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Arma 3 · Config reference

Arma 3 server config reference

What goes in an Arma 3 server's server.cfg and basic.cfg, how the missions list works, which settings Wilderack writes, and the admin commands.

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Bohemia's server license is for personal use and rules out renting Arma 3 servers or using them commercially, and its server only downloads with a signed-in Steam account, which we never use. Arma 3 opens on Wilderack once Bohemia gives us its written OK and a way to download the server. These guides are ready for the day Arma 3 opens on Wilderack.

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An Arma 3 server reads two config files when it starts: server.cfg for its rules and basic.cfg for network tuning. Both use Arma’s class format: name = value; lines, text in double quotes, and lists in curly braces.

Arma 3 servers can’t be ordered on Wilderack yet. We open Arma 3 once Bohemia Interactive gives us its OK. This reference works for any Arma 3 server.

The files

File What it holds
server.cfg Name, passwords, players, missions, difficulty, signatures and voting
basic.cfg Bandwidth and packet tuning
battleye/beserver_x64.cfg BattlEye’s RCon port and password, which Wilderack writes
profiles/ The server’s profile: custom difficulty and what missions save
mpmissions/ Mission files (.pbo)

Edit them in Files. The common settings are also in Settings, so you can change them without opening a file. Every line in these files ends with a semicolon, and a missing one stops the server from reading the rest.

server.cfg

Setting What it does In Settings as
hostname The name in the server browsers Server name
password Password to join. Empty lets anyone in Server password
maxPlayers Player limit Max players
forcedDifficulty Recruit, Regular, Veteran or Custom Difficulty
disableVoN 1 turns off voice chat in game Voice chat in game
persistent 1 keeps the mission running when everyone leaves Keep the mission running
verifySignatures 2 checks every player’s mods against your keys Players may only load signed mods
BattlEye 1 turns on BattlEye anti-cheat BattlEye anti-cheat
motd[] Lines of welcome text shown in rotation Edit in Files
admins[] Steam IDs that can log in as admin Edit in Files
kickDuplicate 1 kicks a second player with the same ID Edit in Files
voteThreshold Share of players needed to pass a vote Edit in Files

Wilderack writes passwordAdmin for you, with a password made for your server. Copy it from Settings. Don’t change it in the file: we write it again on each start.

A welcome message looks like this:

motd[] = {
    "Welcome to Ridgeline",
    "Teamspeak and rules on our Discord"
};
motdInterval = 5;

The missions list

The Missions class lists what the server plays. Each entry names a file in mpmissions without .pbo, and can set its own difficulty:

class Missions
{
    class Mission1
    {
        template = "MyOperation.Altis";
        difficulty = "Veteran";
    };
};

The server starts the first one by itself. Add more entries, Mission2 and so on, to cycle through them.

basic.cfg

basic.cfg sets how much data the server sends. The defaults suit most servers. The values people tune are MaxMsgSend, MaxSizeGuaranteed, MaxSizeNonguaranteed, MinBandwidth and MaxBandwidth. Change one at a time and watch how it plays, since a bad value causes more desync than it fixes. See performance first.

Admin commands

Log in with #login and your admin password in chat. Then:

Command What it does
#missions Open the mission list to pick and start a mission
#restart Restart the current mission
#reassign Send everyone back to role selection
#kick name Kick a player
#exec ban name Ban a player
#lock and #unlock Stop or allow new players
#monitor 5 Show server FPS, memory and bandwidth every 5 seconds
#logout Give up admin

Players can also vote: #vote admin name makes someone admin for the session if enough players agree.

Which changes need a restart

Every file is read when the server starts. Restart after you edit one. Admin commands work right away.

Questions

What is the difference between server.cfg and basic.cfg in Arma 3?

server.cfg holds the server's rules, like its name, passwords, missions and difficulty. basic.cfg holds network tuning, like how much data the server sends each frame. Most servers only change server.cfg.

How do I set a custom difficulty on an Arma 3 server?

Set Difficulty to Custom in Settings, which writes forcedDifficulty = "Custom" in server.cfg. The server then reads the CustomDifficulty class from its own profile file, server.Arma3Profile, in the profiles folder.

Do I need to restart after changing server.cfg?

Yes. The server reads server.cfg and basic.cfg when it starts. Restart after you save either file.

Sources we checked

  1. Arma 3: Server Config FileBohemia Interactive Community Wiki
  2. Arma 3: Basic Server Config FileBohemia Interactive Community Wiki
  3. Arma 3: Startup ParametersBohemia Interactive Community Wiki
  4. Multiplayer Server CommandsBohemia Interactive Community Wiki

Related guides

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Bohemia's server license is for personal use and rules out renting Arma 3 servers or using them commercially, and its server only downloads with a signed-in Steam account, which we never use. Arma 3 opens on Wilderack once Bohemia gives us its written OK and a way to download the server. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the day it opens.

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