Arma 3 User Manual

: June 8, 2024
: Arma

Arma 3 User Manual

EPILEPSY WARNING

Please read before using this game or allowing your children to use it. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of consciousness when exposed to certain flashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may have a seizure while watching television images or playing certain video games.

This may happen even if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had an epileptic seizure. If you or anyone in your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to flashing lights, consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video games by their children.

If you or your child should experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convulsion while playing a video game, discontinue use immediately and consult your doctor.

Precautions During Use

Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the screen, as far away as the length of the cable allows.
Preferably play the game on a small screen.
Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep.
Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.
Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.

Precautions During Use

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Experience true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox. Deploying a wide variety of single- and multiplayer content, over 20 vehicles and 40 weapons, and limitless opportunities for content creation, this is the PC’s premier military game. Authentic, diverse, open – Arma 3 sends you to war.

massive military sandbox

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Altis & Stratis: Defeat your enemy on richly detailed battlefields – stretching over 290 km2 of Mediterranean island terrain.
Weapons & Vehicles: Master a range of 20+ vehicles, aircraft and ships; choose your gear, pick from 40+ weapons, customize your loadout.
Singleplayer & Multiplayer: Be deployed in the open gameplay-driven scenarios and campaign – or team up against your enemy in massive competitive and co-operative battles online.
Content Creation: Design your own scenarios with the powerful editor; create mods for others to play; join our creative community.
Revamped Engine: Navigate the battlefield with fluid new animations; feel the devastating power of combat with the upgraded sound engine, new ragdoll simulation and PhysX®-supported vehicles.

Find out more about features in Arma 3 at arma3.com/features

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
CPU: Intel Dual-Core 2.4 GHz / AMD Dual-Core Athlon 2.5 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT / AMD Radeon HD 5670 / Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 512 MB VRAM
DirectX®: 10
RAM: 4 GB
HDD: 45 GB free space
Audio: DirectX® compatible on-board
Other Requirements: Internet connection and free Steam account to activate; Dual Layer compatible when installing from DVD

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 / AMD FX 4300
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 / AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series with 2 GB VRAM
DirectX®: 11
RAM: 8 GB
HDD: 70 GB free space, SSD / Hybrid HDD / SSHD storage
Audio: DirectX® compatible soundcard
Other Requirements: Internet connection and free Steam account to activate; Dual Layer compatible when installing from DVD

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INSTALLING THE GAME

INSTALLING THE GAME

The installation differs depending on if you are installing the game from the purchased DVD or directly from the Steam client.

DVD Autorun

When you place the Arma 3 DVD in your PC’s disk tray and close it, the Setup application should start. The operating system may ask for your confirmation. If it does not, you can find Setup.exe on your DVD drive’s root folder and start it manually. The Setup menu gives you several options, such as visiting our website and, of course, installing the game. To install the game, please follow the instructions provided in the setup process. When prompted, please enter the product code from the back of the printed manual.

A Steam account is required to run Arma 3. If you don’t have the Steam client installed on your computer yet, the installation process will also take you through its installation and account creation. If the Steam installation fails, please see www.arma3.com/steam- setup for troubleshooting.

Steam provides patches and updates for the game, so expect some data to begin downloading immediately after installation.

Steam

How to install the game

In your Steam client, go to the Library and select Arma 3
Click the Install icon on the game page
Select the drive you would like to install the game to and click Next
If you want to have a shortcut in your Start menu or on your Desktop, check the respective options and click Next to proceed
Wait for the game to finish downloading

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How to update the game

The game should be updated automatically by your Steam client. If you encounter any problems, you can force the update by checking your game’s properties:

In your Steam client, go to the Library and right click on your Arma 3
Select Properties
Select the Updates tab in the new window and make sure your Automatic updates option is set to Always keep this game up to date
Click Close in the lower-right corner of the window 5.The game should start to update soon after

