDaveFella
  • Metal Gear Solid 2 DemoMetal Gear Solid 2 Demo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Just wondering what makes it fun?

    Beautiful graphics and over-the-top battles (whatever that means) doesn't make grinding fun. What makes this different?

    dont-know-if-want.jpg


    PVP looks interesting, and I'm interested in that. But getting to that high level....

    Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo on
    SteamID- Enders || SC2 ID - BurningCrome.721 || Blogging - Laputan Machine
    1385396-1.png
    Orikae! |RS| : why is everyone yelling 'enders is dead go'
    When I say pop it that means pop it
    heavy.gif
  • AccualtAccualt Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Some of those screenshots are so whacked out I have to give this a try.

    Accualt on
  • MadroxMadrox NYRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I downloaded this, and it looks pretty cool. Any game where I can be an anthropomorphic tiger or wolf has my vote. Anyway, I have a few questions that maybe you could answer...
    • How do I get an egg to incubate to get a pet?
    • By reading the profile, it seems like the werebeasts can transform into their animal version using a skill, how do I get that skill?
    • In 16:9 mode, I still have the letterboxes top and bottom, on my widescreen LCD, what gives with that?

    Madrox on
  • DraevenDraeven Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    downloading as we speak should be done by the time i wake up tomorrow.

    Draeven on
    Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Beautiful graphics and over-the-top battles (whatever that means) doesn't make grinding fun. What makes this different?

    Really... because my curiosity is piqued...

    Shadowfire on
    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • NAND NORNAND NOR Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I just made a character on the Delphi server tonight. I'll be on as Ryoutarou, a currently level three human warrior. Feel free to send a message ... just be warned that I'm still trying to figure out howstuff in this game works. The engrish is downright terrible.

    NAND NOR on
    moebius.jpg
  • SabanSaban Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    and of course my activation email isnt showing up, which is odd since yahoo doesnt actually block an emails.

    Saban on
    371839-1.png
  • Asamof the HorribleAsamof the Horrible Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Didn't get very far myself when I played. I did not enjoy the skill delay business...you think something as significant as that would be an immediate fix...it kinda says something about the game, don't you think? Also the engrish is indeed terrible, and the text cuts off on the box too, right? Man, I HATE IT when these games do that.

    well, either way I'm glad they're starting to add more quests and better customization to these asian mmos. Hopefully others will follow and they'll be just as generically awesome as our mmos

    PS: the character customization alone is worth the download...have you seen my babies yet..?

    Asamof the Horrible on
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I've apparently registered with these guys before. It didn't occur to me to make a new email address to make another one, so I deleted it all. D:

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
  • Trevor GoodchildTrevor Goodchild Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Wellllll, I'm such a sucker for these things, I'll sign up and create something under delphi. If all goes well I'll report back my name.

    Trevor Goodchild on
  • VolentiVolenti Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm a sucker for some pretty Korean grindy grindy, downloading...

    Volenti on
  • BlueDestinyBlueDestiny Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    There's a a women riding a tiger that's riding an eagle. Honestly, I have to try it, even just for lulz.

    BlueDestiny on
  • MadroxMadrox NYRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm on Delphi, a lvl 6 werebeast named Briggs.

    Madrox on
  • SabanSaban Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    the controls put me off pretty quick, i'll start it up again tonight.

    Saban on
    371839-1.png
  • Pajama_ManPajama_Man Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    My interest has peak on this...

    How is the crafting/resource collecting handled?

    Thanks!

    Pajama_Man on
    camo_sig.png
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    What makes this game fun for me is lined out in the OP, to put it short: they took the basis from a contemporary MMORPG, drank a bottle of vodka and started to add things to it they considered way awesome. Everything about this game is completely over the top. It's like they saw that you could ride dragons in WoW and said "hah! that's nothing!" and promptly added gigantic swans to their game. It still has the basis of a decent MMO and that fact alone puts it above most other free MMOs.

    To answer specific questions:

    Digito: I have 4 characters at the moment, from the lay-out of the character creator it seems like you can make up to 8 characters

    Prosthetic Conscience: Grinding is not something you do, you're usually busy doing quests for which we have to kill between 3 and 20 mobs. Unlike other free MMOs you are not wasting hours upon hours killing wolf puppies. The most I have grinded was half an hour for a time challenge quest. Combat is not as much fun as in, say, Devil May Cry, but it is pleasant compared to other MMOs.

