America’s Army: Special Forces (Vanguard) - Patch

America's Army: Special Forces (Vanguard)
Release Notes (Version 2.2.1)

================================================== 
What's changed
================================================== 

- Updated SF Hospital: Removed M9 from standard loadouts
- Updated SF CSAR: Assault spawnpoints returned to 
  original position
- Updated SF Oasis map: Gameplay balance tweaks
- Fixed training issues in the following training
  missions: MOUT, M24, and U.S. Weapons
- 'pbweb.exe' added to 'pb' folder for manually updating
  PB client and server versions
- America's Army registered trademark symbol added to 
  various in-game AA logo graphics
- Default demo added for demo/kiosk mode feature
- Adjustment to disable DevMode commands
- New PB code (scans additional files)
- Change to prevent admins from retrieving players passwords 
  via PB screenshots
- Fixed '-1' server kick exploit


==================================================
==================================================
Previous Version (v2.2.0):
==================================================
==================================================

==================================================  
What's new
================================================== 


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 Oasis: 

    Enemy forces have established a remote desert outpost 
    from which to launch reconnaissance patrols and 
    conduct ambushes. A Special Forces operational 
    detachment alpha (ODA), along with the help of 
    Indigenous Forces, must perform Reconnaissance of the
    area in order to identify the location of this 
    guerilla base. Once identified, they must then egress
    to a rally point in order to upload their 
    reconnaissance reports to HQ.

    - SF Taiga:  

    Enemy forces purchased a small number of SAGGER 
    anti-armor missiles for use by insurgent forces. 
    They are hiding these missiles within civilian camps
    skirting a mountain road. These missiles will enable 
    the insurgency to ambush both civilian and government
    convoys at extended ranges. A Special Forces ODA along
    with Indigenous Forces have been deployed to locate and 
    destroy SAGGER missile caches in order to disrupt 
    enemy combat operations within the area of operations. 

================================================== 
What's fixed
================================================== 

Client:

- Fixed various client crashes
- "JRTC Farm Raid" filters correctly in server browser
- Running in 16-bit windowed mode no longer has render errors
- Fixed reflex sight accuracy
- Fixing "ROE" URL on support page and new-map URL
- Disable "set" command for non-config variables (devmode
  exploit)
- Fix Auth Failure messages that have a URL

Server:

- Minor memory fixes
- Fixed various server/client crashes
- Remove "query" exploit
- Fixed server stability issues
- Fixed Admin spectate command
- Memory Leak fixes
- Fixed pb admin commands


================================================== 
What's changed
================================================== 

- Admin kicks no longer give ROE
- Admins can join Min/Max Honor servers
- Admin text is displayed as red
- Allow normal user to be admins on Leased servers
- Disable player color codes
- Add option to restrict by groups
- GameSpy: Display third-party icon
- GameSpy: Display groups field in server info
- Allow Auth to set third-party flag
- Added "Invalid Group" failure message
- Save Group information to savefile
- Notify the player before joining a server that has Group
  restrictions


==================================================
==================================================
Previous Version (v2.1.0):
==================================================
==================================================

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 until 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 servertournament.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 Alpha, 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 “Tournament Starting” 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 SetStartTime 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 AddToClass 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 town. 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 
‘slow walk mode’ while zoomed in and auto-switching back 
to ‘fast-walk’ 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
America’s 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 locational 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 breathe 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 Driver 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