Things you should (probably) do before posting a new thread in this section

[tryteyker 28]

Hey,

so I noticed there are lots of new people starting with ArmA 3 editing now that it's out. Which is good, actually. But alot of people seem to have the mentality of "doesn't work the first time around, I BETTER ASK STRAIGHT AWAY". Which is, well.. Not that good. But it's understandable. So I had this idea of putting together a quick guide of what you should probably do BEFORE starting up a new thread here. It'll be more like a Q&A stylish thing in the beginning.

I want to get started with sqf but don't know what to do, HELP. :(

No worries. You should take a look at this guide. It'll help you get started.

Just ignore the part "sqs to sqf" because sqs is from ArmA1 so it's not used in ArmA3 anymore.

I also recommend Mr Murrays Editing Guide. The scripts are written in sqs so they are not useable but the basic concepts still apply.

German Version of Mr Murrays Editing Guide (Direct PDF)

English Version of Mr Murrays Editing Guide (Download from Armaholic)

I need to find classnames for weapons, vehicles, etc etc!

Well ArmA 3 is a huge step forward in that case. Not only do you have a Config Viewer directly in the game, you also have classnames in the top right when you try to place a unit.

You also have external resources available to you.

If the Config Viewer is a bit too big for you on first glance, don't worry. It's relatively easy.

It's actually LOGICAL. So say you want to find a magazine classname. You look for CfgMagazines. Easy, right?

So everything has a Cfg prefix. After that just look for the things you want to find.

CfgWeapons for example includes Vests, Headgear, Weapons and Goggles.

I'll go a bit more in-depth about CfgWeapons here:

There seem to be lots of weapons in CfgWeapons but infact there are few base weapons. The different weapons simply have pre-defined attachments.

So for example "ARifle_Khaybar_Base_F" is the basic Khaybar Weapon (the "parent" class).

"ARifle_Khaybar_C_ACO_F" is the base weapon ("parent") plus an attachment (ACOG). This is a subclass.

By now you have probably noticed 2 reocurring things. ARifle, and F.

ARifle is a prefix, short for "Assault Rifle". There are currently only 5 Assault Rifles in the game.

There are different prefixes, all of them are logical and just require logical thinking.

"optics" is self-explaining.

"ARifle" = Assault Rifle.

"SRifle" = Sniper Rifle (only 1 in the game currently).

"H_" = Headgear.

"G_" = Goggles.

"V_" = Vest.

"U_" = Uniform.

Subtypes of "U_" include:

"U_B" = BLUFOR uniform.

"U_C" = CIVILIAN uniform (basically poloshirts etc)

"U_O" = OPFOR uniform.

After this you'll probably still ask yourself "How do I get the magazine name and all that jazz?".

Well, look to your right. You see the config of the weapon, muzzles etc.

Scroll down, you'll see "magazines[] = {magnames}". This is what you want. In here you will see magazine names.

The most common magazine name for Assault Rifles is:

"30Rnd_65x39_case_mag"

This comes in different varities ("_caseless_green","_caseless_mag" etc) but it will be listed. Just remember, the number 8 is just like you remember it from a digital clock. The number 9 is not.

What I wanted to say magazine names are a pain in the ass to read because of shady fonts.

You are also able to look up magazine names in CfgMagazines.

So I kinda wrote about how to use the Config Viewer, I guess.

Onto external resources:

SIX CONFIG Browser - By far the best external resource. It's practically the config but outside the game.

ArmA3 Classnames - This is unfinished but it's being worked on. It'll include weapon, vehicle and unit classnames (hopefully)

My script isn't working, WHAT DO I DO?!

You calm down, first of all. Then, you go ingame, move your cursor towards the Debug Console (at the top, on the right side of the cloud (Intel) symbol) and use it.

Well, HOW DO I USE IT?

You see these little "Exec" buttons on the right? On the left of that are input fields.

Now you just go ahead and write a regular execution in there, so something like this:

nul = [] execVM "testing.sqf"

Then you press the "Exec" button right next to the input field. It'll spit out the LATEST error if you have -showscripterrors on (which I recommend).

The rest of the errors are saved in your arma3.rpt file, BUT I strongly recommend deleting it before testing a big script.

