Server HandleSpecial Request Router Reference

Server_HandleSpecial Request Router Reference (RequestSpecial dispatcher)

Source-verified 2026-06-21 against master 0139a346. Paths relative to Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/ unless noted. Arma 2 OA 1.64.

Server_HandleSpecial.sqf is the server's central special-request router. It is a single switch over the first element of the incoming payload (_args select 0), dispatching 27 distinct case labels that cover player/group bookkeeping, support specials (paradrops, UAV, ICBM, supply-truck respawn), upgrade sync, headless-client (HC) lifecycle, AI-commander team registry, side patrols, camp/HQ structures, object tracking, and the GUER player VBIED. Most cases are tiny state writes; a handful (commandbar-cleanup-dead-unit, guer-vbied-detonate, the paradrops) hand off to a spawned worker so the router thread stays cheap.

This page documents the routing contract — entry point, payload tuple shape per case, side effects, locality — that the scattered case-specific deep-dive pages (Side Patrol, ICBM, HC delegation, Group-Join) each cover only in part. For a single case's full mechanics, follow the Continue Reading links.

Entry point and dispatch chain

A client raises a special request with ["RequestSpecial", [<case>, ...]] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_SendToServer; the payload reaches this router by the PV round-trip below. There is no validation layer between the wrapper and the switch — the case label and tuple positions ARE the contract.

Stage	Path	Behavior
Client send	Common/Functions/Common_SendToServer.sqf:12	Wraps the request as SRVFNCRequestSpecial and either sets WFBE_PVF_RequestSpecial + publicVariable (dedicated) or spawns WFBE_SE_FNC_HandlePVF directly (hosted).
Server PVF	Server/PVFunctions/RequestSpecial.sqf:1	Entire file is _this Spawn HandleSpecial; — forwards the tuple into the router in a fresh thread.
Router compile	Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:37	HandleSpecial = Compile preprocessFile "Server\Functions\Server_HandleSpecial.sqf";
Parser	Server_HandleSpecial.sqf:1,3,5	Private['_args']; _args = _this; switch (_args select 0) do {...} — the whole body is one switch; _args select 0 is the case label, _args select 1..N the payload.

Note the parser quirk: the router reads _args everywhere, but the upgrade-sync case mixes _args select 1 with _this select 2/_this select 3 (Server_HandleSpecial.sqf:69-71). Because _args = _this at line 3, both resolve to the same tuple today, so the mix is latent debt, not a live break.

Player and group cases

Case	Payload _args	Side effect / locality	Source
update-teamleader	[_, _team, _leader]	_team setVariable ["wfbe_teamleader", _leader] — records the team's leader group-var (no broadcast). Sent on kill and on client init.	:6-12; senders Client/Functions/Client_OnKilled.sqf:64, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:371
group-query	[_, _group, _player, _side]	Group-join handshake. If leader _group is a player, forwards group-join-request to that leader's client. If AI-led and wfbe_uid is nil (AI group), calls WFBE_CO_FNC_ChangeUnitGroup then sends group-join-accept to _player. Vanilla path uses SendToClients by UID, OA path uses SendToClient by object.	:13-41; sender Client/Functions/Client_FNC_Groups.sqf:126,131
commandbar-cleanup-dead-unit	[_, _requester, _unit]	Authoritative detach of a dead AI unit stuck in a leader's command bar on dedicated servers. spawns a 75-line worker that validates (alive requester, dead non-player _unit, requester is its group leader), then loops up to 21 attempts (for "_attempt" from 0 to 20): if local _unit, joinSilent grpNull; else setOwner (owner _requester) and every 4th attempt re-sends commandbar-force-dead-cleanup to the requester client. Logs ACCEPTED / DETACHED / STILL_STUCK with re-entrancy guards. sleep 0.25 between attempts.	:138-214

Support-special cases (handoff to spawned workers)

These cases are thin: they spawn a compiled worker bound in Init_Server.sqf. The worker owns the actual effect, fee log, and cleanup.

