SpeedTree Used In America's Army 3, Internal Army Sims

The first-person shooter/US military recruitment tool America's Army 3, along with internal, non-public US Army sims, are utilizing SpeedTree middleware to create grass, trees, shrubs, and other in-game foliage, America's Army developers said Tuesday. America's Army program chief engineer Michael Barnett said SpeedTree will be implemented in the latest iteration of the franchise to create large, immersive environments and dense forests for the publicly available America's Army 3 and non-public training applications for US military. Like its predecessors, America's Army 3 is a free title available for download. Its low barrier for entry plays into its purpose as part of the Army's recruitment program. The game is intended to give players an idea of what it's like to work as part of a team in the military. America's Army 3 launched in June, although it took a couple of weeks to work out some technical issues. The series itself debuted in 2002, and features authentic Army weapons and technology, and includes Army-realistic training and objectives. The game is based on Epic Games' Unreal Engine technology. In June, reports said the US Army closed down the Emeryville, Calif. development studio responsible for America's Army. Future development of the PC series shifted over to the program office in Redstone, Ala.