A New World, an immersive game experience - Reviews

Hello there

The idea is good, but it has critical flaws:
To begin :
-in this perfect world there is no industrial espionage, a company can maintain a research monopoly for decades without the government or another company having knowledge.
-Even having knowledge of technology, the government does not move to acquire or apply pressure, even though it would have popular support.
-In that world contracts are perfect and can even annul human rights or law. These are just a few of the points.

I rarely write a review and I can say confidently that I’ve never written more than 5 reviews. But I will write one for this story ‘cause I really like it.

So far, there’s no problem with the grammar. The story itself is very good and I really like how the story is progressing. Not too fast but also not too slow.

I see a lot of potential but I’m also afraid that this story might not last long. After all, very well written stories are, most of the times, hard to continue. The author has to keep the expected quality consistent and most of the times. And if he couldn’t do it, the story would, of course, lose viewers.

Anyways, I’m just saying that this novel is really good. I hope the author would keep on working to make this story better.

There are a couple of things that don't make sense... the mc shouldn't be that fat...

He bikes to university every day and because he is at university he wouldn't spend anything on takeouts or tons of junk food to save money. It was also mentioned he didn't spend money like water and always saved what he earned. Boosting the fact that this makes little sense...

To me, it just feels like you made him like that as a joke to try and make it funny. Leading to this being extremely forced...

I'm not trying to hate, I'm just stating the fact that it just doesn't make sense giving the background you bought him upon. I also feel like him being a "chubby" elf is going to be a reoccurring joke throughout until he slims down from the training.

For me, this is just going to annoy tf outta me as I will always think back to this and how it was forced anyway leading to all mentions of it just annoying me more each time. If that makes sense?

I hope this doesn't happen constantly with the forced try at humour as it would be extremely disappointing. If you want humour it will flow naturally in the story. There is no need to force it as it will just bring down the story as a whole.

Oh, another thing is his chosen name. Like wtf? Who cares what it means in Chinese? He is an elf... chose an elf name. His own name Eldrian? Is more fcking elfy than Haru...  

If he was a human I wouldn't mind him having the name Haru but he is not. He is an elf... It's like the mc is a dragon and calling it Haru. It doesn't fit at all. The immersive feel of the book is again compromised by doing this. I am assuming the Author is chinses? Again this is not hate so don't take it as that. It's just you are writing about an elf so why give it a human name? That sort of thing.

So far it isn't looking like a great book but I haven't read a lot yet. I will read further and change the review depending on how it reads later.

As of chapter 47

Writing Quality: 4/5
Some spelling and grammer mistakes throughout the story. However this does not spoil the story and can be easily understood despite the minor mistakes.

Story Development: 5/5
Despite only being 47 chapters so far, the story development is interesting. The fact that the author plays the role of VR extremely prominently is nice, but it would be more interesting if the MC backstory was shown as well. The battle scenes are done really well in this novel. The fact that the intro of the game (trailer) gave the storyline a strong foothold is interesting as other authors tend to not use such things. This is very unique to this story so i give the author props for implementing this unique dynamic.

Character Design: 4/5
This takes into account that the novel is only 47 chapters long so far. There is little background information on the MC. How well to do his family is, etc. (there is some information but not alot). The side characters are not really evident at this point besides the female lead (potential love interest). Only some names are being thrown around here and there without any interesting or distinct facts about them.

Updating Stability: 5/5
I do not know the stability of the update as I read all 47 chapters in a day. I just place 5/5 as I consider it stable until further notice.

World Background: 5/5
The trialer of the game provided a good base for the VR world background. This is done better than most other novels. However, since this is a relatively new novel, there is a lot of room for world background expansion. I hooe the author can continue on this path as the expanaion of the world's background is exoanding at a nice pace.

