This article is about the original game for Windows. For the Nintendo DS game based on the original, see MapleStory DS. “NDS” redirects here. ... MapleStory DS (Korean:메이플 스토리 DS, working title) is the Nintendo DS version of the game MapleStory that is currently under development, with the Korean release date set for late 2007. ...

MapleStory
Developer(s)	Wizet
Publisher(s)	Wizet, Nexon of Korea, Nexon of Japan, Nexon of America, Nexon of Europe, Shanda, AsiaSoft, and Gamania
Latest version	1.2.40 (Test Server 1.2.83) 1.26 0.51 0.50 0.33 (SEA) 0.41 (Global) 0.38 Image File history File links MapleStory. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Wizet is a game development studio located in Seoul, South Korea, and is popular for its hit game MapleStory. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Wizet is a game development studio located in Seoul, South Korea, and is popular for its hit game MapleStory. ... See Nexon Inc. ... See Nexon Inc. ... See Nexon Inc. ... See Nexon Inc. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... AsiaSoft is an online game operator in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... (Europe) 0.25
Release date(s)	April 29, 2003 (Test Server 2003) December 3, 2003 December 2004 July 4, 2005 August 16, 2005 (SEA) June 23, 2005 (Global) May 11, 2005 (Europe) April 12, 2007 Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in computer and video games. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... 2004 2004 in games 2003 in video gaming 2005 in video gaming Notable events of 2004 in video gaming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 2007 2007 in games 2006 in video gaming 2008 in video gaming Notable events of 2007 in video gaming. ...
Genre(s)	Fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game
Mode(s)	MMO
Platform(s)	Windows(98/ME/2K/XP)
System requirements	Intel Celeron 500 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, 400 MB hard disk space (depends on version), Internet connection (at least 56 kbit/s) and Direct3D support
Input	Keyboard, mouse

MapleStory (Korean: 메이플스토리) is a free, 2D, side-scrolling Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game developed by the Korean company Wizet. Several versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, and each is published by various companies such as Wizet and Nexon. Although playing the game is free, many player appearances and gameplay enhancements can be purchased from the "Cash Shop" using real money. MapleStory has a combined total of over 50 million players in all of its versions.^[1][2] MapleStory Global, for players mainly outside of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe, has over three million players.^[1] Video games are generally categorized into genres. ... Smaug in his lair: an illustration for the fantasy The Hobbit Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... World of Warcraft, a popular MMORPG A Massively Multiplayer Online Game (also called MMOG or MMO) is a computer game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. ... Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me (IPA pronunciation: [miː], [É›m iː]), is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft. ... Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptible, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system that was designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor 32-bit Intel x86 computers. ... Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... 5 Days a Stranger is an adventure game developed by Ben Croshaw. ... 2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. ... ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... Wizet is a game development studio located in Seoul, South Korea, and is popular for its hit game MapleStory. ... Wizet is a game development studio located in Seoul, South Korea, and is popular for its hit game MapleStory. ... See Nexon Inc. ... Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. ... This article is about the original game for Windows. ... A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of goods and services. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

In the game, players walk around in the "Maple World" and defeat monsters and develop their character's skills and abilities, as in typical role-playing games. Players can interact with others in many ways, such as through chatting, trading, and playing minigames. Groups of players can band together in parties to hunt monsters and share the rewards. Players can also band in a guild to interact more easily with each other. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. ... A screenshot of PowWow, one of the first instant messengers with a graphical user interface // Instant messaging or IM is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Play might be described as unrestrained, amusing interaction with people, animals, or things, often in the context of learning. ... In Fantastic Dizzy, the player has to complete a sliding puzzle to get an extra life. ... In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is a group of players who regularly play together in a particular (or various different) multiplayer games. ...

Gameplay

A player engaging in the fighting element of the game.

Like most MMORPGs, gameplay centers on venturing into dungeons and combating monsters in real-time. The players combat monsters and complete quests, in the process acquiring in-game currency, called "Mesos", experience points (EXP), and various items. Players can kill monsters alone, or they can form a party with up to 5 other characters. Loot is shared based on relative damage and level of characters in the party, more awarded to higher-level members. Image File history File links Maple0030. ... Image File history File links Maple0030. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... Experience points (often abbreviated as exp or xp) are a representation of a characters advancement and improvement in skills in role-playing games and computer role-playing games. ...

