America's Army: Special Forces (Downrange) Release Notes (Version 2.1) ========================================================================== What's new ========================================================================== Character 'Ragdoll' Physics ------------------------------------------------------------ New in this edition of America's Army is the implementation of the Karma Physics Engine. This new feature applies real life physics to all player characters in the game. This produces real-time unique animations for each character during gameplay. These unique animations are calculated using real life physics as well as many other factors including, the gun/bullet type used, the distance from a frag grenade, the damage location on the body, etc. New U.S. Weapon - M136 AT4 ------------------------------------------------------------ The M136 AT4 is the Army's primary light anti-tank weapon. The M136 AT4 is a recoilless rifle used primarily by Infantry Forces for engagement and defeat of light armor. The recoilless rifle design permits accurate delivery of an 84mm High Explosive Anti-Armor warhead, with negligible recoil. The M136 AT4 is a lightweight, self-contained, anti-armor weapon consisting of a free-flight, fin- stabilized, rocket-type cartridge packed in an expendable, one-piece, fiberglass-wrapped tube. The M136 AT4 is man- portable and is fired from the right shoulder only. The round of ammunition is self-contained in a disposable launch tube. The system weighs 15 pounds and can be utilized effectively with minimal training. The Opfor equivalent is the RPG-7. New 'Tournament Mode' ------------------------------------------------------------ This version of America's Army features new tournament mode features, which are accessible either via the command line or a GUI interface. It will include an adjustable pre-match warm-up period with an in-game notification that the match is beginning. The time remaining un?????? til the tournament start is also displayed on the score screen, as well as in-game reminders, and a final 10-second countdown. Tournament Mode The new tournament mode has the following features: - The ability to launch tournament mode via the command line - Tournament Squad Leaders with special permissions - A pre-match warm-up time which does not count toward the tournament score. - Score screen is displayed at the end of the match, and the match does not automatically restart. - Time until the tournament starts is displayed on the score screen. - Messages remind the players how much time is remaining before the tournament begins. - Ten second countdown reminder before tournament starts. - Tournament and warm-up start messages. - The ability to control tournament functionality via ini file settings New Admin functionality: - The ability to set/remove Tournament Squad Leaders New Tournament Squad Leader or Admin abilities: - Restart the tournament when the tournament is over or during play - Force the start of the tournament - Force the start of the warm-up period - Force the start of the tournament with a 10 second count down - Mute a players on same team or whole team - Place players on team - Place players on specific fire teams in specific classes - Set the Tournament start time Generic Steps for Starting a Game in Tournament Mode: 1. Set the ArmyOps.ini file settings for the tournament. In the [AGP_Gameplay.AGP_GameTeamObjective] section set the following values: - TournamentWarmupTime=1 - TournamentStartTime=2 TournamentWarmupTime will be the number of minutes to wait until starting the warmup period. TournamentStartTime will be the number of minutes to wait until starting the actual tournament. Make any changes to the standard roundspermatch and matchesbeforecycle variables as desired. * NOTE: There also exist a preset tournament configuration file called servertourname?????? nt.ini located in the 'System' folder. 2. Launch the server in tournament mode. This is done by launching the server with the Tournament or LanTournament command line flags. An example command line would be: server LANTOURNAMENT pipeline.aao log=server.log * NOTE: There also exist a tournament server batch file called RunServerTournament.bat that contains a sample command line for running a typical tournament server. This file is located in the 'System' folder. A server launched with the TOURNAMENT flags will be set up for internet play. A server launched with the LANTOURNAMENT flag will be set up for lan play. 3. The two leaders of both teams must connect to the server. 4. Log into the server as an Admin. 5. Admin designates the Tournament Squad Leaders for each team. One player from each team must be designated as a Tournament Squad Leader. Select the Tournament tab from the in-game menu. This displays a list of all of the players currently on the server. To add the player as a tournament squad leader first highlight their name in the list. Then select the team to add the player to and click the Add button. Then click the Set button next to the team leader section to set the player as a team leader. 6. Squad Leaders add team members to their team. Once the admin has set the Tournament Squad leaders, they are able to perform their tournament commands. First they must select the members for their team. To add a player to a team first highlight the name of the player to add to the team. Then select the team to add the player to and click the Add button. Repeat until all team members are added to teams. (Note: admins cannot be added to teams). 