9Dragons
Encyclopedia
9Dragons is a martial arts-themed massively multiplayer online role playing game, developed by Korean video game company Indy21. The game features 3D
graphics and traditional Massively multiplayer online game
control schemes. Set in China
during the Ming Dynasty
, it includes actual Chinese geography
and historical features such as the Great Wall of China
and the famous Shaolin Monastery.
, originally created the video game 9Dragons, then they made agreements with both Persistent Worlds and Acclaim
, to allow them to market and sell 9Dragons to the European and North American markets.
The original In-game story for the Korean version was written by wuxia
novelist Jwa Baek and then Steven-Elliot Altman
was hired by Acclaim
to rewrite the game in its entirety so that it would become accessible to Western audiences.
Both companies released the game in "Open Beta" to the public in January 2007.
It was announced on August 24, 2010 that GamersFirst had acquired publishing rights to 9Dragons for distribution in North America . On August 26, 2010 it was announced that Acclaim Games had ended their online massively multiplayer services, which included the immediate shutdown of its official forums and its gaming servers . This statement is now accessible by visiting the former webpage of Acclaim 9Dragons . On September 2, 2010 it was announced that GamesCampus has acquired publishing rights to 9Dragons for distribution in Europe .GameCampus released the game (for Germany) in German language in early December 2010.
The Acclaim shut down appears to have happened in haste, since apparently Acclaim failed to ensure an orderly transition of in-game characters and user accounts to the new publisher .
The game was released by GamersFirst on September 16 on new servers without any user accounts that existed on the Acclaim servers. The transition is still pending as of July 2011.
An announcement was made the week of August 5, 2011, that GamersFirst will release the 9Dragon MMORPG back to Indy21. The 9Dragons MMORPG ended it's short tenure with GamersFirst on September 15, one day short of a year with the hosting service.
On September 20th, Games Campus began the transfer of the accounts of 9Dragons subscriber's from the GamersFirst servers, for those that have opted for this action. The 16th of September was the first day of completeing the transfer requests from GamersFirst. GamesCampus also had Tao, a non transfer server, available for public use before the two main servers were brought online. September 20th, 2011 the two remaining servers, Yin, a PvP (Player vs Player) server, the same as Yin under Gamers First and Yang, a PvE (Player vs Environment) server, the same as Nirvana and Phoenix as provided by the last hosting company, have been updated with the second half of the Tibet map, a new level cap and several other fixes and patches in an effort to remedy known issues that have hindered the game since Acclaim first offered this MMORPG to the public.
After reaching level 25, the player can then choose a role in the clan. At level 102(Elemental Crown Cheng 6), the player can undergo a Role upgrade (known as 2nd role), giving them access to new skills. The roles all go by different names but they fall into 4 distinct classes:
The Clans a player may join are based upon various schools of Kung Fu and are separated into two major factions, The White Clans (loyal to the Imperial Emperor) and The Black Clans (who have no allegiance to him). The White Clans include: Shaolin (male disciples only), Wu-Tang, and The League of Beggars. The Black Clans include: Sacred Flower (female disciples only), The Brotherhood of Thieves, and Heavenly Demon Clan. Each Clan has its own requirements for admission.
The game uses a leveling system in which each level has 12 Chengs as a sub-level system. Each time a character receives a title change a mini-game is required to level, and extra stat and skill points awarded.
Blood Essence is a material obtained as rare drops from killing monsters or maximizing the player's Blood Count. Blood Essence can be used to refine or strengthen weapons.
Within the game are small communities known as Hero Bands. A player is required to reach Raising Light Cheng 1 (level 49) and complete a quest to create a band. The band can have up to 1 band master, 10 band leaders and a total of 40 members. The band master selects band leaders. Hero Leagues are alliances formed with multiple bands. Up to 5 bands in a league and they can be different (but allied) clans. 9dragons was created by Indy21
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
graphics and traditional Massively multiplayer online game
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
control schemes. Set in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, it includes actual Chinese geography
Geography of China
China stretches some across the East Asian landmass bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam in a changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain...
and historical features such as the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
and the famous Shaolin Monastery.
Development and distribution
Indy21, an independent video game developer in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, originally created the video game 9Dragons, then they made agreements with both Persistent Worlds and Acclaim
Acclaim Games
Acclaim Games, based in Beverly Hills, California, was a private online video game company that offered free Massively multiplayer online role-playing games on its website upon registration. The company was founded in 2006 and is the successor of Acclaim Entertainment in terms of brand name...
, to allow them to market and sell 9Dragons to the European and North American markets.
