Post by TrueReign in Path of Martial Arts (IF) comments

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So, I just finished playing the game and I wanted to share my thoughts on the overall experience. Let me start by saying that this game definitely ranks in my top 10 best Choicescript games of all time. As someone who grew up watching a lot of classic martial arts movies and has an interest in Chinese mythology due to my Chinese grandad, this game is like a perfect love letter to those interests. It strongly reminds me of the Manhua martial peak, and the story has been enjoyable from start to finish in this version. There's also a good amount of content and some really impressive fighting scenes.

Now, let's address a few areas that could use some improvement. First, the freeroam section is just okay. It's not anything special, mainly just training and buying talismans to get stronger. But right now, it feels a bit bare bones. I think it would be great if the freeroam section could also be a place where you can hang out with the main love interests and strengthen your bond. Currently, you only see them for a few important missions, and I'm personally focusing on romancing Mei Mei while also having Tang Ruo as my second choice. The tigress character seems to be the most developed in terms of romance, which is a bit disappointing. I hope the developer can make the freeroam more interactive in the future, allowing us to build relationships with other characters outside of the main story and side quests.

Lastly, I want to talk about a spoiler for those who haven't finished the current version. (Spoilers Ahead)

So basically, we all know that the main character is the reincarnation of Tang Wei, a literal God and the most powerful character in their world. One thing that has been bothering me is how slow the main character is progressing in terms of moving up in the realms. After being reborn by tang wei to true cultivation and going from mortal to middle houtain in terms of power in an instant, I expected the main character to level up much faster now, especially since they can absorb other martial artists to become stronger. But even after all that has happened, the main character is still stuck around the middle to late houtain level, which doesn't make sense to me. In my playthrough, I've reached max demon and have no problem with killing people, yet the main character still hasn't managed to break through to the next level. It's frustrating that even after absorbing the stone from the dragon cave, they didn't reach peak Houtain or above especially when Tang Wei himself said that these stones would greatly increase his powers. It feels like a major misstep. And even after everything they've done, the main character still hasn't reached Xiantian yet(Okay im reaching on this one but still). I understand that cultivation can take a long time, but considering the main character is a martial sovereign and the reincarnation of a God, it's surprising that they haven't reached the top yet at least by his generation.

At this point, the main character should have already surpassed Tang Ruo. Let's be honest, we all know that the only reason Tang is stronger than the main character is because she had the best training from birth and has a ton of overpowered artifacts and talismans. Even before reaching true cultivation, the main character could keep up with her. But even after discovering the truth about his origins and getting a huge power boost, the main character still feels weak compared to her. It's frustrating, especially since the main character wins most of the fights after ascending, but it still feels like he's barely scraping by. I play on the heaven exp trail(or something like that), so I make every single skill check, yet the main character still almost burns to death near the end when you fight the spear twins(Some fights simply give way to much trouble than it's worth even if you make the skill checks.) I understand that the story is far from complete and we're still early in the main character's life, but I really want to see some progress in his strength. At this point, I personally think the main character should be the strongest in his generation, but he's still second to Tang Ruo. If the author sees this, I'd love to hear their thoughts on everything I've said. I genuinely enjoy this story and I hope it stays on track and meets everyone's expectations.

stm8022277 days ago (2 edits) (+5)(-1)

I understand that cultivation can take a long time, but considering the main character is a martial sovereign and the reincarnation of a God, it's surprising that they haven't reached the top yet at least by his generation.

The MC has only just woke up after 2 years in a coma. After which they have jumped from effectively mortal they were reduced to back to mid-houtian in something like a month. They're now expected to advance by 2 stages in mere 6 months which is already quite unprecedented feat. (other prominent members of the cast, Tang Ruo included, took those 2 years to reach late-houtian)

They might be reincarnation of a god but they're in a world where they're handicapped, if anything. I think you're being unreasonably impatient when you expect them to just jump to the next major power stage in matter of weeks, as if it didn't take other people decades if not more. That'd be just silly level of player's ego stroking.

Asce1277 days ago(+5)(-2)

I think you're being unreasonably impatient when you expect them to just jump to the next major power stage in matter of weeks, as if it didn't take other people decades if not more. That'd be just silly level of player's ego stroking.

It seems to be a common sentiment for fans to question why we aren't instantly bulldozing everyone and leaving our competition in the dust. It isn't enough that we're within the top 2 of our generation, we also have to be able to beat everyone and everything without breaking a sweat. Not only that, but we also have to completely overtake Tang Ruo who's been training far longer, with better teachers, countless priceless artifacts, and has been juicing since they were a kid.

Personally, I like that not everyone can just be steamrolled. It enriches the world, provides stakes, and gives a sense of accomplishment whenever we actually fight and beat someone strong, like in the latest Boosty update.

TrueReign277 days ago(+4)

Thanks for your input, but it seems like you missed a big part of what I was saying, my friend. The only reason the main character isn't the strongest in the world is because the world he lives in isn't suitable for proper cultivation. Sure, the author has added their own twist to cultivation, but it still follows the general rules. Cultivation does take a ridiculously long time, but what you don't seem to understand is that the main character has a martial sovereign body, which is considered one of the most overpowered things in cultivation. On top of that, he's a reincarnation of a god. Now, I'm not saying he should instantly become a god or anything, because that would make the story less exciting. The main character is still in his early years, and the story will hopefully show his journey as he becomes an unbeatable force over the years. However, the problem is that he progresses way too slowly, especially when it comes to the stones. Tang Wei himself said that finding a few of these stones would instantly boost him to godhood or something along those lines, and killing martial artists makes you stronger by absorbing them. So far, we've only seen one stone boost the main character from a weak mortal to a middle houtain after a 2-year coma. That was a huge power boost. Now, you're telling me I'm being impatient when the main character has already found another stone after meeting the dragon girl, and his power boost is just a few dai strands? If we follow the logic that even the main character himself stated as well as tang wei, these stones should make him even stronger. By now, in the story, he's found 2 stones, so absorbing the second one should at least put him at peak houtain. I'm simply pointing out the plot holes I'm seeing, and it's not impatience to expect the main character to get stronger faster than everyone else. If you've read any cultivation stories or manhuas, you'd know that even the weakest cultivators with impurities, once they possess a martial body, will always be leagues above the rest.

