The following post provides instructions for running a local serve-and-play instance of America's Army and is intended for people who wish to test new maps without having to find a server online.
The usual method of running a map offline is to open a command window (using the ~ key) in the AA game and typing:
That does work but some maps do not behave the way their makers intended. For example, this AA forum thread shows some problems caused when you play EFA_Bodyguard's "SF Summit Assault" map in offline mode...
http://forum.americasarmy.com/viewtopic.php?t=282007&page=2
If your computer is up to the challenge, you can use the following steps to run a AA server on your PC and then join it via the LAN tab. I tried each method and can confirm that running a local serve-and-play instance will resolve the issues detailed in the AA forum thread referenced above.
Just for the record, I'm running a Q6700 Quad Core processor with 3.25 Gb of RAM along with an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT video card. I've not experienced any major performance problems running in serve-and-play mode, but your mileage may vary.
For the purposes of this tutorial, I'm going to use the current beta version of EFA_Bodyguard's excellent "SF Summit Assault" map in my examples. You may change the instructions to use a different map if you like.
Also, most people's America's Army installations are located under the "C:Program FilesAmerica's Army" folder. So when I refer to, say, the AAMaps folder I'm really referring to the "C:Program FilesAmerica's ArmyMaps" folder or the equivalent.
*** TWO IMPORTANT NOTES! ***
- First, always make backup copies of files before editing them!
- Second, I'm not liable for any problems you experience after following the instructions below. Use at your own risk!
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Okay, let's get started...
1.) Open your favorite text editor (Notepad works just fine) and add this line:
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server.exe LAN SF_Summit_Assault_BV1.aao log=server.log ini=server.ini
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2.) Save the file with the name "RunServer_local.bat" and place it in your "AASystem" folder.
3.) Create a backup copy of your SERVER.INI file from your "AASystem" folder and rename it "SERVER.INI.BACKUP".
4.) Use your favorite text editor to open your SERVER.INI (not the backup!) and edit each of the sections shown below. For example, find the "Engine.AccessControl" section and edit the value of the "AdminPassword" line. Do that for each of the following sections...
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[Engine.AccessControl]
AdminPassword=YOUR_PASSWORD_HERE
PlayerAdmin=PLAYER_ADMIN_NAME,PLAYER_ADMIN_PASSWORD
[Engine.GameInfo]
TimeLimit=65
[AGP_Gameplay.AGP_GameMultiPlayer]
; Whether multiplayer cheats are enabled. MP Cheats are not allowed on official servers.
bMPCheatsEnabled=True
; When true, bOpenAllWeaponClassSlots will make every weapon class available selectable.
bOpenAllWeaponClassSlots=True
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5.) Save the updated "SERVER.INI" file.
That's pretty much of the configuration all you need to get started!
To run the map, you just double-click on the "RunServer_local.bat" file you created in steps 1-2. If all is working correctly, you'll see a command window open and a whole bunch of information will scroll by as the server loads and starts the map.
While the server is loading, go ahead and start the AA game, if you haven't already done so. I prefer to log in and go to the AA Browser the same as if I was connecting to an externally-hosted server. In the AA Browser, go to the LAN tab...once your server has loaded the map, it will appear here. Personally, I prefer to add my game ID in the "LAN Player Name" field at the bottom of the screen.
You should be able to connect to your local server using the LAN tab in the AA Browser and the result should be indistinguishable from connecting to an externally-hosted server.
Once you're done with the game and you want to close down the server, just bring up the command window that shows the server information. Then use CTRL+C (hold down the CTRL key and press the C key) and you'll see the following prompt...
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Terminate batch job (Y/N)?
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Press "y" and press ENTER. The command window will disappear.
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HOW TO CHANGE THE MAP: If you want to run a different map, just use your favorite text editor t open the "RunServer_local.bat" file created in steps 1-2 and update it with the correct map file name...
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server.exe LAN MAP_FILE_NAME.aao log=server.log ini=server.ini
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TROUBLESHOOTING:
- You launch the "RunServer_local.bat" file you created in steps 1-2 but it disappears after a few seconds...chances are you don't have the correct file name for your map. Make sure that the appropriate map file exists in your "AAMaps" folder.
- The game is slow/choppy....this might be due to your system itself. Try closing unused applications and processes. For example, I prefer to disable Punkbuster on my local server since I am the only one using it. To disable Punkbuster on the server (not the client!), edit the pbsvgame.cfg file in the "AASystempb" folder (create a backup copy first!) and use "sv_punkbuster 0". To enable Punkbuster on the server (not the client!), use "sv_punkbuster 1". If pbsvgame.cfg has not yet been created, you can just create it with notepad and just put in this one line: "sv_punkbuster 0" (without the quotes) to disable PB on your server.
Hope this helps!
