Kerbo

0.3 RC1 Changelog: [Added] Wood and cinder base objects now show damage state when over 50% damaged. [Added] Car Jack item added to every fresh spawned vehicle. [Added] Can now loot a dead UAV Drone and in return get Electronic components. [Added] Ability to specify starter items for freshly spawned traders via epochconfig. [Added] New custom epoch weapons: SR-25 and L85A2 (Grenade Launcher and Pink Painted) by Kiory. [Added] Vehicle lock time is now stored in hive and will persist across server restarts. [Added] 3d interaction visuals to show you when an action is available. [Added] New loot bias system with nestable tables and overall loot balance. [Added] LootMultiplier in epochconfig, (0.5 default, 1 = high loot, 0.1 = low loot). [Added] Goldenseal plant can be consumed to reduce toxicity. [Added] Pumpkin food item can be harvested from pumpkin patches on Chernarus and found randomly. [Added] Dynamic Air Supply Drop Event. Use smoke grenades to signal. [Added] Trader mission accessed with "Talk" on trader: Pikes Peak Express. [Added] Ability to eat raw foods but at the risk of toxicity. [Added] New items (Rock, Stick, and Rope) for crafting and added to trash loot. [Added] New craftable primitive melee weapons: Crude Hatchet, Wood Club, Maul Hammer. [Added] Keesha default character now has shoes. [Added] Crafting of Rope from Hemp. [Added] Harvest Sticks from a bush using a Hatchet. [Added] Mining of Iron Ore and Rocks with sledgehammer. [Added] Removal with refund of Base building items. Respects Jammer Owner and group. [Added] Most base building items now use a hybrid Static/Physx system with ghost preview on first placement. [Added] Epoch Events 2.0. All server time based events moved to server settings pbo. Scripts are executed with execVM using a simple timer. New events and timers can be changed via epochconfig. [Added] New "Boss" Sapper variant with a larger bang. [Added] Both Sapper variants put off toxic gas if killed without blowing up. [Added] Player can now select gender after each death. [Added] Frequency Jammer now required by default to build a base. Can be controlled with desc.ext mission variable: buildingRequireJammer. [Added] Building limit (default: 100) added to Frequency Jammer. Change with desc.ext mission variable: buildingCountLimit. [Added] Building Jammer Range (default: 75m). Change with desc.ext mission variable: buildingJammerRange. [Added] Hive weather control system as well as Static override var WeatherStaticForecast via epochconfig. [Added] Trader purchased vehicle position can now be controlled with a smoke grenade or a chemlight within 50m of trader. [Added] Wood foundations can be crafted with 8x lumber. [Added] Bornholm Support: Custom a2 building classes for loot spawns and mission file and config support from http://urogaming.co.uk/ [Added] Base building objects now persist damage and armor increased substantially. [Added] Suppress loot spawn within the range of a Frequency Jammer. [Added] Blocked base building areas for Chernarus. [Added] Logging of building, storage, and vehicle killed events to hive log. (StorageKilled, VehicleKilled, BuildingKilled) [Added] Offroad MG Pickup. (Classname: B_G_Offroad_01_armed_EPOCH) [Added] Server FPS