ARMA 2: OA Beta build 116523 - Steam Mp Lobby (1.63 build, Steam only)

[dr. hladik 231]

Patch contains MP steam lobby and is distributed only for steam version of game (Arma2: Operation Arrowhead Beta)

To be to able to use Steam lobby you must

- run game from Steam client, so proper application ID is used

- to start public server you must not be hidden behind NAT

- to start DS, steam_appid.txt must be present (so DS knows product ID)

- steam dlls must be present

For more details please read http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?175463-End-of-Gamespy

Edited April 19, 2014 by Dr. Hladik

[Dwarden 1125]

on Windows Firewall, in the rule for arma2oa / arma2oaserver goto properties then advance then choose Enable NAT traversal ...

[tonygrunt 10]

If you open the steam global server browser from the steam client (View > Servers) besides the expected Arma 2 OA there are also entries for Arma CWC, Arma, Arma2, TKOH. Is it an error or are you experimenting with future support for these titles too?

Also if you select Arma 2 OA no servers come, Arma 3 works and DayZ is missing.

[viperx 10]

Just to mention as gametype it says Arma3 in ingameserverbrowser when the mission is not started.

Edited April 18, 2014 by viperx

[Sgt DeWolf 21]

I made the mistake of having auto update enabled in Steam for the Operation Arrowhead beta. Now I can't connect to any servers. I tried to rollback to .103718 but evidently rollback isn't possible. Why this update was released on the Friday of a holiday weekend, I have no idea. F-ing fubar.

[djporternz 27]

@Dark1: If you play on one particular server and you know the IP you can still connect via the remote button at the bottom of the browser. Yes it's a bit of a PITA atm, but Bohemia are on this and once the community has migrated to the new system we will once again be able to play the best game in the world.

On another note, does anyone know how I change the 'reportingIP = "arma2oapc.master.gamespy.com";' to get it to use the new system??? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Never mind. It does it all 'magically' by itself it seems.

Edited May 11, 2014 by DJPorterNZ

[Dwarden 1125]

I made the mistake of having auto update enabled in Steam for the Operation Arrowhead beta. Now I can't connect to any servers. I tried to rollback to .103718 but evidently rollback isn't possible. Why this update was released on the Friday of a holiday weekend, I have no idea. F-ing fubar.

just use manual beta update from http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php

108074 was last compatible with 1.62.x

[viperx 10]

When entering the Multiplayer Menu from ingame you get this confusing message :D

[dr. hladik 231]

When entering the Multiplayer Menu from ingame you get this confusing message :D http://s7.directupload.net/images/140419/temp/srrlkrra.jpg

Can be ignored.

---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 AM ----------

I made the mistake of having auto update enabled in Steam for the Operation Arrowhead beta. Now I can't connect to any servers. I tried to rollback to .103718 but evidently rollback isn't possible. Why this update was released on the Friday of a holiday weekend, I have no idea. F-ing fubar.

I'm sorry for this inconvenience, but as was writen in http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?175463-End-of-Gamespy,

we need to introduce and test new steam solution.

[Dwarden 1125]

When entering the Multiplayer Menu from ingame you get this confusing message :D http://s7.directupload.net/images/140419/temp/srrlkrra.jpg

you can use commandline parameter

-noPatchCheck

to disable this check

[aviatormoser 6]

just use manual beta update from http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php

108074 was last compatible with 1.62.x

That did not work for me. It gave me a wrong cd key error, and then it said 1.63 is the newest version. It followed by exiting the installation. I then proceeded to delete the beta in Steam, but now the game fails to launch and it gives me a missing executable error. Yuck, this is just messy.

[dr. hladik 231]

Steam: Previous betas are now also available. See Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead Beta -> properties -> Betas

[mike187 13]

Whats the plan for non-steam A2:OA? I noticed you guys took the non-steam off your BI/sprocket store...

Will it be possible to use the steam-network within A2:OA after a patch or are you guys just planning to give all non-steam users a redeem-code for steam?

thx.

[IcyDennis 10]

I would say : We non-Steam users are screwed. They did with A3 and now repeat it for A2. Either you get Steam or get lost. By now it's obvious that there will be no final 1.63 patch, else they would come up with details finally. Or maybe they release it for the 10th A2 anniversary and brag with it like they did with OFP 1.99 some years ago, telling the world how great they are for still "supporting" their first game.

And the same BI CEO said some years ago about Steam:

Steam is becoming very significant part of today's PC Gaming as well as it was crucial part of the success of Arma 2 / Operation Arrowhead.

There are already many games that are simply Steam only but Bohemia Interactive so far tried to stay service agnostic as we did not like concept of enforcing our users in any direction. What is your opinion, should we make our games Steam only or provide Steam specific enhancements or not?

Source

And today? Well, yeah.

Now we will see if the non-Steam users will get further support or not. If not, then A2, OA and its DLCs was the very last products I ever purchased. I do not need BIS to survive, I'm not sure how BIS survives without customers. That is maybe a lesson they still have to learn. As a paying customer who spent a lot of hard earned money on many BI games I must say that I'm very disappointed about the direction BI goes. But I guess Zombie and "Life simulations" are more important now than the games which make them big.

[Dwarden 1125]

IcyDennis what's exactly the problem? do we stop you from playing the existing builds of game or what?

it's also logical to test the STEAMworks patch on the STEAM deployment system for STEAM users on the STEAM branch of the OA beta ...

[Varanon 892]

I would say : We non-Steam users are screwed.

With Gamespy shutting down, the list of options for server browsing grows thin.

By now it's obvious that there will be no final 1.63 patch, else they would come up with details finally.

I would also appreciate some info on the final 1.63 patch, though. One can really get the impression it will never come out at all.

[nettrucker 143]

@ IcyDennis

I would say : We non-Steam users are screwed.

We non steam users have been screwed since they announced the Steam exclusive distribution. Patch 1.62 will be most probably the last official patch that we non Steam users have gotten and can use. Now that Gamespy is shutting down all future patches will be most probably of use if you have a steam account in case you don't well you have the choice to open a Steam account or stick with patch 1.62 . . . that's it. Put your mind to rest I don't expect anything anymore.

@ Dwarden

We have asked many times an official statement from BI which doesn't come. That's the problem.

[IcyDennis 10]

IcyDennis what's exactly the problem? do we stop you from playing the existing builds of game or what?

My problem is the half finished and bugged to hell beta patch which was released a year ago and is still not finished. That and the lack of communication from your company, which both combined gives one the impression that everyone "not Steam" can go to hell (of course after you collected the money).

I don't want sound like a smartass but such behaviour broke the neck of quite a few game developers in the past years.

[yoda359 10]

Steam: Previous betas are now also available. See Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead Beta -> properties -> Betas

Hi, I got 1.63 automatically installed, can I downgrade to 1.62 with that option without uninstalling Arma 2 or is it still not downgradable?

Edited April 26, 2014 by yoda359

[tonygrunt 10]

Hi, I got 1.63 automatically installed, can I downgrade to 1.62 with that option without uninstalling Arma 2 or is it still not downgradable?

The 1.62 stable coexists with the 1.63 beta, and you can always launch it. The beta option is for those that want to downgrade the 1.63 beta to the latest 1.62 beta.

[.kju 3245]

I guess you need a recent 1.62 beta for DZ mods. So 1.62 release is not an option.

[OMAC 254]

Will non-Steam A2CO + DLC users get a free upgrade to Steam versions so we can try this and subsequent A2OA patches? Will there ever be non-Steam versions of OA beta patches or 1.63 final? Is this the end of all BI non-Steam support?

[.kju 3245]

Check: https://twitter.com/maruksp/status/459092021668757504

I think its very unlikely to see any more patches after 1.63.

[BetterDeadThanZed 16]

Will non-Steam A2CO + DLC users get a free upgrade to Steam versions so we can try this and subsequent A2OA patches? Will there ever be non-Steam versions of OA beta patches or 1.63 final? Is this the end of all BI non-Steam support?

I'd like to know this too. I bought OA from Green Man Gaming. Dayz Epoch will be switching to 1.62 with their next update, so I need to know if I have to buy OA on Steam.

[staMerrill 10]

Does anyone know how to set up a dedicated server?

Dr. Hladik tells us that...

To be to able to use Steam lobby you must

- run game from Steam client, so proper application ID is used

- to start public server you must not be hidden behind NAT

- to start DS, steam_appid.txt must be present (so DS knows product ID)

- steam dlls must be present

For a little bit more information, I'm attempting to run Pwnoz0r's DayZ Server on 116523, so that I can pretty much immediately switch my server from the old GameSpy system to Steam when the time comes.

Also note that the server IS in the Steam directory, which on the server is just the default location (C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Arma 2 Opperation Arrowhead\). Also, if you've read Pwnoz0r's server configuration guide, that the Arma 2 directory is combined with the Arma 2 OA directory, and to be sure, I've pretty much used the vanilla config files.

Exactly where can I find steam_appid.txt, what .dlls do I need, and what do I have to add to the configuration file (server.cfg) to get it to register in the Steam servers?