desc.ext

basics

Until bis break their own code again, mission related file references seem to follow the following conventions

note this is incompatible with Resistance (and Arma1). the rules have changed. any missions coming from there are automatically broken.

Mission Related File References

'Mission Related' files are

• bikb
• mission.sqm
• desc.ext
• any.sqX file call (execvm, loadfile, etc)
• any.fsm

The only consistent thing about bis file references is that there is no consistency. You end up spending most of your productive effort fixing file calls with a lot less energy available to create a decent mission. Most efforts end in exhaustion, or "i'd like to, but can't figure it out", or, the author just lives with 'missing sound' and hopes the players don't notice. (even in official bis campaigns. Chernarus campaign is full of wrongly addressed or simply missing files)

No matter which way Bis swing the cat, now, or in the future, there are only four classes of file reference.

• \HardPath\
• \HardFile (no path, just a file)
• SoftPath\
• SoftFile

Innocently similar references will result in drastically different search paths for the file of interest.

SoftPath is my term to describe the opposite of \Absolute path references. It is not, a relative reference. With the sole exception of #includes, Bi have never been able to implement relative addressing for anything, including p3d's and wrp's. This in turn has made it an exhausting nightmare to even consider moving objects into other pbo's, let alone it's config.cpp or related rvmats and fsm's.

In general a \hardpath is a specific reference to a pboprefix. In General, if the engine sees a \hardpath it avoids looking in most other locations.

The following 'truth' was gleaned from an invaluable tool that saved days of hair pulling frustration:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645

All honor and glory to Kju and Alef

The file search algorithm is a wonder to behold, it essentially breaks down to the following, and in the following order

• \PboPrefix\
• mission\
• campaign\Scripts\ or DtaExt\ if a campaign
• arma.exe\Scripts\ or DtaExt\ if not a campaign
• arma.exe\

Bis dont use Scripts\ or DtaExt\ in Arrowhead or A2 and have probably forgotten them.

bikb

bikb is just another hair pulling inconsistency. You can't specify softpaths or files, it results in a rpt error

Protocol bin\config.bin/RadioProtocol_EP1_EN/: Missing word fred\05bv01.ogg

speech[] = {"\fred\05bv01.ogg"};
speech[] = {"\05bv01.ogg"};

either reference searches in the following order

• mission\
• campaign\
• fred.pbo (in the obvious case of a \hardpath)

sqX

  expActiv = "this = [] execVM ""playsound.sqf"";";
  expActiv = "this = [] execVM ""fred\playsound.sqf"";";

• mission\
• arma\scripts\ OR campaign\scripts\
• fred.pbo IF a SoftPath
• arma\ IF a SoftFile

  expActiv = "this = [] execVM ""\playsound.sqf"";";

• arma\ ONLY

  expActiv = "this = [] execVM ""\fred\playsound.sqf"";";

• fred.pbo
• arma\fred\

desc.ext

loadScreen="fred\piccie.paa";
loadScreen="piccie.paa";

• mission\
• campaign\dtaext\ AND arma\dtaext\
• arma\ IF SoftFile
• fred.pob IF SoftPath

loadScreen="\fred\piccie.paa";

• fred.pbo ONLY

loadScreen="\piccie.paa";

• arma\ ONLY

just scream. it helps

earlier notes

---

• DescriptionRoot is the location of the description.ext
• This in turn becomes a CampaignRoot or a MissionRoot (see below)
• A \hardpath or lack of one changes the search order.

• • A relative path first scans the DescriptionRoot. If not found, it scans \addons

DescriptionRoot\Relpath\to\file// is first scanned then
\RelPath\to\file

• • A \hardpath of the same name ONLY looks in \addons

The same algorithm applies to mission.sqm but not bikb (and probably not fsm)

DescriptionRoots

Two types of description.ext exist, and they operated differently.

missionroot

The desc.ext is located in the primary folder of a mission.sqm

Addressing rules as above.

campaignroot

The campaign root is defined as being the start of the campaign folder. It contains

desc.ext
missions\
scripts\ (optional)
DtaExt\  (optional)

Note that there is no mission.sqm

IF this campaign is, in fact, an addon (a config.cpp exists) additional folders and files may exist. They, don't have relevence to the addressing space of a campaign other than they will be accessed like any other \addon.

A campaignroot\desc.ext is 'special' in that the only useable locations are dtaext\ (and scripts\)

Scripts\

scripts\ are a global entity for mission.sqms. They aren't desc.ext related.

not tested: an exec/eval in desc.ext might? access this folder

the scripts\ folder is accessed by mission.sqm's as a last resort if relative addressing is used.

