Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux Port

Supported distributions

Mac OSX 10.8 and later versions.

Linux Ubuntu 16.04 and later LTS versions. Mint 18 and later LTS versions. Fedora 24 and later LTS versions. SteamOS 2.87 and later stable versions.

Check http://store.steampowered.com/app/594550 to determine whether your system is able to run Arma CWA. Please make sure you have the latest graphics drivers installed. Use these links for purchase and follow their installation guides:

• https://store.bistudio.com/products/arma-cold-war-assault-en-mac-linux
• https://itunes.apple.com/app/arma-cold-war-assault/id1205898858
• http://store.steampowered.com/app/594550

The game is cross platform and Windows compatible. Have fun playing it!

Linux Graphics Drivers Updates

Mac

On Mac OS X the graphics driver is part of the operating system. You can only upgrade by upgrading to a newer version of the operating system. To find out which graphics card your Mac uses click on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screen and select About this Mac.

SteamOS

The drivers for SteamOS are provided as part of the system image and integrated by Valve. Valve will be integrating new and updated drivers over time.

NVIDIA on Ubuntu and Mint

Open Terminal Enter "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa" Enter "sudo apt-get update" Enter "sudo apt-get install nvidia-375" Your drivers should now be updated after restarting.

Check https://launchpad.net/~graphics-drivers/+archive/ubuntu/ppa for new drivers.

NVIDIA on Fedora

Enable both (free & paid) RPM Fusion Repositories here Open Terminal Enter "xorg-x11-drv-nvidia akmod-nvidia "kernel-devel-uname-r == $(uname -r)"" and install everything the package requires If you're on a 64-bit system, enter "sudo dnf install install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-libs.i686" after the previous operation finishes Reboot (you may find that the boot process takes longer than usual; this is normal the first time)

AMD

Ubuntu 16.04 and all distros with Xorg1.18 or higher, need the AMDGPU-PRO beta driver (for newest GPUs) or Oibaf MESA drivers (recommended). You can find it here http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMD-Radeon-GPU-PRO-Linux-Beta-Driver%E2%80%93Release-Notes.aspx. Oibaf driver info can be found here https://launchpad.net/~oibaf/+archive/ubuntu/graphics-drivers. Fedora 24 or higher ships with its own MESA driver.

In addition, Fedora 25 with an AMD GPUs needs to disable the Wayland display driver and re-enable X Server for the game to work correctly. To do so, follow these steps:

Open /etc/gdm/custom.conf for editing Uncomment WaylandEnable=false Reboot

Installing MESA drivers for AMD Open Terminal Type in and execute: "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:oibaf/graphics-drivers" Type in and execute: "sudo apt-get update" Type in and execute: "sudo apt-get install synaptic" Type in and execute: "synaptic - launches synaptic manager" In the manager click on "mark all updates" and apply Reboot

In case Steam is not working with MESA this may help Open Terminal Type in and execute: "gedit .bashrc" Add line "export LD_PRELOAD='/usr/$LIB/libstdc++.so.6' DISPLAY=:0" Save and exit Steam should now launch by typing "steam" into Terminal

Mod installation

Method 1

Find Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux in Steam library. In properties go to the Local files tab and button Browse local files. Copy all the pbo files from mod to folder "AddOns" in the CWA root folder. Start the game.

In this case, the community files are accumulating in the Addons folder which can cause problems. This method works, but it is not recommended.

Method 2

Downloaded mod needs to be adjusted, so the main folder (e.g. "@vietnam") contains a folder called "AddOns" with its pbo files. Some mods already have structured hierarchy like this but beware, the folders are case sensitive. Copy the mod folder to the CWA root folder. In properties, general tab, use “Set launch options” and paste in -mod=FolderName (e.g. -mod=@vietnam). Then start the game. If you don't want to launch the mod anymore, you can start the game without this parameter.

Many mods come with their own installation notes. Some may require other mods to run. And some are not debugged and may generate error warnings etc.

Joysticks & Gamepads

Unfortunately, Steam’s standard only supports standard Xbox and Windows XInput gamepad schemes, which means that more sophisticated schemes present in Arma 3, and using DirectInput and allowing reconfiguration of gamepads and joysticks in-game, had to be turned off in the ports. It is possible to reconfigure them by modifying the mapping text, but it’s not intuitive. Alternatively you can try to remap your keybinding using third-party software (e.g. AntiMicro).

