To while away the time, I’ve spent some hours researching on the Rising Tide update for Perfect World. It’s quite unfortunate that most of the resources are in Chinese. Good thing, though, that the expansion site for the Rising Tide update on Perfect World International is already up and running.

And here are some screenshots I’ve swiped borrowed from the teaser site for the adoring eyes of Perfect World players from territories other than China and North America:

Perfect World Tideborn Assassin strikes a pose

Here's a Perfect World Tideborn male character in what seems to be fashion accessories

Again, for those who don’t know much about Perfect World’s Rising Tide update, here’s a list of some of its features:

• New race: The Tideborn
• Two new classes: The Assassin and the Psychic
• More than 200 new quests
• New top-tier gear and equipment
• More than 100 new monsters
• Additional territories added for Territory Wars

For more information about the game, check out previous MMOtaku stories on Perfect World or hie off to the official Perfect World International website.

Post from: MMOtaku

According to the guide posted by Level Up! Games, publisher of Perfect World on my side of the global pond, I have to speak with the Elemental Emissary and take the Elemental Sounds quest. As a reward, my character, Malystryx the Yao Jing (werefox in Perfect World Malaysia and venomancer in Perfect World International) will get a random spirit among the Spirits of the Seasons.

Perfect World Elemental Emissary conversation menu

This is where it gets hazy, especially for those who don’t really bother to read instructions. When I spoke to the Elemental Emissary earlier today, I selected “Spirit Summoning” from the NPC’s list of appropriate answers. Upon clicking on the emissary, the first three choices that one sees are “Spirit Equipment,” “Spirit Summoning,” and “Quest.” Needless to say, I went ahead with my choice and got Winter, one of four Genies, in exchange for three pieces of Immortal Stones (Fairy Stones in Perfect World Malaysia and Mirage Celestones in Perfect World International).

Boy was I wrong!

If I had only searched for an online guide for Perfect World Dawn of the Elementals first instead of dawdling with something I didn’t know anything about, perhaps the experience would be better. Or not. Making mistakes in any journey counts as a positive if you learn something from it.

So what should I have done? According to the guide, again, I should speak with the Elemental Emissary (check!) and take the Elemental Sounds quest (uhmm…). Instead of “Spirit Summoning,” I should have clicked “Quest.” Great!

Now I have two Perfect World genies, one of which is equipped. I’ve also taken the second quest from the Elemental Emissary that resulted in my character getting an Amplified Common Stone. Ugh, another mistake! This second quest should only be taken when the genie you have equipped reaches Level 19.

Back to the drawing board!

If you’ll excuse me, let me read up on Perfect World literature so that next time I log into the game, I’d have a fair idea of what to do.

Perfect World: Malystryx gets a genie!

Post from: MMOtaku

The Dawn of the Elementals update is finally (I say finally because the patch has already been implemented on other Perfect World servers across the globe) on Perfect World Philippines and its three servers, Dragon, Tiger and Serpent.

Well, I’m speaking prematurely here. Actually, the patch will be implemented tomorrow, November 23rd, 2009. Obviously, I can’t contain my excitement. Now, if they only launch the Rising Tide patch on Level Up! Games‘ Perfect World Philippines, I’ll be doubly ecstatic. Unfortunately, there’s no going around it.

Perfect World genie stat window

So what should we players of Perfect World Philippines expect from the new patch? Here’s the lowdown from Level Up! Games:

In the endless war between the denizens of Perfect World and the Wraiths, the balance of the world has been tipped. The gods have been absent, Wraiths have been endlessly attacking, and the armies of the Underworld have been rising. The Genies have risen to save Perfect World and begin the return to balance.

The Dawn of the Elementals is the newest Perfect World patch that will expand your gaming experience like never before. In the absence of the gods, the war with the soulless Wraiths has tipped the balance of the world. But ancient forces rise up to save Perfect World and help restore the balance: the Elemental Spirits.

The Elemental Spirits give a new dimension to your adventures. Wielders of the powers of the elements in the Elemental World, Elemental Spirits now provide useful and powerful buffs for players in Perfect World, from weakening your enemies to increasing your speed in battle.

But they are not just allies to aid you in battles. A sinister force has awakened and is working to free itself from its eternal prison, and the Elemental Spirits need your help to rid the world of this menace once and for all.

Misty City was originally a buffer realm between the Elemental World and Perfect World. Evil Incarnate, who once desired to control the city, was trapped within this realm. Now its Wraiths have invaded Misty City to free it in hopes that it will control the city and be free once again.

Misty City is open to all high-level players. Filled with dangerous monsters and bosses, only the strongest of warriors will survive long enough to meet and defeat the Evil Incarnate and restore peace to this realm.

With new quests, items, dungeons and quests, the new age of Perfect World will soon be yours to explore. The Dawn of the Elementals has begun!