    Madrox:
    • If you're a Werefox (the furry girls) you can tame a pet, then they will give you eggs (you see, Maddy, when a lady snake and a mister snake love each other very much...*cough* I'll stop now). You can sell these eggs. For all other classes the pets are just something to show off how rich you are. Got the info from: here and here
    • You learn it from your class trainer. You get the first transformation (white tiger for males) on level 9.
    • I don't own a widescreen, so I haven't been able to mess around with it. I tried searching 1perfectworld, but no dice.

    Pajama_Man: I picked blacksmithing on my warrior, I first had to do a simple quest: bring two iron ore to the blacksmith in town. After that I received the skill and I could create weapons. These weapons required some stuff you can get out of the mines and sometimes items that drop from mobs and stones you can either buy from the Merchandiser or grind yourself. You don't need to buy recipes, you can make the same items as you can buy at the blacksmith, but there is a ~50% chance the item will have some additional beneficial effects. The more stuff you make the more you level up in your profession and you also get a token amount of skill points and exp. Higher levels are needed for fancier stuff. The items with additional effects are in high demand, of course. Everyone can get the normal stuff from shops and sometimes when they're lucky they'll find an item with some extra stuff on it, but as a crafter you can make the latter one after the other without leaving the sanctuary of your town.

    There are 3 other professions besides Blacksmithing: tailoring (all armour), pharmacy (make potions and other stuff to buff your character) and jewelcrafting for shiny rings, necklaces and so on.

    Aldo on
  • Trevor GoodchildTrevor Goodchild Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I can't seem to select the Delphi server, perhaps it is down..

    Edit: NM, just failed to patch, I re logged it patched and now its there.

    Trevor Goodchild on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I can't seem to select the Delphi server, perhaps it is down..
    I logged in just fine. :?

    Aldo on
  • autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Installing D:

    autono-wally, erotibot300 on
    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
  • Trevor GoodchildTrevor Goodchild Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I'm on as "Haderen" a freshly created elven.. or.. demi god or whatever, Archer! Boy, the guy I made looks like a real fruit. I blame that music I had to listen to.

    Trevor Goodchild on
  • autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    D:
    I think I'll stay with wow if I ever want an mmo addiction

    autono-wally, erotibot300 on
    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
  • OatsOats Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Made a mage, named Oats.

    Now, where do I train skills?

    Oats on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Oatway wrote: »
    Made a mage, named Oats.

    Now, where do I train skills?
    skill trainer, the one in Ethersword is located in the far north side of town in a small house-thingie against the mountain wall.

    Aldo on
  • NAND NORNAND NOR Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I have to say ... this game is actually pretty damn fun once you get past it's quirks. Currently level 10 (halfway to 11) and dual wielding axes!

    It feels a little like City of Heroes, in that you can reach any location whether it's the roof of a house or the top of a castle. I dig it.

    NAND NOR on
    moebius.jpg
  • KatholicKatholic Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    How bad is the grind?

    Katholic on
  • NAND NORNAND NOR Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Katholic wrote: »
    How bad is the grind?

    I went from level 1 to 10.5 just last night if that is any indication. The 0.5 was mostly gained just by turning in four or so quests that I had finished. That said, I think the grind is about on par with a typical MMO. Most quests are similar stuff like "go kill ten of these guys" and "go tell this guy something."


    But where else are you going to see a white tiger riding a flying manta ray?

    NAND NOR on
    moebius.jpg
  • Cynic JesterCynic Jester Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Currently playing as Mairika on Delphi, fooling abouts. I'll also be on the PA vent if someone wants to get some talking done. The chat system in this game, while better than most, still leaves a lot to be desired.

    Cynic Jester on
  • KurnDerakKurnDerak Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Currently made myself two characters. Lvl 5 Human mage named Fumptles, which I must say was worth it just for the creation. And wulven, lvl 2 beast werebeast.

    I am slightly disappointed int he fact that there is so much custimazation on humans, yet so very little that seems to do anything on beasts.

    Lots of little quirks about the game are very interesting as well. Unless I'm missing something, you can't customize keys at all. Also, smilies in chat is interesting as well.
    Though bonus points for being the only MMO I've ever played with double jump.

    KurnDerak on
Sign In or Register to comment.