ARMA 2: CO (how to combine ARMA 2 into ARMA 2:OA and use together)

[xPaveway 10]

Ok I found out whats going on, I put "pause" into the .cmd file so I could read what it's saying, and it's basically saying this:

Error: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>IF ERRORLEVEL

1 GOTO std_PATH_A2

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>IF ERRORLEVEL

0 GOTO uac_PATH_A2OA

Error: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>IF ERRORLEVEL

1 GOTO uac_PATH_A2OA

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>IF ERRORLEVEL

0 GOTO RUN

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>"\ARMA2OA.exe

" "-mod=;\EXPANSION;ca"

'"\ARMA2OA.exe"' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead>pause

Press any key to continue . . .

I am running XP, looks like its not reading the registry correctly or something. I verified that everything is there using regedit so I don't know why thats the problem.

Basically I just replaced everything with

:run

"d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2;d:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION;ca"

And it started up now

[Aiky 0]

Updated thread for Steam Arma2 + Steam OA + Beta Patch

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=101615

Dwarden could you check please if this stuff is right? :)

[Reverend Crast 10]

A proper Arma 2: Combined Operations exe would really be great. Right now the combination of trying to get Arma 2 to run with OA and with mods and startup params and now the beta is just messy.

I miss simply clicking my Arma 2 launcher and having it start through Steam with all proper mods and parameters. I really hope this can be sorted out so that we have a clean remedy. Yes we can "play" it now, but it's not a long term solution by any means.

Yes please. Just one game, ArmA2 Combined Operations.

[Dwarden 1125]

i will see if it can be done safely (merging of both installs)

and if yes then try tie it with next major update going on STEAM

yet when actual solution works, it easily 'blend' together with users using retail (nonSTEAM) ARMA 2 etc.

so that would need to be adjusted after the merge also ...

(e.g. removing the option if you own both games on STEAM and keeping if You own only A2:OA on STEAM)

Edited July 3, 2010 by Dwarden

[AnimalMother92 10]

Sounds promising, looking forward to the solution :bounce3:

[LondonLad 13]

i will see if it can be done safely (merging of both installs)

and if yes then try tie it with next major update going on STEAM

yet when actual solution works, it easily 'blend' together with users using retail (nonSTEAM) ARMA 2 etc.

so that would need to be adjusted after the merge also ...

(e.g. removing the option if you own both games on STEAM and keeping if You own only A2:OA on STEAM)

That response sounds promising :)

I really would like to see both the STEAM ARMA2 & ARMA2:OA installs merged, so it both mimics the boxed (retail) installation and for ease of mod management.

[JerryK 10]

ok this is getting stupid, i've tried everything.

even the updated BAT has the same problem, it opens for a second then closes.

and verifying the cache did jack all

Edited July 3, 2010 by JerryK

[Dwarden 1125]

ok this is getting stupid, i've tried everything.

even the updated BAT has the same problem, it opens for a second then closes.

you are most likely missing path to ARMA 2 in your registry ...

[JSj 12]

What's going on with the Steam "combined operations" launch option? Yesterday morning, it didn't work, then a few hours later there appeared to be a fix and everything worked perfectly.

Then last night, I got a "the game is not available" error message, and now it's back to doing nothing again. The command window opens briefly for a few moments and then nothing happens.

I've checked my registry, the paths to both OA and A2 are correct there.

[Dwarden 1125]

What's going on with the Steam "combined operations" launch option? Yesterday morning, it didn't work, then a few hours later there appeared to be a fix and everything worked perfectly.

Then last night, I got a "the game is not available" error message, and now it's back to doing nothing again. The command window opens briefly for a few moments and then nothing happens.

I've checked my registry, the paths to both OA and A2 are correct there.

if you tried validate file cache of ARMA 2 or ARMA : OA

then validation process removes the path from registry

you need then run each game atleast once to get the path written into registry

also are you running STEAM as user or admin ?

btw. game not available message has nothing to do with Combined Operations and it's problem of steam authorization servers

restarting STEAM usually fix that

[JSj 12]

if you tried validate file cache of ARMA 2 or ARMA : OA

then validation process removes the path from registry

you need then run each game atleast once to get the path written into registry

also are you running STEAM as user or admin ?

btw. game not available message has nothing to do with Combined Operations and it's problem of steam authorization servers

restarting STEAM usually fix that

Nope. Validated both games' files. Ran A2 and OA once, then tried Combined operations and still just got the window flashing by briefly. I use Windows XP 32 bit, with an account with administrator rights. I think there might be a problem reading the paths from the registry. Because my modifed batch-file works and the games are combined when I start using that file.

The file look like this (modifed from the file in the first post):

:run

"C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2;C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION;ca"

:end

@exit

Edited July 3, 2010 by Johan S

[Dwarden 1125]

i sent you pm, could you take look and answer and ideally include what you have or not in registry?

