Using Arma 2 mods the simple way

[maruk 80]

While majority of users still prefer the old fashioned OFP style command line driven mod handling, there is also another way of doing it, using the in game expansions manager and documents settings. One real advantage of doing it that way is that it no longer matter from where you launch the game (be it steam, other version etc.). It makes clean installations also much simpler than messing within the game folder.

Example how I use the system:

* create DayZ folder in C:\Users\maruk\Documents\ArmA 2

* create sub folder Addons there and download / extract files from http://www.armafiles.info/dayz/ to it

* run the game (I use the latest beta from http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php )

* in the game go to the Expansions, select DayZ and click on Enable button, restart the game

* now the mod is installed and I can play easily with it anytime (using beta, or normal steam version, or sprocket version)

For me personally it is simpler than toying with commandline options and interferring with game installation. I understand that everyone has different taste and that is why the original mod commandline is kept intact since 2002 :) I just thought some may simply not understand the more modern alternatives available now.

[katipo66 94]

I use the expansions option, very easy... What would be cool is if you could deactivate/reactivate multiple mods with one or two clicks? Or even a select all option.

As I have probably over 20 mods in my arma directory and always 12 activated at anytime, but it's a hassle to deactivate and reactivate one at a time each time I want to go online... I have to write down what mods I had activated before deactivating.

But yes it's a whole lot easier than the command line and I guess I could keep the directory clean and only have mods I use in there :)

Edited May 5, 2012 by Katipo66

[fraczek 4]

Great news the Expansion accepts mods in other folder than game folder only! I didn't know that before (runs off to declutter his Arma2 installation folder).

For those that are new to the Expansion option and used -mod commandline exclusively before, mind you, if you start Arma with -mod, IIRC the Expansion menu is grayed out (understandably, because with using Expansion the mods to be loaded are saved in an ini file and not the commandline). If you wanna try it just run without -mod and select the mods ingame. Best thing is, you can combine both, so you can have few "used all the time" mods selected through Expansion menu but still launch the game from a shortcut using -mod commandline (or SixUpdater or whatever) for some special servers or other uses. Once you quit that instance and run just the regular shortcut, it will launch the Expansion menu set mods again.

I have got a few questions and feature requests please though:

0) Can we set the mod folder anywhere in options or ini? For example for moving all mods to a SSD, or for multiple users on the machine to save space, sixupdater integration, etc? Something like S:\ARMA2MODS :)

1) Is that Expansion option already in v1.60 or only later betas? Running the latest beta almost exclusively so I don't remember. :)

2) Does the order of the mods matter in Expansion menu? If for example I put JSRS (soundmod) before CBA (which is required by JSRS), will it work normally?

3) Any possibility of mods loading without game restart? Or even better dynamic loading of (perhaps already installed) mods required by a MP server upon joining that server? The one thing I dislike about Expansion over SixUpdater is having to go between MP lobby and Expansion menu (with the associated loading times for MP lobby code) several times before I know which of the optional mods are accepted by the server or not, or having to write down the required mods names for some server and go back to Expansion to enable them. Because MP lobby doesn't show what other optional mod signatures the server accepts (apart from just the required mods there) - especially with effect mods like JSRS and Blastcore some servers kick me some not without any way to know beforehand. Or if dynamic loading is impossible, how about functionality of Expansion menu right within MP lobby as well? *wink* perhaps for Arma3 ;-)

Edited May 6, 2012 by fraczek

[katipo66 94]

Great news the Expansion accepts mods in other folder than game folder only! I didn't know that before (runs off to declutter his Arma2 installation folder).

Ok, i didnt realize that either, i guess the term "Your doing it wrong" applies to me, especially with this game :D

[Tankbuster 1733]

While majority of users still prefer the old fashioned OFP style command line driven mod handling, :

You think? I've been using a launcher for ages and assumed a lot of other users do to.

[sprayer_faust 0]

3) Any possibility of mods loading without game restart? Or even better dynamic loading of (perhaps already installed) mods required by a MP server upon joining that server? ...

