In America's Army 3, Every Detail Counts and as a result, the game has more authentic military elements including training, technology, weapons, and audio than any other military game. Built on Unreal Engine 3, AA3 delivers stunningly realistic environments, lighting effects, animations, and team-based experiences so that America's Army players can experience how Soldiers train, live, and advance in the Army. Players are bound by Rules of Engagement (ROE) and gain experience as they navigate challenges in team-based, multiplayer, force-on-force operations. In the game, a player's actions and demonstrated Army values are integral to successful mission accomplishment and affect a player's career progression.
The game is launching with five different environments, each with three different mission scenario options for a total of 15 different map/mission combinations. Initially, the core of the gameplay focuses on an Infantry Soldier (11B). Players first complete Basic Combat Training and then progress to Advanced Individual Training for a variety of specialized roles that the Infantry Soldier performs, such as Advanced Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Squad Designated Marksman, and Grenadier. This advanced training allows players to unlock new abilities and gear, customize their gear and equipment loads, increase their in-game skill level, and progress in their Army careers.
The major changes include:
New Features
• Updated to TeamSpeak 3 VOIP API with improved quality and performance.
• New variation of Bridge (Bridge Day Foggy). Missions include Classic, Carriable Objective, and Activated Objectives.
• AA3 One Year Anniversary Achievement – This medal will be awarded by logging into the game during the AA3 Anniversary event from release day until 12:00am PDT July 5th.
• AA3 Years Of Service Achievement – This will be reflected by an “AA Star” with a number denoting the number of years in the top-right corner of the Achievements UI and is earned through years of service within AA3 (from account creation date). Note: logging in any time after one year has passed will automatically award this achievement.
• Administrators may now choose to "block" offensive clan tags using the new clan blocking system that was added. The new "blocked" clan tags are stored in a text file and may be edited by any text editor or using the in-game tools. The blocked clan tag file may be copied to other servers if desired. Players with "blocked" clan tags are not prevented from playing on the server but their clan tag is not displayed to anyone. View the administrator help for details.
• Administrators can now list "blocked" (banned) players using a new Admin command. View the administrator help for details.
• The incapacitation system has been modified to put players into a "locked" view facing away from the player that incapacitates them for a (default) time period of ten seconds. The incapacitated player is also prevented from using any commands or VOIP calls except for the "Medic" call. This incapacitation locking time value may be modified (or the feature disabled entirely) by the server administrator via a new INI configuration entry. The purpose of this new functionality is to give a slight advantage to the player who incapacitates another so they may move away (or secure) the incapacitated soldier and reduce the reporting by incapacitated soldiers during the initial "locked view" time period. Once the "locked view" time period has expired incapacitation works just like it did in 3.0.7.
• Ammo pouches have been restored as a client-side option (with optional display of ammo magazines) based on World Detail settings (highest shows ammo magazines and pouches, medium shows just pouches, and low disables pouch display).
Gameplay
• "Suicide" has been replaced with "Withdraw" as a console command. You also no longer "tap out" when incapacitated but instead choose to "withdraw from the mission".
• Fix to issue on various maps where team who confirms the VIP doesn’t get credit for win.
• Validation of AA2 accounts should now work and the associated "Veteran's Service Ribbon" should be properly awarded for all players, even those with multiple accounts tied to the same E-Mail address.
• Client and server logging has been reduced for performance.
• Fixed auto fire sound playing after round end
• Changing posture between standing, crouched, and prone no longer prevents you from being able to fire your gun. It will, however, apply varying degrees of inaccuracy to your aim. Moving while prone will also now hamper your accuracy. Now you can even shoot while falling (but again with a great deal of inaccuracy).
• Change to allow players to start shooting while falling short distances.
• You can no longer change your loadout selection mid round and have it affect your current encumbrance.
• You can now choose to drop objectives at any time to give it to another teammate (default key is 'O').
• In support of letting player drop objective this notifies player they can drop the objective (if they have it) when they become incapacitated by using the key. Adds default bind of "O" as objective dropping key (and adds UI support for it in keybind settings).
