Con il comunicato stampa di seguito allegato, lo U.S. Army ha annunciato ufficialmente il rilascio dell'attesissimo action game America's Army 3, terzo episodio della saga di AA, costruito intorno all'evoluto motore grafico Unreal Engine 3 ed arricchito notevolmente in termini di scenari e gameplay.
Lo U.S. Army promette un netto salto dal punto di vista del realismo del gaming, che ora è in grado di riprodurre in maniera più fedele molti degli aspetti che caratterizzano la vita dei militari statunitensi; a tal proposito è stata curata anche la resa dell'audio del titolo.
Oltre ad Unreal Engine 3, la qualità grafica del titolo, ed in particolare gli effetti di luce e di ombra sono stati implementati con la tecnologia Beast Lighting Solution di Illuminate Lab. Il link per il download di America's Army 3 in versione Full sono presenti un questa pagina, subito dopo la press release ufficiale con cui lo U.S. Army ha presentato il game in dettaglio.
Silver Spring, MD JUNE 17, 2009 – The U.S. Army today launched America's Army 3,
the only action game that delivers an authentic and entertaining Army experience
by reflecting the training, technology, actions, and career advancement of a Soldier
within an exciting, free game experience. Players can download the teen-rated game
from Steam (http://www.americasarmy.com/steam/
as well as from partners listed at the America's Army website (http://www.americasarmy.com
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.
In America's Army 3, Every Detail CountsTM 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 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.
The AA3 team used Illuminate Lab's Beast Lighting Solution to enhance the visual
quality of the game. Beast is a global illumination package that, coupled with America's
Army, allowed the developers to design more realistic lighting and shadowing within
the game. The realistic environments in AA3 reproduce the natural effects that occur
when lighting reflects and bounces off materials and characters in the virtual world,
making camouflage very important for the Soldier in the game. AA3's lighting also
simulates realistic eye adjustments when a player moves from indoors (dark areas)
to outside (lighter areas) and vice versa.
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 (http://www.americasarmy.com/graphicnovel/.
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.
Source: U.S. Army Press Release
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