How to run the game

The game can be run from your Steam client by using its Launcher with additional options:

In your Steam client, go to Library, select Arma 3 and click Play
When using the Launcher, run the game by clicking PLAY in the lower-left corner; the Launcher runs the game with specified settings such as parameters and mods

How to set parameters for running the game

In some cases you may want to run the game with starting parameters. If you know them you can set them up manually:

In your Steam client, go to the Library and right click on Arma 3
Select Properties
Hit Set launch options
Add any parameters you want to run the game with
Click OK
Click Close in the lower-right corner of the window

Alternatively, use Launcher to set parameters comfortably:

In your Steam client, go to Library, select Arma 3 and click Play
When the Launcher opens, select the PARAMETERS tab
Select and enable desired parameters via the check boxes
Some parameters might require additional input; provide it in the field associated with the parameter
Parameters are automatically saved by the Launcher, so you don’t need to specify them for future launches
When done, click the PLAY button located in the lower-left corner to launch the game with the provided parameters

How to change between the main version and special testing versions

All installs are set to the main branch version of the game by default. To change this:

In your Steam client, go to the Library and right click on Arma 3
Select Properties
3. Select the BETAS tab
Choose either ‘NONE’ for the Main Branch or ‘development’ for an experimental testing version of the game

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5. Click CLOSE in the lower-right corner of the window

Be aware that using the development version of the game may affect your experience with the game. Please carefully inspect our overview of this dev.arma3.com/dev- branch version.

Note: some special branches may require you to enter an access code to unlock them first. Enter this code in the BETAS tab and press CHECK CODE. The branch should now be listed in the drop-down.

BASIC SETUP

Video Options

When you run the game for the first time, the auto-detect function will determine the best video settings for your hardware. To adjust them, head into the Video Options menu by navigating through the Options in the Main Menu.

The Video Options menu contains three tabs:

General: Contains the settings for terrain, objects, lights and shadow quality, and visibility
Display: Allows you to adjust the resolution, aspect ratio, and interface size
AA & PP: Contains Anti-Aliasing and various Post-Process settings

You can choose one of the presets by selecting Overall Quality, located at the top of the menu. Some changes in Video Options will require restarting the game. When the game asks you for a restart, confirm it in the pop-up window.

If you change something and want to return back to the original state, click the Auto detect button in lower-left corner. It will reset the options according to your hardware.

Game Options

You can set up various game options in following tabs:

General: General game options such as subtitles, blood and head-bob
Difficulty: Three difficulty presets are available, each changing the global settings; you can fine-tune most other settings individually
Colors: Here you can redefine the colors of the game interface and even choose your own
Layout: Adjust positions of interface components here

Controls Options

You can set up the controls in three tabs:

Keyboard: Lists all the controls in the game; use the drop-down list to filter the types of actions
Mouse: Change the mouse settings and adjust axis sensitivity

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Controller: Set up a game controller here

You can also pick from a set of predefined ‘Control Presets’, which will configure the key bindings automatically.

Arma 3 Apex: The new default control scheme for Arma 3 Apex, taking the new additions and improvements since Arma 3’s release into consideration
Arma 3: The former Arma 3 scheme that was default for the pre-Apex era, with changes from Arma 2
Arma 3 Alternative: An unorthodox set of keybindings
Arma 2: The ‘classic’ Arma 2 controls, but with new functionality/features mapped
Buldozer: A scheme particularly useful for terrain developers
Industry Standard: Keybindings for those more comfortable with ‘industry standard’ FPS controls

Keyboard Controls can also help you learn about all of the actions available to you in Arma 3. Set them as you are used to from other games.

To configure your own key-mapping:

Click on the action; a pop-up dialog titled Configure Action appears
Assign a new control to the action by pressing or clicking the desired button, or by drag-and-dropping from the right list
You can delete the assigned key by pressing or clicking it again
Confirm with OK to close the Configure Action dialog
Confirm with OK to close the Controls Options

GETTING STARTED

Under the Tutorials section of the Main Menu , you will find a range of content purposefully designed to be your introduction to all that Arma 3 has to offer. This is your starting point.

