eXoZmM of GameOgre.com conducted a Q&A session with Matthew Denomme,  Cross Fire Marketing Manager . Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

GameOgre: The clan system was implemented at the start of Open Beta, but players have yet to see ranked clan matches come out. When will ranked clan matches come out, and how will they be set-up and played?

Matt: You can expect significant improvements to Cross Fire’s clan system in the very near future. Chief among these is ranked clan matches on a separate clan-dedicated server.

GO: The Cross Fire replay system is out but many of the features (fast-forward, rewind, and numerous other tools) have yet to be released. When will these features be coming out, and are you planning on upgrading the video quality, or any of the existing functions in the replay system?

MD: The current replay system is more or less what you would expect in a beta. It works but it is missing features, such as fast forward and rewind, as you mentioned.  That being said we are working hard on improving it, as it’s an important tool for competitive play.  Though we cannot guarantee the replay system will be done by official launch, we will try and have it fully functional soon after.

GO: How long will Open Beta last for Cross Fire, and will there be any major updates when the game comes out of Open Beta?

MD: Cross Fire’s official launch is closer than you might think. The “full release” of Cross Fire will be marked by numerous updates including: a ton of new content, bug fixes, and general tweaks. Unfortunately, we can’t be more specific at this time as it would ruin the surprise, but I can say that a number of features that were specifically requested by fans of the game and community-members will be integrated. I’d also like to make it clear that once Cross Fire has reached “official launch” we will continue to issue updates to the game into the foreseeable future.

GO: What drove SubaGames to make an American Cross Fire?

MD:The strength of Cross Fire’s gameplay was the main factor in our choosing to bring it to North America and the United Kingdom. The free to play FPS market is currently exploding and we chose Cross Fire knowing that its gameplay and mechanics could stand up in a market so heavily dominated by FPS games. 

GO: Most free games don't last long because of the faulty AC, but Cross Fire seems to have almost no hackers in-game. How is SubaGames making sure that the hacks get caught?

MD: At SubaGames, moderating our titles properly and keeping them hacker-free is extremely important to our vision as an online gaming platform focused on free-play. We have a variety of systems in place to prevent hackers in Cross Fire. Some are transparent and well-known, like GameGuard and our replay system, and others are techniques and methods we have developed ourselves through our experience in operating online games. We also have a dedicated staff that keeps track of hackers by way of internal systems and the input of our extremely helpful and vocal SubaGames community. The combination of these methods will allows us to track down potential issues before they become a serious problem. So far, it appears to be working and we are happy about that. After all, what fun is a game (particularly a shooter) if it is plagued by cheaters?   

GO: What types of guns and in-game material will the community be looking forward to as Cross Fire continues through Open Beta?

MD: All we can say for now is this: expect to see a lot of new content, much of which will be completely brand-new to the game. We hope everyone appreciates the new additions and has fun with them. We feel Cross Fire is truly a better game as a result of our hard work in preparing for the “full release” and the input of the SubaGames’ community.

GO: Many players complain about the unbalanced GP system. Do you guys have any plans on making it easier to make money or making the repair costs lower? What other ideas do you have about players being able to earn GP without buying it through the item shop?

MD: The GP system is constantly being tweaked and we are always looking at ways to make it easier to earn GP while still maintaining a balance because, unlike most free to play FPS games, all our current weapons are permanent and do not require the player to buy them over and over again.   Other games force players to earn higher amounts of game points on a regular basis in order to buy weapons, only to have them disappear on you within a few days.  With the GP system our goal is to achieve a balance that is both fun and fair for players. We also plan to continue hosting frequent events and promotions which offer additional GP as prizes.

GO: The recent March Madness event was fun for many players because they received a chance to play with the Cross Fire GM's. Do the GM's of Cross Fire have any plans on interacting with the community more than they do now?

MD: The Cross Fire GMs enjoy interacting closely with the community, both on our official Suba Games’ forums and in-game. Yes, there are plans for the GMs to participate in more events and challenges that all players will be able to take part in. Perhaps clan matches with SubaGames GMs vs. Cross Fire Clans for prizes?  Wait and see!

GO: Many players feel that good players are being unjustly banned based off of replays that only show in-game, and not what is said either by voice program or in-game chat. What is Suba's stance on these accusations, and do they plan on improving the way people are banned through the replay system?

MD: We are always looking to improve our systems and we spend a lot of time going over our records to prove if someone is hacking or not. More often than not it is an easy call to make, but if for any reason we are unsure whether a player is hacking or not we do not ban the user. The benefit of the doubt always goes to the player. To be honest, most of the complaints associated with hacking issues come from other accounts that can be easily linked to the hacker’s account, resulting in a ban.  Due to this, we always advise players to not cheat on any account they have since even if they cheat on only one, all the others will also get banned. Also players are advised not to share internet with anyone who hacks or even play on their computers since that may link their accounts to that player and if one gets banned the others will too. This is only extreme cases though and can usually be resolved by submitting a support ticket at the official Cross Fire website.    

GO: The last LAN hosted by SubaGames was a great success, when will the next one be hosted, will it be a tournament or just a group play, and if it is a tournament, will there be any incentives for the winners?

MD: Tournaments, leagues, and competitive play in general, are things we are looking into closely at SubaGames right now, particularly in relation to Cross Fire. The Clan page at Suba Games is an early example of our dedication to competitive-play and developing features that support that. You can be sure we will be hosting many more Cross Fire tournaments in the future; however we are still working out the details of how they will be run exactly. We are examining options in physical, in-person tournaments, LAN and online tournaments, competitive leagues and ladders, and much more. All with exciting prizes of course. Stay tuned!

GO:  Ping is getting to be a major problem in Cross Fire, and many players are leaving because of it. What does SubaGames plan on doing to stop the high ping problem?

MD: We are well aware of the ping issues some of our players are having in Cross Fire and we are doing our best to eliminate, or at least minimize, this problem. We ask that our community be patient and stick with us as we scale-up and grow. We certainly intend to.

GO: Do you have any closing comments?

MD: We would like to thank all the people who signed-up for and played Cross Fire throughout both the closed and open beta. We’d also like to thank the SubaGames community for all the great suggestions they have given us to help improve the game. Your input in invaluable to us and your support has helped to make Cross Fire a success! We will continue to strive to make Cross Fire a great competitive FPS that is widely accessible and free-to-play for everyone!

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for the PC platform. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative, and then compete in numerous modes of play, including the exclusive stealth-action ghost mode. Cross Fire also includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, a clan formation system, and deep character customization options.

Written by eXoZmM for GameOgre.com.

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