PART 2

TPW MODS is not run/configured via editor placed modules, but configured via the in-game CBA settings menu (not accessible in the editor). In game, hit esc --> options --> addon options, and then select TPW MODS from the ADDON: pulldown list in the "server" tab. There are literally hundreds of settings so it may take a couple of seconds to initialise. Most of the settings are largely self-explanatory but more detailed information can be found in @TPW_MODS\docs\_configuration_settings.txt. You should have no trouble configuring individual mods on/off and changing their settings.

Please note:
1 - You will need to restart your mission for any changes to take effect. Your changes will apply across all maps and missions.
2 - You must not use single or double quotes (' or ") in ANY of the settings
3 - TPW MODS automatically handles conversion of comma separated values into arrays, so do not enclose anything with [,( or {
4 - You can only change settings in the "server" tab of CBA settings.
5 - You can save and load configurations e.g specific to certain maps or scenarios to save manually changing them
6 - You can at any time revert each setting to its default

TPW MODS is extremely configurable and has a lot of options which are detailed in @TPW_MODS\docs\_configuration_settings.txt. Additional information and configuration options for each mod are contained in @TPW_MODS\docs, and in the links at the bottom of the TPW MODS webpage https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/154944-tpw-mods-enhanced-realism-and-immersion-for-arma-3-sp/.

Please be aware that if you stray too far from the sensible defaults I ship it with, you may crash TPW MODS or Arma3 itself. I take no responsibility for this.

I'm happy to work on any bugs you might encounter with this system, but be aware that pointless complaints to me about the complexity of configuration or the vagaries of the CBA settings menu will not be well received - I put an enormous amount of effort into porting across the old external HPP configuration.

In addition to the addon, the mods are provided as scripts which can be run on a per mission basis, and examined and modified to suit you (see disclaimer below). TPW MODS scripts are not truly stand alone however. To successfully run TPW MODS scripts you will need to disable/remove tpw_mods.pbo from your Arma3 startup, but retain tpw_hud.pbo and tpw_sounds.pbo, which provide assets and config data that the scripts will require. Running script versions without disabling the addon versions can and will lead to conflicts and unexpected behaviours as they fight for the same variables. You will also need to run the tpw_core.sqf, which provides functions that the other scripts need. Instructions and parameters for launching each script are provided in the header of each script itself.

I'm assuming that if you are wanting to run script versions you are au fait with the more technical side of Arma3 and I won't hold your hand on this.

The following variables can be used to activate/inactivate the various TPW MODS ambient life behaviours whilst the game is running:

- tpw_animal_active = true/false
- tpw_boat_active = true/false
- tpw_car_active = true/false
- tpw_civ_active = true/false
- tpw_compress_active = true/false
- tpw_crowd_active = true/false
- tpw_duck_active = true/false
- tpw_fire_active = true/false
- tpw_firefly_active = true/false
- tpw_fog_active = true/false
- tpw_furniture_active = true/false
- tpw_houselights_active = true/false
- tpw_park_active = true/false
- tpw_radio_active = true/false
- tpw_repair_active = true/false
- tpw_sanity_active = true/false
- tpw_skirmish_active = true/false
- tpw_soap_active = true/false
- tpw_streetlights_active = true/false
- tpw_zombies_active = true/false

For example, setting tpw_animal_active=false in the debug shell will prevent new animals from spawning (but won't remove existing animals). This behaviour can be automated using triggers. Let's say you want to exclude all ambient life stuff from a 5km x 5km northeast corner of Altis. In the editor create a rectangular 5000x5000 trigger (but of course it can be any shape, size and angle you require), place it over the appropriate northeast area of the map, and set it thusly:

Type: None
Activation: BLUFOR, repeatedly,present
Condition: vehicle player in thislist && time > 10;
On act. : tpw_animal_active = false;tpw_boat_active=false;tpw_car_active = false;tpw_civ_active = false;tpw_civ_active = false;tpw_firefly_active = false;tpw_houselights_active = false;tpw_park_active = false;tpw_radio_active = false;tpw_skirmish_active = false; tpw_soap_active = false; tpw_streetlights_active = false
On dea. : tpw_animal_active = true;tpw_boat_active=true;tpw_car_active = true;tpw_civ_active = true;tpw_civ_active = false;tpw_firefly_active = true; tpw_houselights_active = true;tpw_park_active = true;tpw_radio_active = true;tpw_soap_active = true; tpw_skirmish_active = true;tpw_streetlights_active = true

TPW MODS are designed with single player in mind, and are generally player centric, spawning ambience and behaviour around the player to conserve CPU and give the illusion of a living map. As I have stressed many times, they are advertised as SP mods. I only play SP, have little interest in playing MP, little skill in coding MP, and no ability to test it. What this means for you is that:

- All mods will work as advertised in SP.
- Some of them will work without issues in MP when running clientside on the players' computers, some will not.
- None of them will work on a dedicated server, they will detect it and disable themselves.

I WILL IGNORE ANY AND ALL COMPLAINTS ABOUT TPW MODS MP PERFORMANCE - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

MP client compatible:
These mods are specifically written so that spawned ambient people/animals/vehicles are shared between multiple players. If there are 10 players in a single small town, there won't be 10 times as many civilians/cars/parked cars/animals/boats/aircraft. However I can't and won't guarantee that they still work in MP, nor will I try to make them work if they don't.

