America's Army is one of the ten most popular PC action games played online. It provides players with the most authentic military experience available, from exploring the development of Soldiers in individual and collective training to their deployment in simulated missions in the War on Terror.

In America's Army: Special Forces, the follow-up to America's Army: Operations, players attempt to earn Green Beret status by completing individual and collective training missions drawn from the Special Forces Assignment and Selection (SFAS) process.

Players who complete the SFAS process have the opportunity to take on elite Special Forces roles and are qualified to play in multiplayer missions with units ranging from the elite 82d Airborne Division to the 75th Ranger Regiment


Here are some key features of "Americas Army Special Forces":

AMERICA'S ARMY MISSION EDITOR

· America's Army: Coalition is proud to debut the AA Mission Editor, which is based on the actual UnrealEd tools used by the Development Team in the creation of multiplayer missions such as SF Hospital and Interdiction.
· The Mission Editor enables America's Army players to modify existing levels and/or create new levels using any of the existing art, sound, particle effects and gameplay assets created by the Dev Team. All player-created levels and missions will contain a unique signature in the map file to allow clear identification when submitting a final version for review. Only maps submitted to Mission Depot (http://www.aamissiondepot.com/) will be reviewed and certified for approval. Once a player-created level or mission has been approved it will be hosted on Official America's Army servers for everyone to enjoy.

MISSION DEPOT

· Mission Depot is powered by Pragmatic Solutions and is the official map submission site and repository for the America's Army game. Map makers who think their map will make it past the Mission Depot requirements will have an opportunity to play their mission in the official honor network!
· The core of Mission Depot is the map review process. Maps uploaded to Mission Depot will be reviewed by a panel of experts. The most creative and well constructed maps that best fit within the America's Army game may be chosen to become Official America's Army maps! Only maps submitted and approved by Mission Depot will be designated Official Maps for deployment on Honor Servers.

VIRTUAL RECRUITING STATION

· The America's Army Real Heroes program will allow you to enter a Virtual Recruiting Station (VRS) and have the opportunity to meet and interact with several Combat Veterans of the Global War on Terrorism.
· The initial debut of the Real Heroes will introduce you to: SFC Gerald Wolford of the 82nd Airborne, SGT Tommy Rieman of the 51st LRRPS, SSG Matthew Zedwick of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and MAJ Jason Amerine of the Special Forces. Additionally, you'll be able to read their bios, review their military medals and decorations, watch videos describing their Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) including Infantry (11X), Special Forces (18-series) as well as specialized training in Airborne and Ranger School.
· As a special thanks to our America's Army players we're granting a one-time Experience Point bonus for each Real Hero you meet (a 3% XP bonus is applied after visiting each in VRS). In order to obtain the XP Bonus players simply have to be logged-in with an active player account.

JAVELIN

· Learn how to employ the Army's first true "Fire and Forget" Anti-Armor weapon: The Javelin. America's Army presents players with an immersive training exercise based on the America's Army powered training simulator, the Javelin Basic Skills Trainer, or BST. Players will be instructed to properly assemble, identify and engage hostile enemy targets in a variety of battlefield conditions. Javelin qualification is the first America's Army training to be set "Outside the Continental United States" (OCONUS) and accurately depicts a modern Army Tent City facility.
· As the Javelin is a heavy weapon (over 60lbs) player movement will be restricted when deploying the Javelin; additionally players may only carry a single Javelin tube at a time, though non-qualified players can support the mission by selecting to carry spare Javelin tubes, allowing the Javelin to be reloaded. This idea of a "loader" buddy system is a first for America's Army.

CROWS

· The first fully-drivable vehicle in America's Army is also one of the newest platforms in the U.S. Army inventory: The M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV with Common-Remotely-Operated-Weapon-System (CROWS). Players will earn the "Driver's Badge", visible in their Record Brief, by completing two short training exercises in order to safely operate the M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV and the CROWS (either an M2 .50cal MG or the MK19 40mm grenade launcher). You must successfully complete both the driver and gunnery training courses to be qualified to operate either in America's Army.
· The CROWS is operated via a Weapons Console located behind the driver position. Players will learn employ the Laser Ranging System and 12x zoom in order to accurately place ordnance on enemy positions and targets.
· Although well armored, the CROWS HMMWV is not indestructible, and can sustain damage to the tires, engine, 50mm/MK19 weapon and chassis. Players also need to be careful not to damage the HMMWV through reckless driving. Despite the depth of the CROWS simulation we think players will find this a relatively easy and highly compelling new aspect of America's Army gameplay.

DYNAMIC CONTENT AND IMPROVED GAME UI

· The entire America's Army interface has been revised to be more concise and visually interesting. The new Record Brief enhances the Personnel Jacket to include Skill Badges, M4A1 Weapon Mods, Dynamically Updated News, and a Player Stats section including over 40 different game play statistics so you can evaluate every aspect of your America's Army experience.
· The "Badges" section of the Record Brief will display actual Army Skill Badges, which actual Soldiers earn upon completing the various types of training offered in America's Army. These include the: Rifle Marksmanship Badge, the Expert Field Medical Badge, Airborne Wings, Driver's Badge, the Expert Infantryman's Badge (EIB) and the Special Forces "Di Oppresso Liber" distinctive crest insignia.
· Dynamic Content Delivery System (DCDS) is another new feature in America's Army. DCDS will allow us to add new content and update existing content at any time, which means maps and gameplay changes can be provided with greater frequency than was possible in the past.