• Wind support has been modified to allow level designers greater control over the wind. This will be most noticeable when firing M320 rounds high in the air.
• Fix for VIP (and other) class role swapping not working right in OT rounds.
• Fix for VIP's being secured not properly giving credit to the team securing him when the teams are swapped.
• Fix for VIP loadouts on some missions not matching the standard loadout in other missions.
• The Army Service Ribbon should now be awarded if you have already completed BCT and then complete any AIT mission. Those soldiers completing BCT will also properly receive it.
• Issues with the rank and progress to next rank UI have been resolved.
• The Deadeye achievement should now display properly in the soldier overview.
• You can no longer earn the "Walk It Off" achievement when dead.
• Fix for observed pawns floating away from ladders.
• Corrected several issues with the server not properly releasing tracking of players who leave the server and then eventually cause the server to not allow connections.
• Several issues relating to authentication handling that could result in the server stopping due to an incorrect "infinite script loop" trigger were corrected.
• Third person leaning animation adjusted so that animation matches collision. This eliminates a number of exploits that were caused by the first person view leaning farther than the third person view (which meant the leaning person could often see others without being seen). We will further adjust this in the next release to increase the leaning distance while still eliminating the ability to exploit it.
• Fix to carryable objective floating issues in some locations. This changes how COs are dropped (whether by choice or by death) so the area around the downed player is examined in a circle and the first empty space is used to drop the objective with a slight downward velocity. If no available space is found the objective is dropped on top of the pawn as was previously done (but with the downward velocity).
• Fix for unusually high fall damage dropping from small heights.
• Fix to restore in-game ambient sounds after changing video settings.
• Fixes loss of HUD after closing menu in single player mode.
• Fix for capacitated pawn being out of synch with server for ladder climbing.
• Modification for vault/mantling or falling into Take and Hold (TAH) volume to add an additional test to correct triggering issues within the TAH entry.
• Fix for player entering TAH volume captured by same team but currently being captured by another team not seeing the "enemy detected" notification. This also addresses a number of other issues in the original TAH handling (including how players in the volume are counted). Interrupting TAH neutralization by entering volume will result in the neutralization progress being reset when the interrupting player leaves.
• Fixed several 3rd person reload animations.
• Re-enabled world detail settings during online play. The related audio issue has been fixed.
• Added support for disabling some common commo sounds in AA3Game.ini under [AA3Baseline.AA_PlayerController]. The following may be set to true to disable any of these commo sounds:
o bDisable_COMMO_ACT_Medic
o bDisable_COMMO_ACT_EnemySpotted
o bDisable_COMMO_ACT_ReportLocation
o bDisable_COMMO_ACT_EnemyDown
o bDisable_COMMO_ACT_EnemySecured
• Modification to fix an issue that caused a player trying to go prone but is getting blocked would leave the player in prone limbo.
• Falling down onto top of door results in often getting stuck. Modifications were made to properly pushed the player off the door.
• Fix for no fall damage when walking backwards off some roof areas. This also fixes the lack of a falling animation on the occasions where the trace was looking in the wrong place.
• Changes to prone functionality mainly affecting players when going prone in places where feet or head would hang off of terrain or building.
• Changes to improve performance of server.
• Wrong messaging fixed when VIP mission has assault team eliminated.
• Fixes recording of winning action player name for TAH volumes.
• TAH now properly resets to taken state if taken by enemy team and then player enters and leaves the TAH without capturing it.
• Fix for observed pawns desynching from server in certain vault/mantle/climb situations. The error would result in the observed pawn sliding out of the correct position maintained by the server and the controlling player.
• ROE calculation adjustments including correcting issue where ROE was counted twice for melee hits, bringing it back in line with normal gunshots, and adjustments to incapacitated ROE so that first hit generates warning to shooter but if player kills incapacitated enemy they get 10 ROE as a minor penalty. This is a bit of a compromise between no ROE when enemy close and full ROE that was in 3.0.7.
