America's Army: Does anyone play anymore?

remlap13

I just got a new laptop, and was looking for some games to play with it. I used to LOVE AA back in the day, and that was playing on a computer that had to run it on low settings, 1024x768, and still only getting around 30fps. So when I got my new machine, I was like "I miss that game".

However, does anyone still play it? I was going to download it last night, and while it was downloading I looked at the forums, and in the "newbies" forum there were only like, 5 or 6 posts made in the last few months. I dont wanna waste time downloading if there's gonna be no one on.

Meiz

After doing the Spec ops mission, I didn't feel like doing much of anything anymore.

Darmak

I don't think anyone plays this game anymore. There may still be a small community left but I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you.

remlap13

Ya thats what I figured. It's sad too cuz it's a free game that was actually not bad to play.

chasehatesbears

Forgot about that game. Was fun until I discovered CS.

remlap13

chasehatesbears wrote: »

Forgot about that game. Was fun until I discovered CS.

I play a lot of CS too. AA is way more tactical and slower paced than CS.

Leitner

I haven't played this game. But the fact that you always see yourself as an American and your opponents as terrorists is the greatest argument for games being art I've ever heard. It's simply delightful.

Figgy

Leitner wrote: »

I haven't played this game. But the fact that you always see yourself as an American and your opponents as terrorists is the greatest argument for games being art I've ever heard. It's simply delightful.

It also confused the hell out of me for a while until I realized what they did there.

verpakeyes

The games just outdated at this point, I really wish they would consider a complete remake. They keep trying to add gameplay, but the features that they add are just too small. They could make a really fun game were you do everything from tank commander to Predator pilot, to grunt on the ground. I just don't think they are ambitious enough.

Figgy

..... why would they?

The game is just a recruiting tool.

verpakeyes

And it could be a better recruiting tool...

TheBog

I remember playing it when it first came out. It was a great game, too!

kedinik

Some guy from my family's church made this game. Came up with the idea, applied for a contract, managed its development. He mostly spent his free time studying bullet physics and collision detection algorithms for those few years.

I've never tried it, is it any good?

TheBog

Yep! Surprising for a free game.

musanman

My problem with AA was that the spec forces stuff was a really cool idea but after it came out the game played a lot more like CS. Everybody had modded M4s and you could sort of run & gun. The original was a lot slower and unique.

Fiziks

After failing the E&E spec ops training mission for the 745th time, I just gave up and went back to Quake 3.

MegaMek

Guys, AA 3.0 is coming out this year. It's going to be a total remake using the Unreal 3 engine. Info from IGN and the AA homepage.

They're talking about adding unique ballistic models for every weapon, bullet penetration, all sorts of crazy stuff.

I'm very interested.

chasehatesbears

I seem to remember some maps boiling down to memorizing enemy routes and just chucking grenades in that direction.

Hopefully AA 3.0 will be good, I'd love a new, free tactical shooter to play.

I have never understood this as a recruiting tool, though.

TheBog

Oh yeah? A new AA? I'm up for it.

Fourier_series

I used to play AA all the time back around when they added special forces. I'd play a new AA.

remlap13

New AA? Yes I think I heard about that. I'm down as long as other people are playing.

Honk

I had quite a few problems with this game.

The "realistic" aiming (wind or whatever) which in practice meant that you always hit 2mm up-left of the ironsight - in all situations and at all ranges...

The spec-ops mission was the most impossible thing ever created by anyone in the entire universe.

And that you were always America, it took me quite a while to understand why I was never assigned to the other team.

musanman

Honk wrote: »

The spec-ops mission was the most impossible thing ever created by anyone in the entire universe.

And that you were always America, it took me quite a while to understand why I was never assigned to the other team.

The spec ops had one part that was lame, and it just took looking up a guide and following it carefully.

I thought always being america was one of the sweetest things, and being able to jack enemy guns was cool.

Dehumanized

This game was indeed fun. I spent a good amount of time on Pipeline years ago.

KKprofit

The only reason to play this game is to immediately hack it, despite the army asking you not to. At that point, give yourself various weapons and shoot the drill instructor in the face. Hang around in jail for a while. Uninstall.

Pej

I totally love AA. I'm a big tactical shooter fan and AA does some interesting, unique things in the genre. It's also more polished and less of an obvious, annoying recruiting tool than most people might suspect after only hearing about it second hand. Despite it getting more and more outdated absolutely tons of people still play it online, actually - it is free after all. Anyway, I can't wait for the new one.

Darmak

I only played this game a couple of times but a friend of mine used to play it quite a bit. It was fun but at the time I was more into Unreal Tournament and games of that ilk so I never got into it.

Zenitram

Funny you mention this now, I just saw this on IGN yesterday: http://pc.ign.com/articles/966/966942p1.html

TheStig

I went back and played this a bit about a year ago but stopped after being vote kicked off a server for like the 5th time for being the last one alive...
I was always the last one alive on my team because I wasn't just run and gunning everything like an idiot.

Pej

The community is probably my least favorite thing about the game - you can imagine what kind of players a highly competitive, yet free FPS attracts. That said it is a huge player base so if you try you should be able to find a good group of people to play with.

Nimble Cat

It looks like they stopped updating the Mac version years ago.

Darmak

That's because Mac users aren't real people. :P

Chairborne

I'll out myself as a guy who played the first version of AA and ended up joining the Army. Granted, I don't think it had a lot of impact on my decision to enlist, but nevertheless the link exists.

Neaden

That preview actually seems kind of cool. Actually capturing your opponents instead of everyone dying is a nice touch.

PolloDiablo

Nimble Cat wrote: »

It looks like they stopped updating the Mac version years ago.

Obviously Mac users will never join the army, the hippies. Why should they get a free game?

AntiQuo

Because I am too lazy to do my own OP, decided to necro this because AA3 is coming out in 4 days.

http://aa3.americasarmy.com/

Now talk!

NailbunnyPD

Preload on Steam

VoodooV

Dehumanized wrote: »

This game was indeed fun. I spent a good amount of time on Pipeline years ago.

I used to love playing pipeline. But it just got repetitive after a while.

I think my only real complaints with the game was that I thought grenades were way too powerful, at least for game purposes. There were just too many times where the bad guys would lob grenades at us and I'd be really far away from the explosion yet still get killed. It was one of those things where, sure, that might be how a grenade would work in RL, but for a game, it just wasn't fun.

There was also the thing about how machine guns were so underpowered compared to the SAW. There were a number of times where I'd be using a machine gun and I'd get the drop on a SAW gunner, so i'd shoot the guy and hit him a couple times, but the SAW gunner would still have enough time to swing around and mow me down with the SAW even though he'd already been hit a few times.

But that was long ago, so I have no idea how the game has changed since then.

mspencer

The videos up on Steam (specifically the new features video) make me think they might be doing more to encourage teamwork.

I think this is the perfect time to get back into AA, with the new version coming out. Everyone will be equally new. I used to love AA 1, and am personally willing to give AA3 a shot, when it unlocks next week.

Leitner

So how important is getting a headset/mike for this? Seems like a very team based tactical game and I'm going to give it a go when it launches. Been hankering for some non-twitch based/respawn shooting.

TheStig

Leitner wrote: »

So how important is getting a headset/mike for this? Seems like a very team based tactical game and I'm going to give it a go when it launches. Been hankering for some non-twitch based/respawn shooting.

I'd say next to required if you're playing with a group of friends/pa folk. If it's like the AA1 community though you will want to disable incoming voice chat. I also prefer headsets for tactical type shooters just because it's easier to hear footsteps.