RF Online

RF Online, originally named 'Rising Force', (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, Portuguese and English translations. The North American/European version of the game launched its retail phase on February 21, 2006 and closed on November 10, 2008. RFO is currently a free to play game.

The EU/US 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 EU/US It released on January 18, 2009.

A mixture of science fiction and classic fantasy, RF Online (or RFO, as many of its players call it) 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.

Introduction
Hailing initially from a heavy-gravity world, the Bellato are physically rather short and somewhat stout in build, possessing heightened physical strength and stamina, tapering ears and almost universally child-like features. An extremely inventive race, their technology combines scientific apparatus and physical weapons along with the "light" form of universal magic. It is this racial ingenuity, more than any other trait, that has allowed them to successfully stand against races that may outstrip them in other areas.

Their present nation, the Bellato Federation, was preceded by an earlier structure known as the Bellato Empire, an aggressive regime which moved to seize control after the Cora Civil War but afterwards were beaten back by the Accretians. Under sustained attacks from their relentless cybernetic foes they rapidly fell from power. However, given the Bellatos' energetic nature and endless desire for profit, many members of the rival races have long feared that the Federation's increasingly expansionist policies may yet engulf the galaxy in flames.

Bellato Society
The Bellato people decided early in their history that the most efficient method of producing technological innovations and economic profits was to inculcate feelings of happiness and contentment: a happy person is a productive person. Holding the cultural belief that a wide range of freedoms encourages creative and efficient thinking, Bellato culture provides many personal liberties. As a result citizens exercise a great deal of freedom of expression and individualism. That being said, most if not all of the more prominent citizens are members of Houses: congregations of individuals who share the same bloodline (family ties being take very seriously by the Bellato) and/or interests (wealth and power being taken even more seriously).

Bellato culture has long held as an axiom that success breeds success, and while their society promotes individual achievement, over the years a select group of House families have harvested most of the available wealth and power. These influential groups lend money or offer goods and services to lesser citizens for the conducting of their business (or other matters). This practice has led to strong alliances developing between Houses and a system of brokering that has birthed a vast network of cartels, at the core of each one a powerful and socially prominent family that strictly enforces the House's interests among its constituent members.

The Union
The Bellato Union is the name given to the Federation's military and colonization arm.

Union forces make heavy use of mechanization in their combat units. Though they were initially produced for use in scientific work and heavy construction, the military potential of these devices was quickly realized and seized upon as the Bellato witnessed the increasing hostility directed at them by the Cora and Accretians. As frenetic research brought about rapid improvements, diverse types of armored equipment were mass-produced, finally leading to mechanization being firmly incoporated into Bellato military doctrine. It was not long afterward that heavy armored units were deployed in large numbers into active combat zones.

These early battles featuring the new armoured "mechs" saw some impressive victories for the Federation. This led to a substantial increase in defence spending, allowing the army to procure an increasing number of mobile armored units. At the same time, mechanized companies were allowed a greater and greater amount of leeway in determining tactical objectives. However, in the course of the Novus War, a series of disastrous defeats at the hands of Accretian "launcher" units (attributed largely to the Bellato designs failing to take Novus' environmental conditions into account), resulted in rapidly diminishing combat effectiveness. In an effort to bolster the mechanized arm, all manufacturing rights were handed over to civilian contractors, who rapidly reengineered the armored mechs to suit the landscape of Novus, dividing the chassis designs into two basic types: the "Field" unit, a rapid-response chassis, and the "Siege" unit, a heavy support design.

Despite these innovations, the efficiency of armored squads continued to decline due to the immense operational costs involved. Unwilling to completely abandon the concept of mechanized warfare however, the Federation's "Peace Committee" eventually decided to compromise and scale back production of Siege units, which were very complicated to produce and an economic strain in large numbers, requiring vast amounts of consumable resources to maintain their motive and weapon systems. The "Field" unit was seen by contrast to be better suited to mass production and thus became more widely available.