to the debug monitor. (Max: 50, recommend fps are >15 to keep the game stable) [Added] Chance to spawn Lockbox and Backpacks in lockers or wardrobes. [Added] Variable when Loadingscreen finish. (EPOCH_loadingScreenDone change from nil to true) [Added] Base object interact menu (Remove,Move,Upgrade) shown only in build mode after targeting object with Space Bar. [Changed] Toxicity increase from consuming a toxic food item is now random. [Changed] Increased default antagonist spawn chances. [Changed] NPC Trader inventory menu now stacks like items and shows quantity. [Changed] Players are now sent to the lobby after dead, simply press ok to respawn. [Changed] Can now sell and buy uniforms from traders. [Changed] NPC trader data (AI_ITEMS) will now expire in 7 days if no changes are made within that time. Change this with expiresAIdata in epochconfig. [Changed] Added chance to spawn Lockbox and Backpacks in lockers, wardrobes, shipping containers. [Changed] Fireplace recipe changed to require 2 Rocks and 1 Stick to make empty fireplace. Then upgrade with 1 Wood Log to start the fire. [Changed] Player names saved to a separate data set on player connect.  [Changed] Deathlog now logs distance and position. [Changed] Sapper brain reworked. [Changed] Display of personal Crypto balance when opening bank interface. [Changed] Loot Balance: Lowered heavy muzzles count & increased pistol muzzle. [Changed] Increased loot bias for Ferris Wheel and corrected z height on loot positions. [Changed] Improve Cleanup System on Server. [Changed] Behavior changed on UAV troop support. [Changed] Dog to glitch less, reduced whines and more chance to wander. [Fixed] Accuracy and fire rates of custom ported A2 weapons fixed (M107, AKM, M4A3, M16, M14, M249). [Fixed] Sharks not spawning off shipwrecks. [Fixed] Black icons on admin panel spawn menu. [Fixed] Soiled and Wet calculation corrected. [Fixed] Pumpkin patches on Chernarus now payout proper loot. [Fixed] Traders now only allow one vehicle per trade. [Fixed] Alpha transparency issue with empty clone vats. [Fixed] Attempt to prevent vehicle damage during server startup. [Fixed] Removed fireplace sound for now due to Arma issues with sound cleanup. [Fixed] Frequency Jammer can not be built or placed within 3x Jammer radius. (default 225m) [Fixed] GUI scale issues with additional button menu (Group Menu, Requests) on inventory. [Fixed] Missing sounds on Ruger pistol and removed ability to use silencer. [Fixed] Dupe fixes for backpacks, vests, uniforms. [Fixed] Player revive did not work even after respawn. [Fixed] zasleh1_proxy.p3d error with M4A3. [Fixed] Prevent loot objects from spawning under the ground. [Fixed] Group kick and mod options did not work. [Fixed] Cleanup and removal of unneeded rpt debug logs. [Fixed] Removed spoiler button in Welcome Screen. [Fixed] Misspelling in debug monitor (crypto). [Fixed] Welcome screen will be now displayed only once after a major patch (eg. 0.3/0.4/0.5). [info] Requires Arma version 1.40 or higher.   Admin Tool: [Added] Different Map Marker for Vehicles, AI, Player, Loot, Base Building and Dead Player. [Added] Different 3D Tools for: Player, Vehicles and Loot. [Added] Features: God Mode, Spawn Loot, Teleport Infront.