[JSj 12]

Did you send me a pm? If so, I did not get it.

[malaspina 10]

I have the DVD version of Arma 2 installed, the DVD version of OA has arrived.

If I install it will friends without OA installed be able to play my Arma 2 "pure" MP missions online?

Sorry if this is the wrong place, but it is merging related.

[LondonLad 13]

I have the DVD version of Arma 2 installed, the DVD version of OA has arrived.

If I install it will friends without OA installed be able to play my Arma 2 "pure" MP missions online?

Sorry if this is the wrong place, but it is merging related.

If your the hoster then I think you'd need to run the arma2 dedicated server and not the arma2oa dedicated server; as they won't see the OA server within their browser listing.

*hoping I understood what you were referring too*

[malaspina 10]

Thanx, that makes sense, although tempted to have two seperate installs with each as mods in the other.

[gunterlund21 10]

Ok I have combined arms working through Steam but I get no list of addons in the expansion list. How do I include them in?

[LondonLad 13]

Ok I have combined arms working through Steam but I get no list of addons in the expansion list. How do I include them in?

I've had to edit the '_runA2CO' windows command script (batch file) file and modify the entry under ':run;

"%ARMA2OAPATH%\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=%ARMA2PATH%;%ARMA2PATH%\@<mod>;%ARMA2PATH%\@<mod>;%ARMA2OAPATH%\EXPANSION;ca -nosplash"

e.g. @<mod> could be @CBA

This is because the mods are installed into the ARMA2 directory, and not the ARMA2OA directory (STEAM seems to install OA into a separate directory, where-as the boxed/retail copy installs OA into the ARMA2 directory)

[Added after posting]

I also had to copy my 'userconfig' folder that was within the '../arma2' directory to my OA installation directory (as I had mods that required access to files within this folder)

[Dwarden 1125]

new updated to the batch uploaded (attached in first post)

shall resolve vista users

some 32 and 64bit issues and users with lower rights than default etc.

please post your results, so far ~100 people on various systems were fine

Edited July 3, 2010 by Dwarden

[rafo23 10]

The steam one didn't work but I replaced it with the updated one and it works perfectly, although the commad prompt doesn't auto close.

[Reverend Crast 10]

new updated to the batch uploaded (attached in first post)

shall resolve vista users

some 32 and 64bit issues and users with lower rights than default etc.

please post your results, so far ~100 people on various systems were fine

Works fine here (STEAM, windows 7/64bit, no UAC), although my custom mods don't show in expansion window. ArmA 2 is green/shows up and all content works.

[niQ® 0]

new updated to the batch uploaded (attached in first post)

shall resolve vista users

some 32 and 64bit issues and users with lower rights than default etc.

please post your results, so far ~100 people on various systems were fine

I use xp and now works. tnx :)

[DruidB 10]

I've had to edit the '_runA2CO' windows command script (batch file) file and modify the entry under ':run;

"%ARMA2OAPATH%\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=%ARMA2PATH%;%ARMA2PATH%\@<mod>;%ARMA2PATH%\@<mod>;%ARMA2OAPATH%\EXPANSION;ca -nosplash"

e.g. @<mod> could be @CBA

This is because the mods are installed into the ARMA2 directory, and not the ARMA2OA directory (STEAM seems to install OA into a separate directory, where-as the boxed/retail copy installs OA into the ARMA2 directory)

[Added after posting]

I also had to copy my 'userconfig' folder that was within the '../arma2' directory to my OA installation directory (as I had mods that required access to files within this folder)

I have tried this and if i add for example "%ARMA2OAPATH%\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=%ARMA2PATH%;%ARMA2PATH%\@CBA;%ARMA2PATH%\EXPANSION;ca -nosplash" It crashes...

I have steam versions of both games running on XP

[Trracer 10]

if you use -mod= (as in Dwardens cmd-file) you will never see entries in the "expansions" menu in the game, so we (steam-users) can never take advantage of that function.

So seriously, this is a really crappy steam release. Why do I say that? Well, there are countless other games on steam where you also can buy expansions and DLC, and they seem to work... so why doesn't arrowhead work properly and we have to use some sort of 90's era cmd file that makes mod use even more daunting for the inexperienced users?

Other drawbacks with steam, it seems the actual steam arrowhead .exe file differs so much right now that the amazing jayarmalib needs alot of recoding to work... It does work with sprocket/retail release tho.

So I am seriously considering ordering a sprocket key so I can play with the rest of my clan, since we use ACRE...

[DruidB 10]

if you use -mod= (as in Dwardens cmd-file) you will never see entries in the "expansions" menu in the game, so we (steam-users) can never take advantage of that function.

So i can never get my mods that are in my Arma2 folder to show up in the Expansions list on OA? Because i have 2 steam versions?

I want to get back to using ACE and do not want to have duplicate copies of every mod in both folders. :mad:

This better get fixed ASAP.