America's Army: Proving Grounds launches on Steam

By AMRDEC Public AffairsOctober 7, 2015

America's Army: Proving Grounds launches on Steam
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Army has fully launched the free America's Army: Proving Grounds game on Steam. America's Army is developed by the Army Game Studio, which falls under the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center's Software Enginee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
America's Army: Proving Grounds launches on Steam
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Army has fully launched the free America's Army: Proving Grounds game on Steam. America's Army is developed by the Army Game Studio, which falls under the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center's Software Enginee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
America's Army: Proving Grounds launches on Steam
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Army has fully launched the free America's Army: Proving Grounds game on Steam. America's Army is developed by the Army Game Studio, which falls under the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center's Software Enginee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
America's Army: Proving Grounds launches on Steam
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The U.S. Army has fully launched the free America's Army: Proving Grounds game on Steam. America's Army is developed by the Army Game Studio, which falls under the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center's Software Enginee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Oct. 7, 2015) -- The U.S. Army has fully launched the free America's Army: Proving Grounds game on Steam. The game, which was released in beta in August 2013, had more than 920,000 player accounts created during the beta period and over 7.7 million hours of play.

Players can register their Soldier name for the game at the America's Army: Proving Ground website and download the game from Steam.

"We received great feedback from our fans during the beta and with the help of our community we greatly improved the AA:PG game and experience," said Daniel Kolenich, executive producer for America's Army. "We've also been blown away by some of the great creations by our fans who used our AA Mission Editor to recreate some of their favorite maps from the franchise and develop new styles of game play that AA players are already loving."

America's Army is developed by the Army Game Studio, which falls under the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center's Software Engineering Directorate. The Studio operates in support of the Army Marketing and Research Group.

Bringing the best features of the previous versions to a new America's Army environment, AA: PG stresses small unit tactical maneuvers and training that resembles the current day Army. AA: PG showcases the Army by emphasizing Army values, teamwork, training and completing the objectives through game-play that reflects the Soldier's Creed.

Set in a fictional country, The Republic of the Ostregals, players are in the role of an 11B Infantryman practicing combat maneuvers at JTC Griffin, a fabricated training military operations on urban terrain environment created by Conex modular containers. This training is crucial to the player's success as part of a Long Range Combined Arms -- Recon unit, a full spectrum capable team that embarks on special operations missions behind enemy lines.

During the beta period, developers released many new features in the game including five new maps: Harbor Assault, Redline, Slums, Cold Front, and Intercept, new Soldier models, the M24 Sniper Weapon System, New Mission Types and the Mission Editor which players have used to create more than 800 maps. The newly launched game features a new Heads Up Display and User Interface, a new map, new camo and gear sets for the U.S. Soldiers, a progression system featuring actual Army rank, enemy weapons, weapon skins and new achievements.

The America's Army game features:

• Several training exercises designed to sharpen small unit maneuver skills. Battledrill Exercises are small engagements of 6 players vs. 6 players. These fast-paced maps focus on teaching players how to work as a team and learn basic skills and maneuvers. The game also features Forward Line Operation missions for 12 vs. 12 players. These larger mission-based exercises require players to use several skills learned in their Battledrills to achieve success.

• Realistic equipment and military hardware such as such as the M9A1 & M1911 Pistol, Remington 870 MCS shotgun, M14EBR-RI sniper rifle, M24 sniper rifle, M4A1 and the M249 Saw. Players can also use the M67 fragmentation grenade, M106 Fast Obscurant Grenade and the M84 Stun Grenade as well as optics that include the M68 Close Combat Optic, M553 Holographic Weapon Sight, M150 ACOG 4x Optic, Elcan M145 and Ghost Ring Sight.

• Situational Awareness allowing one player to spot the enemy and then an icon is displayed over their head for a few seconds.

• The AA:PG Mission Editor which allows players to create their own missions and share them with the community through the Steam Workshop.

• Players have the ability to apply medical aid to stop their own bleeding which allows them to maintain their health and stay in the game for completion of the mission.

• Integrated Voice Over IP for efficient team communication.

• Standard Army force-on-force training practices so that players always perceive they are Soldiers in the U.S. Army. Using this technique, a player's comrades always appear to be in U.S. Army uniforms. The opposing force always appears to be in enemy uniforms.

• Missions and maps driven by the America's Army Comics series. The comics tell the story of U.S. Soldiers deployed to Czervenia, a tiny foreign nation in the middle of a chaotic conflict. What starts as a humanitarian relief effort quickly escalates into something much more dangerous and mysterious that could change the course of the world.

• Parental controls to change the game into paintball type play and turn off voice and text chat.

• Shoot Houses for players to practice their skills with all the weapons in the game. Players are able to increase their speed, accuracy and target identification skills through a number of challenges, and then they can compare their performance against the community.

• Customization including the camo pattern of their team, the gear loadout and race of their Soldier and the ability to unlock paint changes on their weapons and to get new optics.

About America's Army

America's Army products use innovative technology to provide authentic and entertaining Army experiences that reflect the lives, training, technology, skills, careers and values of a United States Army Soldier.

The flagship is the America's Army PC Game, the official game of the U.S. Army. It's rated T for Teen and can be downloaded free from Steam. America's Army: Proving Grounds, which launched an open beta in August of 2013 and was fully released in October 2015, brings the best features of the previous games to a new AA environment that stresses small unit tactical maneuvers.

The America's Army Comic series lets readers further explore the America's Army storyline and delve deep into character plots of Soldiers' lives when deployed and at home.

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The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

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