The original In-game story for the Korean version was written by wuxia
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
novelist Jwa Baek and then Steven-Elliot Altman
Steven-Elliot Altman
Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling American author, graphic novelist, video game writer-director, producer and screenwriter.-Games:*9Dragons Online...
was hired by Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
to rewrite the game in its entirety so that it would become accessible to Western audiences.
Both companies released the game in "Open Beta" to the public in January 2007.
It was announced on August 24, 2010 that GamersFirst had acquired publishing rights to 9Dragons for distribution in North America . On August 26, 2010 it was announced that Acclaim Games had ended their online massively multiplayer services, which included the immediate shutdown of its official forums and its gaming servers . This statement is now accessible by visiting the former webpage of Acclaim 9Dragons . On September 2, 2010 it was announced that GamesCampus has acquired publishing rights to 9Dragons for distribution in Europe .GameCampus released the game (for Germany) in German language in early December 2010.
The Acclaim shut down appears to have happened in haste, since apparently Acclaim failed to ensure an orderly transition of in-game characters and user accounts to the new publisher .
The game was released by GamersFirst on September 16 on new servers without any user accounts that existed on the Acclaim servers. The transition is still pending as of July 2011.
An announcement was made the week of August 5, 2011, that GamersFirst will release the 9Dragon MMORPG back to Indy21. The 9Dragons MMORPG ended it's short tenure with GamersFirst on September 15, one day short of a year with the hosting service.
On September 20th, Games Campus began the transfer of the accounts of 9Dragons subscriber's from the GamersFirst servers, for those that have opted for this action. The 16th of September was the first day of completeing the transfer requests from GamersFirst. GamesCampus also had Tao, a non transfer server, available for public use before the two main servers were brought online. September 20th, 2011 the two remaining servers, Yin, a PvP (Player vs Player) server, the same as Yin under Gamers First and Yang, a PvE (Player vs Environment) server, the same as Nirvana and Phoenix as provided by the last hosting company, have been updated with the second half of the Tibet map, a new level cap and several other fixes and patches in an effort to remedy known issues that have hindered the game since Acclaim first offered this MMORPG to the public.
Gameplay
9Dragons features player-versus-player and player-versus-environment gameplay depending on which map and server the player is located. If a player kills someone in a PvP area they receive Karma. The amount and type of Karma gained depends on the clans of the two combatatants. When a player collects enough Karma they receive a "Karma Epithet".After reaching level 25, the player can then choose a role in the clan. At level 102(Elemental Crown Cheng 6), the player can undergo a Role upgrade (known as 2nd role), giving them access to new skills. The roles all go by different names but they fall into 4 distinct classes:
- Warrior: Warriors are the masters of their clan's main weapon. They are the first to rush into combat, and all of their skills are centered around dealing direct damage to the opponent. They emphasize Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength, while Essence is harder for them to develop.
- Strategist: The healer of a clan uses their clan's secondary weapon, but their abilities focus more on buffing and healing other members. As the Hybrid has the same basic abilities they do, the Healer is able to heal external and internal injuries, while the Hybrid cannot. They emphasize Essence and Wisdom, while Constitution is harder for them to develop.
- Chi Kung Artist: The nuker is a specialist in the Chi Kung arts handed down in their clan. They focus on dealing long-range damage to their target, and the majority of their skills can do quite a bit of damage. They emphasize Essence and Wisdom, while Strength is hard for them to develop. They are ill-suited to melee combat.
- Holist: The Hybrid is an army unto themselves; they learn a bit of every art passed down in their clan, from secondary clan weapon usage to Chi Kung attacks and buffing and healing. They emphasize Constitution and Essence, while Wisdom is harder for them to develop.
The Clans a player may join are based upon various schools of Kung Fu and are separated into two major factions, The White Clans (loyal to the Imperial Emperor) and The Black Clans (who have no allegiance to him). The White Clans include: Shaolin (male disciples only), Wu-Tang, and The League of Beggars. The Black Clans include: Sacred Flower (female disciples only), The Brotherhood of Thieves, and Heavenly Demon Clan. Each Clan has its own requirements for admission.
The game uses a leveling system in which each level has 12 Chengs as a sub-level system. Each time a character receives a title change a mini-game is required to level, and extra stat and skill points awarded.
Blood Essence is a material obtained as rare drops from killing monsters or maximizing the player's Blood Count. Blood Essence can be used to refine or strengthen weapons.
Within the game are small communities known as Hero Bands. A player is required to reach Raising Light Cheng 1 (level 49) and complete a quest to create a band. The band can have up to 1 band master, 10 band leaders and a total of 40 members. The band master selects band leaders. Hero Leagues are alliances formed with multiple bands. Up to 5 bands in a league and they can be different (but allied) clans. 9dragons was created by Indy21
External links
- Official site of 9Dragons publisher in North America After 15 Sep 2011