7. Squad Leaders assign team members their fire teams and classes. To add assign a player first highlight the name of the player to be assigned. Then select the appropriate unit slot from the drop down box (Squad Leader, Fireteam A?????? lpha, Fireteam Bravo etc.). Then select the appropriate class within the unit from the drop down box (Rifleman, Grenadier, etc.). Finally, click the Add button to place the player in the specified slot. All players should be assigned to a Fireteam and class. 8. The Warm-up period begins automatically. Players can play normally and warm up during this time. Warm up has no bearing on the score of the tournament. This time may also be used to verify that all players are on the correct team in the correct classes. 9. The Tournament begins automatically. A countdown will notify the players that the tournament is starting. Once the gTournament Startingh message appears and the round restarts, the tournament has begun. 10. Tournament Ends, Tournament Score is displayed. When all rounds have been completed and the tournament is over, a screen will appear displaying the winner of the tournament and the final score. This screen will continue to be displayed until the tournament is restarted. Advanced Tournament Options Admins and Tournament Squad leaders with the proper permissions can perform certain tasks which control the flow of the tournament. The normal flow of a tournament is automatic, however these actions may be performed if the normal flow needs to be altered. The actions are performed by clicking the corresponding button in the Tournament Tab of the in-game menu. RestartTournament - Restarts a tournament during play or after the match is over. The tournament will start over and all scores and values are reset. StartTournament - Forces the start of the tournament. Warmup - Forces the start of the warm-up period. CountDown - Forces the start of the tournament with a 10 second count down. Depending upon the values set the in the ArmyOps.ini file, Tournament Squad Leaders may be able to perform additional commands. Admins may always perform these commands. The following are some of these commands: tournament Se?????? tStartTime newstarttime This command will set the time in minutes until tournament start to the specified newstarttime value. Advanced configuration file (.ini file) settings: These settings are listed in the following format: [Type] [Variable Name] [Default] [Description] int TournamentWarmupTime 1 Number of minutes to wait until starting the tournament warmup int TournamentStartTime 2 Number of minutes to wait until starting the tournament bool bTournamentSLCanAddToTeam True Tournament squad leader can add players to teams bool bTournamentSLCanStartTournament False Tournament squad leader can force tournament start bool bTournamentSLCanStartWarmUp False Tournament squad leader can force warmup start bool bTournamentSLCanStartCountDown False Tournament squad leader can force tournament start with 10 second countdown bool bTournamentSLCanRestartTournament False Tournament squad leader can restart the tournament Advanced Admin/SquadLeader Commands (built into GUI): Command: RestartTournament Argument Type: N/A Description: Restarts the tournament either in progress or after it has ended Usage: "tournament RestartTournament" Command: StartCountDown Argument Type: N/A Description: Forces the tournament to start with a 10 second countdown Usage: "tournament StartCountDown" Command: SetStartTime Argument Type: int Description: Sets the time until the tournament starts Usage: "tournament SetStartTime newstarttime" (newstarttime = minutes until the tournament starts) Command: StartWarmUp Argument Type: N/A Description: Forces the tournament warmup to start Usage: "tournament StartWarmUp" Command: StartTournament Argument Type: N/A Description: Forces the tournament to start Usage: "tournament StartTournament" Command: AddToClass Argument Type: string or int, int, int Description: Places a player on a fireteam in a specified class Usage: "tournament AddToCl?????? ass PLAYERNAME UNIT_SLOT SLOT_INDEX" (PLAYERNAME = The name or player ID of the player, UNIT_SLOT = 0,1,2... 0 = Squad Leader, 1 = Fireteam Alpha, 2 = Fireteam Bravo, etc. SLOT_INDEX = 0,1,2... 0 = First slot in the unit, 1 = Second slot in the unit, etc.) Command: AddToTeam Argument Type: string or int, int Description: Places a player on a specified team Usage: "tournament AddToTeam PLAYERNAME TEAM_ID" (PLAYERNAME = The name or player ID of the player TEAM_ID = 0 or 1 0 = Assault, 1 = Defense) Command: Mute Argument Type: string or int Description: Toggles the muting of a player or all players, Works just like admin mute, only Tournament Squad leaders can't mute players on the other team Usage: "mute all" or "mute PLAYERNAME" (PLAYERNAME = The name or player ID of the player) New Stryker Armored Vehicle ------------------------------------------------------------ This version of America's Army introduces the Army's new Interim Armored Vehicle, a.k.a. the Stryker. The Stryker vehicle is currently implemented as a stationary vehicle with a fully functioning .50 cal turret usable by the player. The Stryker's turret is accessible from inside the vehicle and has full zoom capability. These new Stryker vehicles are available in the "SF Arctic" mission. The Stryker turret zoom in/out keys are defaulted to the MouseWheelUp and MouseWheelDown keys, however they can be changed through the settings menu. New Multiplayer Missions ------------------------------------------------------------ Included in this version of America's Army are two new multiplayer missions. Both of these new missions are Special Forces missions containing both the Special Forces playable Soldier class, as well as the Indigenous Forces playable class. - SF Village: Insurgent forces