The CNTO Additions Repository

This repo contains small CNTO-specific tweaks, bits and bobs as addons, so that there doesn't have to be a @mod for each single one.

The scripts and documentation of this repository were created by Freghar.

Features

• ares_extras - additions to (former) Ares, now Achilles
  • Forget enemies - incredibly useful if AI suddenly spots sneaky players and you don't want to break the immersion
  • Reveal enemies - useful to make AI start shooting on a target which should be obvious
  • Watch - makes AI turn to watch a direction (ie. tank turret)
  • No unload in combat - stops truck passengers from jumping out when shot upon
  • Flee - forcibly make AI run somewhere
  • Suppress (bis) - calls doSuppressiveFire scripting cmd, makes tank shoot cannot at heli, etc.
  • Assign Task Force - allows sharing reported contacts between AI groups, so they shoot more
  • Force WP Setting - if you set yellow face (AWARE) on a waypoint, this forces it even if AI gets shot at
  • No Talking - because elite infiltrators shouldn't shout when they spot you
  • Locality - Get/Set - for moving units between server/client/HC
  • Give Zeus to player (may crash) - still crashes less than Achilles' version of this :)
  • Set player insignia (in profile) - if you set unit insignia in editor to use per-player insignia, this sets it for that specific player
  • Terrain Objects Hide/Show - pretty obvious, doesn't work persistenly though
  • Set new player unit - basically what Achilles does on Alt+doubleclick, but for another client, not Zeus
  • End Mission - Won/Lost - yeah, that
  • Move respawn - set new position for the respawn_* map marker placed in editor
  • Move JIP teleport point - same, but for the JIP teleport editor module
  • Delete units (really) - very handy if pressing the Delete key throws an error msg because Arma
• chestpack - it's a backpack for your belly! .. for when you need something more immediate on your back, like a parachute
• disable_channels - disable unused chat channels, CBA configurable
• door_keybind - opening/closing doors via a CBA keybind
• editor_extensions - various in-editor enhancements
  • acre_channels - pre-set channels for (multiple) ACRE2 radios a unit might have, complete with in-game Journal entries
  • ambient_anim - a module to make linked units animate, MP-synced, optionally aborts when unit enters combat
  • arsenal_respawn - save starting Arsenal loadout, restore it on respawn
  • basic_vehicle_cargo - replace default vehicle contents (NLAW, etc.) with something else
    • (can be overriden on a per-vehicle basis via checkbox in editor)
  • execute_code - run any SQF code you want, in editor (useful for running something on composition placement) or in game
  • extended_gear - force facewear, face, insignia and other on a player avatar
  • insta_osd - print nearest town/village/etc. on-screen when the game starts
  • locality_transfer - transfer units to a client / HC on mission start, doesn't work too reliably because Arma
  • paper_map - prevents magical map marker sharing, except for a defined radius around the author
  • persistent_callsign - useful for compositions as Arma likes to reset callsigns in editor all the time; pre-set in group attributes, Tools menu to copy it to callsign field
  • playable_ai - if playing with AI in player slots, order the AI to stop, hold fire, go prone, etc. to avoid acting stupid, useful on stealth missions
  • team_colors - pre-defines unit colors in a group, works with sthud or vanilla command bar
  • validate_mission - various sanity checks under Tools menu (bad ACRE2 radios, overloaded units, etc.), paste result in notepad for examination
  • modules - other tiny modules that didn't warrant their own editor_extension
    • Custom Location - create a Location like a new town/village/castle/bus/etc., works with insta_osd and is visible on map
    • Briefing (OPORD) - populates in-game Journal, uses Arma's Structured Text formatting (see wiki)
    • Teleport on JIP - teleports any players who Join-In-Progress to where you place this module
    • Move respawn - moves the respawn_* marker to the location of this module - unlike the marker, this works in 3D! (use for battleships)
    • Attach synced - visually position an ammo box on a quadbike's back and sync both to this module, magic happens
    • Kill player on JIP - a more gruesome alternative to teleport, for one-life missions
  • menu - other tiny items under the top menubar -> Tools that aren't part of other editor_extensions
    • Fill in Role Description - a quick way to make sensible unit lobby names from unit classname and group callsign, handy for custom callsigns
• functions
  • cargo - 'box guard' against impulse looting by weaklings
  • cbuff - lightweight circular buffer (programming thing)
  • hash - lightweight hash table (programming thing)
  • misc - unclassified helpers
  • saveload - persistent box/vehicle/terrain save/load, used by my old guer campaign
• grasskeys - CBA configurable hotkeys for setting terrain complexity (and hiding grass because AI cheats too)
• infopanel_control - CBA configurable left/right panel UI, allows you to disable vanilla mine detector UI, GPS, etc. even if player has the item
• insta_zeus - Zeus (Curator) and ACE Arsenal anytime, anywhere in SP, or for host / logged in admin in MP, no editor support needed
• join_group - vanilla action to join another player's group or (if leader) make another player of own group a leader
• loadout_copier - copy/pastes loadout in getUnitLoadout format to/from clipboard using a keybind
  • works in Eden editor, Zeus and in 1st/3rd person (separate keybind for convenience)
  • uses clipboard in Eden or singleplayer, internal variable in MP due to Arma safety limitations
    • in hosted MP and if you're the server, copy outputs to clipboard in addition to variable, for debugging
• map_trackers - group map tracking using NATO symbols + single-soldier tracking using soldier map icons
• marker_enh - map markers enhanced, rotating via shift+drag, moving via alt+drag
• misc_tiny_configs - various Config structure tweaks and (mostly) fixes
  • bright_flares - Arma lighting update broke all lighting, this makes flares at least somewhat usable again
  • bright_flashlight - same, but for the default vanilla flashlight; also fix light intensity being different for self vs others
  • cfglights_fixes - various CfgLights tweaks to fix fireplaces / grenade flashes / etc. after Arma 3 v1.60+
  • collapsed_3den - Eden editor has BLUFOR->NATO->Men expanded by default, this collapses it (presuming you want modded units instead)
  • flag_insignia - vanilla "country flags" used for map markers, but now available as uniform insignia
  • hide_actions - hide the Eject action for safety, use a (vanilla) keybind for ejecting
  • max_gun_elev - no angle limitation on soldier aiming upwards/downwards
  • portable_boat - a boat in a backpack, what more do you want? .. unpack/repack like a mortar, cool for specop missions
  • rhs_flashlighs - like bright_flashlight tweak for WMX/2DP RHS flashlights (some guns don't take vanilla flashlight)
  • rhs_suppressors - like suppressors tweak, but for rhs M4/AK/etc. suppressors
  • rhs_vanilla_ammo - like smoke_bounce tweak, by making RHS UGLs use vanilla shells (when fired, not magazines)
  • silent_op - a special "Silent Operative" unit (under CIV)
    • has much quieter footstep sounds and is nearly invisible to AI without NVGs during dusk/dawn/night
    • highly trained, can hack UAVs, is medic/engineer, can bury bodies like in Operation Flashpoint!
    • to use, (1) place any blue/red/green soldier, (2) place SilentOP, (3) group-link SilentOp to b/r/g soldier, (4) delete original b/r/g soldier (just the soldier icon, not group icon), (5) SilentOp is now blue/red/green
  • smoke_bounce - tone down UGL smoke bounce on impact, they're not rubber balls anymore
  • stamina_tweak - making vanilla stamina system more realistic
  • suppressors - make various weapon suppressors much more effective, to compensate for AI hearing through walls
    • by loudness: 9.3mm + 8.6mm (.338) > 7.62mm > 6.5mm + 5.8mm > 5.56mm > 9mm
• nightvision - make all NVGs fullscreen (your display already has FOV=70, so chill with realism), add grain/blur/colorcorrect
• no_neg_rating - avoids mistreatment by the engine (cannot enter friendly vehicles) after friendly fire
• quiet_vehicles - lower volume in vehicles for easier direct speech communication
• static_line - organized group jumping, initiated by pilot/grplead, parachute not provided (you need to have one already)

