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USMCLuke

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Posts posted by USMCLuke

  2. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    It will break a Steam install to PLAY, but not to run just the dedicated server .exe, which doesn't matter on a dedicated server since it doesn't even have a video card that can play the game. It was our way of bypassing the Steam requirement until a new version of the dedicated server files came out for Steam.

    I guess what I'm not understanding, is how exactly do you get a beta patch on a Steam version without manually downloading and installing it? If that's the way to get the Steam compatible dedicated server files, that will run in CO mode on a dedicated server.

    In case I'm not being clear enough, this is a server we rent. No one plays on this machine, and since the server is completely unmanaged the only way we have to install the game + expansion is to use Steam since we do not physically have access to the DVD drive on the server.

  3. Posted

    So, let me make sure I get this correct before I waste another half day re-installing the games on our server...

    I reinstall both through Steam, which I will have to do because before I had to install the non-Steam 1.52 patch on top of our Steam OA install to get the dedicated server files so that our server wasn't dependent on Steam running. I know that's not a "correct" way of doing it, but it was a work around that allowed us to run a dedicated OA server without having Steam on.

    Steam A2 + Steam OA + install latest beta build = dedicated server, which will run independent of Steam, and in CO mode?

  4. Posted

    There's actually not a true fix, Dwarden. Right now our dedicated server can't launch in CO mode because I don't know how to launch it this way without being logged into Steam, and we shouldn't have to have a completely new Steam account with its own version of A2/OA/CO. We don't want to have to run our server in A2 or OA only modes via the dedicated server file, which we're doing now. We want to run a dedicated server in CO mode so that everyone can connect and we can switch between the two modes from within the server, and use the content from both. Right now people are having to do a hundred different work-arounds depending on what crazy concoction of ArmA 2 and OA they happen to have...

    This is seriously the worst experience with an expansion I've ever dealt with and I've been gaming on the PC since the x386 days. It's also been a nightmare to administrate a dedicated server, which is kind of the only way to play it since MP is the most enjoyable part of the game.

  6. Posted

    What Steam could do for us is to give us an option to download Combined operations as a seperate game.The DVD version installs in 10gig while my Steam install of A2 and OA is close to 20gig.I could use the free space.

    I agree fully. Technically they aren't out anything. We've actually paid more for the two separate games than the CO package. That would also alleviate ALL the problems of hosting Steam version servers and version conflicts.

  9. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    Getting the steam version (or any other version) to work in combined mode with no hassle, bugs and any modifier / mod you like? Is that possible?

    Yup! Even though the information is incomplete, disparate and hidden in different locations it's as simple as creating a shortcut!

    Go to your \Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead folder, rightclick on the ArmaA2OA.exe choose create shortcut, or pull it onto your desktop holding alt (to create a shortcut)

    Then edit that shortcut (rightclick, properties) and edit the target

    Example:

    "D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=D:\ARMA 2;D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION;ca;@KHPackOA;" "-nosplash" "-cpucount=4" "-exThreads=7"

    "D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ARMA2OA.exe"

    = Path of the executable, pretty straightforward.

    "-mod=D:\ARMA 2;D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION;ca;@KHPackOA"

    = This one the mother-lode :

    - the entire line needs to be enclosed in "", adding other modifiers in doesn't seem to work that's why I put each modifier in "" The reason is mostly because there are / might be spaces in the path

    -First point to your Arma 2 dir (here D:\arma2;) Make sure it's updated to 1.07!!!

    - Each subsequent mod also needs to end with ;

    - D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION; Important! Point this to the Expansion folder in your arrowhead directory

    -ca; without this most other mods and modifiers won't work! It needs to be in front of any other additional mod you add in!

    -@xxxxx; add any other mod(s) you like here! Make sure it's after CA or it won't work properly (no idea why, it just won't!)

    "-nosplash" "-cpucount=4" "-exThreads=7"

    Any other modifier you like can be added here, you got a quad-core like me, then add this, otherwise look around on the forum, that info is easy to find!

    Again make sure they have "" around them, each modifier is in it's own separate "" (adding them together again didn't seem to work, adding the modifiers before the mods were loaded didn't work either, I think CA is the cause there too.

    You can also edit the .cmd or better yet, make your own without all the extra crap.

