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Found this old video from 2017 on my hard drive while clearing up space. It's one of the mini-game missions I made back then:

Did you play an especially great Zeus mission? Were you Zeusing for a mission that got exceptionally high praise from the people who played it? Share your story here so that the rest of us can get new ideas to try for our own Arma groups! Where was the mission located? What (and where) were the objectives? What equipment did the players have going into it? Were there any good twists or gimmicks involved? Why do you think the players enjoyed it so much?

>> Download demonstration mission here << Just want the script by itself? You can get it here: LINK Instructions: After copy-pasting the file I've called initHostageScenario.sqf into your mission's folder and running it server-side only (very important detail), you only need to do a minimum of six things: Place the hostage unit(s) that you actually want to use Give the hostages appropriate names (by default: hostage1, hostage2 etc but you can edit in the script) Place at least one trigger that you want to use as an extraction zone Give the trigger(s) appropriate names (by default: trg_extractionZone1, trg_extractionZone2, etc but you can edit in the script) Be aware that if a hostage is killed, a variable called sv_missionFailed will be set to true and publicVariable'd so you can auto-end in failure if you want. Be aware that if all hostages are extracted, a variable called sv_missionComplete will be set to true and publicVariable'd so you can auto-end in success if you want. If you want to use different names for the hostages and extraction zones, including the number of hostages or extraction zones that you want to use in the mission, they are editable in the script itself in the first two lines or whatever. Features: Completely vanilla: that is, free of any mod dependencies Supports any number of hostages Supports any number of extraction zones Uses built-in scripted actions for the players to both carry and drop hostages

I agree that it should be fixed, but I'd place so many other things above it on the priority to-do list.

So like most people, I think, there is a big gaping hole in my experience and knowledge of scripting for Arma 3: displays, controls, et al. The hallmark of a well done mod or mission, and one of the easiest ways to make a good impression on people when they try out one of your missions for the first time, is to have a nice custom GUI window. It's one of the few things that every successful, popular mission or mod has in common. Yet despite this, I don't think I have ever once seen a tutorial explaining and/or demonstrating how all of this stuff works. The Wiki is very vague with this stuff and lacks a lot of concrete example. So I wanted to make this thread to reach out and see if maybe you guys might be able to point me in the direction of some guides or whatever that can help me out with this hole in my scripting experience.

Sorry if this has been asked before, but won't you still have to re-do this every time you restart your server?

Link: https://github.com/wanderrful/Arma-Server-Tool-Scripts/blob/master/a3ss.sh Like a lot of Linux server admin people, I started out by using that one tutorial that exists: https://medium.com/arma-3-server-administration/installation-and-configuration-of-an-arma-3-linux-dedicated-server-7875c9030b7 Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to make things a little bit easier on myself now that I know how to do Bash Shell Scripting a little bit better than when I started out. So I wrote a script that allows me to start my server with only the specific mods I want! Personally, I have this script symlinked to /usr/local/bin so that I can just say "a3ss" in the Terminal. To make things even easier, I made some aliases in my ~/.bashrc so that I can say "a3ss-config1" to start my server with only CBA and TFR. To add mods to this script, simply add more to the ModDict[] array, using the array keys to represent your mod names. The mod ID numbers correspond to the Steam Workshop IDs of the mods you want. If you aren't using the Steam Workshop for your server/group, all you have to do is change the location of your mod folder in the ModFolder variable near the top of the script and then specify the specific mod folder names that you're using. So if you're using "@cba_a3", just use that instead of the Workshop ID number. You'll also probably want to change the extraneous launch parameters near the bottom of the script so that they're better suited to your server's specific basic.cfg, profileName, and config.cfg file locations. Just edit the actual ./arma3server call near the bottom of the script! Hope this helps somebody else!

@genesis92x Took a screenshot of the VCOM animation "dragging" error. I'm willing to dig into the code and try to debug or help you fix it... but I just need a hint or something of where the problem may be occurring so that I know where to start looking.