Characters advance in level by gaining a preset amount of EXP for each level. The current level limit is 200^[3]. Upon leveling up, players receive Ability Points (AP) and Skill Points (SP) to distribute among their abilities and skills. The increase in EXP needed for each level increases greatly over the course of the game.

MapleStory's 2D scrolling viewpoint more closely resembles a platformer rather than the typical 3D or top-down view of other games (such as Guild Wars or Mu Online). The controls for the game are executed using the computer keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is used for many game functions, and much of it can be re-arranged to suit users' needs. The mouse is mainly used to trigger NPCs, or Non-player characters, and manipulating items. A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ... 3D computer graphics are different from 2D computer graphics in that a three-dimensional representation of geometric data is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. ... Grand Theft Auto Top-down perspective, also sometimes referred to as birds-eye view or helicopter view, is a view used in computer and video games that shows the player and the area around him or her from above. ... Guild Wars is an episodic series of multiplayer online role-playing games created by ArenaNet, a Seattle game development studio and a subsidiary of the South Korean game publisher NCsoft. ... MU Online (Korean: 뮤 온라인) is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG, produced by Webzen, a Korean gaming company. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... A contemporary computer mouse, with the most common standard features — two buttons and a scroll-wheel. ... A non-player character is a fictional character in a role-playing game whose role is generally created and performed by the gamemaster. ...

MapleStory characters exist in "worlds" or "servers". Players are allowed to create multiple characters in each world, although that number differs between versions. Each world, similar in content between each other in the same version, is split into at most twenty channels (nineteen for Global MS for bandwidth efficiency and a performance boost), among which characters are allowed to freely switch.^[4] However, characters and their items cannot be transferred between worlds,^[5] although there is limited functionality in transferring items between characters of the same world.

Character progression

New players are sent to Maple Island, a floating island specifically designed to be beginner-friendly. Unlike many other MMORPGs, players in MapleStory cannot choose a character class or job when they create the character. Rather, every character starts with the job Beginner until they meet the requirements to complete the first job advancement. A character class represents a characters archetype and career in some role-playing games (RPGs). ...

When a player creates a character, he or she is able to allocate ability points amongst four different abilities. In addition, the player is able to choose from a limited variety of faces, hairstyles, hair colors, skin colors, and initial equipment for their character. After the character's creation, the cosmetic aspects of these can be modified only through the quest "Beauty and the Beast" (MapleGlobal only) or purchase of special coupons from the Cash Shop.^[6]

The character creation screen.

At either level eight or ten, depending on the desired class, the player can willingly choose to complete the first job advancement and acquire a new class as a "Swordman", "Magician", "Archer", or "Rogue". Image File history File linksMetadata Character_creating_screen. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Character_creating_screen. ...

Once a player reaches level 30, they are able to complete the second job advancement according to their current job. As with the first job advancement, the player is able to choose from two or three secondary professions based on their initial class choice. At level 70 and 120, characters can once again change their jobs. Unlike previous job advancements, the player is only able to progress in their current job to a new-named one(not for maple global yet). Each job advancement grants access to an increasingly powerful set of skills.

Dying

When a character's hit points reach zero, the character dies. This is depicted by a tombstone falling from the top of the screen, and the character transmuting into a floating, ghost-like body. The character is incapable of moving, but they retain the ability to speak and use facial expressions. Death will normally cost a character a percentage of EXP, depending on how much luck they have, but the EXP percentage cannot fall below zero percent. Beginners do not lose EXP when they die. Items such as the one-use Safety Charm (available from the Cash Shop) and the limited item from the Valentine's and Easter's quest can prevent EXP loss when the character dies. Players are notified upon death with a message box that contains a "Revive" button and upon pressing, they are sent to the nearest town. If the button is not pressed after a period of time, the character is automatically revived. Upon returning to the nearest town, characters are revived with 50 HP, as well as the same amount of MP they possessed upon death. Image File history File linksMetadata MSdying3. ... In many wargames, role-playing games, and combat-oriented video games, hit points are an abstraction for the amount of damage an object or player in the game can take before becoming ineffective. ... Headstones in the Japanese Cemetry in Broome, Western Australia A cemetery in rural Spain A typical late 20th century headstone in the United States A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a burial. ... A ghostly woman coming down the stairs. ...