• ROE now gives greater penalties for close range shots (with a minimum of 20 ROE and scaling up to 100 ROE the closer the teammate is that you shoot).
• Server-side setting of automatic reset of dropped objective. Server administrators may choose to enable automatically resetting a dropped obective if it isn't picked up within a specified number of seconds. This can help prevent "griefers" from ruining the game for everyone else by dropping and hiding the objective from other players. The setting is
• [AA3Baseline.AA_GameInfo]
• fpDroppedObjectiveResetTimeoutSeconds=30 (to reset after 30 seconds)
• Statistics temporary files now are unique for each server IP address so you if you run multiple servers out of the same directory the statistics files won't interfere with each other.
• The server will now properly handle existing statistics temporary files and if corrupted will properly clean them up.
• The server will now properly log the server out of MBS, Auth, and the Statistics system when shut down by pressing Ctrl+C in the window.
• Lower bone meshes were implemented to help improve game performance.
• Added new command line option "-NOSTEAMCLOUD" to allow you to disable storing and retrieving your AA3Input.ini from the Steam Cloud servers if the Steam client is running and you want to not lose any local edits of your AA3Input.ini file.
• The server now only tries to send statistics data to the statistics server between rounds which improves server performance during gameplay rounds.
• Players with "<" or ">" in their soldier names should now have those names appear properly through the game.
• "Stat FPS" will now show your frames per second.
• Soldiers who have any of their core attributes reach the maximum value will no longer cause the game to stop.
• AdminChangeMission now works properly with Take & Hold missions.
• M320 loadouts should now always give the correct number of rounds.
Weapons
• Server will currently select the most advanced weapon sight you are qualified for. If the player is qualified to use the M68 Aimpoint and selects the iron sights, the player will receive the M68 Aimpoint on your weapon. This is a known issue that will be addressed in the next update to restore normal operation of the sight selection feature.
• Modified the m249 to only ever chamber a round immediately before it fires it. This is how the actual weapon works and fixes our losing rounds bug.
• Enabled weapon guard for crouching.
• Reloading while scoped will no longer leave you in a walking state.
• Interrupting an initial SAW reload should no longer leave you in a state where you cannot fire. It also was causing a bullet chain animation glitch.
• Changed the way HUD notification for m320 grenades works to match the way the HUD displays other ammo. The HUD now displays the number of mags/grenades on the player's body, and does not display mags/grenades that are currently loaded into the gun or weapon mod.
• You can no longer swap weapons and melee at the same time. If one of those actions is in progress you will now have to wait for it to complete before performing the other.
• Reloads resumed after a cancelled reload should now also be cancellable.
• Fixed a weapon guard bug that was causing grenades to vanish after dismounting a ladder.
• Open bolt weapons will no longer incorrectly attempt to fix a malfunction because they don't have a chambered round.
• Fix to late exploding Grenades/203's can kill players after the round ends due to objective completion and result in confusing AAR's (and double victory.
• Fix for melee attacks not working anymore in single player. Now it works in single and multiplayer.
• Fixed a glitch that was causing weapons to get stuck in safe after sprinting and immediately vaulting.
• Dropped weapon pickups should no longer have overlapping mods on the same rail.
• Fix to issue that was causing weapons to get stuck in low ready after using Pipeline activated objectives.
• Resetting FOV on pawn death so he won't get stuck in a zoomed state if he died scoped.
• Enabled reload during weapon guard.
• Performance increase on frag grenades effect.
• Removed a 1st animation blend for the smoke grenade. It was intended to transition from an oversized grenade grip to normal grenade grip when putting away a smoke grenade, but was causing the grenade to sink into the player's hand.
• Grenade icon when M320 selected will now show.
• Dropped weapon pickups (firearms and grenades) will no longer block bullets.
• Safety indicator will now show when putting the m320 in low ready.
