If an Arma 3 dedicated server starts but returns to the mission-selection screen, shows no missions, or ignores missionCycle, start with the server’s RPT or console log. The first useful error usually identifies the failing layer: a missing PBO, an exact-name mismatch, invalid server.cfg syntax, a wrong startup path, a missing dependency, or a signature rejection.
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Work from a reversible, evidence-based test: launch the server with no custom mods, remove custom missions temporarily, confirm that a known vanilla mission loads, then add the mission, configuration, and mods back one change at a time. This separates a damaged server installation from a bad mission or configuration.
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Do not begin by changing several settings at once. A reliable diagnosis preserves a working baseline and records what each test proves.
- Capture fresh evidence. Close the server, preserve the current RPT and console log, then start it again and reproduce the failure once.
- Run a vanilla isolation test. Use an empty
-mod=parameter, move custom files out of the multiplayer-mission directory, and temporarily comment out the entiremissionCycleclass. - Confirm the server installation. Verify the game files and make sure the dedicated-server executable is reading the dedicated-server data directory rather than a client installation.
- Check the mission file and name. Put the PBO in the server’s multiplayer-mission location and make the
templatevalue match the filename exactly. - Validate
server.cfg. Check braces, semicolons, class nesting, difficulty values, and logging options. - Add dependencies and mods gradually. Confirm that every required addon exists on the server, that client and server versions are compatible, and that signatures and keys are present.
- Test manual selection. Use
#missionsand#mission filenameas an independent test of mission loading. - Only then repair automatic startup. Compare
missionCycle,autoInit, andPersistentafter manual loading is known to work.
Bohemia Interactive’s Multiplayer Server Commands reference gives the most important first rule: “Check your server log for potentially more information why it failed.” A failed lobby can be a symptom of corrupt mission data or an error while the mission list is being built, not merely a bad server-cycle setting.
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Read the RPT and console output before changing files
The RPT/profile log is the primary record of server startup and mission loading. If you configured logFile, the dedicated-server console output is also written to a text file. Keep the log from the failed attempt; deleting it before every test makes it harder to compare changes.
What different evidence usually means
| Log evidence or symptom | Most likely layer | Next reversible test |
|---|---|---|
| Mission PBO cannot be found, or the mission list is empty | File location, filename, or startup path | Confirm the active server directory and list the exact contents of its multiplayer-mission folder. |
| Config parse error, unexpected token, or startup stops while reading configuration | server.cfg braces, semicolons, or class nesting |
Restore a minimal known-good configuration and add settings back individually. |
| Addon or required class is missing | Mission dependency or mod load order | Run without custom mods, then add the named dependency to the server and client. |
| Signature or key rejection | Unsigned or mismatched addon | Check the server’s keys directory and compare mod versions; use a controlled verification test only when appropriate. |
| Script, config, or description parsing error inside a mission | Mission content | Load a known-good mission and inspect the first mission-specific error in the RPT. |
Do not treat the last line in the log as automatically decisive. The first error in the sequence often causes later messages such as an empty lobby or a return to mission selection. Search upward for the earliest mission, addon, path, or configuration error produced immediately after the server attempts to load the mission.
Prove the dedicated server works in vanilla mode
A clean launch is the fastest way to distinguish server infrastructure from mission content. Bohemia’s forum debugging guidance recommends removing variables before investigating a custom scenario.
Perform the isolation test
- Stop the server completely. Do not test while an old process is still running with a different command line.
- Copy the current RPT,
server.cfg, and mission files to a backup location. - Temporarily move custom PBOs out of the server’s multiplayer-mission directory. Do not delete them.
- Start the server with an explicitly empty
-mod=parameter. This prevents a leftover client-mod path from changing the data the server reads. - Comment out the complete
missionCycleclass rather than leaving a half-edited entry. The debugging tutorial specifically advises: “Comment out the Mission cycle class completely.” - Clear or rotate old RPT files so the next attempt is unambiguous.
- Verify the game installation using the platform’s file-verification function, then restart and connect with a matching, unmodified client.
If the vanilla server reaches a usable lobby and can load a known-good mission manually, the executable, basic data, and network service are functioning. Reintroduce your mission first, then its required mods, and finally automatic startup. If even a vanilla mission fails, stay at the installation, path, and configuration layers; changing mission scripts will not fix those failures.
Check mission placement and the exact PBO name
Dedicated servers discover multiplayer missions from their active multiplayer-mission directory. The file must be a usable PBO in that directory, not an archive left inside a download folder or an extra nested folder created during extraction.
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Match template character for character
The value in server.cfg must equal the PBO filename without the .pbo extension. Include the terrain suffix and preserve capitalization. For example, a file named co08 patrol.Tanoa.pbo requires a template value of co08 patrol.Tanoa, not merely co08 patrol or a filename from a different terrain.
- Check for a doubled extension such as
mission.pbo.pbo. - Check for a second copy of the mission with an older name; the server may be loading the wrong PBO.
- Check that the PBO is on the server machine, not only subscribed in the administrator’s client workshop.
- Check that the mission’s world or terrain suffix is the one present in the filename.
- After renaming a PBO, update every reference in
missionCycleand any manual command.
Bohemia forum guidance warns that an exact mismatch can break server startup. Treat the filename as an identifier, not a descriptive label: punctuation, spaces, suffixes, and case all deserve comparison.
