This article was written by Gamespy
The first version of America's Army was released years ago. Since then it has undergone continuous upgrades that have tweaked the game, added features, and improved the graphics. At this year's E3, the U.S. Army showed off what will be the last two updates for the current version of its free downloadable game. The first is America's Army version 2.7, a huge patch that will finally add cooperative multiplayer into the mix.
The name of this new co-op mode is "Overmatch," and it's been promised for a long time. You and up to 11 of your friends can form up a 12-man Special Forces A-Team. There will be at least two co-op maps available, with at least one including a new drivable, up-armored Humvee with either a .50 caliber machine gun or a Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher mounted on top with the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS. This is basically a powered turret that lets you operate a weapon via remote control from inside a vehicle. Now you'll be able to safely mow down insurgents from the relative safety of your armored HMMWV.
You and your buddies won't be the only people with a new ride. Enemy AI forces in the co-op mode will have Soviet T-72 tanks and BTR-60 armored personnel carriers. Nothing you carry on your Humvee will put a dent in either of those bad boys, so if you see one you'll have to get out of your ride and take down the enemy unit with an AT4 missile. There will be new training missions to prepare you to use the Humvee and the two new weapons mounted on it.
There will be four levels of AI in the Overmatch mode, ranging from simple "infantry" to "commando." Infantry-level AI will be inconsistent in their actions -- they may surrender while winning a firefight, or run away, or make illogical choices. Meanwhile, commando-level AI will take better shots, make better use of cover, and make your life miserable if you're not on your toes.
The v2.7 update will also include a new "versus" map that takes place in a large cityscape that has been bombed to hell a few times. Looking up is key to survival here because of all the tall buildings clustered closely together. This can be a sniper's paradise thanks to all the potential hiding places.
Another new addition takes place off the field of battle. It's called the Virtual Recruiting Station, and it's exactly what it sounds like. Here you'll walk around a virtual recruiting office to learn more about the Army, see videos of job specialties in the Army, and talk to virtual recreations of real Army heroes. These heroes are each part of America's Army's "Real Hero" program. These guys have all won either a Bronze Star award or higher in actual combat, and now they'll appear in the game to tell you about their exploits and their jobs. As a side note, figurines of these guys are on the way as well. You can also expect to see a whole new user interface to make navigating through the game's features easier.
Version 2.7 of America's Army is due out in July; after that there is one more update, version 2.8, which will be the final update for the current version of America's Army and will include the much-anticipated map editor. After that, development will shift to America's Army version 3.0, which will be a completely new game from the ground up. It's still at least a year off and right now the developers are keeping mum on it, most likely because it's just far too early to discuss. No matter how that turns out, the first game has been a great start.
I just copied and pasted this thanks to GameSpy. I understand this is TC:E but most of us here play AA, so we want to know.
And with 3.0, do they mean a fully new game, like still Army right, not some other wacked off thing? I like AA and I don't want it to go away.
Maybe someday we can see America's Navy, lol. Big guns, woo woo. Oh wait, they did away with the gusn oh well, 5" guns, woo woo. And Harpoon Missles, woo woo again.