• Trying to go prone (or crouch) in area where it's not allowed prevented weapon from working properly again until after a successful prone/crouch was completed
• Fix for unexploded M320 rounds persisting across rounds (and causing damage to players if walked on).
• Designated Marksman: Pawn dies in a zoomed state, next round starts as FS zoomed view fixed.
• When performing a deliberate reload, you may now sprint (interrupting the reload) after the new mag has been seated without being required to restart the reload afterward. An initial (full) reload, however, must still be restarted even if interrupted at the last moment.
• Fixed an issue where rounds appeared to be remaining inside the m249 on reload even though all rounds were shot. This was caused by laggy replication of the number rounds expended and has been addressed.
• Re-enabling swapping back to your previous weapon after tossing a grenade (instead of swapping to the primary.)
• You should no longer get a bad m249 magazine floating above your gun when you interrupt a reload after the magazine has already been detached from the weapon.
• Fixing interrupted reloads should now work even after sprinting followed by a dive.
• Reload interrupt issue due to combat dive was fixed.
• If you are qualified to use the M68 Aimpoint and you select the M4A1 or M249 you will always be given the M68 Aimpoint (this addresses an issue where sometimes you didn't receive the aimpoint).
• If you are qualified to use the M16 DMR and have the weapon you will always (regardless of role selection loadout settings) have the ACOG RCO attached.
• Addressed issue that was preventing the M320 reload animation from being interrupted when sprinting, even though the reload was actually cancelled.
• Flash Grenades no longer disappear after exploding but instead remain on the ground just like the real Flash Grenade does.
Training
• Adjustment in SDM training where occasionally player cannot finish due to issues with reload timing.
• Weapons Fam: Fixed issue with one of the targets not falling when grenade is thrown in front of it and explodes.
• Tier 1 M4A1 MWS : Updated one of the tooltips to use the key binding look-up instead of being hard coded to saying 'press space to continue'
• Added in the reversed target material for one of the targets on the m249 range so it will accept hits properly.
UI
• Fixed scoreboard ping display to show correct ping times. Note that ping times in earlier releases were incorrect and you may see your ping time reported as a higher number as a result of the calculation correction. However, this is your actual latency to the server.
• Fixed typos in FAQ under Support section.
• Fixed all reported typos in the GO ARMY section.
• Typo fixed in localization for deadeye achievement.
• In-game server info UI shows wrong max players - was always showing sub-level's mission max players instead of potentially lower gameinfo.Maxplayers. Now it shows lower of the two.
• Fix for nonfunctional crosshairs setting in interface settings
• Cardinal directions are flipped in radial menu.
• Fix for some training UI elements popping up over in-game menus in training.
• Fix for crash at round end with mission clock display set to contextual
• Fix for F9 screenshot keybind being overridden.
• Fix for slowdown when alt-tabbing. Rendering thread will be restarted when the game window is brought back up, without restarting it every tick and leaking memory all over the place.
• Distinguished Rifleman coin now has no internationalization text
• Fixed the broken vote ready functionality so that it will work regardless of role selection.
• Spawning issues where server determined spawn locations (typically after the first round) aren't properly reflecting down in the battle planner. This should correct the issue so the client selected spawn points are always used.
• Fix to ensure mouse is properly locked to viewport when alt-tabbing back into the full-screen game. This was a problem most often when full screen resolution was set to a different resolution than the desktop.
• Match neutralizations corrected in Soldier Overview.
• Toggle Hold Lean functionality added to control settings. There is no default for it, so players wanting to make use of the new functionality will have to assign keys themselves.
• Modifies server displayed titlebar server info to include current server authentication mode.
• Dedicated service ribbon was missing it's localization string.
• Comm volume system will attempt to find a volume rather than display unknown. This fixes the problem where under certain conditions it is possible to get 'unknown' when a comm volume is present. It would happen when the pawn enters multiple volumes, but the highest priority is the only one that was recorded, which could be a ladder!
• Adjusted army service ribbon logic to correctly award medal when merited.