Abilities

There are four types of abilities and two sub-types of abilities, with varying degrees of value, depending on character class. General effects of each stat do not depend on a character's class; however, damage will vary based on job, level, and the equipped weapon. Characters generally raise one main stat to increase their damage output, as well as one minor stat to meet the requirements to equip weapons and armor and/or increase the specialties that come with some of the abilities. These are raised using Ability Points (AP).^[7] Image File history File links Maple_char_stats. ... An Attribute (also called a statistic, characteristic or ability) is an abstract number (or, in some cases, a set of dice) which represents a single aspect of a fictional character in a role-playing game. ...

Skills

Assassin's passive skill "Critical Throw" and supportive skills "Haste" and "Claw Booster".

Every character class has various skills in which to invest Skill Points (SP). As is typical with RPG skills and powers, a skill becomes increasingly powerful or helpful depending on the amount of SP invested in the skill. Each skill can be mapped to a specific button to simplify activation. As characters gain levels, more skills are unlocked. Image File history File links Maple0495. ... Image File history File links Maple0495. ... A Skill (also called a proficiency) is an abstract number (or, in some cases, a set of dice) which represents a learned skill of a fictional character in a role-playing game. ... A Skill (also called a proficiency) is an abstract number (or, in some cases, a set of dice) which represents a learned skill of a fictional character in a role-playing game. ...

Guilds

Players can form Guilds^[8] with other players. The purpose of a guild is to be able to find and chat with each other more easily, to bond with other players, and make it easier when trying to complete a quest(not always). Members have their guild's name listed under their character name along with the guild's emblem, if applicable. An emblem consists of a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept - often a concept of a moral truth or an allegory. ...

Guilds can be created at Orbis for large amounts of Mesos. Additional upgrades to the guild such as a guild emblem and expanding the maximum amount of guild members will carry an additional fee. For each expansion, the cost is more.A guild emblem is an icon representing the guild.

Guilds have a customizable hierarchy of five ranks. The "Guild Master", who initially created the guild, has complete control over the guild. "Jr. Masters", appointed by the Guild Master, have limited control over the guild. Each guild member's rank, level, and job is displayed in the guild window. A special guild only quest called "Sharenian" is available. It is much like a party quest, but more difficult.

There are now guild forums known as the BBS in the Global and Taiwan versions.

Monsters

Two "Curse Eyes", which are one of many monsters.

Killing monsters gives a player experience, Mesos, items, or nothing at all. Any experience gained is automatically added to the player’s total experience, whereas the Mesos and items are dropped at the location of the monsters' death. Image File history File links Curseeye. ... Image File history File links Curseeye. ...

Like human-controlled characters, monsters have defense ratings against attacks. In addition, some monsters have elemental strengths and weaknesses making them more or less susceptible to specific elemental attacks. Nearly all monsters can damage the player simply through contact. Some monsters can use skills similar to the player's.

There are several boss monsters which can be found throughout the MapleStory world. Each boss is located at their respective map and do not appear at other maps beyond their bounds. Most boss monsters have special privileges such as high attack and HP, summoning abilities, and dispelling abilities. Spoils from bosses are also typically dominant over other similar items in the boss' level group. Bosses spawn less frequently than normal monsters. Monsters can also be created by monster bags which some monsters drop or by certain quests. Flag Ship from the video game Gorf In video games, a boss is a particularly challenging computer-controlled character that must be defeated at the end of a segment of a game, whether it be for a level, an episode, or the very end of the game itself (final boss). ...

Quests

Quests are varying tasks that players may perform for NPCs in return for experience and possible rewards. There are over a hundred available quests,^[9] each with varying prerequisites; most quests may require the player to have attained a certain level or to have completed another certain quest.^[9] Most available quests require the player to retrieve a certain amount of spoils attained from monsters or to traverse an obstacle course. Some quests can be repeated, although the reward(s) and given EXP may be different from those attained during their first completion.

