Martial arts, the soul of domestic games—the development history of domestic martial arts games

Martial arts is a cultural symbol unique to the Chinese. Speaking of martial arts, every Chinese can read Jin Guliangwen's famous works at their fingertips, which can be said to have influenced generations of people. I believe that everyone will have a martial arts dream in their hearts, or enjoy grudges in the light of swords and rain, or walk on the wind and watch the vicissitudes of life with a smile. When martial arts come alive from text to vivid computer screens, players can personally participate in it and truly experience it in the arena. How enjoyable it is to grow from a powerless rookie to a generation of heroes. Looking back on the development history of Chinese martial arts games over the past few decades, it can be said to be both evocative and evocative. Some games will always be remembered by players, while others have been submerged in the dust of time.

Most of China’s martial arts games rely on the Jianghu written by Jin Guliang and Wen. As the first martial arts game, “Xia Ke Xing” has entered the players’ field of vision. Although it is only a text-based martial arts game, and it is even difficult to search for relevant information on the Internet, it is the first game to catch up with others, and martial arts games have gradually entered people's field of vision.

In 1990, "Xuanyuan Sword" produced and distributed by Daewoo Information came out. Although it was a semi-finished product, the plot and the names of the game characters were not completed, but it opened the beginning of this brilliant game series, and subsequent games The "Xuanyuan Sword" series is unique among RPG games with its complete world view and rich history. This series has produced twelve parts in total, not counting its derivative works and "Xuanyuan Sword OL" (unfortunately due to It is not running well, and the online version has long been discontinued) But I have to say that in that era, how many players born in the 1980s grew up with the growth of "Xuanyuan Sword". "Cang Zhi Tao" released in 2004 moved countless players and became the pinnacle of this series. Some players even rated the ending of "Cang Zhi Tao" as one of the "Top Ten Classic Endings of Domestic Games".

In 1991, "The Legend of Knights and Heroes" launched by Jingxun Company was the first true martial arts role-playing game. The gameplay borrowed from the Japanese game "Dragon Quest" and integrated Chinese martial arts culture. The game uses a chess board, which some people call the landmine stepping mode. It is set in the Ming Dynasty and tells the story of the five martial arts sects in the Central Plains fighting against the demon sect. The plot is very simple, but in that era when PCs were not yet popular, the martial arts in "Legend of Heroes" Let a large number of players become addicted to heroes. Its sequel "Legend of Heroes 3" is the martial arts RPG with the most exquisite combat animations in the DOS era. The plot continues from the previous generation and adopts a single-line plot with multiple endings. The background music in the game was produced by the famous Lion's Roar Music Workshop at the time. The howling wind, roaring waves, and gurgling water fit perfectly with the plot of the game. Of course, the biggest feature of the game is its battle scenes, with animations covering the entire screen, making it dynamic. Complete and dazzling, it can be regarded as a game masterpiece, but it was unfortunately overshadowed by the huge success of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" later.

In 1995, a series of divine legends came out, that is, "Legend of Sword and Fairy" published by Daewoo Information, which became an immortal work in the minds of many Chinese players. Almost all Chinese players know "Zhao Ling'er". "Li Xiaoyao" and "Lin Yueru" are game characters that make us cry and make us laugh. The comics, films, literary works, stage plays, etc. that followed the "Sword of Sword" series have become the most classic martial arts. IP, Daewoo is still resting on its laurels from "Sword of Immortality". "Sword of Immortal" is no longer just a game, it is an emotional symbol in the hearts of players, lingering romantic feelings. It is also a monument to Chinese martial arts games. Whenever the heart-wrenching poems and flowing pictures come into view, players feel as if they are immersed in the game, following the protagonist on an adventure. Coupled with the independently created world view and unforgettable plot, it has fascinated countless players. The "Fairy Sword" series has released nine volumes. The release of "Fairy Sword V" in 2011 broke the sluggishness of China's stand-alone game market. Its sales volume and popularity have become the pinnacle of domestic stand-alone games, as many players say In that way, I know that Daewoo is over-consuming the enthusiasm of this player, but it is willing to be taken advantage of again for "Swordsman".