Suggestion: Instead of actually dynamically loading mods, deploy camouflage and trickery - as was done with "living in the future". :D

So instead of:

* create DayZ folder in C:\Users\maruk\Documents\ArmA 2

* create sub folder Addons there and download / extract files from http://www.armafiles.info/dayz/ to it

* run the game (I use the latest beta from http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php )

* in the game go to the Expansions, select DayZ and click on Enable button, restart the game

* now the mod is installed and I can play easily with it anytime (using beta, or normal steam version, or sprocket version)

We would have:

(1) Try to enter a moded server in the in-game browser without the mods (down)loaded.

(2) Server sends client the ftp links to the required mods. A dialog box appears: "You don't have the required mods. They can be downloaded automatically (Size: 529 MB). Do you trust this server? Yes/No?" Yes.

(3) Appropriate mod folders are created for each mod in C:\Users\...\Documents\ArmA 2 and the mods get downloaded in them.

Now, until this point there was no trickery involved. It starts here.

(4) Create a list (some text) of "required mods + server addres" and save it. The in-game browser greys-out, becomes non-interactable.

(5) A message "The required mods are loading..." and a progress bar appear. Perhaps some cool pictures (mini posters which were downloaded with the mods) appear, to give the visual idea of what is being loaded.

(6) The game kernel shuts down - the loading screen in point (5) must therefore be independent of it.

(7) Kernel loads with the required mods, reading from the list created in (4). Game connects to the server, again reading the addres from the list.

(8) The "connecting" screen appears (transitioning from the "loading mods" screen) and after a while you are playing the game.

From the players perspective it took a click and one double-click. :D

[Arthur_Khollr 1]

i always used launcher

[CameronMcDonald 146]

I enjoy the ch@113ng3 of having a 255 character command line. :D

[sickboy 13]

I enjoy the ch@113ng3 of having a 255 character command line. :D

Ha :)

[EDcase 87]

I'm one of the few who like the command line :P

I just have different ARMA icons with various setups: One for ARMA with fave mods, One for I44 and one for DayZ ;)

That way I don't have to activate/deactivate mods and restart...

Sickboy: Your SixUpdater is very good too.

Edited July 3, 2012 by EDcase

[Zorg_DK 10]

I'm one of the few who like the command line :P

I just have different ARMA icons with various setups: One for ARMA with fave mods, One for I44 and one for DayZ ;)

That way I don't have to activate/deactivate mods and restart...

Sickboy: Your SixUpdater is very good too.

Me too, I have 3 shortcuts on my desktop: One vanilla, one Dayz, and one with the whole shebang of mods, ACE, ACRE, Blastcore, JRS etc.

The new simple interface sixupdater seems good too, I hated the normal one's interface, sooo hard to use.

[da12thMonkey 1943]

I'm one of the few who like the command line :P

I just have different ARMA icons with various setups: One for ARMA with fave mods, One for I44 and one for DayZ ;)

That way I don't have to activate/deactivate mods and restart...

Me too; I've a folder on my desktop with the ArmA 2/OA logo that contains further shortcuts to Vanilla ArmA and frequently-played mod setups, plus a few 'floating' ones that frequently have the command-line changed for testing out addons. I've also got another folder on my desktop for a variety of similar 'favourite' mod setups, but with ACE added as well. Huuuuge command-lines FTW!

I sometime even make custom .ico files for the mod's shortcut icon if there isn't one already with the installer .exe or mod folder :cool:

However, I'll often use Six Updater/Launcher nowadays if I want to play the game with beta patches in addition to mods.

[Bouben 3]

I use launcher with custom presets and doubt anything easier exists.

[juliandewaal 1]

tnx for the intell

[kireta21 13]

Add "Save as preset" and "Load preset" buttons and it will be perfect.

[OldFossil 0]

...

For me personally it is simpler than toying with commandline options and interferring with game installation. I understand that everyone has different taste and that is why the original mod commandline is kept intact since 2002 :) I just thought some may simply not understand the more modern alternatives available now.