What's this rpt file, -showscripterrors and stuff you're talking about?

Okay, so, -showscripterrors is self-explaining, right? It shows you script errors. If you're scripting, have this on. It's quite precise in telling you what's wrong.

So how do you activate it? Via launch parameters.

Since we all use Steam, here's a quick explanation:

1) Start up Steam.

2) Go to your library.

3) Find ArmA 3 Alpha.

4) Right click - Properties - "General" Tab - Set Launch Options

Here, you enter -showscripterrors into the input field presented to you.

About the rpt file. It's basically a text file which stores all errors recorded during the game.

Since ArmA 3 is in alpha state, your RPT will be clogged with random errors. That is why I recommend deleting it completely before testing a script.

This will allow you to focus on the errors of your script and not be thrown away by random errors.

You can find the rpt file here:

%appdata%\Local\ArmA 3 Alpha\arma3.rpt

If you don't know what AppData is:

Windows Button + R.

Type in %appdata%.

Press enter.

And you're there.

Or just press the Windows button in the bottom left (HAHAHA WINDOWS 8 USERS) and use the search field under the "All Programs" thing.

The search field is actually the run.exe thingy, just hidden, you know.

Advanced Stuff (scripts, advanced questions such as "How do I change my loadout" etc)

This is a placeholder for now but I will update this accordingly with some basic-to-advanced scripts for popular questions (such as how to change your loadout) and whatever.

Arma 3 Crate Filler

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147685-ALPHA-ARMA-3-Crate-Filler

Edit briefings properly:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147830-Editing-mission-breifings&p=2329544&viewfull=1#post2329544

Helicopter insertion / extraction IN MULTIPLAYER:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?86729-quot-It-Works-quot-Helo-Insertion-Extraction-in-MP

How to use the task modules:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?148179-Tutorial-How-to-use-the-Task-Modules

How to set up multiplayer respawns:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?148041-Noob-mission-editor-requires-assistance-with-multiplayer-respawns&p=2318013&viewfull=1#post2318013

Armaholic Newbie FAQ:

http://www.armaholic.com/forums.php?m=posts&q=6751

(Thanks to dushveti for the above links.)

Arma 2 full Scripting Commands list

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Category:Scripting_Commands_ArmA2

Arma 3 new Scripting Commands list

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Category:Arma_3:_New_Scripting_Commands_List

A view on (Multiplayer) scripting, by Sickboy

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/6thSense.eu:EG

Locality in Multiplayer

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Locality_in_Multiplayer

(Thanks to squ33z3 for the above links.)

Edited March 12, 2013 by tryteyker

[pedwards3x 1]

Great stuff. I just started editing with arma3 and I have a text file of all the different resources I've pulled together. I'll throw that on here later. Just takes some time and patience and lots of Google :)

[tryteyker 28]

Gonna give this a little push right here, feel free to add stuff to this as I right now don't really have anything else to add. There should still be some good resources in here for newcomers (I hope so)

[duhsveti 1]

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147830-Editing-mission-breifings

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?86729-quot-It-Works-quot-Helo-Insertion-Extraction-in-MP

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?148179-Tutorial-How-to-use-the-Task-Modules

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?148041-Noob-mission-editor-requires-assistance-with-multiplayer-respawns

Stuff like this? Some good solutions in there.

[Nicholas 5]

Is this a poem or some lyrics? Please align left! I can't read it when everything is centered.

[tryteyker 28]

Thanks, stuff exactly like that. Updated main topic.

//Edit

Yes Nicholas, this is absolutely a poem and you should read it in the appropriate voice! :D

Formatted things, now aligned left properly.

Edited March 11, 2013 by tryteyker

[Nicholas 5]

Thank you very much. Far easier to read when properly aligned.

[squeeze 22]

scripting commands:

Arma2 (Arma3 compatible)

Arma3 new

Locality_in_Multiplayer

Sickboy : Locality and the links at the bottom of the page

read threads by.....

Suma ....God

Xeno , Sickboy

[duhsveti 1]

Oh btw there is a nice link collection at Armaholic, and a lot of stuff from there still works

http://www.armaholic.com/forums.php?m=posts&q=6751

[tryteyker 28]

Thanks, updated appropriately.