ABOUT THE GAME
América's Army is the official gaming experience designed to highlight the role of various units within the world's premier land force, the United States Army. Through a series of training exercises and team-based multiplayer force-versus-force missions, players will be introduced to a diverse range of operations that emphasize the Army's core values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. As with real soldiers in the Army, game players are bound by these values, as well as the Laws of Land Warfare and realistic Rules of Engagement (ROE). Players who violate these norms will incur penalties and loss of standing, while those who embrace them will discover that the game offers many rewards for their perseverance, dedication and sense of teamwork.
TRAINING
In the Army, all soldiers must first undergo Basic Combat Training before they can receive duty assignments. The same holds true in America's Army, as all players must complete several training exercises before they can join an online mission. These training exercises will teach players how to navigate through the virtual worlds, as well as familiarize them with the game's many weapons, communication protocols and tactical procedures. As each training mission is completed, players will be prompted to upload their results to the Authentication Server, where they will be permanently recorded. Upon the conclusion of Basic Combat Training, more advanced training missions will become available, such as the Airborne and Advanced Marksmanship Schools. While players will still be able to participate in some online operations, the game's full range of attributes, features and missions will only be available to those who complete these advanced courses. As the game continues to evolve and more aspects of the Army are introduced, additional training missions and subsequent features will be made available.
GETTING STARTED
Before you can play America's Army, you will first need to create a unique player account. Do so by selecting the PERSONNEL JACKET page from the main menu, and then choosing CREATE ACCOUNT. Make sure that you are connected to the Internet, as this option will take you to a web page where you will be provided with further instructions on creating your account. Once your player account has been created and you have received your password, return to the PERSONNEL JACKET page, enter your information and then click LOG-IN. After you have logged in, you may begin training your character.
JOINING A GAME
Once your training is complete, it is time to go online and participate in the various missions and exercises offered by the game. To play online, follow these simple steps: 1) Be sure you are logged in with a qualified account. 2) Check the NEWS section for any available game updates. If an update is available, the SUPPORT section of the menu offers a number of official download sites. 3) Click the DEPLOYMENT button and make sure that you are on the FIND SERVER page. Click the REFRESH LIST button at the bottom of the screen to update the server browser with a current list of available game servers. 4) Select the server you wish to join and then either double- click on it in the server list, or select the JOIN button in the lower portion of the screen.
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE)
The following is a list of common rules and regulations that should be observed while you are connected to the Official game servers. They deal with your user name, general behavior and courtesy, and repercussions that should be expected should you fail to follow these simple guidelines.
- Attacking a team member is a violation of the Rules of Engagement (ROE). If you injure another player you will incur negative ROE points. Most servers have a limit to the amount of ROE that is allowed. If you exceed that limit you will be removed from the server and sent to Leavenworth. To continue the game, you will have to return to the server browser and redeploy your character.
- All Players have an HONOR score, which is reflected next to your playername on the scoreboard. Everyone starts out with an HONOR of 10. Earning points will cause this number to slowly rise over time. Losing points will cause the number to go down. Since most servers require a minimum of 9 HONOR to join, be careful when you play. If your HONOR drops below the minimum, you will have to play on a 'retraining' server to bring your HONOR back up.
- Using flash or smoke grenades to disorient teammates is not allowed and can result in the player being removed from the server. The same goes for spamming chat or voice commands, as well as standing in passageways to purposely block teammates.
- Bear in mind the following character restrictions in the login name when signing up for America's Army: / : * ? " < > | are NOT valid. Using any of these characters will result in your game not authenticating or saving correctly; in other words, you won't be able to complete the training missions or play online. A name involving excessively explicit or vulgar language may be warned and can lead to removal.
- Any and all threats against the server, including attempts to hack, crash, or flood a server, actual or implied, are grounds for instant removal and can result in legal action. - Derogatory language or slander involving race, gender, sexual preference, religion or creed, including negative use of otherwise harmless words will not be tolerated and will be grounds for immediate removal, with or without warning.
- Excessively harassing other players is not permitted on Official servers. A little healthy competitive trash- talking is tolerable; however excessive comments directed at specific players will be grounds for warning and/or removal.
- Impersonation of Server Admins, Development team members, or other members of the Army staff or other fraudulent use of an identification tag is grounds for immediate removal from the servers . This includes close spellings intended to deceive other players in the servers.