Accompaniments/Party Quests

Players attempting to find the correct barrel combination in the Kerning City accompaniment.

Although not listed as a quest, accompaniments are a special type of quest where a party of players must work together to complete several challenges. Although officially called "Accompaniments", they are commonly referred to as "Party Quests" or "PQs" interchangeably. Most of the seven PQs have their own level limits that every character in the party must be within to enter the quest. Image File history File links Maplestory_partyquest_barrels1. ... Image File history File links Maplestory_partyquest_barrels1. ...

Jump quests

Jump quests are a unique type of quest in which a character starts at one area of a map and uses timed jumps to get from one to another specific platform. The player attempts to avoid enemies and obstacles that can knock them off the platform. Enemies in the special jump quest areas are invincible (level 200) and often have different attacking power than the normal versions of these monsters. Jump quests typically require precise timing, and the reaped rewards are re-attainable. Mobility skills are disabled in Jump Quests, as are speed and jump boosts. However if skills such as haste are used before starting the jump quest they are retained and will remain until the skill time runs out. Jumping puzzles are sequences in computer and video games, particularly in the genre of platformers, where the player is required to use jumping to proceed, often in a manner that requires precise timing or landing in an exact manner. ...

World

Map of Maple World

There are three main continents (Maple Island, Victoria Island, and Ossyria) common to all versions in the MapleStory world. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Maple Island is where every new player begins the game, and has short, tutorial quests. When a player leaves the island, they are unable to return to it (except in ChinaMS). A "world map", which displays all of the towns, is available for the island.

Victoria Island has six towns: Lith Harbor, Henesys, Ellinia, Perion, Kerning City, and Sleepywood. From Lith Harbor, one can travel to Florina Beach. From Henesys, you can access the town of Amoria. From Ellinia, one may take a flying ship to Ossyria. Victoria Island has a world map.

Ossyria also has six regions (El Nath Mts., Ludus Lake, Aqua Road, Minar Forest, Mu Lung Garden, and Nihal Desert) and ten towns: Orbis, El Nath, Aquarium (Aqua Road), Ludibrium, Omega Sector, Korean Folk Town, Leafre, Mu Lung, Herb Town, and Ariant. Players first arrive in Ossyria at Orbis. From Orbis, players can reach El Nath and Aquarium by descending the Orbis Tower. A flying train from Orbis station can transport players to Ludibrium (which is apparently seperated from mainland Ossyria), from which Omega Sector can be reached by descending Eos Tower on the town's west side. Korean Folk Town can be reached by descending Helios Tower on Ludibrium's east side, or by traveling to the eastern end of Aqua Road. Orbis station also provides rides from a giant blue bird transporting players to Leafre, a giant crane transporting players to Mu Lung and Herb Town, and a giant genie transporting players to Ariant. Nihal Desert currently has no region map.

In certain versions, there are various additional, smaller continents: Zipangu, China, Taiwan, and Floating Market. There are also two marriage areas called Peach Blossom Island and Amoria, each available in various versions. Happyville and Shalom Temple are event towns, and have limited availability, only accessible during a certain period. Premium Road is accessible only if the player is connected to the game from an Internet Cafe that has contracts with its local MapleStory version. These continents are not shown in any official MapleStory maps. Cyberia: one of the worlds first internet cafés, London, 1994 An Internet café or cybercafé is a place where one can use a computer with Internet access for a fee, usually per hour or minute; sometimes one can have unmetered access with a pass for a day or...

Items

Items can be acquired from monster drops, purchased from other characters or shops, or as rewards for completing a quest. In some versions of the game, items can be obtained through cash with the gachapon system. Players buy gachapon tickets with cash and each of these tickets can be exchanged for a random item. Unnecessary items can be dropped (where they can be picked up by any other character), sold to any shop for a sum of meso, or sold/traded to other characters. Generally the stronger the monsters are the better the items they drop. Due to the time required to sell valuable items to other players as well as the quantity of items received, many players create a mule account to store excess items and act as a dedicated trading account. Alternate character, often referred to in slang as alt or alt char, is a term primarily used in MUDs and MMORPGs. ...

Inventory

There are five different item categories in the game: Equipment (clothes, accessories, and weapons); Use (potions, scrolls and other consumables); Set-up (decorations); Etc. (monster drops, ores, and quest items); and Cash (items bought from the cash shop). In the inventory window, each category has its own section, each of which is only able to contain a limited amount of items; however, extra inventory space can be purchased in the Cash Shop. Extra inventory space is also awarded after certain job advancements.

Equipment can be upgraded by using item upgrade scrolls that give stat bonuses to equipment. Using a scroll on an item can only be attempted a limited number of times irrespective of the scroll's success or failure. The number of attempts varying with the item type. Scrolls have a certain percentage of success, and the lower the success percentage, the higher the stat gains provided by the scrolls. Scrolls can only be used when you have equipped the item that you wish to upgrade, but in KoreanMS, MapleSEA, and JapanMS, there is a new beginner skill that allows you to scroll an item without the need of equipping it.

Cash Shop

Since MapleStory is free, the developers of MapleStory introduced the Cash Shop to generate revenue. This is a virtual shop where players can buy items using real money, so called microtransactions^[10]. The items sold in the Cash Shop include clothing items, appearance-changing coupons, pets, and usable items that provide special bonuses, such as a bonus in experience gain.^[11] Most Cash Shop items expire after a certain period of time.

Players are able to try out the cash item before purchasing.

Pets, modeled after animals such as monkeys, dogs, cats, bunnies, pandas, and pigs, follow the owner around and can be equipped to pick up spoils dropped by enemies.^[12] Image File history File links Maple0667. ... Image File history File links Maple0667. ...

In MapleSEA, in addition to credit card payment (through PayPal), it has also released Prepaid cards.^[13] As for GlobalMS, Prepaid cash-value cards, or "Nexon Cards", are now released.^[14]

The Nexon prepaid cash cards are currently available in nationwide (US) Target stores. They are in the Music Card Section.^[15] In the patch before their release, an event quest named "Spot On" was added to introduce the partnership. Completing the quest involves talking to two NPCs who give information about the sale of cash cards. This quest has since been discontinued.

Some users are trading mesos for cash shop items. This is against the terms and conditions. Those who were caught doing so were given suspension to their accounts.

Free Market

The Free Market is a place set aside for people who wish to sell their items amongst other players. Miniature shops can be set up in this area in which people can browse their stock. Shop permits, required to set up a shop, are only available through the Cash Shop. There are two types of store permits: a standard store, which requires the presence of the player, and the mushroom house which does not require the presence of the player but requires additional cash shop money to use this feature. The mushroom house store is only available in time periods of 24 hours or one week. Conversely, the standard store lasts ninety days but only works with the presence of the user. One can meet with players located in other towns, provided the town contains a Free Market entrance. However, one cannot use the free market to travel between towns. There are entrances to the Free Market in many of the various towns, but not all. In MapleGlobal, a storage keeper named Scrooge is available, making it much more convient for players to access their mesos and items.

Unique gameplay features

Although a purely two-dimensional game lacking certain features found in other MMORPGs, MapleStory has features that distinguish it from other online games. For example, by pressing certain keys, a player can have their character temporarily display various emotions viewable by other players; some emotions showcase a confused expression, while another conveys happiness. Additional expressions can be purchased in the Cash Shop. A massive(ly) multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG is a multiplayer computer role-playing game that enables thousands of players to play in an evolving virtual world at the same time over the Internet. ...

Fame

Fame is the designation for one of the statistics on a character's character sheet. Although publicized by the game's creators, fame serves little practical purpose besides fulfilling quest and equip requirements. Once characters are at the minimum requirement of level 15, they are able to raise or lower the fame of any character once per day. A character cannot raise or lower the same character's fame more than once every thirty days. Some quests may award a player fame points and some may take them away too.

Minigames

There are various minigames that one can play, both solo and multi-player: Omok, Match Cards, Pachinko, Gachapon, Rock Paper Scissors, and Fishing System. In Fantastic Dizzy, the player has to complete a sliding puzzle to get an extra life. ...