    Just create a textfile and rename the extension to .cmd (if it still has a text file icon make sure you disable "hide known filetypes" in your explorer options or it won't work).

    Put the entire command line in there like this: "D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ARMA2OA.exe" "-mod=D:\ARMA 2;D:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\EXPANSION;ca;@KHPackOA;" "-nosplash" "-cpucount=4" "-exThreads=7"

    again modify where necessary. Bingo!

    Have fun!

    This doesn't seem to work when attempting to use the -server parameter, however. That's why we're using the 1.52 patch over a Steam version to launch our dedicated server. Using the built-in _runWhatever.cmd (no matter how we mod it) in the OA directory just hangs up Steam, not to mention requires a Steam account to be logged in, which is retarded.

    So far the dedicated server file from 1.52 on a Steam version works fine if the dedicated server is truly a server and there's no intent to play the game from that box. Only problem is we've yet to figure out how to get it to launch in CO mode which we *think* will allow those with the CD/DVD versions to connect.

  12. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    We're just hoping that the Steam/BIS issue is resolved (very) soon. We have a bastardized version running on our dedicated server to make it work (Steam + the 1.52 non-Steam patch for the dedicated Windows server files), but can't run the server in CO mode, only in OA stand-alone. This way works for most of our community members, but the guys who bought the CO DVD version are still assed-out. Not to mention no one can currently use CO content or missions on our server, just ArmA 2 or OA stand-alone.

    We were contemplating buying CO on a new Steam account (instead of the account we're using now, which is my personal Steam account that only has ArmA 2 and OA separate) and running that on the server, but we're not even sure who that would allow to connect.

    This game series has a small, but strong following, especially among actual military members like my group, MilitaryGaming.net, but these version conflicts are really destroying our ability to hold that small community together since we as admins have to jump through hoops to make this work. I just spent the last 12 hours trying to get CO working (again) on our dedicated server only to go back to where we were at.

    Everyone involved needs to get on the ball and get the versions to where they're all compatible with each other. If the fix for Steam is to give everyone who owns ArmA 2 and OA the CO version, then they need to ante-up and do it. People paid good money to play these games, and right now they're only getting half of the bargain.

    A lot of us are wishing OA hadn't even been released since we were happy with where ArmA 2 had gotten to among the modding community, but now that we've had a taste of the new functions and features going back to playing regular ArmA 2 would turn a lot of people off. I'm getting so disgusted over this whole mess that I don't even want to fire up the game myself, and I've been a dedicated fan since OFP.

  14. Posted

    So I've been out of the game for a while, and recently decided to pick it up again. On my organization's dedicated server we're running 1.05, ACE 2, and Benny's. No one else seems to have this issue.

    I used to play Vanilla 1.02 - 1.04 + Benny's on 1024x768 with med-high settings and view distance at about 6k and never had this issue. Now I can't play 2 minutes with everything on low without getting this problem. Sometimes it happens when I go to map, sometimes changing position in a vehicle, sometimes when I'm just standing still.

    I've tried EVERYTHING suggested except for reinstalling my OS which isn't an option. I've tried messing with the settings, messing with ArmA2.cfg, messing with name.ArmA2Profile, clean re-install of the game (with complete registry clean). 60Hz refresh, 75Hz refresh, fresh drivers, one video card, two video cards (CrossFireX), fresh DirectX. I'm really at a loss. Any help is appreciated.

    Specs:

    AMD Brisbane 6000+ (Dual)

    ATI Radeon HD 3650 w/512MB x2 in CrossFireX (10.6 CCC and CrossFireX)

    4GB RAM

    Windows XP 32-bit

    Viewsonic 19" LCD

  16. Posted

    The version we run on MG has a few tweaks here and there to make it fit our play style a bit better. Mainly just small things like reducing the max distance you can build from a town and toying with money depending on how we feel like playing. That's why the version you had did not match ours and you had to download. You're doing everything right as far as how you need it set up on your server, but it sounds like you may have something in your default server config file that is causing the other mission to start, namely having something in for mission rotation.

  18. Posted

    Will variables set in the server.ArmA2Profile and ArmA2.cfg take precedence over the options dialogue you've set? All of these and more we handle at our server level.

    FYI none of the current helos are capable of carrying vehicles other than the HMMWV unless you want to strip all realism. Realism is one of the reasons we're big fans of your mod.