Unsure of how to dispose of surplus mechs, the Committee eventually decided to provide a set of regulations and economic incentives that would allow individuals to dispose of and trade the war machines at a relatively low retail price. However a law was simultaneously passed to only allow the use of armored units by the official military due to the quite real danger of their formidable firepower falling into the wrong hands.

It is interesting to note that since the Bellato Union recognizes the utility of magic in their combat doctrine, some citizens took advantage of their government's treaty with the Holy Alliance of Cora during the Accretian Expansion to interbreed with Corite mages, thus providing the Federation with increasing arcane firepower (retaining however the power of "light" magic which was phased out by the Corites after the "War of Colors").

Background
It is said that in the beginning the god Decem created two things: the World, to transform oblivion into beauty, and the Corites to enforce His will. Armed with this legend and seeing themselves as the "chosen race," the Corites have organized their society entirely according to their faith in this deity. Every action taken in “this life” is meant to help the individual ascend to a higher station or state of being, gaining them an ever closer relationship with their god.

Whatever the truth, it is evident that Corite individuals, members of a race resembling the elves of ancient Terran mythology, have been granted mystical powers and abilities far beyond other races, possessing almost universally superior proficiency in the use of the Darkling Force, a strain of magic power that is seen as the most precious gift Decem has given to His children.

Culture
According to Corite doctrine, Decem has forbidden His people from harming any planets they inhabit: that they ensure nature's well-being by continually caring for it, for harming the planet would be as unto harming Decem Himself. With this in mind, Corites are permitted to use only the resources necessary to develop themselves in their never-ending quest to fulfill the will of Decem. This is particularly exemplified by their cooperation with nature, seeking to enhance its beauty while carefully avoiding over-consumption of its resources. Eschewing industrialism, the Corites refine raw materials with the Darkling Force, psychically combining elements to create their devices and weapons in a pollution-free process. In turn, all of their "technologies" are themselves empowered by the Darkling Force.

The Corites' belief that their bodies are shrines to Decem has led to an almost narcissistic love of physical beauty, seeing the nurturing of it as an act of communion with their deity. With that in mind, Corite clothing and armour are strongly-built, loose-fitting, and made entirely from naturally-occurring materials (in keeping with their belief in cooperating with nature).

All foods and consumables eaten by the Corites must be blessed by Decem before being consumed. In accordance with their beliefs, all the food they ingest is to be completely natural and wholesome, grown specifically for the purpose of consumption and using only natural means to create the sustenance required for the survival of said foodstuffs.

The Holy Alliance
The Holy Alliance of Cora, the overall governing body of the Corite civilization, is a theocracy emphasizing mysticism and magical aptitude. Though their history has been shaped largely by religious wars, which have repeatedly fractured their civilization into multiple smaller nation-states, their society as a whole is strongly unified through its core doctrines. This unity, more than any other element of their culture, has given them the strength to prosecute their holy war on Novus.

Background
The Accretian race are the direct descendants of the human EMC researchers who gave birth to the Bellato and Corite races through their ancient genetic experiments. Thriving on that heritage, they have built upon their ancestors' intelligence and dedication to science, raising their empire to new heights in their effort to expand through the galaxy.

Though their external appearances almost universally resembles the "mecha" robots of ancient Terran culture, the Accretians of today are a race of cyborgs: organic brains implanted into fully mechanical bodies. Because of this inherent duality they act not on mere programming, but a shared cultural imperative: the endless pursuit of perfection.

Culture
Given their somewhat harsh appearance and unfeeling demeanor when interacting with completely biological life forms, it is a common mistake to see Accretians as mere drones or cogs in a vast and soulless machine. However while it is true that individualism is downplayed and in some cases forbidden in Accretian culture, self-identity remains due not only to their partly biological nature but to the conscious cultural decision to allow meaningful personal achievement in advancement of the Empire as a whole. Thus Accretian society cannot be entirely likened to a hive or collective mind. Instead, individuals are educated and indoctrinated by a strict program solely concerned with the evolution of society while in turn realizing that societal excellence must be built upon individual contributions.

Accretian culture emphasizes science and rational thought coupled with a relentless search for knowledge and logical solutions to problems at every level. Be it a soldier learning tactics from past skirmishes or a leading geneticist researching new cloning methods, the Accretian individual is a reflection of his race, an enthusiastic achiever and an eager contributor to his civilization's advancement.

Technology
The Accretian race and by extension their army, being fully mechanized, has very few biological needs. Apart from the occasional downtime for advanced repairs due to catastrophic system failure, the Accretian individual is almost entirely physically autonomous; their robotic bodies are completely self-sustaining, replenishing their energy, repairing themselves and maintaining needed biological functions on a continual basis.

It should be noted that the human brain inside of an Accretian's cybernetic body does need to rest periodically. The brain is incapable of being on alert constantly without suffering from fatigue; thus Accretians will regularly "shut down," entering a rest period in which their brains are allowed to devote themselves solely to nutritive and subconscious maintenance activities. But in spite of this biological need to recuperate, an Accretian is still far stronger, more active and resilient than any purely organic life form. Their self-repairing metallic bodies also grant an Accretian individual a far superior regenerative capability then that of Bellato or Corite physiologies.

Society
Universally male in gender, Accretian children are genetically engineered and cloned from automated DNA donor banks, and during their first five years of life, mentally developed via a combination of neurochemical procedures and education, until they are deemed efficient enough to become fully fledged citizens of the Empire; at which time they undergo a radical series of surgical procedures to rid themselves of their "weak and disposable" flesh and have their brains implanted into mechanized bodies.

The abilities and potential of every Accretian are fully analyzed as early as the first stages of DNA sequencing; education and training unfold accordingly to these estimates. Every Accretian is assigned an initial societal role upon conversion: the one at which he will be the most efficient and will lead to the most advancement in the future. Their program of universal education and indoctrination allows each citizen to embrace their role happily and wholeheartedly, seeing it as society's and therefore their own personal path to perfection.

Accretian civilization is ordered as a strict hierarchy; the farther up the ladder one progresses, the more complex and far-reaching the task assigned to the individual. However despite this austere pecking order there are no social classes, at least not in the way other races would understand. In the Imperial view, social segregation comes only from resentment and the desire for unordered change. Such things do not exist in the Accretian society, at least in theory.

The Empire
The Accretian Empire is a totalitarian regime emphasizing materialism and Imperial over personal agendas, a school of thought that is freely and almost universally embraced by its members. One of these agendas, the view of purely biological races as inferior and dangerous, has led to a cavalier attitude toward the genocide of such species.

The average Accretian is proud to be a member of the strongest and most formidable race in the galaxy, and is equally proud of the powerful and destructive weapons the Empire has created. Their desire for perfection has led to the need to expand to the furthest reaches of the universe. This has inevitably led not only to their arrival upon the planet Novus, but also, due to their prejudicial attitude toward organics, rendered inevitable the conflict with the other civilizations it is home to.

Game mechanics
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 with his character's headquarters. As the character progresses in level, his quests may take him out to aggressive maps, where he 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 System
Each race is led by the archon, a person voted into power by their subsidiaries. Below the archon are four councillors. These councillors are determined based on the number of votes received during their run for archonship.

As of Episode 2, Giga 1.5 (Crimson Dawn), four additional councillors were introduced. These four are assigned by the archon.

In addition, each position is granted special abilities to help their race. These abilities range from increases in defense, increases in attack, or affect auras to increase the statistics of racial members around the councilor.

In the event the number of archon aspirants is not enough to populate the council position, the top racial characters will be placed into the vacant council positions by default. Racial standings can be seen by checking with the respective race manager NPCs.

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 (also called PK or Player Killing). Only the racial headquarters, and the settlement towns, 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.