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Basic knowledge related to Arma3 and Eden Editor

  • This document explains the knowledge required to understand, use, and improve the G-MAD in the future.
  • Most of the content in this document is also available on the official Arma3 online community wiki, but because the wiki is extensive, only the necessary parts are summarized here.
  • For more information than what is included in this document, please refer to the Arma3 Online Community Wiki.
  • If there are any errors in this document or if you would like to add more information, please feel free to contact us.

0. Preparation

  • A basic parameter.txt file must be placed under C:/Users/{username}/Documents/Arma 3.
  • Move the missions folder included in the code to C:/Users/{username}/Documents/Arma 3/missions.
  • Note that while the code is running, you must not open or modify any files that the code uses or creates.

1. Arma3?

Arma3 allows users to create various missions through the features of the EDEN Editor and scripts. Arma3 players can create their own missions using the editor and distribute them through the export function.

The image below shows the main screen of Arma3. Depending on the applied mods and settings, it may look slightly different.

Welcome

When you move the mouse cursor over the area where there is one person on the screen, the following screen appears.

Welcome

On this screen, you can use EDITOR to create and debug the desired mission, and then run it through SCENARIO to obtain the desired dataset.

⚠️ You must distinguish between EDITOR and SCENARIO. The files used by EDITOR are located in the Documents folder (Documents\ARMA 3), while the folders used by SCENARIO are located under the ARMA 3 folder inside the Steam directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3). There may be multiple EDITOR folders depending on the user profile, but there is only one folder used by SCENARIO.

⚠️ The mission folder name handled in EDITOR is mission, while the mission folder name handled in SCENARIO is Mission (the first letter differs in lowercase/uppercase).

⚠️ When running a scenario from the default profile, screenshots are saved in the Documents\Arma 3\Screenshots folder. However, when running it from another profile, screenshots are saved in Documents\Arma 3 - Other Profiles\{ProfileName}\Screenshots.

⚠️ The reason for distinguishing between the two is error handling. If you run a scenario created through the EDEN Editor, all errors are displayed, so production may stop due to non-critical errors. However, if you export the created scenario and then run it through Scenarios, errors are not printed during actual gameplay, so scene production can continue without being interrupted by errors. In addition, in Scenarios, various warnings can be ignored through mods.

2. Workflow of G-MAD

At a high level, G-MAD operates as follows.

  1. It receives user-specified information such as camera type, time of day, map, weather, image size, sampling rate, and so on.

  2. It creates a mission based on the user's information.

  3. It moves the mission created by the user to the Steam directory and runs it through Play Scenario.

  4. While Arma3 is running, Python reads and organizes the folders containing the generated scenario files.

  5. When data generation is finished, it cleans up dummy files.

Among these steps, steps 2 and 3 require knowledge of the Arma3 game itself rather than the SQF language.

3. Mission creation

Whether you edit a mission in the EDEN Editor or later work under the Steam directory, when the created mission is opened, the basic execution flow inside Arma3 is as follows.

  1. The mission.sqm file is opened.

    • The mission.sqm file contains basic item placement, basic weather, and related information.

  2. The init.sqf file is executed.

    • The init.sqf file is automatically executed after the mission.sqm file is loaded.
    • The init.sqf file contains SQF commands that execute files such as play1.sqf, play2.sqf, and so on.

  3. Code that creates the scene, such as play1.sqf, is executed.

Since init.sqf is generated in Python, this section will cover the mission.sqm file that is created and distributed within Arma3.

3.1 Writing mission.sqm

The mission.sqm files are created and distributed by the developer. They contain one basic player and a Zeus game master placement.
However, because they contain elements that affect the overall map and the data, this document will explain them briefly.

After placing a basic character and a Zeus game master in the EDEN Editor, open the General section under Attributes as shown in the image below.

Welcome

When opened, the following window appears.

Welcome

The parts that require attention are the States and Misc sections.

When you click States, the following window appears.

