Rakion: Chaos Force/Gameplay

Rakion is an free-to-play, real-time, three-dimensional, fantasy action, room-based online game developed by the South Korean company Softnyx.

History
Rakion began with "closed" beta testing, which ran from August 11 to 25, 2005, in a limited group of countries (which included the United States, the UAE and, at a later date, Europe).

It switched from development to open beta testing on October 13, 2005 ; running to and releasing on December 1, 2005. At this point, the game began to follow a similar model to Softnyx's other MMOG, GunBound, where users could purchase "Softnyx Cash" with real-world currency and spend it on "Power User" status (which offers various benefits and unlocks further in-game purchases) or powerful, cash-only items, called ex-items.

Softnyx will be removing the Power User feature on 30 March 2009, due to complaints and it's imbalance for Non-PU users. Players who have previously bought PU will still have their effect until the time runs out.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Rakion is similar to that of most third or first-person shooter games. Players use the WASD keys to move their character around the map, and the camera controls are third-person shooter style. The mouse is used for controlling the camera and attacking.

Significant features include the Chaos mode, in which a character can become much more powerful after a number of kills, and Cells, summonable creatures that aid the summoner in combat.

There are five different game modes: Stage, Team Deathmatch, Solo Deathmatch, Boss War, and Golem War. A level limit may be selected when making a game. There is also a "Basic Mode" option in games, which ignores added stats.

Each class has a melee set and ranged set of attacks.

Classes
In Rakion, a player may choose from five classes when creating a character: Swordsmen, Archers, Mages, Blacksmiths, and Ninjas. Characters can transform into "chaos mode," a temporary enhancement acquired after attaining a certain number of kills.

Warrior
Swordsmen use a longsword to deal melee damage and a throwing knife as a ranged attack. In chaos mode, warriors become a blue humanoid with a double-sided sword that can be slashed in a quicker succession.

Archers
Archers use a gladius-like weapon to deal melee damage. However, the primary weapon for archers is their ranged weapon: a bow capable of firing arrows. In chaos mode, archers transform into a white, angelic figure that uses a bow with the capability of firing five powerful arrows at once that will throw the enemy a considerable distance upon impact.

Blacksmith
Blacksmiths use a war hammer as their melee attack and throwing axes as their ranged attack. In chaos mode, Blacksmiths become golem-like and carry a flail which can be swung in large arcs.

Ninja
Ninjas use a jitte, a weak but fast weapon, as their melee attack. They throw shurikens as their ranged attack. In chaos mode, ninjas become larger, red figures with upgraded attacking and throwing abilities.

Mage
Mages use a staff for their melee attacks. They can cast a variety of spells. Their ranged weapon is a wand that can cast ranged spells. In chaos mode, the mage summons a larger creature in which it controls. The puppet has upgraded spells.

Cells
Every player is allowed to buy cells in the shop. Cells cost gold and sometimes Softnyx Cash. Cells are summons that assist the player in combat.

The most basic of cells are:


 * Naks

Naks are the most basic types of cells. They are fairly weak and are virtually useless, except for blocking a player on a "gravity" lift. (Blood Nak, White Nak, Black Nak.)


 * Panzers

Panzers are knights who wield a polearm. They are a good choice for most players who play without cash. High armor and damage makes it a great cell to play with. Its only downfall is that it will fall when hit and will take awhile to regain consciousness, thereafter it can just be knocked down again. (Assault Panzer, White Panzer, Black Panzer.)


 * Crossbows

Crossbows are crossbowmen and they wield a crossbow into battle. They are virtually useless, they have very low armor and damage, an easily avoided attack and the ability to get hit even when unconscious. They are a waste of gold. (Black Crossbow.)


 * Blazers

Blazers are magicians. They are the second choice for low-leveled players who do not play with cash. Low armor but huge damage makes it an ideal choice for a strategist. They are completely stationary unless swung or hit away by an opponent. (Elite Blazer, White Blazer, Black Blazer.)


 * Tauros

The Tauros is similar to the mythical Minotaur, half man and half bull. It has a huge amount of HP and armor, which makes it the ideal cell for a level 30 player. It also has a special attack where it charges the enemy, similar to a bull charging a matador. It has extremely high damage. However, it can cause lag to players with a bad connection. (Black Tauros.)