• Omok is the Korean cognate of the Japanese game "Gomoku". Omok is akin to tic-tac-toe. To win, a player needs to place 5 of their pieces in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line.
• Match Cards is also known as "Concentration". Match Card games can be opened in grids of 3x4, 4x5, and 5x6 cards. The facedown side of the cards contains images of various monsters, which players take turns matching.
• Pachinko is a mini-game exclusive to JapanMS. Pachinko balls may be purchased in the Cash Shop and are required in order to play. The player must be in a Pachinko House to play the game. In order to win, one needs to get the Pachinko balls in a mushroom hole below a slot. Once it is in, the slot will start. If the player obtains a certain amount of balls, he or she may win in-game prizes.
• Gachapon is a slots minigame, in which the player inserts a ticket and a random prize comes out. To play Gachapon, one must first purchase a Gachapon Ticket from the Cash Shop. The Gachapon machines are located in various towns.
• Rock Paper Scissors is a one-player minigame based off the actual game, in which one plays against an NPC.
• Fishing King currently available in TaiwanMS^[16] and ThailandMS^[17]. The player can complete a quest to obtain a diving suit before being send to a map that resembles an Aqua Road map to catch fish. Once a player has acquired a diving suit, the player may enter back to catch fish as many times as they want to.
• Fishing System currently available in all versions except KoreaMS, GlobalMS and EuropeMS. You can buy cash shop items (fishing rod, fishing chair, etc.) and talk to a NPC in various towns to go fishing.

Gomoku, go-moku, or gobang (Japanese: 五目並べ, Gomoku Narabe, five points), or in English Connect Five (also spelled Connect 5 or Connect5) is an abstract strategy board game. ... Tic-tac-toe, also called noughts and crosses and many other names, is a paper and pencil game between two players, O and X, who alternate in marking the spaces in a 3×3 board. ... Variously themed cards are available for children of all age groups. ... Classic pachinko machine Pachinko parlor at night Entrance to pachinko parlor in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gashapon (ガチャポン in katakana - more accurately, gachapon), also referred to as Candy toy or trading toy, is a Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: gacha for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and pon for the sound of the toy capsule dropping into the receptacle. ... Rock, Paper, Scissors chart Rock, Paper, Scissors (sometimes with the elements in its name permuted and/or Rock replaced with Stone and/or Paper with Cloth, but also known as Roshambo, Rochambeau, Ick-Ack-Ock, Janken, Mora, Morra Cinese, Gawi-Bawi-Bo, JanKenPon or Farkle) is a popular hand game...

Marriage

Players may participate in in game marriages. Weddings occur at one of two special areas, based on the version played. Guests may be invited to the wedding, and the marrying couple will receive wedding rings. This article is about the marriage ceremony. ... This article is about the marriage ceremony. ... A wedding ring or wedding band consists of a precious metal ring, usually worn on the base of the left ring finger – the fourth finger (with the thumb counted as the first finger) of the left hand. ...

The traditional Chinese marriage system that takes place at Peach Blossom Island is only available in ChinaMS, TaiwanMS, and MapleSEA. In order for the couple to enter the ceremony hall, players will need to don Western- or Chinese-style wedding outfits and a special ring purchased from the Cash Shop. After the ceremony, both players will receive a Diamond Ring as proof of the marriage.

Amoria is a town where marriage based activites occur. A marriage system based on western culture, is available in ThailandMS^[18] and GlobalMS. It requires the completion of various quests, including receiving an engagement ring and the blessing of the parents (Cathedral weddings require blessings). Unlike other versions, players may attempt to make a variety of rings. Each of these rings carries various bonuses. In Amoria Dungeon, players can fight exclusive monsters. Currently, the monsters found there include the Orange Mushroom, Blue Snail, Slime, and, exclusive to this map, the Sakura Cellion. If you buy a premium wedding ticket from the Cash Shop, you will be able to have a party after the ceremony.

Events

Players gathering in Lith Harbor waiting for a GM event to start.

On certain days, the Game Masters(or known as GM) host special events in which any player is capable of participating, given their character is at a given map during the event time. All participants receive a trophy, and winners receive a random prize. Image File history File links Maple0123. ... Image File history File links Maple0123. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Users are notified of an upcoming event by a scrolling box at the top of the game screen. Events are known to bring an influx of players to the event's respective locations, which generally causes massive connection lag and sometimes even disconnections.^[19]

Special events include Christmas tree events, wedding events, drawing events, and quest events; for example, players might be required to find an item and return it to the event quest NPC or GM.

Occasionally, certain versions of the game hold events that celebrate a certain event in real-life or an event specific to that version, such as a holiday or new server release.^[20] During these events, certain aspects of the game are modified in celebration; for example, the experience rate or drop rate may be increased, or special items may be released.

Rankings

Ranking feature is available in certain versions of MapleStory. It keeps track of players that are performing well in the these divided categories: total ranking, job ranking, world ranking and fame ranking.

Ranking feature is available in the KoreaMS, Korean test serverMS, JapanMS, SeaMS and GlobalMS.

Versions and registration

StrategyWiki has more information about the content differences between versions at Latest patches.

Version	Language	Countries	Local publishers	Number of worlds	Released
MapleStory South Korea	Korean	South Korea	NEXON Korea Co., Ltd.; a South Korean identification number is required in order to properly register.	Twenty (20) and one Test server (Tespia)	April 2003
MapleStory Japan	Japanese	Japan	NEXON Japan Co., Ltd.	Nine (9) and one Test server (Galicia)	December 3, 2003
MapleStory China	Simplified Chinese	China	Shanda Corporation Co., Ltd; a China identification number is required for registration.	Gateway 1: 22 - Named after enemies in the game Gateway 2: 8 - Named after ores in the game Gateway 3: 2 - Named after Non-playable characters in the game and one Test server (Tespia) Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea_(bordered). ... A national identification number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other governmentally-related functions. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ...	December 2004
MapleStory Taiwan	Traditional Chinese	Taiwan	Gamania Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.; a Taiwan identification number is required for registration.	Twelve (12) - Named after enemies in the game	July 4, 2005
MapleStory Thailand	Thai and English	Thailand	Asiasoft Corporation Co., Ltd.; a Thailand identification number is required for registration.	Four (4)	August 16, 2005
MapleStory South East Asia	English	Singapore,  Malaysia, and  Thailand	AsiaSoft Online Pte, Ltd.; an identification number is required for registration.	Four (4) - Named after constellations	June 23, 2005
MapleStory Global	English	Any country without a localized version	NEXON America Co., Ltd.	Seven (7)	May 11, 2005
MapleStory Europe	English, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch.	Any country within Europe	NEXON Europe Limited GameGuard checks your computer's location.	One (1) with two channels devoted to each language and three for europe and english	July 27, 2006 (Beta)

The Korean version was the first to be created, ergo it has the most features as of yet;^[21]. Other versions are at different stages of development and most are not as advanced in content as Korea's. With this advantage comes the problem of players (mainly from the Global version, but some from others) trying to play KoreaMS. These players are often referred to as 이주자, or "immigrants" by a majority of the Korean MapleStory players. These "immigrants" are the reason why a Korean Social Security Number is required to play. IP blocking is used in some of the other versions of the game, mostly for the same reason. Some attempt to bypass this by using Proxies, which spoof IP addresses to make it seem like a player is playing from a different country - however in Europe MapleStory a GameGuard proxy check has been implemented. This is also because foreign text in the Latin Character-Based Global version causes glitches to occur. This is the same for Koreans in the Chinese version, and so on.^[22] 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Singapore_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The adjective global and adverb globally imply that the verb or noun to which they are applied applies to the entire Earth and all of its species and regions. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3000x3002, 6358 KB) The Blue Marble: This photo is of Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula as taken en route to the Moon by Apollo 17s Harrison Schmitt on December 7, 1972. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... Motto (Latin) United in diversity Anthem Ode to Joy(orchestral) Commission seat Brussels Official languages 23 Bulgarian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French German Greek Hungarian Irish Italian Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Polish Portuguese Romanian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Government Intergovernmental supranationalism  -  Commission José Manuel Barroso  -  Parliament Hans-Gert P... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Sample United States Social Security Card In the United States, a Social Security number (or SSN) is a 9 digit number issued to citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as . ... IP blocking is the banning, by a website, mailserver, or other Internet server, of outside connections from certain IP addresses or ranges of them, the intention of this being to keep out people who are judged as hostile or undesirable. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Though some versions share the same world names, they are different and independent of each other. They are defined by their language used, publisher, server location and specialized worlds.

The European version of MapleStory is currently in Open Beta. Started: April 12, 2007. This article is about the continent. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ...

Revenue and game population

As of Feb. 2006, Wizet has generated 200 million USD from the game service in Korea. Wizet received 110 million USD for licensing the games to other parts of the world.

Game Population (as of Feb. 2006):

• Korea since 2002, 200 thousand subscribers (concurrent users), 14 million subscribers (total)
• Japan since November 2003, 9 million subscribers
• China since December 2004, 25 million subscribers
• Taiwan since July 2005, 3.5 million subscribers
• Thailand since August 2005, 550 thousand subscribers
• South East Asia (mostly Singapore and Malaysia) since June 2005, 550 thousand subscribers
• Global since May 2005, 3 million subscribers^[23][24]

Critical reception

Further information: Cheating in online games

Further information: Grind (gaming)

Users not using the Internet Explorer Web browser are not able to access certain game websites, including the GlobalMS. They are asked to download Internet Explorer to remedy the problem.^[25] This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Grinding is a pejorative term used in computer gaming to describe the process of engaging in repetitive and/or non-entertaining gameplay (more often than not, battles in RPGs) in order to gain access to other features within the game. ... Windows Internet Explorer (also called Microsoft Internet Explorer) is a series of proprietary graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems starting in 1995. ... An example of a web browser (Internet Explorer), displaying the English Wikipedia main page. ... A website, Web site or WWW site (often shortened to just site) is a collection of webpages, that is, HTML/XHTML documents accessible via HTTP on the Internet; all publicly accessible websites in existence comprise the World Wide Web. ...

In a brief review of the game, IGN praised the game's accessibility and colorful art direction, while questioning the game's slow pace.^[2] IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ...

There are a significant number of users cheating in the game through the use of hacks. Most use a modified version of the Cheat Engine along with scripts written in assembly language to alter the functionality of the official client. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An assembly language is a low-level language used in the writing of computer programs. ...

See also

• MapleStory DS
• Wizet
• Nexon
• Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

MapleStory DS (Korean:메이플 스토리 DS, working title) is the Nintendo DS version of the game MapleStory that is currently under development, with the Korean release date set for late 2007. ... Wizet is a game development studio located in Seoul, South Korea, and is popular for its hit game MapleStory. ... See Nexon Inc. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (66th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ...

External links

Official game websites

• MapleStory portal - Official MapleStory website
• Official MapleStory Developer site - Wizet Corp., Ltd. Korean
• Official MapleStory developer's site - Wizet Corp., Ltd. Japanese
• South Korean MapleStory site - MapleStory South Korea (Requires Internet Explorer)
• South Korean MapleStory tester site - MapleStory South Korea tester (Requires Internet Explorer)
• Japanese MapleStory site - MapleStory Japan
• Chinese MapleStory site - MapleStory China
• Taiwanese MapleStory site - MapleStory Taiwan
• Thai MapleStory site - MapleStory Thailand
• South East Asian MapleStory site - MapleStory South East Asia/SEA
• Global MapleStory site - MapleStory Global (Requires Internet Explorer)
• Europe MapleStory site - MapleStory Europe (Requires Internet Explorer)

Informational fansites

English language

• Basil Market - An auction site to buy and sell items in MapleStory, also contains a forum and guides.
• Happy Mapling - A vast library of game information and a forum for discussions and help. GlobalMS and MapleSEA.
• Hidden Street - An extensive library of game information. GlobalMS and MapleSEA.
• MapleTip - Contains Maplewiki, library of game information, guides, a large forum for help, and more. GlobalMS, MapleSEA and JapanMS.
• Sauna - A library of game information extracted directly from the client. GlobalMS.
• Sleepywood Forums - The oldest standing message board with extensive trading forums, guides, community, etc. GlobalMS and MapleSEA.
• StrategyWiki has more on the topic of MapleStory

Simplified Chinese language

• 冒险岛主题站 - A library of game information. ChinaMS.

Thai language

• Maple2 - A library of game data with a BBS. ThailandMS.
• ThaiMS PocketBook - A library of game data. ThailandMS.