Welcome

The settings should be checked as shown in the screenshot above.
The Show briefing/debriefing options are processes that explain related information before and after the mission starts. Since they are unnecessary, both should be unchecked.
In particular, disabling debriefing is important because the game returns to the main screen after data generation only when that option is unchecked. Therefore, you should check these two options carefully.
The remaining settings were left at their default values.

In the Misc section, there is an item like the one below.

Welcome

In this section, Binarize the Scenario File must be unchecked. This does not have a major impact, but if binarization is enabled, the mission.sqm file is saved in an unreadable format.
There is also an option to binarize when saving the mission.sqm file, so make sure to check it when saving.

There are many other settings, but these seem to be the important ones.

Among the current maps, the maps whose mission.sqm files have been modified are Altis, Malden 2035, Stratis, Weferlingen, and Weferlingen (Winter). The modified mission.sqm files are located in the mission folder of the project.

Since the purpose of this document is to explain Arma3 itself, it will skip writing files such as init.sqf.

4. MOD and DLC Management

In Arma3, users subscribe to various mods from the Steam user community and load those mods into the game.
You must distinguish between DLCs and mods, and also between subscribing to a mod and loading a mod. The differences are as follows.

DLC → officially distributed by Arma3
MOD → distributed through the Steam user community
Subscribing to a mod in the Steam community → automatically downloads the mod to disk. It is not applied to the game.
Loading a mod into the game → downloads the mod to disk and applies it to the game.

To subscribe to a MOD, go to the Steam Library, enter the Community Hub, and then go to the Workshop, where various MODs are available.
After finding the desired mod, click Subscribe, and it will be downloaded automatically.

Welcome

Welcome

The MODs and DLCs currently subscribed to and loaded in G-MAD are as follows.

  • DLC

    1. GM (Global Mobilization)
    2. AoW (Art of War)

  • MOD

    1. 3CB Factions
    2. A3 Thermal Improvement;
    3. Automatic Warning Suppressor
    4. CBA_A3
    5. Cold War Rearmed III
    6. CUP Terrains - Core
    7. CUP Units
    8. CUP Vehicles
    9. CUP Weapons
    10. Debug Console
    11. Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany- Compatibility Data for Non-Owners
    12. Pook ARTY Pack
    13. POOK Camonets
    14. POOK SAM PACK
    15. RHSAFRF
    16. RHSGREF
    17. RHSSAF
    18. RHSUSAF
    19. Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany - Community Language Pack

DLCs are located under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3 with folder names such as GM and AoW. Mods are located under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop with folder names such as @CBA_A3.

Inside each folder, the data is organized as .pbo files. These files can be inspected using a program such as Pbo Manager. In particular, they contain .p3d files, which are 3D objects, as well as various textures. Therefore, the contents of mods can be created or used in other programs with 3D tools such as Blender.

5. Startup Parameters

This is an important part that enables automatic execution of G-MAD.
Using startup parameters, you can run the created scenario with a single command-line execution.

Detailed information can be found in Arma3: Startup Parameters, but this document describes only the parameters needed for G-MAD and those that may be applicable in the future.

In general, strings are written in the form "text". For paths, use backslashes as in C:\User\"ARMA 3"\, and if a folder name contains spaces, enclose it with \".

5.1 Performance-Related Parameters

parameter Parameter explanation ✓ / ✗ / ？
-enableHT Enable HyperThreading and Multicore Processing ✓
-malloc=<string> Change memory allocation type ✗ works well but is not currently used
-hugePages Change page size from 4 KB to 2 MB ✗ used with -malloc, but does not work well
-noPause Enable the game to keep running in the background ✓
-noPauseAudio Enable game sound to keep running in the background ✓
-filePatching Enable unloaded mods to be loaded ✓, but the unloaded mod must be subscribed
maxFileCashSize=<int> Maximum size of file cache ？ Not sure whether it works
-mods=<string> Mod to be loaded ✗ use -par instead
-par=<path> Use parameters in XXX.txt ✓

5.2 Gameplay and Debug-Related Parameters

parameter Parameter explanation ✓ / ✗ / ？
-skipIntro Skip the ARMA III logo ✓
-noSplash Skip the Nvidia and other logos ✓
-window Force the game to run in windowed mode ✓
-init=<sqf script> Execute an SQF script at the main menu ✓
-debug Enable a specific debug mode ✓
-noLogs Stop writing logs ✓
-posX X coordinate of the top-left corner of the window ✓
-posY Y coordinate of the top-left corner of the window ✓

Debug files are saved as ***.rpt files under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arma 3\.