have acquired multiple weapons caches and are holding up in an abandoned desert tow?????? n. A Special Forces A-Team, along with friendly Indigenous Forces, must infiltrate their position in town and seize these weapons caches in order to degrade enemy capability to arm insurgent forces. - SF Arctic: Coalition forces transporting arms and ammunition struck an improvised explosive device (IED), immobilizing one of their vehicles on a high- altitude mountain road. A Special Forces A-Team, along with friendly Indigenous Forces must now protect their essential materials and supplies from an assaulting resistance force who wishes to capture those supplies. The Stryker vehicles accompanying the supply convoy have taken defensive positions to help defend the immobilized convoy. New Realistic Suns Including Lens Flare ------------------------------------------------------------- Sun lens flares portray the real-life effects that you see when looking toward the direction of the sun. Their introduction has a really exciting impact on gameplay and in a variety of ways. When looking in the direction of the sun, this has a slight-to-moderate impact on your character's vision. Sun flares add a much greater immersiveness to the game, brightening-up your gamma momentarily. Needless to say, sun flares have a much greater impact on certain levels/ missions. They are not limited to SF-only maps and are retro-fitted to previous/existing maps including Radio Tower and SF CSAR. Class Selection Page Enhancements ------------------------------------------------------------ New in this version are 2 new enhancements to the in-game class selection page: - 'SWAP' feature Players can now request to swap weapons/classes with your teammates simply by hitting the 'Swap' button next to his name in the in-game class selection page. Once your teammate acknowledges your request to swap classes, your positions will automatically switch. - Weapons Mod Set ?????? Quick-Select Players can now select their weapon mods set directly from the class selection in-game menu rather than having to go back to the main user interface. New RPG and AT4 3D Ironsights with Adjustable Range Settings ------------------------------------------------------------ Both the RPG-7 and the M136 AT4 have new 3D ironsights in this latest version of America's Army. These weapons also both have the new functionality of 'adjustable range settings' based on the distance to target. Players can now adjust the ironsights based on the range to target, and then simply aim directly at the target when firing. The RPG/AT4 can be set to the following ranges: 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 meters. The range adjustment keys are defaulted to the MouseWheelUp and MouseWheelDown keys, however they can be changed through the settings menu. New 'Auto Slow Mode' Toggle for Zooming ------------------------------------------------------------ New in this version is new functionality for toggling 'auto slow mode' for zooming. You can now go to slow mode and raise your sights by pressing the zoom key instead of pressing two different keys (zoom and slow mode keys). This new feature allows automatic switching your player to eslow walk modef while zoomed in and auto-switching back to efast-walkf when they un-zoom. There is an option added to the settings menu to toggle between this new system and the old system. New 'Combat Reload' Including 'Plus One' loading ------------------------------------------------------------ When a player has an applicable weapon and reloads with a non-empty magazine, they now retain the round in the chamber and the magazine that was removed is decremented 1 round. With proper timing this also allows for a faster reload time as the player's animation will not have to clear the chamber and tap the forward assist with a round still in the chamber. New Alpha-Spectate Enhancement ------------------------?????? ------------------------------------ New in this version is an enhancement to regular spectating mode. When spectating a player in 3rd person, the player's chararacter will now become transparent as your camera position comes closer to the player character model. This prevents graphical clipping and allows the spectator to focus on the action surrounding this player's character. New Demo/Kiosk Mode ------------------------------------------------------------ New in this version of America's Army is a Demo/Kiosk mode. This 'Demo Mode' allows for the game to run demos either at the press of a button or after a customizable set time limit. This demo mode allows for the gameplay to be demonstrated without having internet connectivity. Player created demos can be used in this demo mode as well. * NOTE: If you enable 'Demo Mode', you restart the game for this setting to take effect. Extras Included ------------------------------------------------------------ Gamespy Arcade: GameSpy Arcade is the fast, free way to find games and opponents America's Army online. Join millions of other players just like yourself! SeeMePlayMe: SeeMePlayMe is an online gaming and chat program that allows you to connect or create custom game servers. SeeMePlayMe supports online multiplayer gaming, voice, video, text chat, and room creation. Xfire: Xfire is a free application that makes it easy to play Americafs Army with your friends. Xfire shows you when and where your friends are playing online and lets you join their game with one click. * NOTE: If you have patched from an earlier game version, you can find these 'Extras' setup files in the game's root installation directory. (Default is C:\Program Files\America's Army) Other Additions ------------------------------------------------------------ - Bullet/Explosion decals on terrain - Display as OpFor option for Spinny Weapon Weapon Mod page - Added l?????? ocational damage for projectiles. Players no longer take global damage from getting hit with projectiles. They now take damage based on the speed of the projectile and the area of the body hit. For instance a player hit in the head with an RPG round will now die, but a hit to the arm would not be fatal. - Added delayed shell ejection. Weapons with delayed shell ejection (M203, M24, Mos, BS1 etc.) will now ejects spent shells. Bolt action weapons now correctly eject shells when working the bolt. - Added config variable "PlayerAdmin" under section "[Engine.AccessControl]" to list players authorized to be player admins. - "admin ban" command. - "admin banlist" command. - "admin unban" command. - Added America's Army Europe (NATO) Server icon - Server Browser Filters: PunkBuster, America's Army Europe (NATO) - Controls Options Setting: "Auto Walk Zoom" - Audio Setting: "Use Default Driver" - Player Count is displayed next to each team (Assault and Defense) - Smooth zoom transitions for 3D sights and 2D ironsights - code-based Weapon Cyclic rate control for smoother weapon animations - Added a folder for demos. - Player Start: IF Advanced Marksman (VSS Vintorez Sniper) - Server will now re-authenticate itself at the end of every match. - New Arctic IF player textures. - Dropped weapons now lie on their side and match the slope of the terrain they have landed on - Added an External Link message if you try to connect to a legal map that you don't have - Added a dialog box that asks if you want to enable PB the first time you run the game - Added turret death message - SF Sandstorm: added new animated palm trees and louder ambient wind sounds - IRC in-game chat enhanced with new text characters and colored text. ========================================================================== What's changed ========================================================================== - Binoculars no longer breath?????? e cycle - Players can now use the 'password' text box in the Server Browser for both the admin password and the game server password - Single Player defaults to SF instead of IF - Improved team swapping. Will now fulfill players change team requests better - code-based Weapon Cyclic rate control for automatic weapons - Weapons are now dropped realistically when the player dies - Adjusted physics for rocket projectiles. - RPG rounds now dud 10% of the time instead of 20% - Rocket Projectiles trails now go out when their propellant runs out. - You can't get idle kicked for a round that lasts less than 20 seconds - Internet browser list no longer clears when you close menu (it still clear when you go to the LAN browser or switch levels though) - Adjusted the Ak74 iron sight position to provide a better sight picture and reduce model "jitter" - The dialog box that tells you that you're trying to join a PB enabled server now allows you to enable PB and join the server - Various scope/sniper tweaks. - SF Sandstorm: removed the M203 from this map - Adjusted many map weapon loadouts and spawnpoints (esp. frag nade loadout) ========================================================================== What's fixed ========================================================================== - Shells can no longer climb walls if you're too close to a wall - Nightvision is disabled when broll is on (exploit) - Fixed 'duplicating weapons' exploit - Fixed many map exploits - Missing Fonts (double quotes, special ASCII characters, etc.) have been generated and integrated (IRC) - Fixed a bug where the an RPG round would float in mid- air if spawning on an IF. - Fixed a bug where player animations were playing the wrong speed in multiplayer. - Fixed a bug where the M24 would stay zoomed after firing while moving or changing stances. - Map loading time should be decreased - Audio Settings: Default Dri?????? ver cannot be chosen if Hardware or Hardware + EAX is chosen - Fixed "Gun half up" bug - Fixed shell casings not spawning sometimes - Fixed rifle range crash bug - Soldier "spinny" Weapon and Weapon Mod should not appear in odd instances (loading screen, etc.) - PunkBuster enable/disable unified between Internet and LAN server browsers - Server browser filtering tweaks - Sniper qualification now test rifle range score as well as sniper training - Fixed duplicate grenade getting dropped just as grenade is thrown - Weapon or grenade geting stuck if sprinting right after spawn, or right after switching to grenades - Disabled Console Commands: PAUSESOUND/UNPAUSESOUND (possible exploit) - Gamma can't be set higher than 1.5 in the .ini file - UI weapon mods should no longer sometimes disappear and reappear in levels - RemoveClassInventory properly removes items when non-SF qualified but in an SF slot (Sandstorm grenades) - Fixed weapon reloading bug - Server Browser: password is always passed on Server Join (for admin and/or game) - Server Browser: Check for MILES-only servers - SF CSAR: fixed 5 known map exploits - Adjusted 1st person spec view interpolation (smoother view now) ========================================================================== Known Issues ========================================================================== - Weapons occasionally overlapping in hands when spectating other players - RPG will occasionally be seen as backward when spectating other players - UI Spinning Weapons sometimes stops spinning after disconnect - Karma bodies sometimes disappear when they land on certain StaticMeshes - Spectating camera may not rotate around some Karma bodies