The crew over at Perfect World Entertainment have been hard at work localizing their upcoming action MMO, Battle of the Immortals. But as we find out from their Product Manager, Jonathan Belliss, this isn’t just a question of localizing the story or converting the in-game text over from the original language to English — the ramifications are far further-reaching.
In their most recent video developer update, we’re not only treated to some in-game eye-candy, but Belliss informs us that the team at PWE has been really doing their homework on the differences between Eastern and Western gamers and what they enjoy in their games. One of the major things many were wondering about is how the cash shop will be utilized. In China, players expect a “pay for power” model, which Belliss clearly states that they know Western players “absolutely hate.” As such, they’ve put in a lot of time doing a massive overhaul of the game, placing the power upgrades in as drops, and instead gearing the cash shop towards “convenience” — something much more palatable to the Western gamer.
Add to that, we’ve now gotten word that the plans are to start up the Battle of the Immortals closed beta on April 14th for players to get a chance to start testing these new gameplay changes. So if you’ve been curious about getting your hands on this beautifully-detailed upcoming Diablo-esque action MMO, then you’ll want to be sure to head over to the Perfect World Entertainment site and get signed up. If you’re curious about everything Belliss had to say in the recent developer update, we’ve embedded that video behind the break for you to check out. We’ll also be talking with Jon Belliss and Jason Varden from PWE on an upcoming edition of Massively Speaking, so you’ll undoubtedly be hearing more about this game soon!
gmaxwell Perfect World
Perfect World Entertainment has spent a fair amount of time talking up their upcoming PvP-focused game, Battle of the Immortals. The game certainly looks gorgeous, but we’ve only heard bits and pieces about how it will actually play. The most recent update, however, certainly provides a fair bit more information on how the game, as it details the game’s classes — Berzerker, Heretic, Magus, Slayer, and Champion. Each class is given a brief writeup of their strengths, weaknesses, and preferred opponents.
In no particular order, Slayers deal a mix of physical and magical damage at close range but have next to no defensive abilities. Heretics are a combination of priests with more sinister magics, dealing damage and healing as well as inviting a few obious comparisons. Magi (or maguses, if you prefer) are… well, okay, they’re kind of obvious. Berzerkers have an errant “z” in their name and focus on dealing out physical damage at the cost of some defense, and Champions wield a weapon and shield to be all but indestructible. The classes seem set to provide a fair mix of the usual “holy trinity” mechanics and PvP skills, so take a look at the official preview to get a clearer picture of what you might want to play once the game goes live.
gmaxwell Perfect World
Perfect World International fans had quite a few reasons to celebrate with the release of the recent expansion, Rising Tide, but it did bring one slight downside with it. After all, the new race included with the expansion is quite appealing, but that means players need to go through the whole leveling process again. However, that slight downside should be easily negated for anyone who chooses to take part in the game’s new contest — and we do mean anyone. Because the contest requires only one thing to win a prize, and that’s participation.
The game’s developers have laid down the gauntlet — they want 50,000 fans on Facebook by the end of January next year. To help give the game’s fans an incentive, they’re making it a contest, and the main prize will be given to each and every Facebook fan if they reach that goal. That prize is two solid weeks of doubled experience, drops, and spirit. Plus, five lucky fans among that number will also receive five levels for free! Take a look at the official announcement, and if you’re a Perfect World International fan, time to start working your way toward that fifty thousand mark.
Castres Perfect World