I hope so, because I asked Axeman to remove me from the official hosts group because I wanted to run more than just vanilla with a couple config changes and didn't feel an official host should be running things that change the base Epoch gameplay. It doesn't seem right to have an official hosts group but not require anyone to adhere to any specific guidelines.

With the approval of AWOL I write this post to give you some heads up on what is going on behind the scenes, and why there have been little to no information lately as to what's going on with the mod. The information I am releasing here are what I've grasped from conversations with AWOL and streams from the developers themselves and thus are prone to change, but they should give you an idea of what's coming. Have no doubt that the devs are still working hard to release a new patch, and the reason why it (0.2.6) has been delayed is that they wanted to release something that will take a big step in the intended direction, something that will impress the community.

Maintaining two separate developer builds for release was not feasible, and pushing 0.2.6 further and further just wasn't reasonable any longer, so the current next milestone is version 0.3.0. It will come with a database wipe, partly because the database has been changed in development. A changelog is in the works and should be released soon.

Version 0.3.0 will first be released to the official hosts only, the objective is to stress test the build and see how it performs under pressure (100 players). Us official hosts have an established line of communication with the devs and will be forwarding test data during this initial launch so that the patch works well for a public release.

The current approximate ETA for release is about a months time.



What is coming up (PRELIMINARY INFO, EXPECT CHANGES)

+ Revamped building system, you can now insert buildables (walls, etc.) into the ground and snap to them, falling walls is a thing of the past
+ Axeman has been working on a new Epoch multi-part mission system, involving using UAV's to gathering intel, , engaging human opponents, etc. etc.
+ More stuff/items you can pick up
+ Expanded map support
+ Improved sapper brain
+ More sapper variants
+ New UGV-enemy
+ Several anti-duping fixes, one of the consequences currently of this is that you get booted to lobby after you permadie.
+ New treasure sites underwater, you can now loot underwater
+ More new loot containers (ie. at Ferris wheels)
+ Several bug and glitch fixes + improved antihack and admin menus
+ You can now bash persistent wrecks of vehicles/rocks and get scrap metal from them
+ Frequency Jammers now prevent loot from spawning within their area
+ More functions/upgradability for frequency jammers
+ Loot tables have been tweaked
+ Base items (cinder, wood, etc.) now are much sturdier and can take lots more punishment
+ New server events (shore ship wrecks) spawn with chests
+ A take all-button

It's a fact that ARMA has a dated architecture that only recently received some optimizations for multiple cores and utilizing them for different purposes (multi-tasking and multi-threading). There are several ways for you to optimize your server-side performance to get the maximum speed out of your Epoch server (because Epoch loads so many building items, it requires even more processing power).
 
Before I continue there is a fundamental thing you have to know and consider when you configure your Epoch server: 
 
* Every client will load and have to calculate everything that occurs on your server, meaning:
- Every client has to load ALL base building items
- Every client has to load ALL the vehicles
- Every client has to load and calculate ALL AI movement
- Every client has to load and calculate ALL clan logos/custom graphics
 
Another thing to consider is the fact that there is something called ragdoll and physics in ARMA 3, basically it is a set of calculations applied to each player body, each AI-body, and each car, and for a moment, also every placed building block. All vehicles run physics-calculations in real-time 24/7 (100% all the time) this means that for every car you have on your server, the server and each client will have to run the calculations for physics on that vehicle all the time. Naturally more calculations are required when something happens to that vehicle (driving, getting shot at, colliding, etc.) but essentially the computing power for all these physics & ragdoll items will take a toll.
 
Furthermore, all inventories and contents of traders, tents, vehicles, etc. are fed from the database in real-time, essentially the more items a container holds, the heavier the load on the server for each time that inventory is loaded. So if you have, say 300 items in a container, all those 300 will load in a big packet, which sucks some server performance. The less a container can hold, the less strain on the server.
 
Now, multiply physics, and inventory calculations per client, the more clients connected, the more vehicles driving, swimming, running, flying, inventories getting opened, the more the strain on each client, and on the server. A lot of this information is also sent from the server, and Arma 3 Epoch is one of the most bandwidth-intensive games out there. When the bandwidth is maximized on either the server-side or the client-side, you will see a yellow chain link in your bottom right corner, or a red chain link, depending on how overloaded the server or the client is with data. This is also when you will see lag happening. Whereas "desynch" (client and server not having the same information, and thus weird things happen) and rubberbanding (which looks like teleporting/warping) is usually a combination of over-stressed CPU (server and or client-side).
 
It is also important to know that in player interaction, the weakest link is usually the cause of the issues, for example: It doesn't matter if you are connected with a 1Gbit connection, with an awesome CPU and GPU, if the server is overloaded, that's the problem, you can't fix it clientside. But the same thing is if you and your friends are connected and your friend has a shitty Internet connection and/or computer and happens to be driving the car. He will lag/desynch based on his low-performance equipment, and that will affect you, and anyone trying to blow that car up (because the car will behave erratically). 
 
Virtual Machines
 
It should also be known that the arma3 server-file has issues with running on virtual machines (VMWare, or XenServer, etc.) essentially the performance output gets negated by as much as 30% if you run it on the same hardware as a dedibox, ARMA 3 is currently (2014-12-30) not well-optimized for running on Virtual Machines. Dedicated, native servers will see better performance than a VM.
 
 
How do I combat/fix this?
 
With these basic fundamentals in knowing how the server works, you as a player need to know that connecting to a server with hundreds of vehicles, or tens of thousands of buildables, or tons of AI-missions will not necessarily be a good thing for your game experience. While there may be plenty of content to have fun with, the experience with all that content will soon turn sour when your client FPS sinks (because the server has low performance, or is under too much strain (yes this affects clients too, if the server is the weakest link, all clients suffer)) your gameplay and experience will suffer too. 
 