Bootcamp: The singleplayer ‘Prologue’ campaign introduces the basics. Set two years before the events of Arma 3’s ‘The East Wind’ campaign, you assist with training the armed forces of The Republic of Altis and Stratis’ newly-formed local government, and witness the events that set the wheels in motion for 2035’s Stratis Flashpoint.
VR Training: Arma 3’s virtual playground provides you with an array of in-depth training courses. Purpose-built to teach you everything you need to know for you to be effective on the battlefield. Don’t worry, it isn’t real – failure to succeed won’t result in the death of you or your virtual comrades. Practice makes perfect!
Virtual Arsenal: Explore the huge range of infantry equipment. Mix and match weapons, uniforms and items to create character load outs for you and your friends. Each

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loadout can be saved, loaded, and exported, making them accessible in compatible multiplayer modes, such as Arma 3’s Zeus, as well as your own scenarios. Enter the Garage section to also experiment with all of the game’s vehicles.

Field Manual: The Field Manual contains useful tips on how to control and interact with various aspects of Arma 3. Accessible from the Main Menu and Pause Menu (when playing a scenario), consult it when you’re in need of more information!
Community Guides: Our official ‘Community Guide’ video series offers in-depth insight into some of the basic principles of Arma 3. Note, an internet connection is required to view these guides.

SINGLEPLAYER

After clicking the Singleplayer button in the Main Menu , you can choose from several different types of playable content. The tree navigation within these dialogues helps you to select the mission you want to play. The icons indicate which of them you already have started and/or completed.

Campaigns: Get introduced to our world, and what may lie in store, with Arma 3’s ‘Prologue’ single player campaign, tightly tied with the main story-driven part of the game, ‘The East Wind’.

Following harsh economic and political hardships, the global situation of 2035 finds itself at the breaking point. Tensions between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the allied countries of the recently-introduced Canton Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty (CSAT) are at an all-time high, coming to a head in the Pacific. Meanwhile, on the small island Republic of Altis and Stratis, NATO forces are preparing to hand over responsibility for the security of the Republic to the armed forces of the local government, along with an immediate drawdown of all forces and equipment. Many, however, remain skeptical as to the wisdom of such a move.

SINGLEPLAYER

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Showcases: Become combat-ready and experience Arma 3’s dynamic military gameplay in the role of infantryman, SCUBA diver, tank operator, helicopter pilot, and more.
Challenges: Put your skill and accuracy to the test against the clock in this competitive gamemode.
Scenarios: Discover a diverse range of distinctive Arma gameplay. Play custom missions created in the Editor (see below) or downloaded via the steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshopsubmitinfo or other channels.

MULTIPLAYER

In-game Server Browser

Play online in various multiplayer modes. Enter the multiplayer server browser by navigating through the Multiplayer tab in the Main Menu.

Quick Play

The Quick Play feature finds a best-suited server for you and connects you to it. If you play the game with mods, it will try to find a server with the same combination of mods.

Navigate from the Main Menu via the Quick Play tab. You can specify a preferred game type or leave it to Any for the broadest set of possible connections. Selecting the Best Server option will go through all available servers and connect you to the best suiting ones. Connecting with the Best Server option may be slower than with the First Server option, but the gameplay should suffer fewer latency problems.

Servers

Double-click a session listed in the browser, or use the Join button with a session already selected.

In the Role Assignment dialog, you can choose the side and the role just by clicking them. Note that sometimes the session host will determine your side or role. When you are ready to start, click the OK button, which will notify the other players, or directly start the game that is already in progress.

Direct Connect

If you would like to join a specific host, click the Direct Connect button and enter the host’s address and port number.

