PangYa

Infobox VG


title = PangYa
developer = Ntreev Soft
publisher =

flagicon|South Korea HanbitSoft
flagicon|Japan Gamepot Inc.
flagicon|Taiwan Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
flagicon|Thailand Ini3 Digital Company Limited
flagicon|United States GameFactory Inc. and OGPlanet flagicon|United Kingdom flagicon|France flagicon|Germany flagicon|Spain GOA flagicon|Brazil UNO Games
flagicon|Philippines Level Up! Games Inc.
flagicon|Indonesia PT Boleh Net Indonesia
flagicon|China T2 Entertainment Inc.
flagicon|Singapore Asiasoft Corporation

distributor =
designer =
engine =
version = Various across different servers
genre = Golf
modes = Single player, Multiplayer
platforms = Windows
requirements = Celeron 500 MHz or higher, 128 MB of RAM, DirectX 8.1
input = Keyboard, Mouse
followed by = PangYa (Korean: 팡야, lit. "Bang!"), is an online multiplayer casual golf simulation game designed by a Korean development company, Ntreev Soft and published by Korean online game publisher HanbitSoft. The full game is free to download, although certain special items for the game (such as clothes for characters, new equipment, and decorations) can only be purchased with real money. However, all characters are purchasable without real money, and certain measures have been taken to minimize or effectively reduce the differences between money users and non-money users. The game awards players with Pang, a currency that can be used to upgrade a character, or items to gain the upper hand during a course.

"PangYa" currently has servers in Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Europe, the Philippines, China, Singapore (serving Southeast Asia as well) and the US (known there as Albatross18), with plans to expand to more English speaking countries. However, the Philippines server has ceased operating effective 21 January, 2008, and the Southeast Asia server ceased operation on 25 August, 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.pangyasea.com/info/notices/game_noticesdetails.aspx?id=43 |title=Completion of PangyaSEA contract |date=2008-04-28 |accessdate=2008-04-28]

Gameplay

The gameplay is designed similar to most other golf games. The power and accuracy of a shot are determined by a meter located at the bottom of the screen, using the "three-click method": one click to activate the meter's bar, one click to set power, and one click to set accuracy. Clicking is either done by moving the mouse pointer over the bar and clicking, or simply pressing the space bar.

The game's graphics look more like that of a Japanese anime than real golf, and many features are derived of creative imaginations rather than realism. For example, players have the option of using golf clubs that resemble household products or baseball bats, courses such as Silvia Cannon and Wiz Wiz are set in fantasy realms, and certain special shots that are physically impossible can be performed. However, at the same time, the game is realistic enough for the most part, with various factors like wind, angle and other external factors affecting the accuracy of a shot.

Characters

The playable characters of the game. As of PangYa season 4, there are nine. One character is given to you as soon as you register for the game, depending on the gender you specify. All the other characters must be purchased either with Pang or in packages with certain items or clothing, via the Cookies, Astros, or the premium currency.
*Scout - A young boy, who was invited by Pipin to PangYa Island after she noticed his love for the game of golf.
*Hana - A young girl, who was invited by Quma to PangYa Island after he noticed her love for the game of golf.
*Uncle Bob - An ex-cop, invited by Lola to PangYa Island. He is only a beginner, but brags as though he's been playing the game for years, and often gets himself into trouble.
*Cecilia - The captain of PangYa Island's naval battleship, Silvia.
*Max - A professional tennis player from Britain who ended up on PangYa Island due to an airplane accident. He joins the PangYa tournament after hearing that the captain of the navy would be entering in the hopes of realizing his dream of joining the military.
*Kooh - A pirate and the captain of the Lunar Tomb ship. She is trying to find her father, who went missing after the Battle of the Demon King.
*Arin - The first female in a long line of excellent magicians on PangYa Island. She practices PangYa all the time in the hopes that she can meet Max, and play a round of PangYa against him.
*Kaz - A descendant of the Demon King. He lost his memory due to the trauma of his lover dying to save him.
*Lucia - An idol singer. She enters the PangYa tournament in order to prove that music is not the only talent she has.
*Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len - The virtual idols from the Vocaloid text-to-speech software make appearances as playable characters on the Japanese PangYa server.