DtaExt

unlike MissionRoot, you cannot have a sounds\ child folder as such (or any other)

All references are implied DtaExt (sigh)

sounds[]=fred and sounds[]=\fred

mean DtaExt\fred

Not tested: \fred\... might be scanned by the engine

In fact, the DtaExt default is quite pointless. Inconsistent as ever, campaignroot's can't have the same structure as missions. but, there's no reason anymore why they shouldn't.

Bis have crippled the original default folders of DtaExt\sounds for sounds, and DtaExt\Music for music. They must be fully specified as

sounds[]=Sounds\whatever; (which actually means DtaExt\Sounds\....

This isn't a bad thing, but there wasn't a reason to keep the dtaext at all!!!!

There may or may not be other 'special' folders, 'my documents'\arma\username and other trifles. But you can't rely on it or them. they are likely to break or disappear at whim. mission scripts eg seem to have default access to ca\data\scripts. Fool it is, who rely on Bis to maintain that.

Bis themselves dont actually use dtaext (or scripts) in any of their campaigns. Probably because their mission makers either weren't aware of them, or could understand them.

But, from not making used of the global architecture, means common sound files (and common scripts) are bloated in each mission that uses one, for any official campaign.

other

class CfgRadio //straightfoward array of {filename,volume,pitch}
{
  sounds[]={};
  class Seq0{name="Seq0";  sound[]={"sound\09r06.wss", db-40, 1.0};	title=$STRM_09r06;  };
};
class CfgSFX
{
  sounds[]={hospoda2};
  class Hospoda2
  {
    name="Hospoda2";
    sounds[]={sound1};//<<<<<name of sound array
    sound1[]={"hospoda2.ogg", db-0,1, 1, 1, 1, 1};//who knows
    empty[]= {, , , , 1 , 5, 20};
  };
};

cfgSounds

one hell of a mess with titleS note the plural

ofp used semi colons between

titles[]={StartTime,Text}; titles[]=

class CfgSounds
{
  sounds[]={};
  class Seq1 {name="Seq1";  sound[]={"sound\09v07.ogg", db, 1.0};    titles[]={0,       $STRM_09v07};  };//standard

  class 11v01{name="11v01"; sound[]={"sound\11v01.ogg", db-05, 1.0}; titles[]={{0,0.4}, $STRM_11v01};  };
  class 11v04{name="11v04"; sound[]={"sound\11v04.ogg", db-05, 1.0}; titles[]={ 0,      $STRM_11v04,  {5.5,0.5}, $STRM_11v04a};    };
  class DX04v01
  {
    name="DX04v01";
    sound[]={"sound\DX04v01.ogg", db+60, 1.0};
    titlesfont="tahomaB24";
    titlessize=0.025;
  titles[]=
    {
      0, $STRD_DX04v01;
      10, $STRD_DX04v02;
    };
  }; //wierd

cfgENVsounds=

class CfgEnvSounds
{
  sounds[]={dest};
  class dest
  {
    name="dest";
    sound[]={"sound\dest.ogg", db, 1.0};
    soundNight[]={"sound\dest.ogg", db, 1.0};//<<<<
    titles[]={};
  };
};

Scripts

scripts are part of mission.sqm and \hardpaths to addons are valid. Therefore, all relative references in a mission.sqm (and their scripts) are relative to the mission.sqm, NOT the folder they are encountered in. (sigh)

expActiv="nul=[] execVM ""scripts\dialog.sqf""";

relative to mission.sqm

expActiv="nul=[] execVM ""\scripts\dialog.sqf""";

would refer to a (non existent) pboprefix 'scripts'

fowley kbAddTopic ["dialog", "scripts\dialog.bikb", ""];

again, relative to mission.sqm, even tho, this piece of text is in the 'scripts' folder.

Note that Campaign root scripts folder is implied if it cannot find file in the mission.

execvm thing.sqf // assumes it's in mission.sqm root, OR campaignroot\scripts execvm Scripts\thing.sqf // will look in mission.sqm\scripts or campaignRoot\scripts\scripts

previously, mission.sqm\scripts and ~\sound were also a default folders. but it looks like they broke it.

bikb

   speech[] = {"\sound\02v1.ogg"};

similar to mission.sqm's and desc.ext, if the file is not found in a genuine addon, it's looked for in missionRoot. However:

you CANNOT have relative refereces

   speech[] = {"sound\02v1.ogg"};

goes off to wander land

this because of some hotfix patch in version 1.05, where previously, bikb couldn't access anything except addons

WHY to bis do this to themselves.

notes:

• bikb is only a convention. you can have any extension.
• the file cannot be binarised even tho it's classtext. This is marked to change at further engine revisions.