PangYa

Pangya
Developer(s) Ntreev Soft
(NCSOFT' s subsidiary company.)
Publisher(s)

Current
SmileGate Europe (Global)
Gamepot Inc. (Japan)
Smilegate Megaport, NHN Corp (Korea)
Ini3 Digital (Thailand) Former
MAYN Interactive
SG Interactive
UNO Games (Brazil)
Galaxy Games
Ntreev USA (merged into SG Interactive)
HanbitSoft
Asiasoft Online
GameFactory Inc.
Level up! Games Philippines
GOA Europe

OGPlanet (discontinued 2009)
Platform(s) Windows, Wii (SSG), PSP, Android & iOS[1] (2015)
Release date(s) 2004 (Korea, Japan)
2005 (North America, original release as Albatross18)
2009 (North America, Re-release under current title)
Genre(s) Golf, Fantasy
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer

PangYa (Korean: 팡야, lit. "Bang!", RR: Pangya), known as PangYa Exhilarating Golf in Japan (Japanese: スカッとゴルフパンヤ, Hepburn: Sukatto Gorufu Pan'ya), is an online multiplayer casual golf simulation game designed by Korean development company, Ntreev Soft and NCSOFT.

PangYa currently has servers in Japan, Thailand, and North America. On August 29, 2016, PangYa's servers in Korea shut down.

PangYa's global publisher is SmilesGate Europe,[2] while Smilegate Megaport and Gamepot Inc are the publishers for Korea[3] and Japan[4] respectively. ini3 is the game's Thai publisher.[5]

From 2005 until March 2009, the game was known as Albatross18 in North America. On March 8, 2009, control of the game was passed from OGPlanet to SG Interactive (then Ntreev USA), which closed the game for a month for technical upgrades and re-released the game as PangYa a month later.

Late in May 2014, SG Interactive transferred the publishing rights to MAYN Interactive and transferred the publishing rights to SmileGate Europe in late 2014.

On November 1, 2016, it was announced that the Global PangYa server would be closing by December 12, 2016.[6]

Gameplay

PangYa's 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.

Should the player hit the ball with perfect (or almost-perfect) accuracy, the shot is called a "PangYa". Missing a PangYa will result in a loss of power, and either a 'hook' (where the ball angles to the left from the intended trajectory) or a 'slice' (where the ball angles to the right from the intended trajectory).

The similarity of PangYa with other online golf games end here. The game's graphics are anime derived, with many of its features stemming from creative imagination, as opposed to realism. Golf clubs resembling household products or baseball bats are used by some characters, and courses such as Silvia Cannon and Wiz Wiz are set in fantasy realms. Additionally, physically impossible special shots can be performed.

Game Modes

Pangya has several game modes.

Exchange and Upgrade Systems

Clubs

A player will start the game with the default golf club. As the player progresses, they are given the option to purchase new clubs, using either Pang or Cookies (Points in the North America server). Players can also get a free Lucky Air Knight club from the tutorial that works until they rank to Junior E. 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: 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. Rage Points system (which is a system designed to allow their respective virtual credit systems to be used with multiple games) replaces the cookie system but is identical in usage.

Ranking

In Pangya, a ranking system is used. As players continue to compete in more games in tournament mode or match play, they will gain more experience points and move up in rank. Most new players, if not all, start off with the Rookie F ranking and work their way up. The current maximum achievable rank is Infinity Legend A. The only exception is the Game Masters, which have their own rank, GM. When displayed in the lobby, this the highest rank of all.

Special 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!". 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), as well as the Cobra, Tomahawk and Spike, which change the trajectory of the shot considerably.

Other versions

Super 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 2, 2006, by Tecmo in Japan, and was released on December 12 of the same year 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, Super Swing Golf: Season 2, has also been released, featuring new items as well as the Deep Inferno, Pink Wind, and Ice Spa courses from Pangya on PC as well as the Special Shot 'Spike'.

Pangya: Fantasy Golf

On June 23, 2009, Tomy (under license from SK Telecom) released Pangya: Fantasy Golf for the Sony PSP in North America.[7]

Pangya Mobile

On November 18, 2014, NCSOFT (with cooperation from Ntreevsoft) has announced Pangya Mobile for iOS and Android.

See also

References

Developer
Official servers
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.