Overall: 4.6/5
The story is really interesting and one that I will continue to follow. This is one of the better newer novels on this site. I think people should pick this up to read at least until this point. The MC can be considered overpowered in some manner (compared to other players), but the content is still really interesting. Hope the author continues to work hard on this novel

Great story with a realistic take on a “realistic VR game” book. The MC, Eldrian, starts his journey slowly by training and adapting to the new world in the game. Battle scenes are gruesome and, due to the realism of the game, cause players problems seen in real life battles like PTSD and trauma. Alternatively, the realism in the game causes the MC problems in his non-virtual life as well, like forgetting he can’t regenerate stamina after overworking his body. The story develops well and the MC isn’t immediately overpowered. The NPCs have clear personalities and aren’t just background noise to the players. Overall, this is one of the best VR-game novels I’ve read on Webnovel (and trust me, I’ve read A LOT of them.) This novel is one of the ones that feels most true to what might happen should we actually manage to develop highly realistic VR games in the future. I can’t wait to see where the author takes this story!

One of the best books on this app. MC isn't an overpowered monster. Great character development. It really reminds me of when I first started playing MMORPGS .

My favorite spin of the genre
My favorite spin of the genre
My favorite spin of the genre
My favorite spin of the genre
My favorite spin of the genre

I have read some or all of hundreds of novels on webnovel.  This is one of about 20 that have had me anxiously awaiting the next chapter.  The other books are decent reads but this one has me hooked.    Extraordinary world building with a pretty unique magic system.  Character building and progression is exceptional.  World building is focused on progression of the world's concept of magic and is unique beyond words imo.  Right now this is my number 1 book and it kills me when the writer's real life interferes with chapter releases, but they always keep us informed.

In short, this novel follows a in the beginning mostly average person in his adventure into the VR-game A New World (ANW). The story includes several deep topics, from AI over what is life to psychological topics. It also has a slow progress in the overarching story progression. Many different things happen and there is a good mix of action, adventure and training both in-game and out-of-game with an in-depth magic system. The MC does really not get any rest.

––– detailed with mild spoilers –––
Writing Quality: Some minor errors which do not hamper comprehension. Action scenes are exciting and even the complex topics are understandable (if you do not rush read through the chapters).

Story Development: The MC and the whole story makes slow but constant progress, which I find a much more realistic flow for a VR Novel. There was only one big timeskip in about 500 chapters, but I did not miss any. Where would they come from? Games are designed to be exciting and the MC does more than what the average player would. This novel also developes the real life story, which is rare. Real life does not stop just because there is an in-game event and it is the same the other way arround.
The different encounters and events/quest are always exciting and the whole feel of the VR-Game which is too real for what a game is supposed to be is integrated well. New storylines are always introduced in a sensible way and up till now none of them were abandoned.

Character Design: All characters have depth to them but backgrounds are not just dumped on the reader and thus only told, when a character asks or feels the need to give info. This means, that the reader has to think about how characters act and interact to get a comprehensive picture of the characters.

Update Stability: Very good. One to two chapters a day with even length. Small pauses only when significant problems occur. Direct reader interaction from small backlog.

World Background: The most realistic VR novel I have seen. Both real life and the game world are resonable and thought out. Cool and interesting magic system which does require thinking by the reader and rereading of past chapters after long pauses in reading.
Compared to go "Mages are too op": Magic system keeps this detailed description which was only present in the early chapters of MATO. 500 chapters in this novel might be about at 100 chapters of MATO by developement of MC.

Hello everyone:

I thought it might be around time for me to do a new review of my story as it has developed far more and become so much more than I ever originally thought/imagined. (Especially being constantly in the top 100-150 was not something I ever imagined)

Let's start with a, not sure what to call it. You will realize that my first few chapters have quite a few cliches or tropes. I will admit I relied on them to get started, slowly I moved away and now I harshly look at cliches and will really debate if I wish to add any or not. 

If I do decide to do so, I will always attempt to do it in a way that will fit naturally in the world and story. 

