Perfect World is set in the world of Pangu where three major tribes, Humans, Winged Elves and Werebeasts coexist. It is a world of magic and high fantasy featuring the Chinese creation myth as its backdrop and leveraging on a rich and diverse oriental setting. And Perfect World's beta will be starting on August 18th. Now the Perfect World (US) Closed Beta Key giveaway event is live on our MMOsite and let Jonathan Belliss, the Product Manager for Perfect World International, give us more information about this game.

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MMOsite: Thanks for taking our interview. First off, would you please give us a brief introduction about yourself and your company Perfect World Entertainment?

Jonathan Belliss: My name is Jonathan Belliss, and I'm the Product Manager for Perfect World International. Perfect World Entertainment, the publisher of Perfect World International, is the US branch of our parent company, Perfect World Co., Ltd.

MMOsite: Many players may still be unfamiliar with this Chinese MMO game. Can you first give us an overview of Perfect World?

Jonathan Belliss: Perfect World is a Free to Play game that is influenced by and enriched with ancient Chinese culture and lore. An interesting fact is that Perfect World was initially released in China as a subscription game. As a subscription game it was the recipient of numerous awards praising it for its graphics, gameplay, and music. Upon its successful conversion in December 2006 to Free to Play, Perfect World continued to receive awards by maintaining its commitment to excellence even through its transition. Today it has grown to enormous proportions and proudly boasts an ever-growing user base.

MMOsite: How do you describe the art style of Perfect World? The graphics of Perfect World look fairly good. What sort of engine are you using for Perfect World?

Jonathan Belliss: The art style of Perfect World is best described as a blend of Eastern Art and Realism. Frankly speaking, Perfect World's in-game graphics are really a technical marvel. The reason I say this is because of its scalability. You can have a low end machine and still really appreciate the level of detail in the game's characters and environments. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a high end machine, the visuals that you'll be presented with are absolutely breathtaking. As far as the engine goes, Perfect World utilizes a proprietary engine that was developed internally from the ground up.

MMOsite: How in-depth is the character creation? How much leeway do players have in terms of customization?

Jonathan Belliss: The character creation in Perfect World is absolutely jaw-dropping to say the very least. You can literally create any character or person that you can envision. You can adjust almost every aspect of your character's face. One good example is eyebrows. Not only do you have control over the shape and color of your eyebrows, you can adjust their placement, width, spacing, and virtually anything else associated with it. This level of customization extends to every other aspect of your character's appearance.

MMOsite: What is Territory Wars system in Perfect World? Will there be any faction classification?

Jonathan Belliss: The Territory Wars system is another one of my favorite aspects of Perfect World. It is an incredibly detailed system that has been extremely well thought out by the design team. If you're into DotA (Defense of the Ancients), you're sure to enjoy Territory Wars. A basic rundown of the system is this: guilds can own any of the 44 territories available in the game through a battleground system. Basically picture a game of DotA with a maximum of 80 heroes on each side. Factions are classified by guilds, so all Territory Wars are either Guild vs. Guild, or in the event that a territory isn't owned yet, Guild vs. Environment.

MMOsite: Can you basically introduce the class system in Perfect World to our readers? What sort of unique traits will each of them have?

Jonathan Belliss: Perfect World has a wide variety of classes, each with their own distinct look and feel. All the classes have multiple ways to be built, leaving a lot of room for different play styles. For example, a Barbarian can use his skill points for more PvE skills, making him a better meat shield, or he can focus his points on melee damage, making him a more effective fighter in directPvP.

MMOsite: What kind of a combat system can we find and how will the combat look like in Perfect World? How deep will the PvP combat go?

Jonathan Belliss: The combat system in Perfect World is a mix of familiarity and new concepts. In terms of how combat looks, the particle effects in Perfect World are truly a sight to behold.

One of the features that differentiate Perfect World from other MMORPGs is the Chi system. Chi is basically energy you build up through the natural flow of combat. Once you build up enough Chi, you can release it through special abilities and skills.