This is the fourth in a series of exclusive articles for MMORPG introducing 9Dragons. 9Dragons is the first authentic martial arts massively multiplayer online game. Think of the world of Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or even Jackie Chan’s classic Drunken Master (if you are old enough or into martial arts enough!)

That world is created for you in 9Dragons. You can rise from a poor beggar to being a master of the martial arts through training with some of the greatest masters of ancient China.

For more information, take a look at the North American site www.9dragonsgame.com or for the European site go to www.9dragonsonline.com. Acclaim and Persistent Worlds are launching the game simultaneously across both America and Europe.

This series tells of the details involved in the creation of 9Dragons and now gets into some of the special details that make 9Dragons such a rich game.

In the real world a reputation is something that other people associate with you. For example who could forget Alexander the Great or Richard the Lion-Hearted?

In 9Dragons we wanted to capture this same sense of reputation. But of course you don’t get to spend the same amount of time in the game world as you do in the real world. You don’t consume media there as you would here. So instead we have invented a method for you to take your reputation around with you in the game. You gain a reputation by carrying out special quests, killing special monsters, or killing other players in battle.

In the accompanying screen shots you can see that above each player’s avatar can be his name, his clans name, and his reputation (if you choose to display it). So “Boris the Bold” is yours for the taking!

But what is in a name? (as the bard would say.) Nice to have, you may think, but what on earth would I want one for? Ah! In 9Dragons your reputation can mean a great deal to you. A strong reputation can enhance your abilities. For example, you can acquire the title “Conqueror of Death Valley”. Having this reputation will give you additional increases in physical and spiritual attacking power and also an improved critical hit rate. But be warned, tasks that earn you a reputation are not easy. To get this one you would have to fight your way through the Life and Death dungeon and survive.

Your reputation can have a direct impact on your ability. For example if you have a reputation for being able to withstand poison, your ability to withstand poison will actually be higher. However, you do have to earn this reputation!

You can have up to 50 different reputations in the game. But you can only use one at a time and you can only change it every two hours. Once again, in 9Dragons we are looking for ways to give the players tactical advantages in the game.

Some reputations you gain through quests, however, some you get by being better than other players. The top 10 highest-ranking players per server will be given server-ranking titles such as “Monarch Dragon”, “Azure Dragon” etc. These reputations are the hardest to attain so they have the best additional effects.

Of course, these will change as players’ server ranking changes. So the highest ranking players will have to watch their backs so that their rivals do not overtake them!

There is also personal notoriety in the game. When a player wins or loses in PvP, he will win or lose Reputation points or Notoriety points, depending on which clan member he killed. If a player gains enough Reputation/Notoriety points to be highly ranked, he will be rewarded with a unique reputation.

But there is more. You can also to gain a special reputation within your clan. For example, if you carry out a special clan quest you could be awarded the title “First Degree Disciple of Shao-Lin”.

You can also gain a reputation for helping people. In 9Dragons, there is always some innocent person in need of a helping hand. Some may search for their lost children, some may have missing treasures, or some may need to hire a bodyguard. If a player can successfully help them, he may be rewarded with a reputation for being good. (e.g. Friend of the weak).

You can also gain a reputation as a killer of high level monsters e.g. the killer of Shen Mo. Or you can gain a reputation for being the fastest person to complete a given quest.

There are also special reputations to be gained in the crafting system. You can become famous as a fisherman, a craftsman or a miner, for example.

And finally there is also the opportunity for making you own reputation. If you carry out certain quests, special NPCs will give you a chance to create your own reputation. So “Sheng Po - the master of the flying fist” could be your reputation, or so could “Barry – the Big Boy”. The choice in 9Dragons is, as always, ultimately up to you!

If you want more information, take a look at the North American site www.9dragonsgame.com or for the European site go to www.9dragonsonline.com.

I hope that you have enjoyed this article. I have had great fun writing it, I hope to be able to share more with you in the very near future.

“Who contains himself goes seldom wrong.” From The Sayings of Confucius.

- Ken Johnston, CEO of Presistent Worlds (Acclaim's European partner)

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You can also view an exclusive cinematic trailer here.