Map Fixes
Alley
• Added vault/mantle volumes to most of the benches in the play area.
• Adjusted one of the washers in the laundromat so it shouldn't z-fight with its neighbor anymore.
• Adjusted the physmat on all barbed wire material so that decals won't be as obvious when you shoot between the strands.
• Tweaked the collision on some boards in the convenience store basement to fix a pawn floating in the air bug.
• Added a few meshes under the board in the construction site so you can step up onto it without going all the way around the ramp.
• Adjusted the physmats on some of the hotel floor and ceilings so you can't shoot through them anymore.
• Adjusted a few of the CommVolumes and extended a few others to include empty areas.
• Adjusted the Physmats on the Czervenian flags, so they no longer block bullets.
• Added a fix for minor collision issues in the construction yard.
• Doors with glass were blocking relevancy traces. Now they don't so players won't disappear behind closed glass doors.
• Tweaked some of the meshes placed last time this bug was attempted to be fixed. Should keep the player from getting stuck on the stairs now.
• Tweaked the clothes lines so they don't have phantom decals anymore.
• Fixed a physmat issue with the soda machines in buckets.
• Fixed a shimmering leaves problem with one of the decals in alley.
• Added collision to some of the PCs in the alley convience store.
• Tweaked the collision on the stairs, should be less likely to clip into them when prone on them.
Bridge
• Added some vault mantle volumes in each of the towers.
• Added two blocking volumes to the central tower. These should keep the players from prone crawlling through the bars, but still allow bullets and grenades to pass through.
• Fixed an issue where the MIP maps on the crate used in the carryable sublevel were operating backwards.
• Adjusted a tree that was clipping really badly through a building.
• Adjusted a crate that was clipping really badly through that same building.
• Tweaked one of the fences to try to improve the lighting quality on it.
• Moved some of the lights that were floating in the air.
• Fixed a few minor visual bugs.
• Adjusted a floating sign on the bridge so that it doesn't float in the air.
• Adjusted some of the comm volumes upstairs in the bridge towers, before the stairway down to the tunnels were outside of the volumes, now they are inside them.
• Added some vault mantle volumes to bridge.
• Tweaked the comm volumes some more. This should keep it from flashing that you are on the NE ledge when you are really still on the catwalks.
Impact
• Fixed several lighting issues.
• Added a few vault mantle volumes to some of the railings.
• Adjusted the physmats and collision on a bunch of the potted plants around the level. They should all respect bullets now.
• Tweaked the materials/physmats on the metal bedframe. Before it shared a material with the mattress, but now it has its own with the correct metal physmat.
• Adjusted the collision on a few other assets that weren't respecting bullets.
• Adjusted the VIP's loadout so it is more in line with every other VIP mission.
• Fix to bullet impacts/sounds/holes missing in all windows and glasses and curtains stopping the bullets.
• Adjusted the collision on the windows in the southwest villa, they should now respond correctly to bullets.
• Enabled decals on a few meshes that didn't allow them, should now show bullet effects.
• Made all of the awnings not block weapons anymore, this should keep them from looking like they are spitting out concrete when you shoot them.
• Fixing one last little part of the curtains used in impact, seems they didn't have physmats.
• Moved a decal that was causing one of the garbage meshes to look like it was popping in and out of shadows depending on where your camera was.
• Tweaked the grass layer on the terrain so it shouldn't be growing through a stairway anymore.
• VIP has wrong appearance after two players switch roles (the vip flag wasn't replicating prior to the mesh initializing on the client).
• Added collision volumes to some of the flower pots.
Pipeline
• Fixed all the windows so that they now show glass hit effect decals. Also added a piece of corrugated medal over one of the windows in the main control room. This should limit the amount of damage to the SDM can do on the assault team's spawn position. Also added some damage the barbed wire fences if you land on them.
• Adjusted the collision on the oil pumps so that they are no longer blocking bullets 3 feet in the air around and above them.