For more information about the new patch, check out the official website of Perfect World Philippines.

Post from: MMOtaku

I’m calling it Tideborn because that’s how the new race is being called by Level Up! Games, Perfect World’s publisher in the Philippines. It’s actually much better than simply calling the race “Mermen” because they are more than that. But that’s how the Chinese are calling them, Ren Yu Chuan Shuo.

Along with the new playable race, Perfect World is also introducing two new character classes in the Rising Tide patch, the Assassin and the Psychic. Of course, these new classes are exclusive to the Tideborn race. It is yet unknown if the classes are exclusive to gender, like the Yao Shou (Werebeast or Barbarian) and Yao Jing (Werefox or Venomancer) of the Beast race.

Dual-weapon fanatics may be delighted to know that the assassin class uses dual daggers as weapons with which they deal extreme damage in a short period of time. The downside is that assassins can only wear light armor (for obvious reasons). Oh, and their damage is based on dexterity, not strength, much like the Yumang (or Archer).

Perfect World Tideborn Assassin

Psychics, on the other hand, use magical orbs and use their skills to aid comrades in battle. Let’s take a look at some of the skills of this character class: Life Bubble (recovers 500 HP and increases MP recovery by 30 over 30 seconds), Freeze (deals water elemental damage and has a 50-percent chance to slow target for five seconds), Amplify Damage (adds 150 physical damage to attacks) … and a whole lot more.

Perfect World Tideborn Psychic

I’ll discuss the other skills in a later post as most of them are still subject to change. Let’s just hope the arrival of the Tideborn will usher in a renewed love for playing Perfect World. I’ll be sure to rejoin old friends in Perfect World Philippines if this patch is implemented.

Images downloaded from Perfect World International forums.

Post from: MMOtaku

It’s actually a blogging contest, and those who know Robert can attest to his love for both blogging and massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The contest is an event aimed at boosting awareness about Perfect World Philippines‘ latest update, Lost Empire.

Perfect World Philippines teaser for the Lost Empire blogging contest

Among the features introduced by the Lost Empire patch are new equipment to craft (there are four new furnaces at Ancient Heaven-Tear City on top of the ones in Dragon City and Dusk Palace), new maps to explore and the continuation of the Hero Quest (courtesy of time travel from present-day Perfect World to Ancient Perfect world, a new esteem levels, Demon and Immortal (that give your Level 100+ characters a shiny new fairy or imp), and a whole lot more.

Robert’s winning of the top prize comes as a total surprise for the fellow who has just gone through the harrowing experience of seeing his house get flooded when Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) unleashed its fury on Metro Manila, the national capital region of the Philippines.

In a recent post on his blog Geek Papa, Alcarcalimo wrote, “I’m sorry if I haven’t posted in a while as a typhoon hit my country last Saturday and flooded my house. Unfortunately, it partially submerged my CPU as well when the flood suddenly surged inside.”

He added: “Me and my family are currently staying in another house until the old one is repaired. I hope my CPU still works…”

Well, seeing as how you’re getting a limited edition iPod Nano in these dark times, it’s a clear signal that things can only get better.

If you want to see what blog post bagged the iPod Nano for Robert, check out Geek Papa’s Perfect World Philippines: Lost Empire Update.

Congratulations, Robert!

Post from: MMOtaku

WTF?!? Yes, my sentiments exactly. The reaction stems from the fact that Zhu Xian, obviously Zhu Xian 2’s predecessor, has been in circulation in some countries for less than a year. Oh, yeah, for those who are unaware of what Zhu Xian is, it’s called Jade Dynasty in North America.

My WTF Moment came earlier today while I was searching for a screenshot of the online game Fantasy Zhu Xian. Imagine my surprise when a stray click landed me on the website of Zhu Xian 2. Both Zhu Xian 2 and Fantasy Zhu Xian are products of China-based online games developer Perfect World Co. Ltd.

What saved the day for Zhu Xian 2 is the fact that it’s totally different from its predecessor. Never mind the regular features of the game like non-location specific player kill zones and new races. I’m looking forward to experiencing one feature in particular.

Perfect World claims Zhu Xian 2 has a server-independent and player-controlled storyline. What this basically means is that the experience of one player can be different from that of another player. This feature reminds me of EVE Online’s gameplay, where the actions of players impact heavily on the game world.

Let me leave you with that thought for now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll do a little digging and see what more I can find out about Zhu Xian 2.

Post from: MMOtaku

Yeah, yeah, it’s nothing new. Turn-based combat is, after all, staple in most role-playing games. As I write this, several successful RPGs with turn-based combat come to mind: Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and Pokemon.

So what does this bode for the future of MMORPGs? It seems Perfect World has taken the cue from Atlantica Online, one of the first to introduce turn-based combat in MMORPGs, or maybe the company sees merit in bringing online games, through Fantasy Zhu Xian back to their humble roots.