Then in 1996, Heluo Studio launched "The Legend of Jin Yong's Heroes". The game adapted Mr. Jin Yong's classic "Shooting the White Deer in the Flying Snow, and the Laughing Book of Heroes Relying on the Blue Yuan". In the section, players need to collect heavenly books, make friends with martial arts masters in the game, and finally form a team to fight the final boss. It is the most classic SLG game. The degree of freedom in the game is very high. Most of the characters, martial arts and plot developments are very faithful to the original novel, which makes many Jin Yong fans unable to stop. There are many online guides for seeking help and making friends with masters of various martial arts. The game is very popular. Another "Heroes" series from Heluo Studio is "The Legend of Martial Arts Heroes" released in 2001. The story follows "Jin Yong's Legend of Heroes" and tells the story of the little-known Oriental Heroes a hundred years after Xiao Xiami disappeared. Unexpectedly, he met Gu Yuexuan, a like-minded person, and became a disciple to enter the complicated world of martial arts. The game adopts RPG and development dual-player modes, with a high degree of operational freedom, a compact plot, detailed explanations, and quotations from classics, incorporating a large number of traditional Chinese elements, allowing players to experience the world in addition to fighting and killing. Fishing, farming, mining and medicine gathering, and other novel ways to play the battle flag.

At the same time, the game abandons the mode of eliminating the strong and supporting the weak along the way, and adds many choices. Players need to choose between fighting for and glory in the world. Good and evil, black and white, right and wrong are often not so clear-cut. In the ending of the game, the achievements that different realms of life deserve are explained by depicting their destination. Players can experience their own outlook on life and world view. These humanistic atmospheres are unavailable in other games. The final step of the "Heroes" trilogy is "Legend of Heroes", but it can be regarded as a reset and enhancement board for "Legend of Heroes". From the combat system to character development, it inherits the legacy of "Legend of Heroes" The essence is that different choices of players will produce a butterfly effect in the martial arts world. There are various endings and different destinations in the game, making players feel more involved. "The Legend of Jin Yong Heroes 5" came out in 2014. The game still uses the same method. Although it uses the name "The Legend of Jin Yong Heroes", the gameplay is essentially different. The knights adopt the real-time combat mode. In 2014, watch "Jin Yong Heroes" again. The gameplay and production of "Legend of Heroes 5" appear to be very crude, and most of the players who play it are die-hard fans of "Jin Yong's Legend of Heroes".

In the late 1990s and early 21st century, there were two other classic games that could compete with "Jin Yong's Legend of Heroes": Kingsoft's "Swordsman Love" and Yuquan International's "Meteor" Butterfly Sword". In 1997, Kingsoft's Xishanju Studio produced and released "Swordsman Love". The game is based on the battle between Song and Jin during the Southern Song Dynasty and tells the martial arts legend of the young knight Dugu Jian. The "Swordsman" series, the first stand-alone game, has launched five volumes: "Swordsman Love", "Swordsman Love II", "Swordsman Love II Platinum Edition", "Swordsman Love Side Story: Moon Shadow Legend", and "New Swordsman Love". There is also a "Swordsman World" planned and directed by the original Xishan Ju. Although it is not produced by Kingsoft, after all, the game inherits most of the elements of "Swordsman Love". There are 5 online versions: "Swordsman Love Online Edition", "Swordsman Love II Online", "Swordsman World", "Swordsman Love III Online", and "Legend of Moon Shadow Online". Xishanju has still become a symbol of domestic martial arts games, and it remains to this day. The still popular "Sword III" still occupies half of the domestic martial arts games. "Sword Three" relies on terrain vegetation rendering technology, scene light and shadow special effects and SpeedTree and other advanced computing rendering techniques to show the traditional Chinese martial arts world, integrating various elements with traditional Chinese cultural characteristics such as poetry, songs, chess, calligraphy and painting, tea making and drinking, etc. Integrated into the game, it presents players with a majestic, magnificent and gorgeous world of the Tang Dynasty. Through the sincere and touching plot of "Sword 3", players can experience the unique love, hatred and feelings of family and country unique to martial arts. It is currently the most successful domestically developed large-scale 3D MMORPG online game on the market. The reset version of "Sword Three" launched some time ago has undergone a large-scale upgrade and optimization of the game. Especially the graphics of the entire game have been improved to a big level. The character models are more detailed and realistic, and the game scenes are more flexible and natural, which has attracted a large number of players. Log in to the game again. At the same time, Xishanju has spared no effort in the development of derivatives of the "Swordsman" IP. The biggest impact is that China's fandom is also full of vitality due to the popularity of "Jiang San". This is due to the carefully built social system of "Jiang San" and the development of various derivatives of Xishanju, making it very popular. User stickiness cannot be matched by any domestic game. Although the fandom of "Sword Three" is now filthy, with many people with special purposes pouring in, it has also stimulated the development and improvement of China's fandom industry. Although compared to Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, China's fandom is still in its infancy. , not well known by the public, but it is already a great progress.