Yes, and this is why @dwarden needs to convince the development team to incorporate the most ubiquitous quality of life mod features out there into the master branch of Arma 3 (for example: the ShackTac UI radar, assigning your own color as a group member a la ACE, a towing ability for jets so they can move in reverse and unstick themselves). They have already done this with Zeus, the stamina system, and the End Game revive system. They just need to continue doing it for the other most popular mods so that vanilla Arma is a far more playable experience and so that the community does not continue to be divided into this archipelago that we have here. Also if you're reading this @dwarden -- please incorporate the most useful of the Ares modules into the vanilla Zeus module list! For example, teleporting individual players would be a huge help as a Zeus on the official vanilla servers.

Long time mission maker. First time modder. So I have a bunch of missions that differ in architecture and layout but otherwise share all of the exact same scripting. I have packed all of my scripting into a .pbo and moved all of the clientside code to the serverside context but with a remoteExec so that it all works out the same way. For example, I simply replace the initServer.sqf content with a call to execute the .pbo's corresponding initServer content. I reference it like execVM "\pbofilenamewithoutextension\initServer.sqf" . The idea is to centralize all of my scripting so that I can edit all missions at once by simply updating the server mod rather than by updating each individual mission, one at a time. Working offline in the editor with the mod loaded (and part of activatedAddons), I've taken care of all the obvious bugs... yet when I try to take the next step and test for locality issues on my dedicated server I run into one big problem. When I try to load the exact same mod in the server via the '-mod=' server launch parameter, the server's rpt file reports no error in trying to load the mod yet it has no idea what on Earth this .pbo is supposed to be despite being listed in that ASCII table that shows up when you start a Dedicated server in the terminal! The server says that the files referenced do not exist... yet when doing the exact same thing in the client with the mods activated everything is fine. My question is simply this: what am I doing wrong that causes my dedicated server to fail to load the mod properly? Because all of the other mods such as CBA or ASR ostensibly load fine without any problem. I feel as if the problem is something basic that conveniently isn't mentioned in any of the endless animation/model/texture tutorials that I always seem to find.

(Requires PBO Manager for packaging!) The most annoying thing thing for me when I make missions is with all of the boilerplate copy-pasting and having to make new sqf files all over again. Plus, when I make one change to my framework or mission templates, I have to distribute those changes into every mission folder and recompile them one by one so that all of the missions are up to date using the same version of my framework or template. I really needed to cut down time on this updating process, so I wrote these shell scripts to take care of it for me! Github Link --> https://github.com/wanderrful/Refresh_and_Package Download Link --> https://github.com/wanderrful/Refresh_and_Package/releases After extracting, simply go inside of the .sh files and replace the folder paths with the appropriate file paths: For the refresh_missions.sh script, you have to provide the file path to your master folder that you want to distribute and your mission folder into each of which the files will be distributed For the package_missions.sh script, you have to provide the file path to your PBO Manager folder, in which you will fine the PBOConsole.exe file! As you can see in the above image, I prefer to use cygwin for running these scripts on Windows but you can use any Bash terminal, pretty much. Just symlink what you need into a PATH directory (I use /usr/local/bin fwiw). I posted asking about how to do something like this in a potentially much easier way but nobody responded... so I made this script! Hope this helps somebody!

My opinions about bad trends in the overall community are more criticisms of the social aspects of the game. I made an informative chart of them just the other day for my group's forum thread, coincidentally:

Yeah -- do you call BIS_fnc_setTask serverside (initServer.sqf), clientside (initPlayerLocal.sqf), or what?

@jshock, what about the locality of all of this? Because the BIKI page doesn't indicate whether you have to call this clientside or serverside. I know that when I try to do createDiaryLog or whatever the command is, if I do it in the wrong context then it will either not appear or appear twice. I think that you're supposed to do this all clientside only?

Almost a year later here and I'm still wondering how to do this. My band-aid solution has been to write a shell script that distributes all files in various template folders to corresponding mission folders so that a change in the template can be propagated to all relevant mission folders.

FWIW I use vanilla for my Arma group (i.e. no mods), but I allow CBA, STHud, and Enhanced Movement as optionals. Here is an old demonstration mission where it happened most recently (last week): http://www.filedropper.com/demolish12altis1altis I will stream my group's next ops session and post an example clip for you if/when it happens again. Like I said, this error happens seemingly at random so I have no idea how to diagnose it. If you know what the playMove animation name is, I can search for it in your script's files and try to help you diagnose it... but as you know, those animation names are a bunch of spaghetti letters.

