I’ve read the manual a few times. There are still questions on proper way of saving progress, i.e., “persistent save” and continuing a scenario. Perhaps it would be clearer with a step by step example with screenshots in the manual (if you need help on that let me know).
Here’s what I am doing for a NEW scenario:



1) I start the Antistasi Scenario. In my case since I have played before and want a new fresh scenario I am given a choice of RESTART or RESUME.
2) I hit RESTART. The Scenario launches.
3) I pick a new place on the Map (or you can stay at the default position.
4) Once the scenario starts you have the commander, arsenal box, ammo box, flag pole and map.
5) Go to map, hit Game Options. Click Persistent save. Something happens because text at the top right hand side pops up.
6) Play the game a couple of hours. You can hit SAVE by hitting ESC key, though I believe that is the ARMA save file. This tends to be helpful before a firefight so that if you get killed you can start again. There are 5 save “slots”, and after that you have to over-write a save slot.

Now lets’ say you exit ARMA and come back to the mission HOURS OR DAYS LATER and want to keep going from here you left off. HERE’S THE WHERE THINGS NEED EXPLAINING:

As above you have to:
1) Start the Antistasi Scenario. In my case since I have played before I am given a choice of RESTART or RESUME.
2) IF you hit RESUME you are given the ARMA 3 save game slots – the ones that were limited to 5 slots. Even though you can resume from where you left off with all your equipment, I believe that it begins to corrupt the scenario. For example commander missions no longer display on the map so that becomes rather useless.
3) IF you hit RESTART, a WARNING message comes up about restarting the scenario and you have a choice to go ahead and click RESTART or CANCEL.
4) In this case let’s click RESTART. After a few moments the scenario loads to a black screen with text in the middle that reads “Cannot connect to the positioning system” and a “CONTINUE” button on the bottom right. I click CONTINUE.
5) Similar to a fresh start, you are given another pop up message choice, and I click Load Prior Save.

And there’s the QUESTION – this takes me back to the very beginning of my scenario mission, and not the last “SAVE”. The 5 slot Arma 3 save slots are empty. I am basically starting OVER the entirety of the mission.

THE QUESTION IS: when you go to the Map, Game Options and Click Persistent Save, is that ONLY a one time save? Persistent to me means “on-going”. How do I save my last position before I got killed or exited the entire game system for a few hours so I can come back and play again from where I started off? I do not see any other LOAD persistent game menus.

I have even clicked the Map, Game Options and Click Persistent Save several times during a game session but if I completely exit and come back only that FIRST starting position comes up. I would like to continue from a prior saved game.

It seems that the only way to do that is to instead of RESTART hit the RESUME button and then load a ARMA 3 save file slot, but again, I understood this was FUBAR and not recommended as it would corrupt the game files, and indeed in my case I was no longer able to view the mission locations from the commander on the map.

WHAT IS THE PROPR SEQUENCE to save and restart later from where you left off?


*** I get that Peristent Save is ONLY at the map. But to recap and to test I started a new mission. I went to Map and did Persisten Save.



I THEN recruited 3 men, and moved the HQ assets around. I did another Map Persistent Save. IN THEORY, if I leave the game now and come back I should start with the 3 men and the HQ assets moved, BUT in reality the game is resuming with me ONLY, and no soldiers recruited, the assets all in their original positions, and to boot, I have no weapons and have to retrieve from arsenal.

So the persistent save is only reloading that FIRST persistent save. If I play 10 minutes or 10 hours and come back my progress is lost and I start again at the HQ with nothing.

Maybe it's a bug.

I have absolutely no mods running.