Host Server

To host your own session, click the Host Server button in the browser. You will be asked to select an existing scenario on any of the terrains or to create a new one with the Eden Editor. Having done this, you will find yourself in the Role Assignment dialog, where you can assign player roles.

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‘Disable/Enable AI’ – Toggling this setting will empty all roles on all sides that are currently filled by AI players, or it will fill all empty roles with AI players
‘Lock/Unlock’ – By locking the session, you can prevent any more players from joining the game
‘OK’ – Launches the session
‘Dedicated Server’ – Opens the dialog to set a Dedicated Server

Launcher Server Browser

You can also browse through available servers in the game Launcher. Click on the SERVERS tab and the server browser will appear. Similarly to the in-game server browser, you can filter out undesired sessions, use a Direct Connect feature, or host a server yourself.

Additionally, servers using Steam Workshop mods will automatically prompt the player upon joining and offer to download the missing mods. Confirming such prompt window will trigger the process, the game then will be launched directly with a connection to the selected server.

Zeus

Zeus presents one or more players with a toolbox that they can use to directly influence the session at hand.

Choose from either an existing rule set – such as the Seize and Defend modes, wherein Game Masters try to thwart or assist the players as they progress through the session – or the no-rules Game Master modes, where players are free to create entire scenarios as they see fit.

EDEN EDITOR

Arma 3’s built-in editor is a powerful tool for creating and editing both singleplayer and multiplayer scenarios. Its several modes allow placing objects, playable and AI units and groups of units, setting up different types of waypoints and triggers, synchronizing them and editing all their parameters, all in the 3D scene. The editor also offers various modules that make editing easier and help to build complex scenario structures without deep knowledge of Real Virtuality’s scripting language.

Since weather conditions and time of day are also crucial for gameplay, the Editor allows you to set all of the weather features that the Real Virtuality engine supports like overcast, dynamic wind, rain, lightning, waves and fog.

Besides loading and saving, it is also possible to merge and export scenarios. You can publish scenarios directly to steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshopsubmitinfo and share them with other players. Managing published scenarios is done in the same way as updating them directly, via the Eden Editor.

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The Eden Editor is a powerful and comprehensive tool that is easy to use at the same time. Check out the in-editor tutorials, or inspect the community.bohemia.net/wiki/Eden_Editor to start creating your own Arma 3 scenarios!

TROUBLESHOOTING

In order to verify the data you have installed and downloaded was not corrupted during transfer, please use the Steam data cache verification option.
Make sure to conduct a clean installation of Arma 3 (uninstall first by removing your local game cache).
Make sure all the necessary drivers are up-to-date.
Consider defragmenting your HDD after downloading large updates.

Keep checking the Arma 3 website www.arma3.com for troubleshooting and known issues.

Though this is the final, full release version of Arma 3, your feedback and bug reports are welcome and can help us to improve the game as quickly and efficiently as possible. Please visit feedback.arma3.com to learn how to submit feedback. Thank you for your support!

Useful Links

Main website: www.arma3.com
Socials:

facebook.com/arma3official

twitter.com/arma3official

youtube.com/arma3official

twitch.tv/arma3official

Developed by: www.bohemia.net
Forums: forums.bohemia.net (English Only)
Community Wiki:: community.bohemia.net (English Only)

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END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

You should carefully read the following End User License Agreement before installing this software.

This computer software program, any printed materials, any online or electronic documentation, and any and all copies and derivative works of such software program and materials (the “Program”) are the copyrighted work. All use of the Program is governed by the copyright law and by the terms of the End User License Agreement, which is provided below (“License”). By using the Program you agree to be legally bound by the terms of this license agreement. Any use, reproduction or redistribution of the Program not in accordance with the terms of the License is expressly prohibited. If you do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, do not install or use the Program. You may, however, return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.