I'm not here to argue, just sharing my opinions on things that I think should be addressed. It's okay if you don't agree with me. As someone who loves reading cultivation stories, I have a lot of insights on the subject. I'm just pointing out things that don't make sense to me in this story. Yes, I understand that the story isn't complete and the developer doesn't want us to become instantly stronger. However, the words in the story contradict the cultivation process itself. I won't be replying to this anymore because I've already said my piece. Continuing this discussion would be a waste of time. I just want to see this game succeed and hear the developer's thoughts on the issues I've raised. Remember, you didn't write this story, the developer did. So, no matter what you say, only the developer can correct my assumptions since they control the story flow. Have a good day.

Asce1277 days ago(+3)(-2)

I'm not trying to argue with you, but I do want to bring attention to one thing.

If we follow the logic that even the main character himself stated as well as tang wei, these stones should make him even stronger. By now, in the story, he's found 2 stones, so absorbing the second one should at least put him at peak houtain. I'm simply pointing out the plot holes I'm seeing,

This is assuming two things:

1. That qi stones are all made equal. We don't really know this; the second qi stone may have just been less potent than the first.

2. That going from middle-Houtian to peak-Houtian takes the same amount of effort as going from mortal to middle-Houtian. It most likely isn't.

Take Tang Ruo for example. They enter early-Houtian a few days (or weeks) after entering the sect. Then they enter middle-Houtian right before the expo. This was over the course of several months. Now a 2.5-year time-skip happens, and they've only reached late-Houtian.

We know Tang Ruo never stopped training. So that could only mean the time, training, and power necessary to ascend to the next stage will take longer every "level up," so to speak.

That's it. Personally, it makes sense to me. Though, you likely know more about cultivation stories than me, and so if that runs contradictory to other xianxia tales, then that's fair criticism. Have a good day.

TrueReign277 days ago(+2)

Mhmm I wasnt referring to you my guy,was talking to the other guy but you did bring up some pretty good points so yeah for now I will just wait until more content so I can form a better opinion on the pacing,at least you aren't an asshole about it and you give geniuene good points.

Asce1277 days ago (1 edit) (+1)

Are you playing the Boosty demo by any chance? If not, then MC makes some SERIOUS headway in terms of strength, so you have a lot to look forward to.

stm8022277 days ago (1 edit) (+3)

However, the problem is that he progresses way too slowly,

I reiterate: it takes the MC 6 months tops to reach the stage others take years and often decades to achieve. Starting effectively from mortal level scratch. If this is your idea of "too slowly" then we simply have to agree to disagree on this.

Regarding the stones, Tang Wei needed a few of those to replenish his qi reserves and teleport out of the game world. But he's already a fully developed god-like being, not a fresh vessel which needs incomparably more qi to develop to his level. Also keep on mind that what your MC gets their hands on aren't the same stones, but tiny remnants of stop-gap solution produced by Tang Wei out of "mere" few millions of the world inhabitants. They're far from the same thing in terms of carried power.

Btw, each of the stones you get in the story grants you the same amount of power: 10 qi and 100 exp. The rest of exp you have available after the time skip doesn't come from the stone, but it's what you've accumulated as your character attributes up to that point. Perhaps it's a narrative mistake to make the first instance of getting your hands on one of these pebbles seem far more beneficial than it actually is.

TrueReign277 days ago(+5)

Yeah now that actually makes a bit more sense on regards to the stones but still I will stick to my opinion,Like I said I am not looking for any arguments simply just trying to figure out these weird plot holes I came across, hopefully the dev will clarify a few of my points for me. And yeah I did have a suspicion that not all the stones are the same power but still tang wei did say we only need a few of them and they are pretty rare.

CuredGhost273 days ago (3 edits) (+7)(-1)

Yeah the problem is that the way the author frames the story makes the main character's lack of progression seem nonsensical. This is accentuated by the fact that we are capped by numbers that seem like artificially placed limits. My character is swimming in EXP and money - why can I not buy trainers, or pills, or whatever to get to Tang Ruo's level? I can't even learn other abilities cause we are capped at only a few. Tang Ruo is the same stage yet is able to progress at hyper-speed while my MC is sitting around doing nothing and can't even track TR's movements. If my MC is at max point level, max traits, max abilities, etc. for the stage, then what is the difference between the two? Is the MC not at the highest possible power for that stage? Cause there's literally nothing the MC can take/do to get more points since it's capped. Just seems so forced.

And narratively, the story allowed my MC to have a solid 1 arena battle, with no ability to sign up for more. Meanwhile TR was plowing through the arena like it was nothing. Like???

I just don't get it. The narrative is confused, truly. There is really no convincing narrative reason why our MC can't be doing more to at least be COMPETITIVE with TR, as opposed to sitting around while being left in the dust (the current state of things).

There are 10 year olds playing games, instruments, etc. at the levels of masters in the REAL WORLD. But a martial god is somehow unable to remain competitive with the woman he beat day 1? Makes NO sense. This narrative simultaneously wants the MC to be a super powerful martial entity while also being weak AF. Balance has not been properly achieved.

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