 * Dragon

The Dragon is self-explanatory. Being the best gold cell in the game, it has earned its title. It is airborne all the time and has a devastating breath attack. Its breath attack is a flamethrower, which allows it to blast things with a continuous breath of fire which stuns at the area were hit, making it almost impossible to survive the attack. It also has a long-range fireball attack where it spits a fireball, which causes things to fall back and take much damage. (Black Dragon, White Dragon.)


 * Longbow

The first of the cash cells, the longbow is a much more powerful version of the Crossbow. It resembles a tribal man with a longbow, which fires a very powerful shot and leaves a trail behind it. This cell is the first choice for any player leveled 11-20.


 * SoulCannon

The soulcannon is possibly the strongest cash cell in the game. It has a cannon on one arm and the other will support the cannon when it is fired. It has a pretty low HP count and very low armor, but its Area of Effect (AoE) attack is devastating. It can easily hit a player at level 40+ and is almost devastating to a gold golem at close range.


 * Musketeer and Samurai

The Musketeer is a rapid-firing longbow, whilst the Samurai is a multi-hit panzer. They have high armor and high HP, along with their devastating attacks. (Gold versions also available)


 * NecroHorse and NecroMan

These cells resemble terracotta soldiers. The Necrohorse has a damaging stomp but is fairly slow. The NecroMan has a slow move speed but is devastating if fought at close range, it possesses a freezing attack.


 * King Cells

King cells are large versions of their predecessors. Currently only the Musketeer, Samurai, Necrohorse and Necroman King Cells are available, they all have devastating attacks which break all hell loose when released.

Game Modes
Excluding Stage mode, which puts all players on the same team, all of the game modes are PvP-based. Both the number of rounds and round-time-limits can be set. The game will automatically balance the teams after a round. There are four types of PvP games in Rakion. In both team and solo deathmatches, dead players respawn after 5 seconds. The Deathmatch modes have healing capsules and books that provide cell points; the other modes do not.


 *  Deathmatch (Solo): A Solo Deathmatch is a free-for-all variation of team deathmatch. All players are on their own and the first player to achieve a specified amount of kills is declared the winner.


 *  Deathmatch (Teamplay): These are similar to Solo Deathmatches, except that the players are separated into teams.


 * Golem War: Players are assigned to a team in this mode. Each team has a Master Golem. Located somewhere in the map is the Golden Golem. The objective is to destroy the opponent's Master Golem, but only the person that kills the Gold Golem can do significant damage to the other team's Master Golem. To prevent teams "stealing" the Gold Golem from each other, it has separate health for each team. Unlike the other PvP modes, slain players do not respawn, and a team can also lose when all their players have been defeated. If the time runs out and both Master Golems are still alive, the team with the Golem with more health wins the round.


 * Boss War: This is a team-based headhunter fight. Each team has a player who's the "boss" that they must protect at all costs; if the boss dies then the team loses the game.


 * Stage: A co-operative game mode for 1 to 4 players (depending on the stage) that lets you play a PvE mission. After completing a stage, you get a grade ranging from S, A, B, C, or D, depending on how fast you complete the objective. Stages can not be repeated for more rewards, but can be redone for a higher rank.


 * Basic Mode: A setting which can be assigned to any non-stage game. All players' stats are as if they were level 1 for the duration of the game. No cells can be summoned in this mode aside from the lowest level cell, the Nak. Stats from equipment still applies.

Items
Rakion operates an in-game store, through which players can purchase various items using Gold and Cash. Gold can be earned by playing stages and multiplayer games. Items available for purchase include equipment, cells, potions, and item-upgrading material.

Most equipment and cells have level restrictions. Players must achieve the correct level to be able to use them. Potions, which do not have level requirements, have various effects, such as: restore health, restore armor, knock enemies back, give chaos points, or restore Cell Points.

One of Rakion's main features include "cells." Cells are creatures that can be summoned in games. They also appear as enemies in stages. Cells are capable of leveling up, just like a player. To summon a cell, a player must attain Cell Points by killing other cells, players, golems, or using potions. Each cell requires a certain amount of Cell Points to summon. Players may summon a maximum of three cells in a game.

Profanity filter
Saying profanities in-game causes the chat system to automatically replace them with the word "LOVE." Previously, this filter was able to be bypassed by simply hitting Ctrl+Backspace in the middle of the profane word. However, the game administrators have finally grown tired of being insulted very profanely and have patched it.