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After a few days of DL the 3 parts (ARMA2, ArrowHead, and the Tea Totaller Special) and all the ADDONs to run on the SimHQ server; I found myself actually "breaking" the game once I tried to drop in these MODs - and it takes DAYS for me to DL this stuff

Do I DL the MODs and just drop em in here?
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead
-
or go one step further and put them here?
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\Expansion
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or drop them in the Arma2 folder here?
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2

Any help is certainly appreciated - and pix would be even better


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if you have all 3 steam version games then:

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3082237/another_short_cut_question.html#Post3082237

is one way, of course if you use @folders then you'll need more shortcut add-ons.


(for me, since i only use the SimHQ add-ons and 1 other one, i ddidn't use @folders, I dropped them all into the arma2/addon folder and for safe measure (because it won't hurt, also into the OA add-on folder.)

Mods would normally go in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead

Although you could try newmnan's solution - I didn't realize they could go in the My Documents folder as well. Might make life easier.

The Steam version does indeed have the expansions menu. However, when enabling all my mods through it, I got an error and the game wouldn't start. It worked fine after I enabled them via shortcut, though. Whether this is a problem with the game or with my mods, I'm not sure.

I have the whole setup through Steam. Check this thread and my post dated 8-5-2010 12:51 PM --Punisher5555.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=101615&page=4


My game works flawlessly. Never an issue.

For ram drive I posted this in the PR:Arma2 forum:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The three directories you would load into a ram disk are the addons in ArmA2 and common in OA and BAF\addons in BAF.

Breakdowns:

addons = 8.26 GB (1.07 patch)

common = 3.25 GB (1.54 patch)

BAF\addons = 471 MB

RAM needed for playing game = 4 GB. I am counting the "max used/available" now that LAA is implemented. You don't want to see low memory messages while playing as it can now "see/use" up to 4GB.

Windows x64 system RAM = Roughly 1GB. Maybe more or less depending on what you have loaded.

Pagefile = None. Not needed for 64bit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
So for the ultimate ArmA2/OA/BAF Combined Ops setup you would need about 18+ GB RAM. That would allow you to load everything into RAM. Nothing is faster. Period. End of story.

If you are only playing OA you need about little over 8 GB RAM to load the whole common directory.

If you are only playing ArmA2 you need about 14 GB RAM to load the whole addons directory.

If you are only playing OA/BAF you need about little over 8 GB RAM to load the whole common and BAF\addons directories.

-----------------------

Now not everyone has those amounts of RAM. The average x64 system is probably running 6 or 8 GB RAM. So you have to choose what you put into your ram disk.

Maps/vegetation/rocks/water/buildings would be the best first choices. You try to fit into your ram disk as much as you can. It will take trial and error to figure out what is best for you.

-------------------------
There are two ways you can setup your ArmA2/OA ram disk.

1. If you have the RAM and a nice ram disk program like SuperSpeed Ram disk($99). You can setup the ram as a virtual hard drive. Install your ArmA2/OA game into it. So to play the game you would start up your virtual hard drive and double click your icon. Process to start vhd and start to play is about 2 minutes. This is the ultimate setup.

2. If you not have gobs of RAM then you would use your favorite ram disk program to setup up the size you think works best for your system. There are plenty of freeware ram disk programs. ArmA2/OA will see your ram disk as a "MOD" and will pull the files from there first instead of the hard drive.

Here is a easy method I use. It takes roughly 2 minutes to be up a playing.

A. I made a folder on my hard drive called "Files to copy to ArmA2 ram disk"
B. In that folder I made two other folders named "addons" and "common".
C. I copy all the files I think work best for me from the ArmA2/OA addons/common directories into those respective directories.
D. Now I have a easy place to copy the files from instead of digging down into those Steam/program files directories every time I want to play.
E. I create my ram disk. For me I give it the drive letter R:.
F. I do a one time change to my -mod line. (This will vary depending on how you start up your game. By icon, by Steam CO batch file, etc...)
G. The -mod I add looks like this: -mod=R:\common;R:\addons This directs ArmA2/OA to use files in your ram disk before going to the default hard drive.
H. Now to play the game I copy the two folders from my copy directory to the ram disk and then double click my icon to start playing.


So there you have it. You have to weigh your options/money on how to get ArmA2/OA to ultimate bliss. Do you spend your money on a SSD now? Knowing that just like any computer product it is slow and obsolete the day you get it home because "XXXXX" company just released a even faster super-duper one today. Or do you invest in as much RAM as your system can handle? Knowing that it will never be slow or obsolete for your system.

I read that this can be done - I might give that a try - It kinda stops the jokers, like me, from messin' up thier game

Here's another funny thing - I used the control panel to uninstall everything yesterday - the progs didnt show up on my list anymore - but ArrowHead's directory didnt go away - I was able to use the Steam interface to reinstall BAF and ARMA2 - but ArrowHead seems to be still resonating there and Steam has no opion to reinstall for it - gotta love it - Im just about done with the install of ARMA2 and BAF - so when that's done and it looks stable --- I WILL BACK UP everything - lol - then Im going to give that [My Docs] idea a shot first - If it doesnt work - Im going to Give Mags idea a shot - Thanx Guys - Hope this helps BELTFED too

.

You might try this Arma launcher.


http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=8241

I've got a default Steam Arma2, OA, BAF install. Made a seperate "root" mod map (can be anywere) . Just tell the launcher were to find the arma and OA exe's and where the mod map is. With a groups "profile" option you can select what mods you wanna start.

For BAF I don't have to do anything, I just start Arma CO and BAF can be found in the campage or single user missions.

In cause of a restore I only have to do the default steam install again and restore the (backuped) mod map.

OK - In the end - here's what I had to do - which is, basically, what Magnum told me ---

1- DL the content needed to get on the SimHQ server

2- Extract to the steamapps/common/arma 2 (no [@] needed)
3- Go into stemapps/common/arma 2 operation arrowhead
4- Make a shortcut for ArmaA2OA and drag it to desk top
5- Right click on the shrotcut, go to properties, [shortcut] tab, and edit the [target] to read :
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\ArmA2OA.exe" "-mod=C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2;Expansion;ca"
6- When running the game - use that shortcut - no need to use steam interface

I am curious why my directory reads with a (x86) tag as apposed to most others Ive seen. Is it something with Win7-64Bit? - Is ArmA2 a 32bit program?

.

THANX FOR ALL THE HELP THAT CAME MY WAY - !!!!


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Yes and yes.

EDIT: More precisely: yes and yes, although it's really put there because Steam is a 32-bit application, and Steam installs games wherever it is placed.