Mission PBO location question.

[Dynamic Echo 10]

Before anyone asks, yes I have searched for an answer, using a multitude of search terms. I trawled many threads (couldn't find one on the exact same thing) and couldn't find and answer.

My question: when I click save/export to single/multi player missions does this create a .pbo and if so where does it go? If what I've gleaned from trawling through is correct, it does create a pbo which is sent to Install Directory/ArmA2/Missions (or multiplayer missions). When I do this, however, nothing ends up there. I can play the mission under scenarios fine, but I can't find the mission files.

This is worrying for two reasons - firstly it means that I basically can't share the mission and also that I can't get rid of old versions of the mission (I have many defunct versions clogging up scenarios now, which I can't get rid of). I'm sure that it is probably something really obvious, but please help?

[kylania 568]

For Windows 7:

Saved Editor missions are located in:

C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\ArmA 2\missions

or if you've changed your ArmA 2 OA profile name:

C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\ArmA 2 Other Profiles\YourArmAName\missions

When you save as a single player mission, which creates the PBO they end up in:

C:\WhereverYouInstalledIt\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead\Missions

MP missions in:

C:\WhereverYouInstalledIt\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead\MP Missions

Once you've played on a map from a server it's stored in:

C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\ArmA 2 OA\MPMissionsCache

[Dynamic Echo 10]

That is exactly my point, I save as a single player mission, it shows up in scenarios but there is no corresponding pbo in C:\WhereverYouInstalledIt\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\Missions (No separate directory for Arrowhead, all installed to ArmA 2 for me). Thanks for confirming that what I gleaned was correct though.

[kylania 568]

Check in:

C:\WhereverYouInstalledArmA2\ArmA 2\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead\Missions

[Dynamic Echo 10]

No such directory for me, all that installing Arrowhead did to the ArmA 2 directory was add 'expansion' and possibly Common and dta. None of these contain mission subfolders nor mission pbos. I also searched the ArmA 2 directory for the mission name, no dice. Yet it is definitely working fine in scenarios. Also I had this problem with vanilla ArmA 2. Is there a way I can manually compile a pbo from the user mission data, as that is what a pbo contains anyway? (I did try with Eliteness and pboview, but nothing doing)

Edited August 1, 2010 by Dynamic Echo

[kylania 568]

A PBO is basically just a container file, like a zip file or something. Personally I use cPBO from Kegety's ArmA Tools. Works perfectly for me, though you'll need to remove OA's PBO file extension extortion first to expand via double-click, but it'll rclick -> Create PBO just fine.

You can check your registry to find out where ArmA think's it's installed.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Bohemia Interactive Studio\ArmA 2 OA contains the MAIN entry which lists the install directory, missions should be under there.

Edited August 1, 2010 by kylania

[Dynamic Echo 10]

Aye that worked and it made a mission pbo. Had to run as administrator, but that is hardly abnormal. I still need to know where missions I press export for are going, as there is a serious clogging issue with my scenarios list. Thanks very much for the help though kylania.

Additionally, how would one set the name appearing on the scenario list (I noted that with many custom missions this is not the same as the file name).

Edit:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Bohemia Interactive Studio\ArmA 2 OA contains the MAIN entry which lists the install directory, missions should be under there.

I think of myself as relatively tech savvy but that went straight over my head, sorry. Edited August 1, 2010 by Dynamic Echo

[CarlGustaffa 4]

My exported MP missions end up here:

C:\Program Files\Bohemia Interactive\ArmA 2\MPMissions\ExportedMission.pbo

I'm on WinXP 32 bit, with Arma2 and OA boxed versions installed at the same location.

Name of the mission is set int the intel section of the mission, in the editor.

[Dynamic Echo 10]

I can't believe I missed that in the intel section, thanks. Just so people know, I'm on 7 64bit and both ArmA2 and OA are retail copies.

[monsterZERO 10]

I am attempting to use Kegety's PBO extractor, but I can't figure out how to remove Arma's association with PBO files. Whenever I run the extractor's executable it gives me an error saying "Default PBO icon already exists, not overwritten. Done." I know how to change a file association, but not remove it. I also checked the registry entries but i don't see anything about file associations.

Can anyone explain how this can be done?