Well whatever its reasons are, I’m glad Perfect World is coming out with a turn-based MMORPG. I just wish they give the game another title as this may cause confusion. Fantasy Zhu Xian is very different from Zhu Xian, or what Westerners know as Jade Dynasty.

Bah, enough of my prattle. Check out the announcement story on Fantasy Zhu Xian’s impending closed beta test:

Perfect World Co. Ltd., a leading online game developer and operator based in China, has announced that it will launch the closed beta testing for its first 2D turn-based MMORPG Fantasy Zhu Xian on September 10th, 2009.

Fantasy Zhu Xian is based on a popular Internet fantasy novel and represents the world of Zhu Xian in a refreshing cartoon style. The game is run on the company’s proprietary EPARCH 2D engine and can exhibit such special visual effects as reflections, particle effects, and translucency effects. It also features a flying system that introduces a concept of altitude into a 2D game, which is very creative and advanced in terms of technology.

In the closed beta testing of Fantasy Zhu Xian, players will not only experience the excitement of fighting in player-versus-player turn-based battlefields, but they will also enjoy the multitude of experiences within the many instances available to the players throughout the game world. The players will also be able to engage in various round-the-clock activities in the game during the closed beta testing.

Post from: MMOtaku

This “feeling” is heightened every time I catch a glimpse of the videos that Perfect World Entertainment, the North American operator and publisher of China-based Perfect World Co. Ltd.’s games, churns out. Take this, for example:

Yes, Philippine players of Perfect World, that’s what your lowly white and red fairies will eventually evolve into, something North American players call Genies.

Here’s a short description of Perfect World Genies courtesy of Perfect World International:

Before the worlds were created, the universe was in chaos, there were no elements, no creatures, no feeling, and no thought. As billions of years passed, things began to evolve. After the creation of Perfect World, creatures with intelligence appeared. At the same time, the five elements developed thoughts and wills of their own, and finally evolved into mystic beings known as Genies.

Genies are the children of the five elements. They know how to use elemental skills innately and have a basic instinct to maintain the balance between all of the worlds. Genies mainly live in the Elemental World, seldom can they be seen in Perfect World. However, things are changing.

In the endless war between the denizens of Perfect World and the Wraiths (known in Perfect World Philippines as “Souless”), the balance of the world has been tipped. The Gods have been absent, Wraiths have been endlessly attacking, and the armies of the Underworld have been rising. The Genies have risen to save Perfect World and begin the return to balance.

Genies are skilled with the elements, and wield mighty power in Elemental World. However, once in Perfect World, their ability to control elements will be diminished. In order to improve Genie’s ability, you will need to upgrade them by infusing your experience points or leting them eat experience pills.

Okay, enough of that. I’m revealing too much. Suffice it to say that I feel that players of Perfect World Philippines are getting the short end of the stick. Should the wheels of improvement start moving again, you can bet that I’ll be there in that Perfect World to see it happen.

Post from: MMOtaku

But wait, we’re straying from the topic. I’m here to talk about why I’ve revisited Perfect World and how I found the experience. As the title suggests, I reentered the game world of Pangu to help a friend, who had been having problems with several quests requiring the elimination of boss monsters.

Fortunately for Relly, erstwhile Perfect World Philippines blogger and super video games writer and reporter, my character still packs a punch … or a curse … or a bite with fangs and a slash with claws.

Enter Malystryx, my level 99 yaojing, also known as werefox or venomancer in international versions.

She still looks somewhat impressive, considering I haven’t used her in over three months, give or take a few days. So what’s with the “somewhat”? Well, some of her equipment are on loan to a dear friend.

In the two hours that I was online helping Relly and his fashi, a.k.a. wizard, we finished five boss quests. To quote Relly, “I feel pathetic. It has taken us two hours to finish what I couldn’t do in four months.” Well, that’s why it’s important to have friends playing the game. Similarly, it’s also important to make friends while playing Perfect World or any other game.

So what did it feel like to play Perfect World again? To be totally honest, I was just happy to help a friend. The game would always have a special place in my video gamer’s heart, but it could never again be THE game for me.

Post from: MMOtaku

What better way to whet the appetite of massively multiplayer online role-playing game fanatics than to release a high-definition trailer of Jade Dynasty. Here’s a copy of the trailer:

Magnificent, eh? Too bad I didn’t enjoy playing Jade Dynasty, er, Zhu Xian when it was launched by E-Games in the Philippines. It’s a wonderful game, but I just didn’t feel its wonders during closed beta.

Fortunately, the North American version of the game is being handled by Perfect World. That, at least, is an assurance that quality will always come first. Hope you guys have a great time playing Jade Dynasty. Wish I could join you.

Post from: MMOtaku