IMPROVED GAME UI

· Comprehensive redesign incorporating feedback from the user community. Extensive changes designed to maximize player awareness of accomplishments, progression, and requirements for unlocking features, missions, and training.
· Enemy Spotted Command - Enemy soldiers will not show up in the SAI, but players can call out "Enemy Spotted" commo and plot a red diamond where they've trained their crosshairs.
· Line of Sight - Designed to respresent the pre-mission planning experience and in-field communication.
· Emphasis on Leadership - Squad Leaders and Fire Team Leaders can see their soldiers at all times, granting them the means to better coordinate unit actions and maximize Soldier welfare.
· HUD Compass Deprecated - SAI replaced the compass, formerly at the top center of the HUD.
· Full-Screen Map Toggle - The SAI can be maximized to full-screen with a single keypress to help players better comprehend their mission goals, team proximity and relative position on the map.
· Customized SAI Settings - The SAI's display may be set opaque or translucent; its rotation can be fixed or radial; commo messages can be toggled to flash.

NEW AND ENHANCED TRAINING

· Javelin Missile System - Players train on a virtual Basic Skills Trainer (BST), which is based on the actual America's Army powered training simulator; a special "Live Fire" challenge is offered upon completion of the BST qualification.
· M1114 Up-Armored HMMWV w/ CROWS - A short, two-part, hands-on course including driving and gunnery qualifications. Players must complete both in order to operate the CROWS HMMWV in-game.
· Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) - M16A2 qualification has been enhanced to model the Army's new training curriculum and standards -- but earning Expert is still a significant challenge.
· The Eagle Tower - The Eagle Tower Confidence Course Challenge replaces the obstacle course training level. Eagle Tower is a massive training apparatus, which accurately depicts the course found at Fort Benning, Georgia. Eagle Tower also represents one of the major goals of the America's Army project. The Eagle Tower level was originally built as an Army training aid; Army Soldiers are currently experiencing this level as part of the recent "Future Soldier Training System" (FSTS) application.
· Weapons Familiarization - An entirely new version of Weapons Familiarization (formerly U.S. Weapons) and now includes instruction in M9 Pistol, AT4 Anti-Armor Rocket, and Bunker Defeating Munition (BDM); each weapon may be attempted separately in any order.
· America's Army now has full-motion video support built-in (no plugins required). The Virtual Recruiting Station (VRS), CROWS Training and Javelin Training each have a variety of actual Army videos, many of these have been created specifically for America's Army and can be found nowhere else!

NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

· Up until now, America's Army has been focused on objective-based, multiplayer game play in missions set against a balanced human enemy. With Overmatch, we'll debut two new missions that will pit Rangers and Special Forces against an overwhelming force of Enemy AI Soldiers and Vehicles. These two new missions represent conflicts which have the enemy outnumbering the U.S. forces by three, four and even five-to-one!

Here's a quick description of the AI Soldiers:

· 4 AI Soldier classes: Infantry, Sergeants (NCOs), Officers and Commandos. Each can be distinguished by their voices, headgear and weaponry.
· 3 AI Vehicles: T-62 Tank, BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and BTR-80 Armored Personnel Carrier. Each have different movement, armor and weaponry.
· 9 Mental States: Each AI possesses a morale level ranging from Brave to Normal to Concerned to Suppressed to Panicked.
· 9 Types of Orders: AI are assigned to follow specific Primary Orders (Patrol, Guard, Ambush) and will shift to Secondary Orders (Hunt, Defend, Harass) when engaged.
· 150 new Opfor-ese phrases: AI will use contextual speech based on their mental state and the interrupts that compel their reactions. For example, players will be able to recognize whether an AI is panicked versus attacking.
· 12 different Interrupts: AI will react to a variety of specific combat events, such as seeing a grenade, hearing a bullet whip, or sustaining injury).
· 25 Combat Actions: AI will be individually directed to perform a wide variety of specific actions such as cower, lay down suppressing fire, fire blindly, or advance.
· AI is subject to CEM: it is vital our AI be subject to the same battlefield conditions as human players, so CEM will impact AI's accuracy too!

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS INDICATOR

· The new Situational Awareness Indicator (SAI) is a tool created to help players work as a team and complete their mission objectives in a more coordinated manner than was possible before. The SAI is positioned at the lower left of the HUD and replaces the legacy compass, previously located along the top of the HUD. SAI is intended to compensate for the limitations inherent to a PC monitor by providing players with information that might be apparent to them in a combat situation.
· SAI allows Squad and Fire Team Leaders to monitor the locations of Soldier's subordinate to them. Players in non-leadership positions will always see their FTL and SL, to suggest the existence of commo. Additionally, any player in Line-of-Sight (LOS) to the current player is visible in the SAI display, which effectively creates the possibility of linking to players not in direct LOS.
· Several features are particular to the SAI: the "Enemy Spotted" command, which will designate a temporary red marker at the point the player was aiming; Squad Leaders can designate an objective, which will cause the objective icon to flash momentarily; Any player using commo commands will flash momentarily in the SAI (but only visible to other in LOS or their SL/FTL); Injured players requesting medics will see a special First Aid icon representing those players and all active medics will see injured players flashing red.
· The SAI can also be customized to player preference by adjusting opacity, whether the SAI rotation is either fixed or radial, and be toggled to full screen view for better mission and positional awareness; player names and relative height (above/below indications) can be toggled on/off.

EXPLORE THE ARMY!

· Explore the Army (ETA) is a new feature providing "Instant Action" or "Free Play" - even if you don't possess an active player account - on specially designated servers running selected missions. New and veteran players alike can join these servers with a temporary nickname, chosen via a pop-up menu, and experience missions prior to obtaining the necessary qualifications. America's Army offers a lot of gameplay -- much of which necessarily requires qualifications and training. Explore the Army is intended to open a window into the more complex gameplay and missions to motivate new players to experience this training and/or a means to practice their skills "offline", as gameplay here does not accrue HONOR.