Self Host Testing Field Notes

Self-Host Testing Field Notes

Practical gotchas discovered while smoke-testing WASP missions on a Windows self-hosted listen server (Multiplayer → New) with a headless client. Complements the Testing/debugging/release workflow and the Arma 2 OA compatibility audit. Every item below cost real debugging time at least once — they are written so the next person (or agent) skips that cost.

1. The listen-server mission-pack cache (the #1 time-sink)

A self-host packs the selected mission folder into %LOCALAPPDATA%\ArmA 2 OA\Tmp<PORT>\__cur_mp.pbo (e.g. Tmp2302\) — not MPMissionsCache\, where people usually look. Arma then reuses that pack, and its change-detection is unreliable:

• A server-side edit to the folder may simply not take effect on the next host.
• You can get a half-stale pack: e.g. the new Init_Server.sqf calls Init_Defenses.sqf, but the reused pack is missing the file → Warning Message: Script Server\Init\Init_Defenses.sqf not found for a file that is present in the folder.

Fix: fully exit Arma, then delete all __cur_mp.pbo recursively under %LOCALAPPDATA%\ArmA 2 OA (hits Tmp<port>\, tmp\, MPMissionsCache\), then re-host → forces a fresh, complete pack. Always confirm a server-side edit actually loaded (a marker log line) before trusting any test result.

2. "Builds but invisible" → check the spawn coordinate, not locality

Symptom: the server logs built (N objects) but nothing appears where you placed it, and walking the spot finds neither visible nor invisible assets.

• It is almost never a locality/sync problem — createVehicle (array or simple form) is global and syncs to clients.
• It is almost always a wrong world coordinate or a post-build cleanup.

Trap we hit (commander defensive positions, PR #10): a Land_HelipadEmpty was spawned as a transform origin via _o = "Land_HelipadEmpty" createVehicle _pos; _o setPos _pos;, then children were placed with _o modelToWorld _relPos. The helper stayed at [0,0,0] (the static object never moved), so every composition — player and AI — built ~12 km away at the SW map corner.

Lesson: don't rely on a spawned static helper for modelToWorld. Rotate offsets about the placement point directly (Arma dir is clockwise from north):

_worldPos = [
    (_pos select 0) + (_rel select 0) * (cos _dir) + (_rel select 1) * (sin _dir),
    (_pos select 1) - (_rel select 0) * (sin _dir) + (_rel select 1) * (cos _dir),
    0
];

Diagnostic recipe: temporarily log reqPos, the first child's getPos, and a delayed survival count. reqPos garbage = lost input (client side); child far from reqPos = bad transform; survivors < built = a cleanup is deleting them.

3. Supply delivery is proximity-based — there is no "unload" action

The server watches the loaded supply vehicle every few seconds and auto-deposits the moment it is within 80 m of a Base_WarfareBUAVterminal (the Command Center). Players load with a scroll action but deliver simply by arriving — there is no manual unload.

That 80 m is a true 3-D sphere, so an aircraft hovering high above the CC never triggers. For air supply (helis, PR #1) the proximity test was changed to horizontal (2-D) distance with a widened terminal search; ground vehicles keep the 3-D check.

4. Headless client: password symmetry

A client passing -password=X to a host that has no password is rejected exactly like a wrong password ("you cannot join because of password" on a passwordless host). For a no-password self-host, the HC launcher must pass no -password at all. Dedicated-server launchers carry a -password=...; do not reuse them against a Multiplayer → New self-host.

5. RPT forensics — use line numbers, not frameno

ArmA2OA.RPT is appended across launches, and frameno resets per launch — so a high frameno can belong to an older session. To attribute a frameno-less warning (e.g. Script ... not found) to the current session, grep with line numbers and compare against the last PreInit Started ... isServer=true line. Line order is chronological; frameno is not.

6. Folder missions vs hand-rolled PBOs

A single broken PBO in MPMissions poisons the MP-browser scan for every mission (the browser preprocesses each mission's description.ext to build the list) → "Include file ... not found" against unrelated missions, mission shows Type: Unknown / Summary: empty, and Play does nothing.