• Adjusted most of the spotlights in pipeline to actually light the player, I have no idea why they weren't set to do that in the first place. Also enlarged the beast volume so that it actually covers the basement.
• Adjusted the spawn points in Pipeline Classic to fix an issue with the initial reload at spawn due to obstacles causing the player to immediately go into weapon guard.
• Fixed a few visual artifacts in the rafters area above the defensive spawn.
• Set some things to no longer cull by distance as they created a few instances where the SDM could shoot people that thought they were blocked from view.
• Removed the grass from the inside of the shipping container out front.
• Added a collision volume to some of the lamps in the break room.
• Added some vault/mantle volumes to a few barrels.
• Fixed the physmat on one of the sign materials.
• Moved one of the chairs in the main control room to help keep a player from getting stuck.
• Fixed some spelling mistakes in the pipeline comm volumes.
• Fix to grass growing inside objects where grass just shouldn't be.
• Fixed elevation display of two activated objectives as shown in the SAI.
• Made adjustments to the security cameras. They will now ignore dynamic shadows to help performance a little bit.
Ranch
• Added another comm volume to the ravine, as there was a small gap that I hadn't covered before.
• Adjusted the truck in front of the ranch house to have breakable windows similar to how it is setup in alley.
• Enabled 'block weapons' on the light fixtures inside the ranch house. Added breakable windows to truck near one of the spawn points.
• Added collision to one of the barbed wire meshes for the chicken coop in ranch. Now the mesh should block grenades.
VRS
• Fix for issue that causes player to become stuck after watching any of the Real Heroes movies.
The America's Army 3 game offers a number of new features including:
- New Scoring System - In this new Army values-based scoring system, a player's "Honor" score is a combination of his/her scores from subcategories that represent the seven core Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. The values are matched with certain game behaviors, and demonstrating these values contributes to successful gameplay and accomplishments. For example, personal courage can be demonstrated by accomplishing the mission objectives even if the player is the last teammate to remain in the game. Selfless service is demonstrated by aiding an injured Soldier even though it may put the player in harm's way. Other players will be able to select teammates based on their Soldier profiles, which reflect how players have progressed in the game as well as their player roles/gameplay style preferences.
- Detailed Statistics - AA3's extremely detailed statistics give players immediate feedback at the end of rounds and matches in online play, in addition to summarizing player behaviors. Players can accrue a number of stats including marksmanship accuracy; time played; time played by class role; total score; rounds won, lost, and survived; objectives captured, and teammates treated as a combat lifesaver. Players can also monitor where their hits are landing on other players, as well as where they are taking hits. These statistics are used to drive a player achievement system through which players can earn a variety of awards including coins, ribbons, and medals.
- Character Movements - In addition to basic movements such as running, sprinting, and crouching, the game supports tactical and combat movement types. A tactical movement is a more methodical, slower movement that reduces the noise associated with the player's motion. The combat movement is louder but faster. Combat movements include the combat roll, a full roll either to the left or to the right in the prone position, the combat slide in which players can slide into a crouch position from a sprint, and the combat dive in which players dive face first into a prone position. These movements enable players to evade the enemy or better position themselves to incapacitate the enemy. When moving throughout the maps, players can vault (place a foot on the object and leap or climb over it) as well as mantle (place a hand down to get over larger objects than the vault would support).
- Player Damage Model - The player damage system has a high level of detail that tracks a number of the player's health metrics and divides the player's body into distinct areas that can each be damaged separately. The type and location of a player's injury will affect the player's abilities. For example, injuries in the lower body, such as the legs, will slow the player down, while injuries in the upper body, such as the torso and arms, will hinder accuracy but not movement speed. When players are affected by injuries they can be revived in some cases by their teammates. All players will have Combat Life Saving (CLS) training as part of Basic Combat Training so they can assist and stabilize an injured or incapacitated teammate. However, players must make the right decisions about medical treatment in order to heal, and not hurt, the injured player.