Caddies

Caddies are secondary characters in the series who stand by the player character, guiding them and giving them tips. Some caddies are hired on a monthly salary, while others are paid for once, using paid currency such as Cookies or Astros, and still others can be won using items such as Mr. e-Card. Caddies include:
*Papel - Nobody knows who invented Papel, a shopping bag who seems to have been brought to life by magic. He can be somewhat mischievous. Players receive him for free if they finish Train With Caddie mode.
*Pipin - A Cross Chronos fairy, she invited Scout to the world of PangYa.
*Dolfini - A special species of dolphins, Dolfini dreams of being able to fly one day. He has a small umbrella left behind by his late mother to ensure a safe landing.
*Quma - An impulsive young man from the Libera tribe, who invited Hana to PangYa Island. He believes actions speak louder than words.
*TitanBoo - A large anthropomorphic polar bear from the Ventus area of PangYa Island. He's very large, but wouldn't hurt a fly.
*Tiki - A mage in training, who looks up to her sister, Brie. She is never seen without her broomstick.
*Lola - The daughter of the Libera tribe's chief leader. She has a cheerful personality, and seems to be good friends with Quma.
*Brie (Korean: Cadie) - Tiki's sister, and an experienced mage. She is very much a carefree person, but is also quite skilled; she was one of the mages who helped in creating the Mystical Phoenix ball to fight the Darkness Aura.

Terminology

Clubs

A player will start the game with the default golf club and as player progresses, they are given the option to purchase new clubs, either using Pang or Astros/A-Cash. Club sets differ from each other in term of stats provided, available upgrade slots, level requirement, and appearance. Just like in real golf, PangYa club sets contain 4 basic type of clubs, they include woods, irons, wedges, and putters.

Currency

The currency of "PangYa" is Pang. Pang is normally earned by finishing a hole at par or better, pulling off powerful shots, and making difficult chip-ins. Pang can be used at the Shop to buy equipment or items. Pang can also be used to upgrade equipment such as golf clubs, or the characters themselves, boosting their stats. A cookie system has also been established on most PangYa servers which allows people to buy equipment and items using real cash. PangyaSEA's A-Cash system and Albatross18's Astros system (both of which are systems designed to allow their respective virtual credit systems use on multiple games) replaces the cookie system but are identical in usage.

Ranking

In PangYa, a ranking system is used. When you first create a character their level will be Rookie F. As you play more games in tournament mode or match play you will gain more experience points and move up in rank.

pecial Shots

In PangYa, special shots are achieved by doing different combinations of keys. The standard "perfect shot" is performed by hitting a shot that lands in the white bar, causing a voice to cheer "PangYa!". To add to this, under certain conditions, players can hit shots such as the Power Topspin, Power Backspin, and Power Curve, aiding them in avoiding obstacles or chipping the ball into the hole. More complicated shots can be achieved such as the Super PangYa, which adds 10-20 yards to a shot (depending on how many power bars are spent on the shot), and the Cobra, Tomahawk and Spike, which change the trajectory of the shot considerably.

Criticisms

There have been criticisms of bugs within the game. Most prominent is the disconnect bug that cuts users communication with the server at certain points during the game. This problem has reappeared during newly-completed upgrades to the Season 2 client. When users disconnect, their quit rate rises, which makes their acceptance to matches harder. Another common problem is the in-game lag created by users' slow Internet connection or when the disconnect bug is taking effect.

The reason for this bug is the fact the Albatross18 client is based on Korea's PangYa client. The original Korean PangYa client was built for smaller regions in Southeast Asia, such as South Korea or Indonesia. Albatross18, however, is open to many large regions, such as the United States. This can cause problems for many players, if the PangYa servers become unstable when trying to accommodate so many players.

uper Swing Golf series

First unveiled at Nintendo's E3 press conference during a montage trailer, "Super Swing Golf" was announced for the Wii gaming system. The game was in joint development by Ntreev Soft and Tecmo, was released on December 2nd, 2006, by Tecmo in Japan, and was released on December 12th, 2006 in the U.S. Super Swing Golf has been built from the ground up for the Wii but still shares similar attributes with the PC version of the game. The sequel to Super Swing Golf, "", has also been released, featuring new items as well as the Deep Inferno, Pink Wind, and Ice Spa courses from PangYa on PC.

References

External links

Official sites

* [http://a18.ogplanet.com/ Official Albatross18 Website] - Game Factory, Inc. (PUS) OGPlanet (OGPL)
* [http://www.pangya.com/ Official Korean PangYa Website] - HanbitSoft
* [http://www.goa.com Official European Website] - GOA (PEU)