Currently, the thoroughly tested, recommended max settings for cars on an Epoch server is 150, and the max amount of buildables is 1500 and the max amount of container content is 1500. This is the default settings in Epoch and it is what makes it possible for a server like Mellys to run 100 clients connected, with little to no issues. Yes, there will be a struggle to find a car, but the experience for each player will be as optimal as ARMA 3 Epoch can be with 100 players connected simultaneously.
 
The only possible compromise if you want to have more vehicles, more buildables, more missions, etc. is to allow for fewer clients (less than 100 players). It doesn't matter if the server has SSD-drives, or 1Gbit up and down, or 32GB DDR5 RAM on a super-high cache Xeon-processor. The arma3server-binary can't handle more than a certain amount of load anyways. 
 
 
No logs, memory handlers, and toggles
 
If you run a server with hyperthreading you should use the following toggle (do NOT combine it with cpuCounts=X or threads=X, etc.):
-enableHT
 
If you want to squeeze some more performance out of your server with an optimized memory allocator, use the following (download fred's dll here https://github.com/fred41/tbbmalloc_arma/raw/master/dwarden/uptodate_bins.zip ) and place its contents in your dlls-directory where you have arma3server:
-malloc=tbbmalloc 
 
IF you want to squeeze some extra FPS out of the server you can also turn off RPT-logging (not recommended if you are having issues or are actively tracking other problems/reports) by using:
-nologs
 
Setting the processor priority higher is also recommended:
-high
  Server shutdowns   The recommended shutdown hours currently for optimal performance is 3 hours, the reason why we have to shut down the server with certain intervals is because of essentially two reasons: 1) Memory leaking (binaries leak RAM, and start performing poorly and thus need to be terminated and restarted) and 2) Clutter (basically a bunch of loops that get stuck due to poor code, vehicle explosions that take up unnecessary bandwidth, corpse clutter, and other things that are a detriment that increases over time on server performance).   Hardware   - CPU ARMA 3 is processor clock dependent first (both client- and server-side). Having a CPU clock of 3.9GHz or higher is recommended. Intel Xeon-processors have been proven to perform better than regular non-server CPU:s.    - RAM More than 8GB per server has not been reported to make any difference whatsoever unless you run a lot of other things or multiple servers on the same machine   - Hard Drive Speed SSD-hard drives improve loading performance severely, which means quicker reboots and startup-times for the server, but after the server is loaded everything is handled from the computers RAM, which is much faster than SSD-drives currently.    - Bandwidth   Expect an ARMA 3 Server have been reported to use around 1Mbit per connected client (server-to-client upstream bandwidth). This means that with 50 players, you will need about 50Mbit upload. The server downloads much less data than this.   --------------------------------------------------   Bottom line   As a server owner you really need to consider the factors involved:   Amount of vehicles (more than 150 will mean you will have to lower your max allowed connected clients from 100) Amount of buildables (more than 1500 will mean you will have to lower your max allowed connected clients from 100) Amount of storage space (more than 1500 will mean you will have to lower your max allowed connected clients from 100)     Your server performance is measured in FPS and CPS - the standard FPS without load will be about 49-50FPS server-side, server-FPS and client-FPS are not the same thing, it is not as vital for server-FPS to be so high, everything 15FPS or higher will leave little to no issues. The same thing goes for CPS, which is the processing power used for Artificial Intelligence and non-gamebased calculations (like the AntiHack). The same principle for AI applies to this, the two values should be about the same normally. These values are heavily affected by (in order of performance-drain): 1) Connected clients, 2) Amount of vehicles 3) Amount of buildables 4) Contents of inventory   --------------------------------------------------  

i agree, it should be difficult but for a player who only plays 1-2 hours a day it's just a bore... Guess this game is not intended for players who only can put in 1-2 hours a day  -_-

By no means do I support that type of behavior. I probably could have phrased it better, but at the end of the day, just report it to the admin and let them take whatever action they deem is appropriate (or no action). Getting all riled up over stuff said on the internet is exactly the type of response these people try to generate from others.

