5.3 /10 2 Votes
Initial release date July 2004 Sound Miles Sound System Platform Microsoft Windows | 87% Y8 Developer Naver Corporation Genre First-person shooter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mode(s) Multiplayer, Online Game Publishers Naver Corporation, CDC Games, Ijji Games LLC, NHN Games Similar Sudden Attack, Strife, Alliance of Valiant Arms, Special Force 2: Tale of th, Counter‑Strike Online | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special Force (named Soldier Front in the North American version and often abbreviated as SF) is an online free-to-play first-person shooter developed by the South Korean game developer Dragonfly. Dragonfly continues to expand the game around the world and plans to expand into the Middle Eastern, Indian, and Russian markets. The Indonesian version of the game was discontinued in March 2012.
Contents
Soldier Front is currently being published by Aeria Games for North American users. In October 2009, a European server was added to this version of the game. The North American version of the game has been transferred over to Aeria Games due to the acquisition of ijji by Aeria Games.
In January 2016, Aeria Games announced that Soldier Front will be shut down on January 29, 2016.
Gameplay
Special Force provides several game modes including team battle (bomb planting, escaping, object stealing, etc.), single battle, team death match, horror mode, and more. Most modes consist of a red team and a blue team, with the exceptions of single battle, training, and horror mode. The game allows for a maximum of 16 users to be in the same room playing together.
Players have the ability to purchase from a range of character forces including French GIGN, German GSG 9, Malaysian PASKAL, Republic of Korea Marine Corps, US Army Delta Force, Russian Spetsnaz, and more, where you are able to rent equipment for speed and armor. A range of weapons are available including rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, handguns, shotguns, melee, and grenades. Weapons have durability and must be repaired often. Weapons are not mod-able like other first person shooters, but once they are purchased, they are permanent and stay in inventory until they are resold by the player.
Players rank up after receiving enough experience points, gained after each match, with bonus rewards at certain ranks.
Graphics Update
On July 14, 2009, Dragonfly provided a patch to the Korean version which had a completely redesigned UI and reorganized game items for the celebration of the games 5th anniversary. Along with this, many of the older weapons graphics looked outdated and were updated to a new and sleeker look to compete with newer games. This patch was applied to all other versions of the game in the following months.
Game Modes
Special Force currently has 11 modes available in the North American version of the game.
In Single Battle, Team Battle, and Clan Battle, there is the option to allow sniper rifles only, but the host must have a premium item to do so.
Sequel
The second iteration of the game, Special Force II, uses Unreal Engine 3 and is currently available in Canada, USA, China, Europe, South Korea, and as of June 2012, Japan. Aeria Games announced in March 2013 that Special Force 2 would be released in the North American market as Soldier Front 2, in August of 2015 Aeria Games closed the North American version of the game, in October of 2016 the publishing rights for the North American version of the game were handed to Gameforge and the game was re-released in North America under the same name as other regions. The European and North American versions of the game are currently owned by Gameforge and often updated, both are region locked to their respective regions.
Professional leagues
S.K.I.L.L. – Special Force 2 is a professional league run by Electronic Sports League in Western Europe that began in 2013. The Special Force II Pro League in Taiwan that is run by Taiwan eSports League and broadcast on Fox Sports 3. The inaugural season kicked off on October 2, 2015.