RF Online
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| Rising Force Online | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | CCR |
| Publisher(s) | CCR International Codemasters Gamescampus Lyto (Indonesia) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction/fantasy MMORPG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
RF Online, originally named 'Rising Force', (Korean: 라이징 포스) is a 3D MMORPG developed by CCR. The first version of the game was released in South Korea and was later followed by Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesia, Portuguese and English translations. The North American/European version of the game launched its retail phase on February 21, 2006. A mixture of science fiction and classic fantasy, RF Online is set in a distant planet in the Novus system where magic exists alongside high technology. Like most MMORPGs it follows the typical fantasy setting complete with swords and sorcery, but it also emphasizes the three-way Race vs. Race vs. Race (RvRvR) concept and modern/futuristic technology such as mecha and nuclear weapons.
The NA/EU game service was brought down as of November 9, 2008, due to licence expiration. However, the developers, CCR have started to relaunch the game hosting it themselves for NA/EU. In August 2012, RF Online was confirmed to relaunch stateside via the publisher GamesCampus. RFO is currently a free-to-play game. RF Online version 1.5 launched via the publisher GamesCampus Europe in April 2013.
Gameplay
As with many MMORPGs, the player will select one race and fight monsters to gain experience points. RFO is populated with many different monsters across many areas. At the start of the game, a character will be led through an in-game guide of the basic commands for the game. From there, the character will be exposed to a series of quests which will familiarize him/her with their character's headquarters. As the character progresses in level, his/her quests may take them out to aggressive maps, where he/she will be exposed to the player killing Features of the game. One quest given in the Sette Desert on low levels makes players aware of constant presence and danger of enemy races.
Political Factions
There are 3 character races which the player can choose: Bellato, Cora and Accretia. each having a unique race specialty. Every race has their own special sub-classes of characters to play based on warrior, ranger, specialist and each race's special classes. Class advancements become available at level 30 and 40. It is also possible to cross-class a character within the races for a wide variety of options. [1]
Bellato Union
Bellatians are a capitalist federation of gnomes or dwarves which use Light Force (magic that includes healing and support buffs), physical combat, and ranged combat. Their race specialty is MAU (massive armor units), which include the Goliath (melee class) and Catapult (ranged class) types, among others.
Holy Alliance of Cora
Corites are a theocratic state of elves which use Dark Force (including strong offensive debuffs and buffs), physical combat, and ranged combat. Their race specialty is Animus, which are summoned creatures that provide offensive (Isis and Hecate), defensive (Paimon) or recovery (Inana) support to members of the Alliance.
Empire of Accretia
Accretians are a military government of humans who have been stripped of their ability to channel Force as a result of their geo-mechanical upbringing and turned into a cyborg army (almost similar to the one created by CABAL in Tiberium Sun: Firestorm). They are balanced between physical combat and ranged combat. With their technology, they specialize in rocket launchers(usable by all Accretian class), siege kits (Striker class are specialized in using rocket launchers and siege kits) and grenade launchers (enables use of buffs and debuffs, but Engineer class can use higher-level grenade launchers).
Economy
The game's economy can be divided into two parts - production and consumption. The mine is a new field where resources are produced as a part of and in support of economic activity. Mining for minerals and processing the products of these produce many kinds of items. These form the basis for conflict within the mines.
Chip War
The battle for resources is actualized in an all-out war among the three races termed as Chip War. Chip War happens three times in a day, where the winning race obtains the right to control the guardian of the mines - the dreaded Holystone Keeper. The war is led by the respective racial leaders, whose goal is to break at least one control chip owned by the opposing race. Once broken, the player who has dealt the last blow on the chip must touch base at the center of the mine caverns, to earn his race an extra 60 minutes of mining time guarded by the Holystone Keeper.
As of Episode 2, Giga 1 (Crimson Dawn), the Holystone Keeper will be vulnerable for 30 minutes after a control chip has been broken. The winning race must defend the guardian, or risk losing his guardianship over players who will opt to mine for resources until the next chip war. In addition, only characters who have been able to obtain a HolyMental Scanner during the battle will be recognized by the guardian as a valid member of the controlling race. Connectivity issues, however, have been seen to cause problems with this new feature.
PVP
Unlike most MMORPGs, RF Online revolves around PvP (Player vs Player). Only the racial headquarters, the settlement towns and select portal locations, are considered as safe areas from enemy races. Player killing comes into play because of the battle for resources between the three races. By default, opposing races members may engage in combat at any point in time on aggressive maps. Same race players may not engage in combat, unless by virtue of an item called the Chaos Potion, or during a special in-race competition called the Guild Circle Zone Scramble, also known as Guild Wars.
References
- ^ "RF Online Review". Retrieved 2015-02-15.