About 9millionpixels

what is this?

9millionpixels is a mmo (massively multiplayer online) game/experience where players compete to control pixels on a virtual canvas.

how do i play?

To play 9millionpixels, begin by:

  • Zooming in on the canvas
  • Find a nice, juicy pixel to call your own
  • Click on it
  • Pick a color from the color wheel
  • OR enter an HTML hex color code like #000000 (black)
  • Click Submit

Sit back, relax, and crack open a cold one. You just placed your first 9millionpixels pixel.

If you found that enjoyable, you can continue placing pixels anonymously without creating an account.

BUT, you'll only get 1 new placement every 10 minutes. They are scoped to your IP address, so if multiple players are playing in your household, they might get to place an allocated pixel before you!

No worries--simply create an account to get more 5x more placements.

how does it work?

One key difference from previous mmo paint by pixel projects is that 9millionpixels allows for previously-placed pixels to be overwritten (usually) after a lock period of 24 hours.

This allows for the canvas to be ever-changing and the game to stay in flux, if there are enough players.

It roughly works as follow:

  • Every 10 minutes, players receive a new allocation of pixel(s)--called pixel credits (or px) that they can place
  • Check back often or leave the game open & running to see when you have new available px
  • Zoom in on the canvas until you find a spot that you'd like to paint
  • Use any number of your available pixel credits to paint 1 or more pixels on the canvas the color of your choosing
  • Those pixels are now locked for 24 hours so that no one can change the color until the lock expires
  • Team up with other players if you want to carve out a larger swath of pixels to paint something grand!
  • ... and check back in regularly to use your pixel credits. Each allocation (could be anywhere from 1 to 100) expires after 3 hours (or less), so act fast!

9millionpixels FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions]

how often are pixel credits granted?

There is a complex algorithm for the allocation the pixel credits. It is based on how many active users there are, how many placements have been happening recently, etc.

Anonymous players receive no more than 1px every 10 minutes. Registered users might expect an allocation of somewhere around 5 pixels every five minutes when the game first starts. Every so often there is an occasional, time-limited grant of bonus px worth 100 or more credits (for all players).

Pixel placement credits expire after 3 hours. If logged in, your current number of available credits is shown in the top right sidebar -- [ 24px ] for example.

is this game pay-to-win? is there a way to get extra or permanent pixels?

Absolutely! In order to fund ongoing work on 9millionpixels, one can purchase permanent pixel credits on the Shop page. Permanent pixel credits allow one to lock a pixel permanently to a color of one's choosing.

what kind of server hardware does this run on?

9millionpixels runs on a state-of-the-art Hetzner server farm in Hillsboro, OR.

who made this?

9millionpixels was created by @p4xiobuilds (Building in Public) in the United States of America. Visit the Contact page if you have questions/concerns/feedback/sick roasts.