• For local testing, host the mission as a folder — it resolves #include via the filesystem and avoids the whole class of failure.
• If you must pack: A2 OA mission PBOs are flat (no Vers product entry; uncompressed entries need original-size = 0). A round-trip-valid packer can still produce a PBO Arma lists but cannot read — only Arma's reader is authoritative.

7. Benign local errors to ignore

• Server\Module\AntiStack\callDatabase*.sqf throwing _response / _responseCode / _teamSkillEast undefined = the AntiStack anti-teamstacking module POSTing to a remote database that does not exist on a LAN self-host. Harmless locally.
• coin_interface.sqf bis_control_cam undefined = a commander-camera key/mouse handler firing when the RTS cam is not active. Cosmetic.
• Common\Functions\Common_SendToClients.sqf: WFBE_CL_FNC_HandlePVF undefined on HC connect = the headless client has no client-UI functions. Normal.

8. Arma 2 OA scripting reminders (bit us this run)

• No distance2D (Arma 3 only) — compute horizontal distance manually (sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy), or compare squared distances to avoid the sqrt).
• No lnbSetTooltip — list boxes cannot show per-row hover tooltips; use a click hint instead.
• No try/catch — guard with isNil / isNull and lazy &&/|| short-circuit blocks.

See the Arma 2 OA compatibility audit for the full command-availability scan.

9. BattlEye "master not responding" → hosts redirect

BattlEye — and the BEC RCON tool — contact ibattle.org on launch. When that host hangs or the master is unresponsive, BE stalls: symptoms run from BE master not responding to the BattlEye launcher hanging or never starting the game. The standard Arma-admin fix is to blackhole the domain to localhost so the lookup fails fast instead of blocking.

Edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts as Administrator, append the two lines, then ipconfig /flushdns (or reboot):

127.0.0.1 ibattle.org
127.0.0.1 www.ibattle.org

• This is the documented BEC hosts step — it does not disable BattlEye anti-cheat, only the legacy master/RCON-master lookup, so it is safe on a live server.
• Apply it on whichever machine stalls: the server (if it runs BattlEye/BEC) and/or the client.
• If BE still won't launch: re-acquire it via Steam → Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead → Properties → Verify integrity of game files (re-downloads BattlEye), confirm the firewall isn't blocking it, and remember a reboot can clear a stuck BE service/driver state. (Field tip credit: Miksuu.)
• Do NOT apply the ibattle.org redirect on a regular client PC — it is a server/BEC fix only.

When the A2OA BE master itself is down (observed 2026-06-10)

Symptoms, in matching pairs:

• Server log: Connected to BE Master on each player join (GUIDs even get verified), then Failed to receive from BE Master (0) / Master query timed out ~60–75 s later, on repeat. The master answers short exchanges then goes silent.
• Client: "Launch with BattlEye" shows the consent box, then "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file" on the game exe + Failed to launch game after ~19 s. Procmon shows why: BEService.exe sends hundreds of UDP packets to the BE master (57.129.90.x:2329-2330) with zero replies → the service never authorizes the launch → BattlEye's BEDaisy kernel driver vetoes the game's process creation. No file/ACL/AV problem on the PC — reinstalls, reboots, and permission fixes cannot help. The dialog's full (untruncated) caption can be read with Win32 EnumWindows+GetWindowText.

Workarounds until the master recovers — three gotchas that all bite:

1. BattlEye = 0; in server.cfg is IGNORED by the 1.64 dedicated server — the BE module still initializes and kicks no-BE clients ~20 s after join (right after Verified GUID). To truly disable server BE, rename <OA>\BattlEye and <OA>\Expansion\BattlEye to BattlEye.disabled and restart. Fully reversible.
2. Launching ArmA2OA.exe directly does not avoid BattlEye — the Steam build relaunches itself through Steam, which re-enters the default (BattlEye) launch entry. Prevent it by setting the app-id env first in a .cmd: set SteamAppId=33930 then start "" "ArmA2OA.exe" <args>.
3. Clients then join the BE-stripped server normally (no BE handshake happens). Remember the AFK kick depends on BattlEye — it is inert while BE is off.

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