After talking about "Sword Three", we have to mention another masterpiece of the year, "Meteor Butterfly Sword". "Meteor Butterfly Sword" is an A.RPG martial arts game adapted from Gu Long's famous martial arts novel of the same name. The game has a single player mode and an online multiplayer competitive mode. It was also the most exciting and impactful game that I secretly played in an Internet cafe. The game uses a combination of buttons to perform moves. The player uses the weapons in his hand and controls the mouse and keyboard to display various moves in the martial arts world. , it is no longer just a simple slash and simple button release, the gorgeous martial arts moves and skill special effects made me amazed at the time. However, the stand-alone version is very difficult to get started. There are various weapons in the game, including swords, guns, sticks, halberds, axes, knives and forks. Each has its own moving skills, and I still remember me crazily memorizing the moving lists of various weapons in a small notebook. The online version is mainly PVP, allowing players to have a hearty battle with real swords and guns in the game, and the brave will win when they meet on a narrow road. The character skills in the game are basically balanced, and there are no attribute props for sale. The key to victory is to rely entirely on your own strength. It is said that players in the game "Meteor Butterfly Sword" paid great attention to martial ethics. When two players were fighting, few people would make sneak attacks. Even if the other player fainted and was offline, they would wait for a while. Of course, the authenticity cannot be verified.

Since "World of Warcraft" entered the Chinese market in 2005, 3D mmorpg games have become a benchmark in the industry, and 3D graphics have begun to become mainstream. "Dialogue" released by Sohu Changyou was released to players in 2007. Together with its sequel "Dialogue 2" and another Sohu Changyou game "Tale of Two Dragons of the Tang Dynasty", they are all products of the World of Warcraft model, including 2012 The "Nine Yin Manual" launched by Snail in 2017 and NetEase's "Tianxia 3" are both products under the background of the times.

"Dragon Babu" was very popular in the early stage, and the major servers were also overcrowded. However, in the later stage, various paid props greatly affected the game experience, causing many players to escape the trap. This also contributed to the situation where players flocked to new games after the launch of "Sword III" in 2009. After all, the card charging model seemed very conscientious in the minds of players at the time. "Tianxia 3" is a game with the strongest ancient style, especially the original BGM, which is the favorite of many players. The scenes are full of rich Chinese cultural charm, whether it is a chess game rendered with dark ink landscapes or a fairyland with fairy sounds and lush bamboos. However, the "Tianxia" series cannot be regarded as a traditional martial arts game in the true sense. The game has more fantasy elements and the game background is from ancient times. It should be regarded as a fantasy-themed game. Let's talk about "Nine Yin Manual", with the Chinese martial arts culture as the background, it shows the martial arts world of the Ming Dynasty through the magical martial arts both internally and externally, the beautiful and spectacular ancient mountains and rivers, the stories of love and justice, and the martial arts hegemony between good and evil heroes. "Nine Yin Manual" is really amazing at the highest effect, bringing the player's visual sensory experience to the extreme. However, the game's gameplay is too monotonous and the rough and superficial plot greatly reduces the game's playability. In addition, players in the industry all know that civilian players of Snail Games have no gaming experience at all, leading to a subsequent loss of game players. "Gu Jian Qi Tan" is a domestic RPG game series developed by Shanghai Zhulong Information Technology Co., Ltd. and published by Beijing Netyuan Shengtang Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd. The setting of the game is derived from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", and the story is based on martial arts and fairy tales. It is based on the era of Chinese mythology and tells the story of the chivalrous and tender fairy tales culture in ancient China. The first-generation work "Gu Jian Qi Tan: Where is Qin Xin Jian Po Now" was released on July 10, 2010. It is the first stand-alone game in China with full dubbing. It is one of the "Three Domestic Swords" in the mouth of players and is often compared with "Fairy Sword". "The Legend of Strange Heroes" for comparison. There was a stand-alone sequel to "Gu Jian Qi Tan", "Gu Jian Qi Tan OL". Unfortunately, the online version was not fully developed and died early.

Since entering the new century, the domestic game market is no longer a hundred schools of thought contending, but has become a standout situation. Tencent relies on QQ and WeChat platforms to firmly grasp a large number of game users. Small and medium-sized game companies simply cannot compete with them, and their survival is difficult. However, in recent years, the slow rise of NetEase has given people a different light. In today's Chinese game market, the only company that can compete with Tencent is NetEase. After entering 2010, the martial arts online games that can still have a relatively high number of online users and popularity are, in my mind, basically Xishanju's "Sword Three", Tencent's "Tianya Mingyue Dao" and NetEase's "A Chinese Ghost Story" , as well as NetEase's years-long "Ni Shui Han" and "Chu Liu Xiang" (mobile games) that are about to be released into public beta. With the development of the times, competitive games have seized most of the share of PC games, from "DOTA" to "League of Legends" to the recent "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" type of chicken-eating games. There is less and less space for mmorpg games to survive. Nowadays, most people are busy running around for life. High-intensity social pressure squeezes the time of most office workers. Few people will play an mmorpg that requires a lot of time and energy. on the game. In addition, with the popularity of mobile phones in recent years, mobile games have blossomed everywhere. People are more willing to take some time to play a moba game to relax and enjoy themselves, without spending a lot of their time, killing two birds with one stone. Therefore, most of the players currently active in mmorpg games are students and office workers who are willing to take time to log in to the game every day after get off work and at night. So there were the mobile games "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "Chu Liuxiang". "Tianya Mingyue Dao" has almost crushed most games on the market with its top-notch graphics performance, real-time weather system, colorful gameplay, combat system full of impact, and the most interesting identity system. Of course, the tedious daily life and operational issues have also made the game somewhat stretched, and it seems that it lacks stamina. Many netizens ridiculed "full marks for art, zero marks for planning." The most regrettable thing is that the game derivatives are not perfect enough and have not been able to form a fan circle on the scale of "Sword III". However, "Tianya Mingyue Dao" can become half of the domestic martial arts online games, competing with "Sword III". Now when "Sword III" is mentioned among the player community, "Tianya Mingyue Dao" will inevitably be mentioned, and vice versa. Netizens are ridiculing Tencent for cheating money. If you don’t have money, don’t play Tencent online games. In fact, compared with the previous "Dragon Babu", "Nine Yin Manual", etc., Tencent is really conscientious, at least in "Tianya Mingyue Dao" "In ", no matter how powerful you are, you can't fight ten by yourself. The recently popular "Chu Liuxiang" has been greatly welcomed by players after its public beta. Whether it is graphics, character modeling or gameplay, it is the pinnacle of domestic mobile games. The game draws heavily on the system and elements of "Tianya Mingyue Dao" The similarity is as high as 80%. I seriously suspect that the R&D team of "Tianya Mingyue Dao" must have switched jobs to NetEase. However, "Chu Liuxiang" goes further than other martial arts netizens in that "Chu Liuxiang" creates a "living world" for players. The streets and alleys are no longer deserted, filled with shouting vendors, and NPCs are no longer dull as before. Wooden people and NPCs have emotions, as well as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy. They will interact with players differently based on their favorability, making the world in the player's eyes more real and vivid.

NetEase's new game "Ni Shui Han", which many players are looking forward to, has completed its second test. "Ni Shui Han" has excellent graphics and a more realistic "jianghu" atmosphere. The game introduces TressFX hair technology to make the volumetric fog in the game more detailed and realistic. The game's graphics can be called the pinnacle of current domestic games. After tens of millions of players voted, the game adopts a charging model with free point card charging props. It can be said that Full of sincerity. Unfortunately, I didn't get the activation code, but I watched a certain platform anchor play it several times. The advantages and disadvantages of the game are obvious, and the picture is absolutely beautiful. It is definitely a must-have game for scenery parties and casual parties to pick up girls and take photos; in addition, The gameplay of the game is diverse, and the various gameplays are full of creativity. There is no need to do mandatory tasks in order to improve the character attributes, and the game has a high degree of freedom. The shortcoming of the game, in my opinion, is that it is still the traditional "tactical animal husbandry" mode. In this era of national show operation, it still chooses to stand and output, which really lacks new ideas; another thing that is the most criticized by players is the combat system, which is not effective at all. There is no sense of impact, and the character movements are frivolous. Of course, this is only the content of the second test. I believe it will be greatly improved in the future. However, for now, "Ni Shui Han" is well-made and is a conscience with great ideas and sincerity. It is worthy of the five-year wait of players. It is expected that "Ni Shuihan" will be released for public testing within this year.

Having said so much, of course there are many games that have not been mentioned. I just counted the development history of domestic martial arts games from my own perspective. Among them, there have been brilliance, there have been short-lived, and some have become... Some classics in the minds of players have become popular and then become mediocre. This is the inevitable development of the times. In fact, I am really grateful to those game development teams and studios that are still working hard because of their love for martial arts games. It is they who let players It touched upon the martial arts dream that we had longed for when we were children, and created one wonderful, magnificent and majestic martial arts world for us one after another.

With one sword and one sword, the rivers and lakes are full of sorrow. I hope martial arts will always be in my heart, and I hope players can wield swords freely and gallop freely in the game, discover the righteousness of martial arts, and discover the different charm of martial arts.