Dedicated Servers

Mac

1. Create a file named “server.txt” containing this:

   hostname="Test";

   maxPlayers = 64;

   password="123"; // password to join server

   passwordAdmin="123"; // password to login as admin

   voteTreshold=0.334;

   motd[]=

   {

   "Welcome",

   "message"

   };

   motdInterval = 5;

   class Missions

   {

   };

   and save it to applications/Arma Cold War Assault.app/Contents/Resources/Data

2. Find Arma CWA exe. Open folder applications. Arma Cold War Assault.app, RMB, Show package contents. Open folder Contents/MacOS to reveal Arma Cold War Assault exe file.
3. Open terminal, write “cd ” and move over there folder Data Contents/Resources/Data to enter that folder in terminal. It should look like this:

   QAs-iMac:~ QA$ cd /Applications/Arma\ Cold\ War\ Assault.app/Contents/Resources/Data

4. To change coding from UTF8 to ASCII write:

   iconv -f UTF-8 -t ASCII -c server.txt > server.cfg

5. For check write (still in the /Data folder in terminal):

   file server.cfg

   and if successful, you’ll see:

   server.cfg: ASCII C++ program text, with CRLF line terminators

   QAs-iMac:Data QA$

6. The game can not be executed once the server is started. So start the game now and minimize it in order to play on that server too.
7. Starting of the server (still in the /Data folder in terminal). Move over Arma Cold War Assault executable file

   and add “-server -config=server.cfg” like this:

   /Applications/Arma\ Cold\ War\ Assault.app/Contents/MacOS/Arma\ Cold\ War\ Assault -server -config=server.cfg

8. Click start.
9. In the game choose multiplayer and the test server. “123” is the password.
10. Write “Ctrl+c” in terminal to quit the server.

Linux

1. . Launch Arma Cold War Assault via Steam normally (if you want to run server and client on the same PC).
2. . Find your Arma Cold War Assault installation folder by using your right mouse button to click on the games name in Steam's library and go to the Properties. Click on Local files tab, then click on Browse local files button to open the file browser at that location. You should also put the server.cfg file there. Default installation folder is: "~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Arma Cold War Assault".
3. . Open Terminal and type in: "cd 'your Arma Cold War Assault path' “ and then press Enter. It should change to your game folder.
4. . Type in and execute: „./armacwa -server -config=server.cfg“

Your dedicated server should run alongside the normal game now.

SteamOS

In SteamOS, you have to enable desktop mode to be able to run the game and the dedicated server at once. To access the SteamOS desktop, it must be enabled from the Steam settings menu. Select settings (the gear icon in the top right) then select Interface and check the "Enable access to the Linux desktop" box. Now the Exit button will have an additional option, "Return to Desktop" that will switch to the SteamOS desktop. Then you can follow the steps above for Linux.

Known Issues

High severity

• VoIP is no longer supported.
• Alt-tabbing during cutscene freezes the game with AMD GPU pro drivers.
• Mouse control, especially while aiming, is very difficult to master.
• Alt-tabbing while firing, makes your char shoot until he gets out of ammo.
• Sometimes not all soldiers are listening to the joint commands for all units mapped on key ~. In that case you need to repeat the order directly to the soldier.
• Game might crash if video options are maxed out.
• Mission 36b Maverick is missing the notepad in map screen.
• Your escort truck in "Defender" mission can be damaged by enemy. If that happens, you can not finish the mission.

Medium severity

• Pressing "Esc" during radio messages (campaign dialogues) will skip right to the next one without finishing the previous.
• Alt-tabbing in the middle of a dialogue skips the subtitles.
• Sometimes pausing with "Esc" key during dialogue mutes the speech. After character finishes the muted line, the sound continues as it should.
• Alt-tabbing during the radio speech in the "Invasion" mission restarts the dialogue from the beginning.
• Status icon of soldiers may sometimes remain red even after healing.
• Mission "Escape" is missing subtitles in cutscenes.

Low severity

• Starting a dialogue facing other way than face to face makes the dialogue continue in that direction.
• It is possible to see through the sloped ground, rocks etc. while zoomed with key V.
• Blue smoke coming out of vehicles.
• Tracks, on the beach left by tanks in Resistance intro mission are flickering.
• Mild collision inconsistencies (e.g. vehicles vs. bushes and trees).
• Text in difficulty settings "Radio subtitles enabled/disabled" is too long and partially invisible in Italian and Spanish.
• Mission name in campaign menu is different than the name during briefing. 15 The Hills / The Pass. 16 Chase for rabbit / Hunting. 17 Offensive / Trap.
• After language change, campaign mission names remain in the first language until the game is saved. Only then the names will reflect chosen language.
• In the single mission "Camel Attack" after 1st objective is completed a text error pops up in console. Can be ignored.
• Deleting player profile needs to be confirmed with "OK" button. If not, the profile will still be available.
• When you save and load game during an unskippable cutscene, you gain control of your character before the cutscene has ended.

Other issues found by community https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint:_FAQ:_Troubleshooting#Something.27s_wrong.21_Where_should_I_look_for_help.3F