On that topic, this story is not a quick one diving into a plot and having the main character have a strong goal right from the start. Eldrian is just a person who was interested in this new type of game, and naturally he is our MC because he has some natural unknown talents.

(You wouldn't want to follow an average joe, or would you?)

He is not OP, he is not weak. Rather, he is. He grows with time and he learns with time. He forgets often and he does stupid and brilliant things almost at the same time. He is human, and I do my best to reflect that he is.

I do my best to reflect this with all my characters, even the non-humans.

Next, the story idea. It started as a more realistic game world, and become an 'alternate' world instead. It is most certainly still a game story and the world is indeed virtual and a game, but I do not focus on game elements. They are there, there are stats, there are weapons, spells, and item descriptions. 

In the heat of combat, they are not brought onto the page. However, I do not neglect them.

I always run my spreadsheets and do calculations to determine what effects what spell/attack will have. The stats are important, but I feel pushing them into a fight is distracting. So I almost never do, barring a few unique enemies who do not possess normal vitals. 

This brings me to my magic system, I get that many feel it is similar to Mages are too OP. However, I started my story before reading that one, and I was at around chapter 30 when MTOP(?) reached chapter 100; when I started reading it. 

I won't mention it more than this, but I want to make it clear that while it might feel(read) the same, mine is nowhere close. You should realize this after (not sure) chapter 50 maybe, chapter 100 for sure.

Magic is hard, and it stays that way constantly. It is a constant pursuit of new and difficult knowledge and skills. Nothing comes easy, everything takes time and effort. 

On that note, much of my writing dives into these topics in detail. I do not glance at details, but I also do my best to never repeat details. One spell might take one, two, maybe even three or more chapters to learn, but the next spell won't take more than a paragraph unless it is very different. 

With this said, I also want to mention that the IRL world is constantly intertwined with the story. It is not forgotten, and it is part of the lore and background. After all, ANW was created with a very specific aim, and that aim is one a company in the real world has. 

Next, a few things I see are often asked/questioned. 

Romance: Some, but not really. I have introduced a romance early on, but I never really developed it as I am a stranger to the topic of romance. 

(NTR, Harem): No on both

Rewriting earlier chapters: I simply do not have the time nor will that really work, I have however gone through and fixed the obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. 

Pacing: It is slow, I won't lie. As I said earlier, I go into details and things are constantly happening. There is almost no time skips. By chapter 500 only 6 months have passed, Eldrian is around level 30 (won't give precise level) and Tier 4. 

However, levels do work differently in this game compared to normal worlds. The death penalty you will also find is really harsh, and my story is not one where the MC somehow never dies. (never made much sense to me, especially since dying in a game is normal for everyone)

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Side note: I dive deeply into topics such as the emotional impact of events, philosophy, and realism. My aim with my magic system is and has always been to bridge reality and fantasy in a 'fantastical' way. 

You will come to find with time the approach I took for this, I hope you come to love it as I do. If not, I understand. 

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I think this is a long enough overview (almost a chapter's length), hopefully, it can help people decide if they want to give it a try or not.

I very much enjoy the world and the mystery of magic and the MC trying to figure out how it works, but I find myself frequently frustrated by the stupidity of the MC. Also his simping and beta willingness to always take a back seat is not my cup of tea. He falls in love with an NPC. what does this actually mean? it means he doesn't try in sparring matches. He lets her use magic and skills while he doesn't so this love is really him just allowing himself to get beat up and her enjoying beating him up. He never seems to try in matches, which is another reason why the tournament arc killed the novel for me. Tournament arcs are normally bad, but here he takes a back seat for buddies, avoids what he's best at in individual,  and then doesn't even try in his matches cause he wants to know what dying feels like. He's just too pathetic to be likable to me. all his greatest moments are just different ways of hating himself and committing suicide for others he cares about more than himself.  He's got issues.  He even refuses to properly equip himself because he's too busy equipping everyone else because he's not as important as others.