Dev's Comments
"Acclaim strongly believe that they have the only authentic martial arts game currently on the market. This game won in 2005 the coveted prize of “Game of the year"? in Korea. They think that players are interested in playing new and different exciting themes such as Martial Arts against a overload of European Medieval fantasy games."
Character Development
In 9Dragons you will be able to play the role of a fantastic character with unique characteristics and undetermined potential. You can generate up to three of these characters and customize them as you wish. When you create a new character you will choose a starting city.
When you create your character you are given 10 Chi Points to allocate across your statistics: Strength, Essence, Wisdom, Constitution and Dexterity. Adding points to strength will mean that your character does greater damage when she hits. Points in essence will mean greater Vital Energy, points in wisdom will mean greater Chi Kung capability, and points in constitution will mean that your character has higher Life. Lastly, points in dexterity will increase your character’s probability of successfully hitting or dodging in combat. As you gain experience in the The Land, you will obtain more Chi Points to distribute. And very occasionally you will be given the opportunity to redistribute these points.
Social/Guild Structure
New characters are considered neutral, without alliegance to any faction or clan, they are referred to as Vagabonds. You choose a starting location at one of the great martial arts schools as a Vagabond, you learn fighting skills and after a short period you join one of the nine clans
Combat/Skills
Martial arts are central to this game. You start as a novice and you must become a master to succeed. Unlike many games, you’re not just given a fighting skill, you must earn it, train for it and then practice it to obtain mastery. The gameplay offers a new challenge to players who are looking for a game that is more than the hack and slash. To succeed in 9 Dragons you must follow the tradition that has existed for thousands of years in China. In terms of fighting, there are over 400 different fighting moves with over 500 items of martial arts weaponry. Martial arts is central to this game. No two players will use their martial arts skills in the same way.
Crafting Professions
Crafting is not a major focus of the game. Your main advancement is through the development the player’s martial arts skills.
Quests
The quests actually weave into the story. Acclaim did not want to have players grind through quests just for the sake of doing it. They want them to feel they are accomplishing a great deal through the quests and that they are fully engaged into the 9Dragons world. Currently there is over 450 quests
The quests of 9Dragons can be easily found by investigating the [!] and [?] marks on the mini-map. The following are types of Quests that will be offered from various NPC’s (Non-Player Characters) throughout The Land:
Road to The Dragon
The Road to The Dragon is a journey that can transform you into a true warrior and leader of your clan. These are the main storyline quests of 9Dragons. They usually begin with an order from a ranking NPC disciple of a clan, and you will often receive a higher rank in the clan as a reward.
Road to Enlightenment
These are quests that shall honestly reveal one's deepest motives to one's own inner self. Basic quests of 9Dragons. You may receive these quests at all levels.
Road to Karma
These quests effect the core nature of your relationship with The Land and those who dwell within it. You receive one new Road to Karma quest every six Cheng (levels) after you reach level 25. These are typically a series of three to five quests that are somehow inter-connected, and they usually bring the best rewards.
Road to Fate
The Buddha preached that all life is one, and these quests explore how all life in The Land may interact through you to affect your ultimate destiny.
Heroic Episodes
These quests allow you to test your newfound skills and gain fame throughout The Land.
While other quests can be completed only once, you may repeat the following types of quests over and over again.
Ranking Quests
In these quests you are actually in competition against others in The Land to see who can handle the mission the most thoroughly; how quickly you can deliver an item or how many monsters you can defeat.
Party Quests
Available to a Party Leader, these quests are done cooperatively by all party members. Some Party Quests are also Ranking Quests.
Collection Quests
You may obtain a fine reward by heeding the request of certain NPC’s who enjoy collecting things for a living. They will typically ask you to collect from three to twenty specific Items.
PvP
PvP is built right into the game. Actually, PvP is also weaved into the story as you can challenge other players in your clan or outside your clan. You can put some of your items at stake where winner takes all. However, there is no death penalty inside the game.
Lore
There is a story of a land you know.... and a land you do not know. A land where martial arts chivalry was born....more...
Additional Information
The engine used inside the game is called TripleX. It was developed inside of Indy21. It is a very detailed and fast 3D engine with 360 degree rotation and zoom in and out under the player’s control. Each server can host up to 3,000 concurrent players.