Awol was still working on it last night, i'm sure he'll release it when it's ready.

http://epochmod.com/whitelister.php for whitelisting http://goo.gl/7iAABx is the file for bittorrentsync   click the 3 dots on the file name and change preferences to this http://i.imgur.com/KOUnNMx.png   steam/steamapp/common/arma3 is where you want to copy the files to when done   195.154.185.83 2302 or 2402    <-- server IP AND PORT   If you have any troubles [sYN] Mark has made a how-to video which can be found here

Arma may seem like a pretty dumb engine, but it actually takes into count position on the globe. Chernarus is fictionally located around Russia. Napf is based off the mountain "Napf" located along the Swiss border.
 
The longitude and latitude is defined in the CfgWorlds.hpp of the map.

 
I believe this is why the sun rises at different times, as russia is farther east than Napf. The time zones are different geographicly, even if they are on the same time.

Bitsync is now working and has version 0.1 RC3. But this should be a hint that we are super close!

I know this is an old thread but in case anyone is looking here is the protocol info: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Server_queries
 
A simple C implementation I did for use on a Linux box: https://github.com/wriley/arma2serverinfo

not sure if they still work but these used to work
 
DZE_DiagFpsSlow = true; DZE_DiagFpsFast = false; DZE_DiagVerbose = true;

I have nothing to say regarding falling populations except that; my sever is set up to my own flavour, mods and map additions. My server is not fun, it's hard work, a challenge to most and an intended lure to the survivalist. I have never asked for donations, indeed I spend all day at work as a public servant, retire home to care for my family then spend six to eight hours a night on my server, mostly alone at the cost of £30/month. I see myself as Robert Neville, carrying on when no-one else can.
 
I decided to become an administrator after too many deaths at the hands of mental screaming children. For me; DayZ has become deeper, a routine for survival but not a death-match for cheap thrills. Perhaps many have become administrators for similar reasons, diluting the player-base somewhat; there are quite a few servers out there. I've tried to differentiate my server as a simulation of the apocalypse; a subject which unremittingly fascinates me.
 
Every now and then I find a player whom shares my passion for survival, a rare thing indeed. Much of this community I find here are sound. But the majority of the player-base are apparently interested in guns/tanks/headshots: Overpoch, Rmod, Overwatch. Those fickle players are welcome of course, but I anticipate imminent desertion when they realise they cannot craft gyro-copters from toolboxes!?! I considered advertising for mature players, but I disagree with exclusion: all are welcome, few may remain.
 
I make no excuses for myself or my server, surely an acquired taste and one which does not appeal to the masses, but that suits me just fine.

http://withsix.com/blog/update-v1-50-is-now-live
A Quick overview
NEW: ARMA 3: 1.22 patch support NEW: ARMA 2 OA: 1.63 patch support NEW: Game Profiles (Reintroducing the SIX – Updater feature) NEW: Groups management NEW: Notification Center Improved: Multi-version support Improved: Notifications Improved: Multi-server-query support Improved: chat experience and speed Improved: server query reliability Fixed: Crash on game with no path Fixed: Shortcut creation ... and many many more improvements and fixes http://withsix.com/changelog

When I ran an Epoch server I paid for it. I had 8 real life friends playing on my server who were all at my wedding, to demonstrate how close they are, and I didn't even HINT to them that it would be nice to have someone help with the bill much less people I barely know and random folks joining my server. If you can't afford a monthly fee to run a server, don't run a server. If your community isn't willing to toss you a couple dollars under their own volition without any reward then deal with it.

I rented a server because I wanted a server with a low ping for myself and my friends where I knew the admins wouldn't be screwing us over and that it was reasonable secure. I wanted a server running the couple scripts I like and none of the other crap. The best way for anyone to get that is to pay for it, so I did. 

Now that I don't run one anymore I have dropped the ones I play on regularly a bit of money here and there but the whole, "Please donate I'll give you stuff." gets rather sickening. I left a server the other day because I was running around doing my thing and an admin kept trying to give me things. I didn't want a fully repaired vehicle I was fine looting parts and finding a crappy jeep. I didn't need a better gun I found one I can use just fine. Oh, and I what do you know, 50 minutes in and he is mentioning how those who donate can pick from various stock bases and/or loadouts when they respawn. At that point I left. Don't try and "Help you get started." just to sales pitch me, and that was what it was. I was disgusted by it. 