Optionals

• force_video_settings - force 1.0 brightness and contrast, to limit cheating when playing without NVGs

ACE Compatibility Notes

These features automatically disable themselves (even if CBA settings checkbox says Enabled) to not conflict with almost-identical ACE/ACEX functionality. The idea is that you can configure both (ie. keybinds) and the ACE one will get used when you're playing with ACE and the additions one when not.

• door_keybind
  • checks for ACE Interaction
• join_group
  • checks for ACE Interaction
• marker_enh
  • checks for ACE Map (Markers)
• misc_tiny_configs / stamina_tweak
  • ACE disables vanilla stamina completely, so it shouldn't conflict
• no_neg_rating
  • checks for ACE Interaction
• quiet_vehicles
  • checks for ACEX Volume

Server settings

In addition, there is some vanilla functionality that can serve as replacement for some ACE features that you might not be aware of. See the "Server difficulty profile example" under server.armaprofile and Arma 3 Difficulty Menu for the various possible settings (some not seen in the example).

The notable .Arma3Profile options that stand out:

• groupIndicators as a vanilla version of ShackTac's indicators
• tacticalPing as an alternative to ACE pointing
• weaponInfo, stanceIndicator, etc. as alternative to ACE UI hiding settings
• thirdPersonView as alternative to ACE disablement of 3rd person
• mapContentFriendly (with ...Enemy set to 0) as simple vanilla soldier tracking
• autoReport as an in-engine alternative to ACE setting NoVoice on all players

If you want a full example of server .Arma3Profile, you can also take a look at my self-hosted dedicated server repo that supports all these and their 0/1/2 values (unlike TADST) and also never overwrites your config (unlike TADST). :)

Some notable server.cfg options:

• verifySignatures = 3 is an undocumented value that enforces 1:1 exact modset between the server and all clients, incl. mod ordering
  • decent alternative to ACE PBO checking

description.ext settings

Like the .Arma3Profile above, these are not strictly needed for the additions, but may be useful for reference in general.

See BI wiki page for a full list.

• class CfgUnitInsignia may be useful for a custom "extended gear" insignia

  • re-load the mission in Eden after saving description.ext, it will appear in the list of insignia in soldier attributes

• reasonable revive settings (here or in Eden)

  reviveMode = 1;
  reviveUnconsciousStateMode = 0;
  reviveRequiredTrait = 0;
  reviveRequiredItems = 2;                
  reviveRequiredItemsFakConsumed = 1;     
  reviveDelay = 60;
  reviveMedicSpeedMultiplier = 3;
  reviveForceRespawnDelay = 3;
  reviveBleedOutDelay = 600;
  

Contributing

Windows

Build process uses Powershell 7 and Armake by KoffeinFlummi. Minimal OS requirements is Windows 7 SP1.

1. Go to https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell and download latest release of powershell for x64 (PowerShell-7.1.0-win-x64.msi) or x32 system and install it (MSI version).
2. Go to https://github.com/KoffeinFlummi/armake and download latest armake version (currently 0.63).
3. Extract armake files, for example in D:\cnto\dev\armake_v0.6.3\ folder.
4. Edit Tools\Setup-Tools.ps1 variables file to proper tool locations on your drive.
5. Open powershell and start Tools\Build-Pbo.ps1 script.

Copyright License

This work is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0.