Case	Payload	Dispatch	Worker bind	Source
Paratroops	full _args	_args spawn KAT_Paratroopers	Init_Server.sqf:47 → Server\Support\Support_Paratroopers.sqf	:43-45
ParaVehi	full _args	_args spawn KAT_ParaVehicles	Init_Server.sqf:48 → Support_ParaVehicles.sqf	:47-49
ParaAmmo	full _args	_args spawn KAT_ParaAmmo	Init_Server.sqf:46 → Support_ParaAmmo.sqf	:51-53
uav	full _args	_args spawn KAT_UAV	Init_Server.sqf:49 → Support_UAV.sqf	:63-65
RespawnST	[_, _side]	Force-respawns that side's AI supply trucks: reads wfbe_ai_supplytrucks off the side logic, then driver _x setDammage 1; _x setDammage 1 on each. Logs the forced respawn.	(inline)	:55-61
ICBM	[_, _side, _base, _target, _playerTeam]	Logs the nuke call, exitWith if _target null/dead, waitUntil {!alive _target ...}, then [_base] Spawn NukeDammage. NukeDammage is compiled server-side at Client/Module/Nuke/ICBM_Init.sqf:13 from damage.sqf.	:117-132

Headless-client lifecycle and delegation cases

Case	Payload	Side effect	Source
connected-hc	[_, _hc]	Registers a headless client. Reads owner _hc and getPlayerUID _hc; logs `HCSIDE	v1
hc-preseat	[_, [_name, _engineSide]]	Pure RPT telemetry: `diag_log "HCSIDE	v1
hc-reseat-result	[_, [_name, _result, _sideNow]]	Pure RPT telemetry: `diag_log "HCSIDE	v1
update-clientfps	[_, _uid, _fps]	Updates WFBE_AI_DELEGATION_<uid> slot 0 with the reported client FPS (delegation load metric); no-op if the var is nil.	:75-85
update-town-delegation	[_, _town, _teams, _vehicles] (or legacy [_, _town, _vehicles])	Town-AI delegation report. Back-compat: if count _args > 3 reads teams+vehicles, else vehicles only. Adds non-duplicate _teams into wfbe_town_teams, appends _vehicles to wfbe_active_vehicles, logs TOWN_AI_HC_CLEANUP, then spawn WFBE_SE_FNC_HandleEmptyVehicle per vehicle and flags each WFBE_Taxi_Prohib.	:86-116

AI-commander team registry cases

These maintain WFBE_ACTIVE_AICOM_TEAMS (a publicVariable-broadcast list of [leader, sideID, dir, team] rows that clients draw as direction arrows) and the side-logic team accounting.

Case	Payload	Side effect	Source
aicom-team-created	[_, _sideID, _team]	Decrements wfbe_aicom_pending (min 0), appends _team to side-logic wfbe_teams, and if leader exists pushes [leader, sideID, getDir, team] onto WFBE_ACTIVE_AICOM_TEAMS + publicVariable. Logs via WFBE_CO_FNC_AICOMLog.	:215-238
aicom-team-ended	[_, _sideID, _team]	Drops this team's arrow row (and null leftovers) and re-broadcasts. If _team null: just releases the pending slot. Else removes from wfbe_teams; if the team has 0 units clears wfbe_persistent so the 60s group GC reaps the empty husk (group-cap leak fix); clears wfbe_aicom_garrison if it matched.	:239-273
aicom-team-heading	[_, [_team, _dir]]	Patches the team's arrow heading: updates slot 2 only when the signed angle delta > 7 deg, then publicVariable (PV-spam throttle).	:277-302
aicom-vehicle-abandoned	[_, _veh]	Enrolls an abandoned alive hull into the empty-vehicle collector by appending to WF_Logic "emptyVehicles" (the producer list, not the emptyQueu dedupe set), guarded against duplicates. The collector owns dedupe + delete timer.	:310-328
aicom-heli-refunded	[_, _sideID, _cost]	Refunds an off-map-flown empty transport's build cost to the side's AI-commander treasury via [_rSide, _rCost] Call ChangeAICommanderFunds, gated on _rSide in [east,west,resistance] && _cost > 0.	:334-344

Side-patrol cases

These maintain WFBE_ACTIVE_PATROLS ([leader, sideID] rows, same arrow-marker pattern as the aicom list).