Next Event: Arma 3 Co-Op Event #59 (17June 2017, 0300 UTC) Not working out with your current group? Tired of being hassled for wearing the wrong backpack? Sick of walking slowly in perfect formation for 1km? Become a Refugee! Come for the tough ops... stay for the hatchback racing! Link to the Steam group is here! Come play some casual fuck-fuck games with the refugees! Join a chill and very friendly community that... has some pretty dope custom scenarios doesn't try to be realistic only plays to have fun cooperates all the way to the end No mods are needed, so it's easy to just show up and play! We do ops for people of all timezones! Check the Event page in the Steam group for exact dates and times of upcoming events. We've got more than 60 missions to choose from across a variety of mission types in each play session and a few new ones get added every week. See how well you can handle the VCOM AI! How we play Arma 3: No role white-listing No donations No ranks No job applications No attendance policies No mandatory training Mission types: Combined arms Hostage Rescue Racing (ATV/Hatchback/Airplane) Skirmish Assault Demolition VR Terrorist Hunt Escape & Evade Search & Rescue Zeus Spies vs Mercs (TvT) Mods: we have only a few recommended mods (you can find a link to the workshop collection on the steam group page), but nothing is mandatory. As we play more Arma, we find that vanilla content gives more frames and is perfectly adequate. We will from time to time, though, have a WW2-themed week or a Vietnam-themed week!

Some content updates to the Arma "group" this past week! A team-based, pistols-only Team Deathmatch scenario in one of the slums of Altis! A new hatchback VR course using Trackmania-inspired course design! A fixed wing air support mission with a ground JTAC team to search & destroy a bunch of enemy assets. An oil rig mission! Refer to the OP if you'd like to come play with us sometime! No training, no whitelisting, no ranks, no attendance requirements.

My post a few months ago unfortunately got overlooked, it seems. This is still an issue, sadly, though it seems to only ever happen randomly. I'm using the script rather than the mod, fwiw. @genesis92x, do you know what this "dragging" animation could be a symptom of?

The most embarrassing way to lose a jet in a mission is to get it accidentally stuck on something because of a bad turn while taxiing. Here's a script I made for a mission this weekend I'm playing with my friends to make your jet safely push itself backward... but it only works if your forward speed is less than 5kph. Use the F3 key or the User Action 3 key in your control settings to try it out! //*** Run this only in a CLIENTSIDE context! (I recommend initPlayerLocal.sqf) sxf_fnc_handleKey_F3 = { _vehicle = vehicle player; _vel = velocity _vehicle; _dir = direction _vehicle; if (_vehicle isKindOf "Plane") then { if (speed _vehicle <= 5) then { _vehicle setVelocity [ (_vel select 0) + (sin _dir * -10), (_vel select 1) + (cos _dir * -10), (_vel select 2) ]; } else { playSound "AddItemFailed"; titleText ["ERROR - Your plane must be still in order to reverse!", "PLAIN"]; }; } else { playSound "AddItemFailed"; titleText ["ERROR - You are not in a jet!", "PLAIN"]; }; }; //*** Bind the above function to 'User Action 3' (or F3 in case it is not already bound for whatever reason) (findDisplay 46) displayAddEventHandler [ "KeyDown", { if ( (_this select 1) in ( (actionKeys 'User3') + [0x3d] ) ) then {call sxf_fnc_handleKey_F3;}; } ]; If anyone reading this is interested in playing with us, you're probably invited! Everything you'd need to know is in this Steam group link: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/fuckfuckgames

Sometimes when playing missions on my server, all (or almost all) of the AI will be stuck in the "dragging" animation state and are therefore unable to move. Is this a symptom of anything in particular that you are aware of? It's been this way since VCOM 2.7 iirc.

Late to the party but the easiest way I know of is to just do blufor countSide allUnits <= 0 because when you're incapacitated you get setCaptive'd, which means you aren't technically blufor or whatever anymore. So it works out anyway.

Made a 13-second guide for Battle Royale:

This please edit-- found the solution:

This please edit-- found the solution: