America’s Army Launches on the Internet

U.S. ARMY LAUNCHES "AMERICA’S ARMY" PC
GAME ON THE INTERNET
Gamers Can Download Realistic Game; Shows Authentic Army Missions, Values

Washington, DC July 1, 2002 – The U.S. Army
launches July 4 on the Worldwide Web a special "Recon" version of "America’s
Army," an innovative, realistic computer game providing civilians with an inside
perspective and a virtual role in today’s premier land force: the U.S. Army.

The "America’s Army" game blends two vivid
simulations:

Starting this patriotic weekend, "America’s
Army" players will experience soldiering in a state-of-the-art, realistic new
manner.

Developed by the U.S. Army and a Department
of Defense team of experts in simulations and virtual environments, "America’s
Army" will be distributed by the Army as a free, two-CD set late this summer. In
addition, the "Operations" game will appear on CD’s inside top computer games
magazines. It also will be available at Army events and recruiting stations.

The "Soldiers" game is rated "E" for everyone
and the "Operations" game is rated "T" for teen by the Entertainment Software
Ratings Board. These games are the first in a series that will provide a virtual
Army experience in career fields ranging from Infantry to avionics repair.

"The launch of America’s Army on the Internet
marks a new chapter in the U.S. Army’s history of communicating with Americans
about the Army’s opportunities, adventures, challenges and training," said Lt.
Col. Casey Wardynski, project originator and manager of the "America’s Army"
game. "With this game we hope to educate young Americans and present them with a
realistic, engaging view of today’s modern Army and its opportunities."

In the July 4 "Recon" version the virtual
soldier experience begins with basic training missions that include the rifle
range, obstacle course and McKenna Urban Training Site at Fort Benning, Ga.
After completing basic training, players progress to online multiplayer missions
ranging from defense of the Alaskan Pipeline against terrorism as a member of
the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to homeland
defense as a member of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort
Drum, N.Y. Throughout the summer the Army will make additional missions
available for download, culminating with CD release of the full game at the end
of the summer. The game was developed using the latest version of Epic Games’
"Unreal Engine®" and is optimized for NVIDIA GeForce2(TM) graphics processors.

The game publicly debuted May 22 at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the computer and video games industry’s
major convention in Los Angeles, where it launched to great acclaim. Since the
launch of the game’s web site more than 150,000 people registered to receive the
full version of the game.

"America’s Army" achieves unparalleled
military realism through its in-house development and cooperation from 20 Army
units. Embedded with expert knowledge, the game accurately depicts today’s
high-tech Army infantry units — military equipment, training and scenario
realism. Character motions are true-to-life with motion-capture of real
soldiers, allowing players to participate in a truly immersive soldier
experience.

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs is the proponent for "America’s Army." Game
development was directed and managed by the U.S. Military Academy’s Office of
Economic & Manpower Analysis at West Point. The staff of the Modeling, Virtual
Environment and Simulation Institute, masters and doctoral students at the
military’s post-graduate education facility in Monterey, Calif., developed the
game’s highly realistic simulations and situations. The development team worked
with leading firms such as Epic Games, NVIDIA®, THX Division of Lucasfilm Ltd.,
Dolby Laboratories, Lucasfilm Skywalker Sound, HomeLAN, and GameSpy Industries.