Validate server.cfg syntax and mission-cycle structure
A single missing brace or semicolon can prevent the server from reading the mission list. Build a minimal configuration first, confirm that it parses, and then restore optional settings.
Minimal mission-cycle example
class Missions
{
class Mission1
{
template = "co08 patrol.Tanoa";
difficulty = "Regular";
};
};Replace the template with the exact PBO basename on your server. The example shows the structure, not a mission that is guaranteed to exist on your installation.
Configuration checks
- Every opening brace has a matching closing brace.
- Each assignment and class entry ends with a semicolon where the configuration syntax requires one.
class Missionscontains one or more named mission classes, and each mission class contains atemplate.- The
difficultyvalue is one accepted by your server version and is spelled consistently. - There is no duplicate setting later in the file silently overriding the value you edited.
- The file being edited is the one passed to the running server process, rather than a template or an unused copy.
Use logFile when you need a persistent copy of dedicated-server console output. Keep logging enabled while diagnosing the issue; remove only obsolete logs, not the evidence from the current attempt.
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Make sure the server starts from the intended installation
Machines that contain both a normal client installation and the dedicated-server package can load data from the wrong location. Bohemia documents this data-precedence problem and recommends starting the server with an empty -mod= parameter so the dedicated-server location supplies the data.
Verify the launch path
- Inspect the shortcut, service definition, container command, or hosting-panel startup line.
- Identify the executable that is actually running and the working directory it receives.
- Confirm that the configuration path points to the intended
server.cfg. - Use the dedicated-server installation’s data directory and avoid inheriting a client’s mod path.
- Run one test with
-mod=explicitly empty, then inspect the fresh RPT for the loaded data and addon paths.
If the server appears to start normally but cannot see a PBO that is visibly present on disk, suspect this layer before repacking the mission. A path problem can make a correct mission look missing.
Reintroduce mods, dependencies, and signatures methodically
A mission can be present and correctly named yet fail while loading because it references an addon that the server does not have. Install every required dependency on the server, load it in the startup command, and make sure connected clients have compatible versions.
Dependency checklist
- Read the mission’s declared required addons and compare them with the server’s installed mod directories.
- Use the same mod release on server and clients; a content update on only one side can produce a load or signature failure.
- Check the startup order if one addon depends on another.
- Confirm that the server process can read the mod directories and that the PBOs were not left in a nested extraction folder.
- Review the RPT for the first missing class, addon, or version-related message.
Understand signature verification
With verifySignatures = 2, the server rejects unknown or unsigned addons. Confirm that the matching key files are available in the server’s keys directory and that the mod’s signing key corresponds to the installed PBOs.
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For a controlled diagnosis, an administrator may temporarily relax signature verification to determine whether the rejection is the cause. Do this only on a private test server, record the change, and restore signature enforcement immediately after the test. Disabling verification is a diagnostic control, not a production fix.
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Use manual mission commands to separate loading from autostart
Automatic startup and mission loading are separate functions. Connect as an administrator after the server reaches the lobby and run #missions to open the mission list. Then use #mission filename with a known mission filename to select it directly.
Interpret the result
| Manual result | What it proves | What to inspect next |
|---|---|---|
| The mission appears and loads | The server can discover and load the PBO; the problem is probably automatic startup. | missionCycle, autoInit, and Persistent. |
The mission is absent from #missions |
The active path, PBO, name, or mission parsing is still wrong. | RPT path errors, exact filename, PBO location, and startup data directory. |
| The mission appears but fails when selected | Discovery works, but mission content or a dependency fails during load. | The first mission-specific script, config, addon, or signature error in the RPT. |
| A known-good vanilla mission loads but the custom one does not | The server infrastructure is functional and the fault is isolated to the custom mission or its dependencies. | Required addons, PBO integrity, description/config parsing, and mission scripts. |
This control test avoids guessing. Do not edit missionCycle until you know whether the mission can load when selected directly.
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If manual selection succeeds, inspect the settings that govern what happens after the server starts. Check that the mission-cycle template is exact and that the startup behavior is internally consistent.
autoInit and Persistent
Automatic initialization depends on the persistence setting. In the startup configuration used for this diagnosis, autoInit requires Persistent = 1. If the server reaches the lobby instead of beginning the configured mission, verify both values and then restart completely.
Change one setting at a time. A successful manual load followed by a failed automatic load points to startup control, not to the PBO itself.
Multiple missions in a cycle
Temporarily reduce the cycle to one known-good mission. Once that mission starts automatically, add the remaining entries one at a time. This identifies a single bad template or malformed mission class without losing the working baseline.
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Use advanced options only as diagnostic controls
skipDescriptionParsing
skipDescriptionParsing can speed mission-list loading by skipping description parsing. It may help determine whether description parsing is where the lobby stalls, but it does not repair a malformed mission description. If enabling it changes the result, inspect and fix the mission’s description data rather than leaving the error hidden indefinitely.
ignoreMissionLoadErrors
ignoreMissionLoadErrors can allow the server to continue loading despite mission errors. That makes it useful for isolating whether an error is fatal, but it can conceal a broken mission and produce an unstable session. Use it only for a controlled test, capture the underlying RPT error, and remove it after correcting the mission.
Match the symptom to the failure layer
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action with the least operational risk |
|---|---|---|
| No missions appear | Wrong active directory, misplaced PBO, bad filename, or parsing failure | Run vanilla mode, verify the active path, and compare the exact PBO basename with the mission entry. |
| Server returns to mission selection | