Dragon Quest Monsters

Last updated

Dragon Quest Monsters
Genre(s) Role-playing
Developer(s) Tose
Publisher(s) Square Enix (formerly Enix)
Creator(s) Yuji Horii
Artist(s) Akira Toriyama
Composer(s) Koichi Sugiyama
Platform(s) Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
First release Dragon Warrior Monsters
September 25, 1998
Latest release Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
December 1, 2023
Parent series Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest Monsters [lower-alpha 1] is a spin-off series of the Dragon Quest games. Primarily developed by Tose and published by Square Enix (formerly Enix), it sets the player in a medieval/fantasy world filled with magic, monsters and knights. Unlike the original Dragon Quest games, the player's character does not do any of the fighting in battles; instead the player has to rely on capturing, breeding and raising monsters to do the fighting for them. The concept originated from Dragon Quest V (1992). The character and monster designs are by Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama. The series spans several handheld gaming systems, and each game has received positive reviews from critics. The series' gameplay has been compared to Pokémon. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

For the first two US releases, the titles used Warrior instead of the original Japanese Quest. This was due to Dragon Quest's North American name being changed due to a trademark conflict with the role-playing game DragonQuest , which was published by Simulation Publications in the 1980s until the company's bankruptcy in 1982 and purchase by TSR, Inc., which then published it as an alternate line to Dungeons & Dragons until 1987. [4] In 2003, Square Enix registered the Dragon Quest trademark in the US, making the Dragon Warrior name obsolete.

Games

Release timeline
1998 Dragon Warrior Monsters
1999
2000
2001 Dragon Warrior Monsters 2
2002Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2
2003 Caravan Heart
2004
2005
2006 Joker
2007
2008
2009
2010 Joker 2
Wanted!
2011
2012Terry's Wonderland 3D
2013Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious Key
2014Super Light
2015
2016 Joker 3
2017
2018Terry's Wonderland SP
2019Terry's Wonderland Retro
2020
2021
2022
2023 The Dark Prince

Dragon Warrior Monsters , the first game in the series, was released in 1998 in Japan and in North America and the PAL region the next year for the Game Boy Color. [5] The Japanese version was called Dragon Quest Monsters. [6] It was released with Game Boy Color compatibility despite coming to market before the console itself, but the cartridge was backward-compatible with the original Game Boy as well. Its sequel, Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 was also a cross-system Game Boy Color title. It released in Japan and North America in 2001. There are two versions of the game: Cobi's Journey and Tara's Adventure, titled after the playable character of each version. In Japan, these were named Ruka’s Journey and Iru's Adventure, respectively. [7] Each version features slight differences, such as monster appearances. Both games were developed by TOSE and published by Enix. Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2, a remake of these two games with updated graphics and an interface, was released in 2002 in Japan, for the PlayStation. The game is compatible with the i-Mode adapter for the PlayStation, allowing players to upload monsters to the i-Mode cellular phone version, Dragon Quest Monsters i. [8] The two games were remade on the Japanese Nintendo 3DS on 2012 and 2014, respectively. The first remade game was ported to smartphones in 2018 for Japanese market.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart is the third game in the series, released in Japan in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. [9] Developed by TOSE, the game was the last Dragon Quest game Enix published before merging with Square. It features Keifer, a prince from Dragon Warrior VII .

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker , for the Nintendo DS, was released in Japan in 2006 and was the first in the series to feature 3D graphics. [10] It was brought to North America the next year, and in 2008, was released in the PAL region, making it the second game in the series to do so. Initially revealed through the publication Shonen Jump , the game is set around a tournament referred to as the Joker GP. It also features Wi-Fi multiplayer play through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service and full 3D movement and battles. Unlike the other games in the series, this game has no random battles. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 was released in Japan on April 28, 2010 and in the United States on September 19, 2011, as revealed at E3 2011. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 was only released in Japan on March 24, 2016.

Two cell phone games, Dragon Quest Monsters: Wanted! and Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light were released in Japan.

On December 1, 2023, The Dark Prince was released for the Nintendo Switch. [11] Tose returned to develop the game. [12]

Gameplay

Although each of the games have distinct differences, they all have similar gameplay to the main Dragon Quest series. Players control the main character, but, unlike in Dragon Quest, the main character does not fight. [13] Caught or bred monsters participate in battles instead of humans, although this changes slightly in Caravan Heart. Battles for the first three games are fought in first-person and are turn-based. Monsters are able to gain experience points just like humans in the main series would and can learn spells and skills straight from the Dragon Quest games. [13]

Battle system

Battle from Caravan Heart Dragon Quest Monsters battle.png
Battle from Caravan Heart

Up until Joker, battles were fought against randomly encountered monsters in a first-person view. Joker changed this by allowing players to see enemies on the field as well as making battles three-dimensional. The player controls up to three monsters at once, and their HP and MP are displayed onscreen. The player can then choose from several options on what to do. As of Joker 2, there are certain monsters who do take up two or three spaces on party, to fit their size. As of Terry's Wonderland 3D for Nintendo 3DS, there are four spaces in the party instead of three, allowing the player to control more monsters at a time.

Typically, the player does not directly control the monsters and instead gives them suggestions. Charge tells monsters to use their most direct and powerful attacks. Mixed suggests to monsters to use support abilities, such as shields, stat enhancements, or summons and Cautious tells monsters to use defensive abilities, such as healing and reviving spells and abilities that remove harmful stat effects. During battle, the player can select Plan, which allows the player to change any of the commands. Command gives the player direct control of the party and cannot be used in arena battles. Fight simply makes monsters follow their set commands. The player can also use items during battle, many which are from the Dragon Quest games. The party can also attempt to flee random battles.

Personalities

A message may appear that says "will attempt" for some of the commands; this is because each monster is given a certain personality depending on the player's actions used in combat. Those actions are Charge, Mixed and Cautious, which when used can raise/lower one of three hidden stats, Bravery, Prudence and Caring.

Basically this means a monster high in one of the three stats will be better at using an attack of that type and more likely to obey, for example a monster with the Personality type Reckless (which is high in Bravery but low in Prudence and Caring) will be more likely to use a Charge attack, whereas a monster with the Personality type Careful (a type high in Caring but low in Bravery and Prudence) will be more likely to use a Cautious attack. Personalities change quicker at lower levels than at higher levels, and monsters with a high wildness stat have harder-to-change personalities. A monster can have one of 27 personalities.

Wildness

Another reason monsters might not obey commands is their wildness (WLD in the game). A monster with a high wildness is less likely to obey commands. Newly caught monsters and monsters kept in the farm for long periods of time will have high wildness. To lower a monster's wildness, the player needs to keep it in the party for a while or feed it meat items.

Obtaining monsters

Exploration in Caravan Heart Dragon Quest Monsters exploration.png
Exploration in Caravan Heart

As with other role-playing video games, when the player's party defeats the opposing monsters and the battle ends, the party is awarded a certain amount of experience points (EXP) which are used to level up monsters. At the end of the battle, there exists a small chance the opposing monster may join the party. The chance of a monster joining the party is increased by the use of meat items which lowers a monster's wildness. [1] The more the player uses, the lower the monster's wildness will be and the more likely it is to join. Certain types of meat lower a monster's wildness more, thus increasing the chance of catching them. This is true in the first three games.

In Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, the player can actively scout for monsters during battle. Unlike previous games in the series, this is a battle command, and not the result of using items in battle. The player can make any number of scouting attempts during a battle, until the monster decides to join, or takes offense. Success depends on the relative strengths of the monsters making the attempt versus the relative defense of the monster that is being scouted. [14]

Breeding

Breeding monsters has been a large part of the series and is often cited as one of the series' highlights, in part due to being able to create monsters that cannot otherwise be obtained. [3] [15] In the first two games, the player was able to breed two monsters together and create a different monster, usually a combination of its two parents. The parent monsters would disappear after breeding. Caravan Heart changed the system, instead using Monster Hearts to create new monsters. Joker returned to the first system, although the name was changed to Synthesizing. [16] Instead of breeding a male with a female monster, the player must fuse a Plus monster with an Minus monster. However, On the original Japanese version of the game, It remains as normal breeding of genders.

Reception

Each of the games in the Dragon Quest Monsters series has been met with praise by critics. Each game has sold well in Japan. US releases for the first two games brought on comparisons to the Pokémon franchise, another monster-collecting RPG. [1] [2] [3] However, with the release of Joker for the Nintendo DS game, these comparisons were not as much of a focus in reviews, but still existed. [10] 1UP.com, when reviewing Joker, noted that "the Monsters series has always felt like it belongs in the Dragon Quest universe first and foremost; it's more than a bunch of bastardized Pokéclones. The latest installment of the subseries – Joker – is a perfect example." [13]

Each of the games in the series has sold well, particularly in Japan, where the Dragon Quest series has gained immense popularity. In Japan, Dragon Warrior Monsters sold 2.35 million copies. [17] The North American version sold 60,000 copies by April 2000. [18] Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 has sold 1,592,728 copies in Japan. [17] Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 was the 38th best-selling game of 2002 with 292,275 copies. [19] Caravan Heart was a top-seller during the time of its release, with over 538,000 units sold within three months of its release and 593,000 units sold to date. [20] [21] Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker sold 593,994 units in the first four days after release in Japan. [22] To date, it has sold over 1.9 million units worldwide. [23] [24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japanese as ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ (Doragon Kuesuto Monsutāzu), and Dragon Warrior Monsters in North America

Related Research Articles

Dragon Quest, previously published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005, is a series of role-playing games created by Japanese game designers Armor Project, Bird Studio and Sugiyama Kobo to its publisher Enix, with all of the involved parties co-owning the copyright of the series since then. The games are published by Square Enix since its inception, with localized remakes and ports of later installments for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch being published by Nintendo outside of Japan. With its first game published in 1986, there are eleven main-series games, along with numerous spin-off games. In addition, there have been numerous manga, anime and novels published under the franchise, with nearly every game in the main series having a related adaptation.

<i>Slime</i> (series) Video game series

The Slime series is a spinoff series of games from Dragon Quest featuring its Slime character. Three games have been released, the second of which, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, has been released in North America.

<i>Dragon Quest VII</i> 2000 video game

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a 2000 Japanese role-playing video game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation. It was released in North America in 2001 under the title Dragon Warrior VII. The game received a remake on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in 2013, released in English under the title Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past in 2016. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan in 2015.

<i>Dragon Quest II</i> 1987 video game

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, titled Dragon Warrior II when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Dragon Quest series. Enix's U.S. subsidiary published the American release, Dragon Warrior II, for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. Dragon Quest II is set one hundred years after the events of the first game.

<i>Dragon Quest IV</i> 1990 video game

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, titled Dragon Warrior IV when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game, the fourth installment of the Dragon Quest video game series developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix, and the first of the Zenithian Trilogy. It was originally released for the Famicom on 11 February 1990 in Japan. A North American NES version followed in October 1992, and would be the last Dragon Quest game localized and published by Enix's Enix America Corporation subsidiary prior to its closure in November 1995, as well as the last Dragon Quest game to be localized into English prior to the localization of Dragon Warrior Monsters in December 1999. The game was remade by Heartbeat for the PlayStation, which eventually was available as an Ultimate Hits game. The remake was ported by ArtePiazza to the Nintendo DS, released in Japan November 2007 and worldwide in September 2008. A mobile version based on the Nintendo DS remake was released in 2014 for Android and iOS.