- Mission Planning - Squad and Fire Team leaders now have strategic choices to make before a mission. The Squad Leader will assign the fire teams to an objective, and the Fire Team leaders will in turn determine where on the map their fire team will spawn. The individual Soldiers will make decisions about whether they carry heavy, medium, or light ammunition loads. The flexibility of mission preplanning gives players a variety of customization options and greater replayability.
- Authenticity of Weapons and Weapons Effects
Players can customize their weapon configuration and load (gear) with attachable modifications as well as select the type and number of ammunition cartridges and grenades they'll need to accomplish their mission. These choices affect gameplay, as heavy loads negatively affect speed and endurance while lighter loads negatively affect fire power. The game's ballistics models are also highly detailed. Bullets in the game operate as they would in real life, requiring players to be aware of their surroundings. The game demonstrates a realistic interaction between bullets and materials, allowing penetration through wood and drywall and ricochets off metal and stone. Even the material that a bullet ricochets off will create different angles of bullet movement. In this reactive environment, players will have to quickly learn the difference between cover and concealment. - Lighting and Sound - The development team paid great attention to the realism of the lighting and sounds within the America's Army 3 game to make them part of tactical gameplay. Players can use high fidelity audio clues to assess a combat situation. For example, they can determine the proximity of the bullet to their location based on the sound it makes. If the bullet is in close proximity to the player, the player will hear an explosive sound from the sonic boom that the bullet makes as it whizzes by the player. If the bullet is farther away, the player will hear the muzzle shot and the cavitation sounds the bullet makes as it echoes in the distance. These sounds were recorded in a live-fire scenario by the developers with the help of Army Subject Matter Experts. Sound occlusion and reverberation are other game features that make the AA3 audio experience more realistic than any other military game.
These sound and light effects work together in situations, such as when a player throws a grenade in a small enclosed area and players who are close to the grenade's point of impact feel the effects of overpressure, which can cause ear ringing, dizziness, and pain. A flash bang can cause the player to experience temporary blindness and hearing loss. Together, the high fidelity sound and lighting contribute to the overall realism and authenticity of AA3.
Players can also enjoy America's Army - The Graphic Novel, a free online graphic novel based on America's Army 3. The graphic novel, which can be easily viewed without download, is live on the America's Army website. America's Army - The Graphic Novel begins at the start of a conflict with a story arc from the perspective of a Soldier who is a member of a U.S. Army Long Range Surveillance (LRS) team, and will intertwine that Soldier's story along with the stories of others Soldiers whose occupational specialties include Military Intelligence, Medic, UAV Operator, Infantryman, and Helicopter Pilot. Through the episodic releases of the graphic novel, viewers will discover the main Soldiers' stories and accompany them on missions as they experience the Army's technologies and equipment, Army Values, different MOSs and Army life.
The Army creates and distributes America's Army so that young Americans can virtually explore Soldiering in the U.S. Army like Soldiers experience it – as individuals and as members of teams. Through the Game's virtual experiences, young Americans can explore the Army from basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and medic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to operations in defense of freedom. Along the way, they can join elite Army units and experience the strength of Army teamwork, values, and technology within an engaging environment. The game has become an online phenomenon, consistently ranking among the most popular PC action games played online. The games are rated T for Teen and can be downloaded free from Steam and from various partners listed on the official America's Army website website. They are also distributed at local Army Recruiting stations, ROTC Detachments, and Army events.
In the America's Army game, players are bound by Rules of Engagement (ROE) and grow in experience as they navigate challenges in team-based, multiplayer, force-on-force operations. In the game, as in the Army, accomplishing missions requires teamwork and adherence to the Army's core Values. Through its emphasis on team play, the game demonstrates these Values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage and makes them integral to success in America's Army.
Those playing AA3 through Steam will also get the benefit of Steamworks features such as auto-updating, Steam Achievements, and Steam Cloud. As with previous versions of America's Army, AA3 will be constantly updated to include new features and missions and to highlight new technologies being incorporated in today's Army.
America's Army 3, rated T for Teen, is currently available as free download.
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