The ARMA 3 executable is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\arma3_x64.exe. Therefore, entering a command like the one below automatically loads mods and runs the mission.

# on Windows Powershell or Terminal
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\arma3_x64.exe -skipIntro -noSplash -window -enableHT -hugePages -noPause -noPauseAudio -filePatching -maxFileCacheSize=2048 -debug -par=C:\Users\{username}\Documents\"Arma 3"\parameter.txt

For reference, parameter.txt looks as follows.

-posX=20
-posY=20
-mod="GM;AoW;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CBA_A3;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CUP Weapons;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@RHSUSAF;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@RHSAFRF;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CUP Weapons;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CUP Units;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@RHSGREF;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@RHSSAF;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CUP Vehicles;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@CUP Terrains - Core;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@3CB Factions;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@Cold War Rearmed III;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@A3 Thermal Improvement;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@Pook ARTY Pack;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@POOK Camonets;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@POOK SAM PACK;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany- Compatibility Data for Non-Owners;C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Arma 3\!Workshop\@Automatic Warning Suppressor;"

For parameter.txt, the important points are that mods must be separated with ;, there must be no spaces ( ) or line breaks inside the string, and all entries must be written continuously. Also, paths can be relative or absolute, but absolute paths are recommended for MODs.

5.3 Summary of Map-Related Mods in the mission Folder

There are various maps in the current mission folder. Some of these require purchasing ARMA 3 Ultimate Edition or downloading specific MODs. The corresponding information is summarized in the table below. If you want to use various maps, please subscribe to the relevant mods or purchase Ultimate Edition.

Map-adding mods:

  1. CUP Terrains - Maps
  2. CUP Terrains - Maps 2.0
  3. CUP Terrains - CWA
Folder Name Map Name Arma3 / DLC / MOD
altis.Altis Altis Arma3
bukovina.Bootcamp_ACR Bukovina CUP Terrains - Maps
bystrica.Woodland_ACR Bystrica CUP Terrains - Maps
chernarus_autumn.chernarus Chernarus 2020 CUP Terrains - Maps 2.0
chernarus_summer.chernarus_summer Chernarus Autumn CUP Terrains - Maps
chernarus_winter.Chernarus_Winter Chernarus Winter CUP Terrains - Maps
everon.eden Everon CUP Terrains - CWA
kolgujev.cain Everon CUP Terrains - CWA
livonia.Enoch Livonia Arma3 Contact
malden.abel Malden CUP Terrains - CWA
malden2035.Malden Malden 2035 Arma3 Free DLC
nogova.noe Nogova CUP Terrains - CWA
proving_grounds.ProvingGrounds_PMC Proving Grounds CUP Terrains - Maps
sahrani.sara Sahrani CUP Terrains - Maps
shapur.Shapur_BAF Shapur CUP Terrains - Maps
southern_sahrani.saralite Southern Sahrani CUP Terrains - Maps
stratis.Stratis Stratisis Arma3
takistan.takistan Takistan CUP Terrains - Maps
takistan_mountains.Mountains_ACR Takistan Mountains CUP Terrains - Maps
tanoa.Tanoa Tanoa Arma3 Apex
united_sahrani.sara_dbe1 United Sahrani CUP Terrains - Maps
weferlingen.gm_weferlingen_summer Weferlingen Arma3 Global Mobilization
weferlingen_winter.gm_weferlingen_winter Weferlingen (Winter) Arma3 Global Mobilization