RF Online, the massively multiplayer online game developed by Korean outfit CCR and published in the US and Europe by Codemasters, is about to see its first patches in these regions. The game, which blends fantasy and sci-fi tropes and is set in the Novus Galaxy, is scheduled to receive the first of a two-part update, called Giga Final, during the week beginning June 19.

　　The second Giga Final update will follow in July, and the two together will add guild-vs.-guild combat and 24 new battle dungeons, as well as skill and crafting upgrades. To find out more about what's being added, we spoke to Hoon Suk, one of CCR's game designers.

　　GameSpot UK: Tell us about the new crafting system?

　　Hoon Suk: The biggest new feature within the crafting system upgrade is that players now have the ability to craft the rarer A/B grade items. Players aren't always guaranteed to successfully make their item; as a result of this, there is always an element of risk involved when players choose to craft. It's these kind of dilemmas that make RF Online so interesting and fun to play.

　　GSUK: How will this impact items that players can make?

　　HS: Previously, the valuable rare items could only be obtained through pitboss hunting; this new upgrade allows players to make these valuable items themselves. This in turn will enable players to further add to their wealth. As it's only specialist crafters who have the ability to craft items, these classes now play more of an important role within the Novus Galaxy, and I think we could see a fair few specialist crafters making a name for themselves.

　　GSUK: What is the context for the guild-vs.-guild battles?

　　HS: The original purpose of creating the GVG battles was to strengthen the community activities and to introduce a new type of combat system, which we feel was one of the major weaknesses in RF Online. We've had a number of players request more guild-based content within the game, so we thought that this kind of update would be very suitable.

　　The reason why we took the Circle Zone Scramble approach--rather than the traditional way in which guild battles are usually played out--is because we wanted to include a more strategic guild battle, with additional rules and factors that players have to take into consideration when battling. We thought that if the guild wars were designed more like the "blitz ball" of FFX, or NFL (rugby for the UK), it would provide a more interesting/entertaining experience. Obviously we couldn't remove the actual combat side of the GVG battles, ergo we ended up with the "sports"-style system we have today.

　　GSUK: How are they initiated?

　　HS: In order to initiate the guild battles, a guild member must make a proposal to the rest of their guild. Once the start time, opponent, and the number of participants has been determined and applied, the voting for this proposal takes place. When the proposal has been approved by all guild members, then the opponent guild's voting (to decide whether to accept this or not) begins. The start time can be set on an hourly basis and around 10 to 50 players can participate at any one time. To apply, both parties must pay 5,000 gold; if these fees are not paid, then the guild battle is automatically cancelled.

　　GSUK: Can two guilds of the same race do battle?

　　HS: Yes, the focus of the current GVG is on the guild battles within the same race. Prior to this patch all combat was RVR, and combat between guilds in the same faction was not possible.

　　GSUK: What kinds of rewards or penalties will be granted for winning or losing one of these guild-vs.-guild battles?

　　HS: Any guilds that are in the top five of the guild leader table (determined by the guild wars) are given ownership of the settlement areas. Once a guild acquires a settlement, they are granted access to the new ore-drilling machine and the power to control the auction trader. Obviously any guild which has these extra features will have a significant advantage over other guilds in terms of the amount of in-game currency they have, enabling them to purchase more powerful weapons/armour.

　　As for the individual rewards, players can collect special items like "The Evidence of a Warrior," which, when combined together with other special items, creates a box item called "The Symbol of a Warrior." This box contains a variety of very cool items, but I'll let players find out what those items are for themselves.

　　In addition to this, the guild that wins the battle is awarded 2,000 contribution points. If the game ends in a draw, then each guild receives 500 contribution points, and when a guild loses, they receive 100 contribution points. There are no special penalties imposed for the defeated team because the ultimate purpose of this GVG is to promote free competition between the guilds.

　　GSUK: What is the "new battle mode system" all about?

　　HS: Prior to this new patch players could avoid losing contribution points while in battle by either quitting the game and/or porting out to another zone. With this new patch, whenever a player initiates combat with either an AI-controlled monster or another player, they are placed in the battle mode state. It's while within this state that players are unable to either quit the game and/or port out to other areas.

　　GSUK: Tell us about the new battle dungeons. Are they going to be for high-level characters only?

　　HS: One of the major differences in the new battle dungeons to that of the previous versions is the diversification of the missions. The new battle dungeons enable players to actually hunt mobs and take part in their own instanced pitboss raids. The mobs that appear in the new dungeons are varied and will change depending on which dungeon you are in. In addition to this, with the upgraded battle dungeons, rewards are now awarded to all participants. The value of the rewards will depend on two factors--the first one being the difficulty of the battle dungeon and the second one being how long it takes players to complete that specific mission.

　　GSUK: Will we find any new creatures or items in these dungeons?

　　HS: While the monsters in these upgraded battle dungeons look the same as the monsters in the previous battle dungeons, there is a significant difference. The difficulty of each monster is now scalable and will depend on the level of difficulty that specific battle dungeon is set to. All rewards for completing the battle dungeons will be grade-B items/amulets. We are currently developing new items to be included in the Korean battle dungeon, which inevitably will be transferred over to the Western version of the game.

　　GSUK: What is the difference between Dark Hole and the current battle dungeons?

　　HS: The most important difference between these two is the way the missions (quests) are progressed. The current battle dungeon only grants one or two missions, whilst the Dark Hole enables players to experience 10 different areas. Players progress through Dark Hole by completing each specific area and moving onto the next. Once players get to the final area, they are greeted by the final boss. But there is a twist-- the final boss may not be who he says he is. If players manage to defeat the final boss, they are rewarded with the best amulets and items, as the difficulty of the Dark Hole battle dungeon is very, very high.

　　GSUK: How long will it take players to complete the Dark Hole battle dungeon?

　　HS: This very much depends on the abilities of the team that is taking on the dungeon. Players can expect to spend anything from 30 minutes up to an hour to complete the dungeon. Because of this, all the rewards will be of the highest quality, and players will definitely not want to miss out on them.

　　GSUK: How does the new Elan Plateau area fit into the rest of the world?

　　HS: Unlike other areas within RF Online, Elan Plateau is an area specialising in large-scale raids. Conquering Elan plateau will take a long time, and players will have to work together in large numbers to complete it. Also, this is structured like a path, where the player moves from one kill zone to the next.

　　GSUK: What can we expect to find or see there?

　　HS: There are newly added pitbosses and mobs there. The mobs appearing in this area will vary, but all of them will be very, very difficult to defeat. Because players have to progress down a very narrow path, they will be unable to just run past mobs--this means that they will have to clear the surrounding area before teleporting.

　　GSUK: What is the representative chat system?

　　HS: The representative chat system is the chatting channel that can only be used by the patriarchs and guild masters. It is possible to use the relevant channels to hold race meetings or give strategic orders during the race war. This was designed in order to allow smooth flow of communication between the groups leading the game.

　　GSUK: What is the timescale for implementation of the Giga 4 updates in the West?

　　HS: Codemasters Online Gaming is planning on rolling out Giga 4 in two parts over the next couple of months. Part one will see a mid-June launch followed by part two during July.

　　GSUK: Will we see new races in the future?

　　HS: We don't have any specific plans as yet.

　　GSUK: Thanks for your time.