For me this way is simpler too, thanks a lot for suggesting it!

[galzohar 31]

The reasons I don't recommend this method to my friends:

1. You have to start the game twice. This takes a lot of time.

2. If one of the mods you activate have a problem that prevents the game from loading, you will need to have some good knowledge how to edit the ini file to get rid of it, since you can't start the game to disable the mod that is preventing the game from starting.

3. No option for presets.

While I appreciate Bohemia trying to make mod usage easier, I find this feature not very useful for this purpose due to its very significant disadvantages.

[chrisb 196]

SU for me, make ‘Preset’/s, short cut them to ‘Game’ folder, rename them with a short name ‘Game 1’ etc, job done. Only open up SU when I want to update, which with everything going on at present is quite often...;)

[Zorg_DK 10]

The reasons I don't recommend this method to my friends:

1. You have to start the game twice. This takes a lot of time.

2. If one of the mods you activate have a problem that prevents the game from loading, you will need to have some good knowledge how to edit the ini file to get rid of it, since you can't start the game to disable the mod that is preventing the game from starting.

3. No option for presets.

While I appreciate Bohemia trying to make mod usage easier, I find this feature not very useful for this purpose due to its very significant disadvantages.

If this was added there would be no need for 3rd party mod managers for me, presets would definitely make things more simple.

[OldFossil 0]

The reasons I don't recommend this method to my friends:

...

2. If one of the mods you activate have a problem that prevents the game from loading, you will need to have some good knowledge how to edit the ini file to get rid of it, since you can't start the game to disable the mod that is preventing the game from starting.

...

While I appreciate Bohemia trying to make mod usage easier, I find this feature not very useful for this purpose due to its very significant disadvantages.

Hi,

I have a question about the second point: changing the name of the mod's folder (supposed crappy) don't makes the game starts "Vanilla"?

[paragraphic l 2]

The reasons I don't recommend this method to my friends:

...

2. If one of the mods you activate have a problem that prevents the game from loading, you will need to have some good knowledge how to edit the ini file to get rid of it, since you can't start the game to disable the mod that is preventing the game from starting.

...

Although I obviously am not going to recommend going with the vanilla mod manager (see signature)

You can go to your "X:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\ArmA 2" folder and open the ArmAOA.cfg file with notepad. Remove everything that's part of "ModLauncherList { }" should clear all selected mods and start Vanilla for you on next go.

[Loki_ 1]

haha :)

[flyingbob5 1]

I use the expansions option, very easy... What would be cool is if you could deactivate/reactivate multiple mods with one or two clicks? Or even a select all option.

As I have probably over 20 mods in my arma directory and always 12 activated at anytime, but it's a hassle to deactivate and reactivate one at a time each time I want to go online... I have to write down what mods I had activated before deactivating.

But yes it's a whole lot easier than the command line and I guess I could keep the directory clean and only have mods I use in there :)

Agreed

[BlackADD3R 1]

for God's sake...haven't you all ever heard of ArmA 2 launcher? LOL......no sarcasm intended but...

it takes care of all the things stated above; here's the link:

http://www.militarygaming.org/files/file/1-arma2-launcher-by-spirited-machine/

[Guest]

Although I obviously am not going to recommend going with the vanilla mod manager (see signature)

You can go to your "X:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\ArmA 2" folder and open the ArmAOA.cfg file with notepad. Remove everything that's part of "ModLauncherList { }" should clear all selected mods and start Vanilla for you on next go.

This method doesn't completely uninstall the mods?

for God's sake...haven't you all ever heard of ArmA 2 launcher? LOL......no sarcasm intended but...

it takes care of all the things stated above; here's the link:

http://www.militarygaming.org/files/file/1-arma2-launcher-by-spirited-machine/

I haven't tried ARMA 2 launcher yet but i think withSIX is quite good. Though i can't remove all mods through it if i want to uninstall them. But withSIX makes everything easier. I can't understand why one would play around with presets when withSIX makes everything so much easier.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Guest