    Facts (rounded):

    The Seahawk can carry roughly 9,000 lbs.

    The MV-22 can carry roughly 10,000 lbs.

    This is assuming they're unarmed and do not have troops loaded.

    The basic HMMWV's in the game weigh between 5,500 to 6,000 lbs.

    The next closest vehicle is the LAV-25 coming in at just over 12 tons.

    The UH-1Y cannot carry vehicles.

    While cool, this would be a big bummer for all of us realism junkies to see. If anything, release it as an optional add-on for those that don't care.

    What all us former USMC bubbas would love to see are the CH-53 and CH-46. With those you gain some heavy lifting capability, to include LAV's. So far all there is is the CH-47, and that is a different beast all together from the 46, even though they may look similar. Hopefully some nice modders will make the other helos so that this sort of thing can be a reality within the loose realm of realism.

  19. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    Yup, that was exactly the case. We like to deploy to the airfield at Balota and that's where I kept running into that issue. I had drawn the assumption that since I could only build defense that it was something screwing up the menus when I passed towns/strongpoints. Good to know.

    We did discover that both RU and US can run fire missions at the same time, however, we highly advise against it, and there should def. be something that prevents this from being possible. I'm still not 100% why, but for some reason a lot of stuff is slowing down real quick now. I put quite a few throttles in place on the server side to help overall performance, but it only helped a little. Last night with only about 10-12 people on avg., my second fire mission took me over 45 min. just to get to the "1" portion, finally I gave up and just restarted the server.

    Also if someone disconnects while in the middle of a fire mission, you can kiss arty goodbye until you restart your server. Quite possibly for both teams. There needs to be something that prevents the script from infinite looping or whatever you want to call it. Maybe something like that it resets if input isn't received for longer than 10 min. from the originator of the fire mission? I can see that fix being bad if we can't find what is causing the arty script to bog down so horribly, but it would prevent it from breaking all together.

    And finally, I did learn a "trick" about one of the nasty little bugs in this release... We had a lot of people getting random units when they were buying them (including Marine-manned RU UAZ's on BluFor). I discovered that it only happens when the person applies the filter at the top left, or at least I'm fairly sure. Somehow it is buying all the units that are X # down the list as what you are trying to buy. Say an MTVR (Ammo) is #12 on the light vehicle filter, you may end up with an Engineer too since it is also #12 on the infantry filter. My workaround was to just use the full list and not filter when buying units. Now about the multiple units of the same type spawning, I'm not sure about. We did notice that as the arty script bogged down to a crawl so did a few other things such as how long it took a vehicle you purchased to spawn and town CP captures. Extremely similar behavior as with the original Superpowers mission at about 4 hrs. in, except this is happening within the first 30 min. to hr. with this release.

    Hope this helps!

  20. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    Alright... There is now a metric ****-ton of bugs. This is what we've seen so far...

    1. The need to disconnect in order to construct as first Cmdr was a bad bug, but not as bad as what is now happening... It appears that if you drive near a town and/or strongpoint with the MHQ, you lose the ability to construct Base structures, only Defense is then an option. Respawning, reconnecting, and switching Cmdrs does not fix so it requires a mission restart. We have had to restart more than play now while trying to relocate to airfields.

    2. All weapon/ammo purchases seem to happen "faster" now in the interface, but the toss-up is you now get 2 or 3of anything you double-click.

    3. When buying vehicles, IF your vehicle actually comes out of the factory, you are just as likely to get anywhere from 2 - 4 maybe even 5 of the same type of vehicle.

    4. Random parachutes? I just don't know what to say here... One of our UH-1Y's was shot down and about 30 - 40 parachutes appeared in the air without bodies attatched. The guys that did eject were stuck in the air without 'chutes. Just weird...

    5. As far as arty goes, you're almost guaranteed to not get a unit back if you run more than 2 of a type in one fire mission. Also, when I was playing alone last night it was very responsive and quick to execute. With about 12 people on our dedicated the fire missions can take almost 20 min. just to get to where you can click the map, then another 5-10 min. for the rounds to complete.

    6. Switching Player Cmdr's in a mission causes "High Command" to break. As useless as it is right now, it was nice to be able to move the AI squads out of the main HQ area.