Also, the reason I am trying to extract PBO files in the first place is so that i can edit missions that are already created. This will allow me to accomplish that, correct?

Thanks

[Dynamic Echo 10]

All I needed to do was change the association then install Kegety's PBO program as Admin, that allowed me to extract and pack pbos. If you aren't having any luck try Eliteness. (Eliteness requires you to download both the DePBO file (latest) and the Eliteness file (latest) from that list)

[monsterZERO 10]

^Understood, but what exactly did you change the extension to? That's the issue i'm having... When I right click on any PBO file and go to 'properties'/'opens with'/'change', the only option I get is Arma 2.

Appreciate your response.

(By the way, I'm running win7 64 if that helps, although I think changing file associations is similar for almost any version of windows)

[Dynamic Echo 10]

I just went 'right click/open with/choose default program' on a pbo, then selected CBPO, ran that as admin and I was away (also 7 64bit). Edit: I had put the CBPO exe in the ArmA2/missions folder, as when I tried it the first time it came up with an error and that filepath was mentioned, so I put it there. Worth a try. Still have no idea where my exported missions are going though.

Perhaps try running CBPO as admin first, then do it.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Dynamic Echo

[monsterZERO 10]

I tried Eliteness and that did the trick, thanks!

When I create a mission it ends up in Documents/Arma 2/Missions, not as a PBO however, as a folder with an '.sqm' file in it. Did you try looking there?

[Dynamic Echo 10]

Aye, those are the editor files, I use CBPO to construct a PBO from those files as a workaround, missions which you export as single missions (using save in the editor) should go to InstallDirectory/ArmA2/Missions as a PBO, but mine don't for some reason.

[sjaba 19]

Hi there.

Unfortunatly i got the same problem here. After a few years of mission making i have saved most of my mission folders. Although during my latest install of win 7 64 bit i am no longer able to save the projects into a pbo in its usuall mp folder.

Im really out of ideas here. My projects work fine in the editor and arma 2 in general seems to work just fine. I have tried to export as SP and MP but no luck. As far as i can see after a complete search of the computer there is no sign of the mission.pbo anywhere?

Just to note, the reinstall was simply a reinstall to same Os version used before where everything worked fine .

I have not tried reinstalling arma yet, but i guess its my next weapon of choice unless someone have some good pointers.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Sjaba

[sjaba 19]

Just an update

Did a clean reinstall of arma2, nothing else just arma2

Same problem so i guess the problem is between my pc and arma2 somwhere.

[boneboys 0]

I have the same problem using W7 64bit.

My personal work around is to copy the Editor files over to my XP ArmA install.

Then "Save as SP Mission".

This creates a regular PBO, which I then copy over to my W7 Arma SP mission folder.

That being said I will have to check, because I have not done this since the last official update.

Might help, might not.

[Gunter Severloh 4067]

Im really out of ideas here. My projects work fine in the editor and arma 2 in general seems to work just fine.

I have tried to export as SP and MP but no luck. As far as i can see after a complete search of the computer there is no sign of the mission.pbo anywhere?

Have you looked in the main Arma2 directory?

When you save a sp as in export to sp a pbo of the mission is created and located in the main Arma2 directory in the missions folder.

For Mp when you export a mission to mp the mission pbo will show up in your mpmissions folder in the main Arma2 directory.

its been this way since day 1 of OFP.

[boneboys 0]

Have you looked in the main Arma2 directory?

When you save a sp as in export to sp a pbo of the mission is created and located in the main Arma2 directory in the missions folder.

For Mp when you export a mission to mp the mission pbo will show up in your mpmissions folder in the main Arma2 directory.

its been this way since day 1 of OFP.

Something, somewhere has changed...

I have been exporting to SP or MP since...

Thanks.

[sjaba 19]

Soloution..(in my case)

For some reason when installing arma2 on win 7 (enterprise)

win7 did not set the correct folder permissions for Arma..

Make sure that your folder permissions are ok and that arma2 are allowed to read & write files to MP folder..

This is on a complete reinstall so no tampering by my clumsy fingers made this problem occur. This then might relate to many others too ?

[sbsmac 0]

See this CIT ticket which may be what you are experiencing...

Editor writes to 'virtual store' under Vista when exporting missions