1. Ownership

All title, ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and to the Program and any and all copies thereof (including but not limited to any titles, computer code, themes, objects, characters, character names, stories, narrative, locations, artwork, animations, sounds, musical compositions, audiovisual effects, methods of operation, any related documentation, and addons incorporated into the Program) are owned by BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE a.s. (the Licensor) or its licensors. The Program is protected by the Czech copyright laws, international copyright treaties and conventions and any other applicable laws. All rights are reserved.

2. Limited Use of License

The Licensor hereby grants, and by installing the Program you thereby accept, a restricted, non-exclusive license and right to install and use one (1) copy of the Program for your personal use. You may not network the Program or otherwise install it or use it on more than one computer at a time, except if expressly authorized otherwise in the applicable documentation. The Program is licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Program.

3. End User’s Obligations

A. As a Subject to the Grant of License herein above, you may not, in whole or in part, copy, duplicate, reproduce, translate, reverse-engineer, modify, disassemble, decompile, derive source code, create derivative works based on the Program, remove any proprietary notices or labels from the Program or otherwise modify the Program without the prior written consent of the Licensor.

B. You are entitled to use the Program for your own use, but you are not entitled to:

(i) Sell or transfer reproductions of the Program to other parties in any way, nor to rent, lease or license the Program to others.

(ii) Publish and/or distribute the computer Program or any of its parts.

(iii) Exploit the Program or any of its parts for any commercial purpose including, but not limited to, use at a cybercafe, computer gaming centre, computer aided training center or any other location-based site where multiple users may access the Program.

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(iv) Use the Program for anything other than entertainment and recreation purposes, including but not limited to using the Program for training, educational, occupational or vocational purposes.

4. License Transfer

You may permanently transfer all of your rights under this License to the recipient, provided that the recipient agrees to the terms of this License and you remove the Program from your computer.

5. Termination

This License is effective until terminated. You may terminate the License at any time by destroying the Program and any Collateral Material. The Licensor may, at its discretion, terminate this License in the event that you fail to comply with the terms and conditions contained herein. In such event, you must immediately destroy the Program and any New Material.

6. Limited Warranty

The Licensor expressly disclaims any warranty for the Program. The Program is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, without limitation to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement.

The entire risk arising out of use or performance of the Program remains with you. However it is warranted that the media containing the Program shall be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and services and the Program will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials, for a period of 90 (ninety) days from the date of your purchase of the Program.

7. Limitation of Liability

Neither the Licensor, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors shall be liable in any way for loss or damage of any kind resulting from the use of the program, including but not limited to loss of goodwill, work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or any and all other commercial damage or losses.

8. Miscellaneous

The License shall be deemed to have been made and executed in the Czech Republic, and any dispute arising hereunder shall be resolved in accordance with the Czech law. You hereby acknowledge that you have read and understand the foregoing License and agree that the action of installing the Program is an acknowledgment of your agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of the License contained herein. You also acknowledge and agree that this License is the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between the Licensor and you.

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Legal Information

ARMA 3 simulates real-world weapons, vehicles and other equipment. The product names, logos, brands and other trademarks depicted or referred to in the game or in its ancillary materials are the property of their respective trademark owners. These trademark owners, and the manufacturers of the weapons, vehicles and other equipment used in the game, are not affiliated with the producer of ARMA 3 and do not endorse or sponsor the game.

Legal Information

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REQUIRES INTERNET CONNECTION AND FREE STEAM ACCOUNT TO ACTIVATE.

NOTICE: Product offered subject to your acceptance of the Steam Subscriber Agreement (“SSA”). You must activate this product via the Internet by registering for a Steam account and accepting the SSA. Please see https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement to view the SSA prior to purchase. If you do not agree with the provisions of the SSA, you should return this game unopened to your retailer in accordance with their return policy.

© 2013-2020 BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE a.s. ARMA® and BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE® are trademarks or registered trademarks of BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE a.s. All rights reserved. NVIDIA® and GameWorks™ are trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation and are used under license. © 2018 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.