    Our vote is still that you set static, and if not static then maybe a random of say 3 starting locations polar opposite on the map, like 3 for the RU up in the NE and 3 for the US in the SW. The reason for this is now that you've managed to get the HQ's separated at the start one is almost always going to start in or near the coast and build in the water.

    Proton, if you can't seem to replicate these bugs yourself, we'd be happy to have you come into our server and Vent. so we can show you exactly how things are happening. Jump on and we'll get comms with you to give you the Vent. info. since it's not public.

    Server info:

    [MG] www.MilitaryGaming.net

    216.6.231.130:2312

    We're usually on in force with admins between 1800 and 0300 CST (GMT -6:00).

  21. Posted

    I didn't get a chance (if I'm understanding the question correctly) to run RU and US fire missions concurrently, that's something we can try tonight. My issues with getting "battery is foxtrot uniform" kept occurring after I had run the first fire mission with more than 1 man on a single 81mm... After I deleted all the arty pieces, and then sent away all problem riflemen and waited a few minutes, it seemed to work fine. That said, the next fire mission I ran with 3 81mm/3 riflemen (1 per) and after that one, one of them didn't come back to me.

    The key thing I've seen is that if during the allocating fire team to control portion a man stands up and steps away from the arty piece, that piece will be bugged. Why they're standing up and getting off the pieces I have no idea, I'm not even moving myself once the fire mission has been started.

  22. Posted · Edited by USMCLuke

    Here's some notes I posted up for my guys regarding arty. Many of the bugs I know are just there and aren't your fault Proton, but I didn't find one that would break it all together. Keep in mind I tested it alone on our dedicated server, and only used it for about an hour.

    1. Only one person should be running the arty missions per team, just trust me on this... You feed them some cash and give them a grid and a landmark within that grid (or divide it into 9 sectors so going left to right, top down you end up with NW, N, NE, W, Center, E, SW, S, SE).

    2. Only put one man on an arty piece, for testing I used basic riflemen. 81's have two spots, and Howie's three, but again, just trust me on this. There's no obvious gain, but it will cause bugs if you use more whether you include them in the fire mission or not.

    3. Wait until all men have rejoined your squad to start another fire mission.

    4. Be ready (and willing) to have to enter the Construction mode and Delete arty pieces and shoot AI troops. Having the Cmdr place other defenses may help with some of this...

    5. There is a maximum as well as a minimum range. Sometimes it shows, sometimes it doesn't.

    6. It doesn't tell you this outright, but after you reply with "1" during the mission, open your map up and the next left click on the map will be the target of the fire mission. After the green icon appears, the fire mission will continue.

    7. When in doubt (or after lots of Foxtrot Uniforms), delete all arty pieces, send all riflemen to AI squads and wait about 10-15 mikes.

    8. Sometimes you will not get your men back, at all, and that arty piece will then need to be removed.

    All in all, it works pretty well. I was able to FO my 81's and they were awesome. I leveled Novy in about 15 mikes. I didn't really kill a lot, only an infantry squad or so (the BRDM's kept moving around too much), but it was a thrill. Hearing the actual proper reporting over the radio was sick. Splash is a little off, but the rounds were always on target. This is going to add a whole new element to Warfare.

    I didn't elaborate for my guys, since I'll chat with them later today, but I will here. The reason for #1 is this... The need to delete arty pieces and control the troops manning them requires someone be at the HQ (or wherever the arty is) to keep a handle on things. If arty pieces get built and then screw up the script, they need to be removed, and the guys manning them sent away. If the aforementioned belong to someone else, you can't do this, unless you're the Commander, but sometimes even he can't remove them and they have to be satcheled.

    This is still the best implementation of arty I have yet to see, good work Proton!

  23. Posted

    Thanks for pushing out an update, Proton! We've been sorely needing it. We were running Chernarus Life a bit in the interim since v1.03 came out and that mod will cause complete anarchy on a server. Thanks again for the hard work and we'll report back any bugs we find as usual.

  24. Posted

    We have the same problem at times. Just make sure you're not building the buildings too far from the MHQ (i.e. on/near the edge of the placement range). If you move the MHQ after you've built buildings and they fall outside this range, they will no longer be recognized.

    Also, if you don't take over immediately at the start of the match, occasionally the AI Cmdr will continue to build back at the original starting location if you've moved it.

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