<i>Dragon Quest</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Dragon Quest, titled Dragon Warrior when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by Enix in Japan in 1986 and by Nintendo in North America in 1989. It is the first game in the Dragon Quest video game series. Dragon Quest has been ported and remade for several video game platforms, including the MSX, MSX2, PC-9801, Super Famicom, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, mobile phones, and Nintendo Switch as of 2019. The player controls the hero character who is charged with saving the Kingdom of Alefgard and rescuing its princess from the evil Dragonlord. Dragon Warrior's story became the second part in a trilogy, with several spinoff anime and manga series.

<i>Dragon Quest III</i> 1988 video game

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, titled Dragon Warrior III when initially localized to North America, is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix. It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series and was first released for the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan and later for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. The game saw an enhanced remake for the Super Famicom in 1996 and the Game Boy Color in 2001, and a port to mobile phones and the Wii in 2009 and 2011. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and worldwide as Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation on December 4, 2014. It was the first time the game was given an official English subtitle. Later in 2021, another remake of the game titled Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, based on Octopath Traveler's style, was announced during the franchise's 35th anniversary livestream.

<i>Dragon Quest VI</i> 1995 video game

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation, known in Europe as Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie, is a role-playing video game developed by Heartbeat and published by Enix for the Super Famicom as a part of the Dragon Quest series and as the last Dragon Quest game in the Zenithian Trilogy. It was released in Japan in December 1995, developed by Heartbeat; whereas the previous Dragon Quest games were developed by Chunsoft. In 2011, a remake of the game, along with Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V, was released worldwide for the Nintendo DS, making this the first time the game was released in English. Another version of the game for Android and iOS devices was released in Japan in June 2015.

<i>Dragon Quest VIII</i> 2004 video game

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is a role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan in 2004, in North America in 2005 and PAL regions in 2006, making it the first main series installment released in the PAL region. It is the eighth installment of the Dragon Quest series and it is the first English version of a Dragon Quest game to drop the Dragon Warrior title. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan in December 2013, and worldwide in May 2014.

<i>Dragon Quest V</i> 1992 video game

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is a role-playing video game and the fifth installment in the Dragon Quest video game series, second of the Zenithian Trilogy. Originally developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix Corporation, Dragon Quest V was the first title in the series to be released for the Super Famicom video game console in Japan in September 1992. Dragon Quest V was the first game in the series to not be released in America due to programming issues at the time.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart</i> 2003 video game

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart is the third game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, released only in Japan by Enix for the Game Boy Advance. The game was simultaneously announced with Dragon Quest VIII in Famitsu in 2002. Like the other Dragon Quest titles, development of Caravan Heart was led by Yuji Horii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tose (company)</span> Japanese video game developer

Tose Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development company based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch Gallery series, various Dragon Ball games, as well as other Nintendo products. Tose has developed or co-developed over 1,000 games since the company's inception in 1979, but is virtually never credited in the games themselves. Tose maintains a policy of having no creative input into the work they do, going so far as to refuse to put their names in the credits for most of the games they work on. As such, Tose has gained a reputation for being a "ghost developer".

<i>Dragon Quest Swords</i> 2007 video game

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and 8ing and published by Square Enix for the Wii game console. The game is a spin-off from the Dragon Quest series, and was first released in Japan in July 2007, and worldwide the following year.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker</i> 2006 video game

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is a Nintendo DS role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Square Enix. It is the fourth installment of the Dragon Quest Monsters series. Square Enix released the game on December 28, 2006 in Japan and in North America on November 6, 2007.

<i>Dragon Warrior Monsters</i> First video game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series

Dragon Quest Monsters, released in North America as Dragon Warrior Monsters, is the first video game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series. It was released in Japan by Enix on September 25, 1998, and co-published by Eidos Interactive in Europe and North America in 2000. It was the first Dragon Quest game to be released in Europe. The game cartridge is compatible with both the black-and-white Game Boy and the Game Boy Color; a second printing of the game was made after the Game Boy Color itself was released. The game was remade for the PlayStation in a compilation Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 Hoshi Furi no Yūsha to Bokujō no Nakamatachi. A mobile phone incarnation titled Dragon Quest Monsters i was released in Japan on January 28, 2002.

<i>Dragon Warrior Monsters 2</i> Role-playing video game

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, known in Japan as Dragon Quest Monsters 2, is a role-playing video game published by Enix for the Game Boy Color. It is the second Dragon Warrior Monsters game for the Game Boy Color and features two different versions of the same game, Cobi's Journey and Tara's Adventure. Both games were remade in 2002 for the PlayStation in a compilation game called Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 and released only in Japan. The Nintendo 3DS version combined both games into one and was released only in Japan in 2014 with the title Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca's Marvelous Mysterious Key. The 3DS version was later brought to iOS, Android on August 6, 2020, in Japan.

<i>Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road</i> Video game series

Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road is a series of Japanese arcade games based on Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. Players battle monsters and can win real-life cards with monster data imprinted on them. The first game, also titled Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road, was released in 2007 only in Japan, using the Taito Type X2 system. A sequel, Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road II Legends, was announced at the 2009 Jump Fiesta in Tokyo, and a third game in the series, Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory, a port of the Legends game, was announced for the Wii in 2010. Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Scanner was scheduled for release in the arcade in 2016.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2</i> 2010 video game

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is a Nintendo DS role-playing video game published by Square Enix. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and is the fifth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series. It was released in Japan on April 28, 2010, with a United States release on September 19, 2011, with a European release following on October 7, 2011. An expanded version of the game, titled Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional, was released on March 31, 2011. It features new monsters and abilities, with the same story.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Square Enix and Tose and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, and is the sixth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series. It was released in Japan on March 24, 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Harris, Craig (January 26, 2000). "Dragon Warrior Monsters". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Jeff Gertsmann (2004). "Dragon Warrior Monsters review". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Keplek, Patrick (March 8, 2000). "Dragon Warrior Monsters Review". Gaming-Age.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  4. ↑ "The GameSpy Hall of Fame: Dragon Warrior". Gamespy. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2005.
  5. ↑ IGN. "Dragon Warrior Monsters United States release date". Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  6. ↑ MobyGames. "Dragon Warrior Monsters Japan release date information". Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
  7. ↑ Torres, Ricardo (June 8, 2001). "First Impression". Gamespot.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  8. ↑ Henninqer, Michael. "Enix to Port Dragon Quest Monsters Collection to PSone". RPGamer.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  9. ↑ Cortney Stone (2003). "Dragon Quest Monsters III: Caravan Heart Details Roll Out". Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  10. 1 2 Bozon (November 6, 2007). "IGN: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Review". Ds.ign.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince shipments and digital sales top one million". Gematsu. June 21, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  12. ↑ "3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2023" (PDF). Tose Co, Ltd.
  13. 1 2 3 Parish, Jeremy (November 6, 2007). "1UP.com's Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Review". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  14. ↑ Shau, Austin (November 16, 2007). "Dragon Quest Monsters Joker". GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  15. ↑ "RPGFan Reviews: Dragon Warrior Monsters Reviews". RPGFan.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  16. ↑ Fudge, James (November 27, 2007). "Gameshark.com's Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Review". Gameshark.com.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  17. 1 2 "Dragon Quest Sales History". Chart Get. July 31, 2008. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  18. ↑ Stahn Mahn (April 3, 2000). "Sakura Con 2000 Enix Report". RPGFan.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  19. ↑ "2002 Top 50 Japanese Console Game Chart". The-MagicBox.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  20. ↑ Wollenschlaeger, Alex (June 29, 2003). "Japandemonium – Escape From the Mooselodge". RPGamer.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking". Japan-GameCharts.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  22. ↑ Consolewars.com Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved November 27, 2007
  23. ↑ "Nintendo DS Japanese Ranking". Japan-GameCharts.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  24. ↑ "DGM: Joker 2 Announced". IGN. February 2010. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.