Case	Payload	Side effect	Source
sidepatrol-started	[_, _sideID, _unit]	Appends [_unit, _sideID] to WFBE_ACTIVE_PATROLS + publicVariable.	:345-354
sidepatrol-ended	[_, _sideID, _unit]	Releases the side-logic patrol slot (wfbe_side_patrols min 0), re-arms wfbe_side_patrol_last = time, drops the ended unit's row + null leftovers, re-broadcasts.	:355-373
sidepatrol-convoy-stop	[_, _sideID, _town]	Convoy reached a town: pays the owning side. Pool = WFBE_C_PATROL_CONVOY_PAY (default 750), split among alive same-side players, paid via [_cSide, "BankPayout", [_cShare]] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_SendToClients.	:375-388

Structure, tracking, and GUER cases

Case	Payload	Side effect	Source
process-killed-hq	[_, _hq]	(_args select 1) Spawn WFBE_SE_FNC_OnHQKilled (bound Init_Server.sqf:72).	:134-136
track-playerobject	[_, _uid, _object]	Appends _object to WFBE_CLIENT_<uid>_OBJECTS (creating the list if nil, scrubbing objNull). Server-side ownership ledger of client-spawned objects.	:436-449
repair-camp	[_, _logic, _repairSideID]	Rebuilds a destroyed camp bunker. exitWith if wfbe_camp_bunker still alive; else createVehicle the WFBE_C_CAMP model at the logic with WFBE_C_CAMP_RDIR offset, attaches killed/handleDamage (WFBE_C_CAMP_HEALTH_COEF) EHs, stores it. If sideID != _repairSideID, flips sideID and sends CampCaptured to all clients.	:450-473
guer-vbied-detonate	[_, _veh, _driver]	GUER player suicide-VBIED. Gate-guarded (WFBE_C_GUER_PLAYERSIDE > 0, driver match, side _driver == resistance, typeOf _veh == WFBE_C_GUER_VBIED_TYPE OR typeOf _veh == WFBE_C_GUER_VBIED_M113_TYPE). Spawns a worker that snapshots living WEST/EAST targets within WFBE_C_GUER_VBIED_BLAST_RADIUS (default 60), then _veh setDamage 1 + 3x "Bo_FAB_250" createVehicle, sleep 4, and pays the driver's GUER team unitPrice * WFBE_C_GUER_KILL_BOUNTY_COEF (default 0.5) per blast kill via WFBE_CO_FNC_ChangeTeamFunds. Unit price read at array index QUERYUNITPRICE.	:484-524; sender Client/Action/Action_GuerVbiedDetonate.sqf

Routing contract notes

Observation	Detail	Source
No central validation	The switch trusts the case label and tuple shape verbatim; per-case gates (e.g. GUER, aicom-heli side check) are the only guards. Hardening must happen inside each case.	:5 (no pre-switch guard)
Every case runs in a spawned thread	RequestSpecial.sqf does _this Spawn HandleSpecial, so each request is already on its own thread before the switch; cases that spawn again (paradrops, commandbar cleanup, guer-vbied) do so to avoid blocking that thread on sleep/waitUntil.	Server/PVFunctions/RequestSpecial.sqf:1
Two broadcast list patterns	WFBE_ACTIVE_AICOM_TEAMS and WFBE_ACTIVE_PATROLS are both append-and-publicVariable arrow-marker registries with matching create/end/prune logic; clients consume them in Client/FSM/updateaicommarkers.sqf.	:233, :352
upgrade-sync mixed parser	Reads _args select 1 then _this select 2/3; harmless today (_args = _this) but should be normalized to one payload shape.	:67-73

Continue Reading

• Side-Patrol-Runtime-And-Convoy-Mechanics — the sidepatrol-* cases in full (spawn cooldown, convoy payout).
• ICBM-Authority-Playbook — the ICBM case and the NukeDammage blast path.
• Headless-Delegation-And-Failover-Playbook — connected-hc, update-town-delegation, update-clientfps and HC registry hygiene.
• Player-Squad-Group-Join-Protocol — the group-query join handshake end to end.
• Support-Specials-And-Tactical-Modules-Atlas — the paradrop/UAV support workers and their fee/cooldown gating.