- TPW AIR
- TPW ANIMALS
- TPW BLEEDOUT
- TPW BOATS
- TPW CARS
- TPW CIVS
- TPW PARK
- TPW RADIO
- TPW STREETLIGHTS

These mods have no specific MP code, but should work anyway (warning - not tested).

- TPW COMPRESS
- TPW FIRE
- TPW HUD
- TPW HOUSELIGHTS
- TPW SOAP
- TPW FIREFLIES
- TPW FURNITURE
- TPW REPAIR
- TPW SANITY

MP Incompatible
These mods have no specific MP code written into them and while some may appear to function in MP, they may give unpredictable results as each player's version of the script fights for variables, tries to assign randomness, assigns sounds/lights to objects etc etc.

- TPW CROWD
- TPW DUCK
- TPW EBS
- TPW FALL
- TPW FOG
- TPW LOS
- TPW PUDDLE
- TPW RAINFX
- TPW SKIRMISH
- TPW ZOMBIES

If you desperately want a fully functioning MP or dedi version of any of my mods, and can't wait for me to make it happen, then you are welcome to grab the code and knock yourself out (see disclaimer below though).

TPW MODS encompasses a very wide range of Arma3 functionality and no doubt will run into compatibility issues with other mods that attempt similar things. I make zero apologies for this. I make every effort to ensure that TPW MODS does not cause undue conflicts with the mods I use, but I'm not a mind reader and can't allow for all the mods you use. TPW MODS provides an enormous amount of options and it's up to you to disable a particular TPW MOD or a facet of its behaviour.


TPW MODS is in constant development, and you are encouraged to regularly check for updates.

- As always I welcome feedback. My mods only improve due to your input. However, input which consists of asking me why there is no proper MP or dedicated server version, without offering help in this department, improves nothing, especially my temper.
- I'll repeat yet again - these are SP mods, some of which I've been able to give MP functionality after many requests. Accordingly, I have zero interest in hearing your opinions about TPW MODS negatively impacting your MP gameplay (eg "ZOMG TPW HUD is cheating").
- TPW MODS will work on Arma2 maps via CUP Terrains, though may not be optimal depending on the various house classes on these maps.
- TPW MODS may change the atmosphere/dynamics of the official campaign, particularly as regards ambient civilians/traffic. Personally I'd advise playing the campaign through once without any mods.
- TPW MODS is now developed only against the latest 64 bit stable A3 release. If you are using the dev build, you may experience anomalous behaviour as script commands are introduced/changed, engine changes implemented, and features and bugs introduced.

If you think that TPW MODS should provide all this additional ambience and immersion without any FPS cost then you are in for a rude ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ shock. I've gone to great lengths to optimise the enormous amount of code to reduce CPU usage and framerate spikes, but you don't get anything for nothing in this game. There's an unavoidable cost to every script and function, a cost to spawning, scanning and deleting objects, vehicles and units, a cost to using particle effects etc etc.

TPW MODS will cause up to 30 seconds of jerky framerates after mission initialisation as it scans for houses and roads, and spawns and sets waypoints for people and vehicles. Once fully initialised there will still be occasional further interruptions to framerate if the player moves into a new area.

Regardless of the complexity of its ballistics and other military simulation, Arma3 is a poorly optimised game running on an old engine which doesn't efficiently utilise your hardware. I use a fairly modest i5 / GTX1070/ 16GB ram / SSD system to run A3 and generally expect 50-60fps on most parts of most maps without any scripting. With all TPW MODS running I generally expect 40-50fps. With TPW SKIRMISH running, the framerate will regularly dip into the 30s if AI encounter each other and start shooting, although this is a function of the A3 engine - you can manually place the same number of combatants and expect the same hit to your FPS.

It's up to you to decide how much FPS hit you can live with, and which TPW MODS and their various parameters you'd like running in order to achieve it.

I've been solidly developing TPW MODS since 2013 and although my enthusiasm waxes and wanes, I never stop thinking of ways to improve and extend it. Some of the things I'm considering:

- Script version to over-ride/disable addon version
- Start collaborating with real coders so TPW MODS can be ported MP and dedi

For the sake of my sanity, when you're reporting bugs and issues can you please tell me:

- Arma3 version (stable or dev)
- 32 or 64 bit exe
- Version of the specific mod
- Script or addon version
- Downloaded from Steam or the TPW MODS site.
- Running on SP, MP or dedi

I have so many people to thank for their help, advice, support, feedback and friendship that I just can't list them all. The incredible Arma community is what makes this game worth contributing to. Thanks everyone.

I totally refuse to accept responsibility for anything that might happen to your game/computer/life as a result of using my mods. I'm not a BI developer, I don't force you to use the mods, I don't ask you to pay for them. If you don't like TPW MODS, don't use them and don't demand that I change them to suit you.

If you accept this, then feel free to use and modify this code, on the proviso that you post back changes and improvements so that everyone can benefit from them, and properly acknowledge the original author (tpw) in any derivative works. Wrapping my unacknowledged work up inside your pbo addon and monetising it does not count as returning it to the community. Redistributing my work under your own name via Steam Workshop or elsewhere is expressly forbidden. I can't make you do the right thing, but I hope that you do.