It's standard operating procedure for companies in the MMORPG business to keep their customers informed about the latest goings-on. It seems that Codemasters is doing that for players of Rising Force Online with weekly updates. Find out what's going on in the RF scene after the jump.

With unscrupulous folks going around these days trying to rob MMORPG players of their hard-earned in-game money, it's no wonder that Codemasters is doing something about it.
 
From now on, Rising Force Online and ArchLord players will have to go through an extra layer of protection before they can play. More on this takes place in the full article, right after the jump.

It would appear that Codemasters is really promoting the Connect 08 special event. One way of doing this is through the Rising Force Online level 50 Shirow armor promo. Curious? The promo mechanics await after the jump, as do visuals of the armor sets themselves.

 Are you a Lord of the Rings Online, Shadows of Angmar, ArchLord, RF Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, or a Stormreach fan? If you are, you've probably thought at one point or another tat it would be great to meet the teams behind the games and fellow players. This is your big chance as Codemasters Online is announcing an event called "Connect 2008" where lots of fun stuff in and out of virtual worlds will happen. Read the full article for more details.

Codemasters, North American publisher of the Rising Force Online MMORPG, is already preparing for the "Codemasters Online Connect" community event to be held next year, and one of the ways that the publisher is preparing for the Connect event is by asking Rising Force Online players for feedback.

Why does Codemasters need to hear from you? Find out after the jump!

Let's face it: guys do not always play as male characters in MMORPGs, and girls don't always play as female characters, either. Why do people do it? Does it mean that players are necessarily abnormal, or are there perfectly valid reasons behind doing so? We hope to explore the answers to those questions and more in the following article as we take a look at the psychology behind gender-bending in MMORPGs.

More on gender-bending in MMOs after the jump!

Things have been looking up for Codemasters and Rising Force Online since the latter decided to switch from pay-to-play to free-to-play.

Codemasters has had to add another world to the RFO roster since the game's server merge last January. And if that weren't enough, Codemasters is planning to reveal another treat for RFO players in the months to come...

Find out the full details after the jump!

There's a new world for you to explore in Codemasters Online's 100% free MMORPG, RF Online. The new world "Lumen" was opened in response to the growing demand of players, especially as RF Online hit an all time high with game hits since the switch to free-to-play just last week.

Says Ed Relf, Codemasters Online's Director of Marketing, "The opening of a new game world marks a key milestone in the ongoing development of RF Online." He further notes that ever since the switch, they have had up to 300% increase in the number of players enjoying the game each day, as well as those downloading it.

"The demand for RF Online has never been stronger and we are preparing for yet more servers to come online in the coming days." It certainly looks like there'll be more goodies to come our way, then.

Codemasters Online has announced that RF Online is now a completely free-to-play MMORPG. The full game is now available for download at rf-onlinegame.com without any monthly subscription required.

This announcement comes after a successful relaunch of ArchLord as a free-to-play title. ArchLord gained a 700 percent increase in its playerbase after going the free-to-play route. Codemasters Online hopes to replicate this success with RF Online.

"We have proven with ArchLord that has been downloaded over 1 million times the potential success that can be experienced and we are pleased to be in a position to re-launch RF Online using a similar model," said Ed Relf, director of marketing for Codemasters Online.

  

It's already been a year since RF Online first went live in North America and Europe. In honor of RF Online's first anniversary, Codemasters has a nifty little surprise for all long-term RF Online players: the Pioneer's Sword, a weapon that allows players to increase their character's speed.

Codemasters is also gearing up for the release of Episode II Part 1. This latest addition to the RF Online saga will be going into test status over the coming months and is slated for a live-service launch later this year.

Codemasters Online Gaming Product Marketing Manager, Adam McGowan, also promised more good things to come. "Our brand new website design coupled with all these FREE major updates we have on the horizon are very encouraging. This is a positive time for RF Online and we look forward to many more updates over the next 12 months," said McGowan.