Run a fair server, where you enforce fair play and respect for each other and people will continue to play there. When they do they might even throw you a few dollars here and there to make sure the doors stay open. 

Want to help support the development of Epoch Mod and want a limited edition T-Shirt? Available for limited time: http://teespring.com/EpochMod

Don't forget to click the Support button.
 
 
http://makearmanotwar.com/entry/AIp4cZp0ut#.U2f5-_ldXy0

Please signup and support us so that we can get to the 400+
 
REACH 200 SUPPORTERS Your entry becomes 'Promoted', which is indicated with the ‘Promoted Entry’ symbol on your Make Arma Not War entry’s profile page. Your Bohemia Interactive forums badge will be upgraded to ‘Promoted Contestant’   REACH 400 SUPPORTERS Be featured in a monthly round up on the Arma 3 social channels   HIGHEST NUMBER OF SUPPORTERS The 10 entries with the highest number of supporters will have visibility on the makearmanotwar.com homepage   http://makearmanotwar.com/vote   Thanks!

Up to over 200 already! Thanks everyone.

Wow, that was quick; I better gets to work!

Over 4,000 Epoch servers showing on Commander!
 
\
 
ARMA2 top 10 in the last 30 days.
 
Holding 5 of the top ten spots with over 4.69 million hours played in the last 30 days alone!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
A very big thanks to all our supporters and players!

116523+ 1.63 patch has Steam lobby support and 1.0.5 is being testing on the 116523+ builds. Many fixes have already gone into 1.0.5 just for these newer builds.
 
Just talked to DotJosh and he is going to update commander to support the new steam lobby as soon as BI fully releases 1.63 and steam lobby. He also mentioned that he has a backup list of server IP:ports just in-case.
 
Not to worry, we are looking out for you and DayZ Epoch has support for the foreseeable future.

Well sure, but people have to keep in mind that his stuff is being used for commercial purposes now.  Maybe not the same appearance from in the mod, but a variation of it.  Legal or not, his teams rights as authors should be respected in this regard.

This should do the trick. You can test first with the SELECT and then if it looks OK run the second with DELETE.
 

SELECT * FROM `Object_DATA` WHERE `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Tent%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE '%Locked' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Land%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Cinder%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Wood%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Metal%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE '%Storage%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT IN ('OutHouse_DZ', 'GunRack_DZ', 'WorkBench_DZ', 'Sandbag1_DZ', 'FireBarrel_DZ', 'DesertCamoNet_DZ', 'StickFence_DZ', 'LightPole_DZ', 'DeerStand_DZ', 'ForestLargeCamoNet_DZ', 'Plastic_Pole_EP1_DZ', 'Hedgehog_DZ', 'FuelPump_DZ', 'Fort_RazorWire', 'SandNest_DZ', 'ForestCamoNet_DZ', 'Fence_corrugated_DZ', 'CanvasHut_DZ', 'Generator_DZ') AND `Object_DATA`.`LastUpdated` < NOW() - INTERVAL 7 DAY;
DELETE FROM `Object_DATA` WHERE `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Tent%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE '%Locked' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Land%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Cinder%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Wood%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE 'Metal%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT LIKE '%Storage%' AND `Object_DATA`.`Classname` NOT IN ('OutHouse_DZ', 'GunRack_DZ', 'WorkBench_DZ', 'Sandbag1_DZ', 'FireBarrel_DZ', 'DesertCamoNet_DZ', 'StickFence_DZ', 'LightPole_DZ', 'DeerStand_DZ', 'ForestLargeCamoNet_DZ', 'Plastic_Pole_EP1_DZ', 'Hedgehog_DZ', 'FuelPump_DZ', 'Fort_RazorWire', 'SandNest_DZ', 'ForestCamoNet_DZ', 'Fence_corrugated_DZ', 'CanvasHut_DZ', 'Generator_DZ') AND `Object_DATA`.`LastUpdated` < NOW() - INTERVAL 7 DAY;