(PS4 version of the game)
Americas Army: Proving Grounds is both a recruitment tool for the U.S. Military and a no-frills online first-person-shooter. The key to winning a match involves being cautious and tactical. Most importantly, you need to stay with your teammates. However, I was able to win a round by successfully implementing a dumb and reckless strategy. I call it the “Very Reckless Person” strategy. The goal is to sprint to the exit on your own without the help of your teammates.
One of the game’s maps is set inside a hospital. Team A’s objective is to meet, protect, and escort another player assuming the role of a VIP. Team B’s objective is to neutralize the him. After a few rounds, I was chosen to be the VIP. As I spawned into the map and readied my gun, a thought suddenly hit me. Instead of meeting up with my teammates, what if I just ran to the exit? When the countdown ended and the barriers of the room I was in vanished, I immediately sprinted through the empty corridors of the hospital, ignoring the path to my teammates. They were nothing but usernames floating through the walls. I made it to the lobby where the exit was located and saw three enemy players that didn’t notice me. I escaped the hospital and my team won the round the round. I didn’t fire a single bullet and I don’t think my team and the opposing one even exchanged fire. The round didn’t even last more than a minute. My dumb plan worked and it felt like I played role of a pacifist.
The VRP strategy only works in the hospital map due to the short route leading to the exit. It’s also very risky because if the opposing team notices you, they can take you down and you’ll have no one around to attempt to revive you. The strategy is just as comical as it is risky. When I managed to do it successfully my username skyrocketed to the top of my team’s scoreboard and I couldn’t help but laugh. All I did was abandon my team and dashed to the exit.
