Soul of the Ultimate Nation (often abbreviated as SUN ) was a fantasy-based massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) produced by Webzen , a Korean-based company. It is operated in Korea by Webzine and Mainland China by The9 . The game was launched in Taiwan on April 19, and in China on May 24, 2007 as a paid online service [1] and closed on July 3, 2013.
In December 2005, Webzen sold an export contract for the game to The9 for $ 13 million USD in total, which was the largest single transaction in Korea’s online game history. [2] In 2006, SUN was selected as the most anticipated online game at the 2nd Annual Best Online Game Selection in China. [3] In a survey by Gametrics, the largest Internet cafe in Korea, SUN was ranked among the top 10 games in Korean Internet cafes. [4] Also, SUN received the award at the Digital Content Awards by Ministry of Information and Communication and SK Telecom [5] in 2006.
Like some other MMORPGs, SUN uses the ” hack and slash ” way. Players are part of a rebel group known as “The Guidance”. Items can be enhanced and improved throughout the game play of SUN. For large-scale combat such as siege warfare, Soul of the Ultimate Nation20-40 characters; the outcome each battle having direct effects on the fight on other fields. SUN also allows players to strategically set the stage for different types of maps, entry numbers, degrees of difficulty and types of monsters for a customized game play experience. SUN has three types of maps using a system map. Players start the game in a city and create zones to play the game. In terms of maps, the mission maps are the primary places where players can solve missions. The hunting maps are for tracking down monsters to level up characters, gather items and acquire in-game money. The quest maps are used to fulfill the questions of the game.
The game has already gone underway from September 2005 to May 2006 in South Korea, and received high marks from gamers. SUN Taiwan moved from closed beta to open beta on 20 December 2006. [6] The current open beta is allowing the game developers to improve the field maps, add a competitive hunting system and a mission ranking system.
SUN Korea adopted F2P mode and item mall model on November 14, 2006. [7] NHN USA Corp., the publisher of SUN in North America which made a license agreement with Webzen on May 21, 2009, and SUN Global (run by Webzen ), will also adopt the same model.
SUN is available for distribution and operation in North America through the gaming corporation ijji. [8] Recently, Webzen announced that the company will itself be the second publisher of SUN in the territories, where NHN USA does not have rights to distribute the game. A beta test of Webzen’s version was held on October 14, 2009 until October 16, 2009. Webzen’s SUN version came out October 21, 2009.
Battle Zone System
Under the Battle Zone System, players can create “rooms” for battles, be it against monsters or other players. Players will have a specific non-player character (NPC) in each town to create such rooms. They can select different types of maps, areas, and the entry numbers, degree of difficulty and types of monsters within the map. For a players vs. monsters map, players will form a party and usually have to proceed to complete certain map objectives, such as killing the boss monster. At the end of the internship, experience and loot are shared among the participants.
More quests and missions will be added to SUN to continue the ongoing story. Additionally, when a mission is near completion, tips will appear for readers to unlock hidden missions.
Character classes
Like in Webzine MMORPG, MU Online , Dragon Knight, Berserker, Valkyrie, Elementalist and Shadow. For each class height, hairstyle, and face can be picked from multiple alternatives, but each class has a predefined gender. However, since Episode 2’s release, each class is available to another character. For example, a Dragon Knight can now be a Valkyrie, and an Elementalist has the possibility of being a Shadow; all of this is in the game of skill set and play-style. But it allows you to classify your game.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for this MMORPG was composed by Howard Shore .
Episode 2
In July 2011 Webzen released Episode 2 which was long waited by the players of SUN. New bonuses are added for new classes. Valkyries now can look like a valkyrie but have the skills of Dragon Knight or Berserker. Dragon Knights can look like Dragon Knights might have the skills of Valkyrie. Shadows and elementalists also have those specifications.
References
- Jump up^ “WEBZEN Announces the Launch of ‘Soul of the Ultimate Nation’ in China . Webzen Inc. 2007-05-23 . Retrieved 2007-05-31 .
- Jump up^ “Webzen Sells China Rights to Soul of the Ultimate Nation” . 2005-12-13. Archived from the original on 2007-07-11 . Retrieved 2007-05-31 .
- Jump up^ “SUN Voted ‘Most Anticipated Online Game’ at China’s ‘Best Online Game Selection’ . Webzen Inc. 2006-04-25 . Retrieved 2007-03-15 .
- Jump up^ “SUN ranked among the top 10 games in Korea” . Gametrics. 2006-06-18 . Retrieved 2007-03-25 .
- Jump up^ “SUN receives Award at Digital Contents Awards” . Webzen Inc. 2006-07-11 . Retrieved 2007-03-15 .
- Jump up^ “SUN to change from Closed Beta to Open Beta” . Webzen Inc. 2006-12-18 . Retrieved 2007-03-15 .
- Jump up^ “Korean SUN to go F2P” . Webzen Inc. 2006-11-08 . Retrieved 2007-03-15 .
- Jump up^ “SUN in North America via ijji” . NHN. 2009-05-21. Archived from the original on 2009-06-24 . Retrieved 2009-05-21 .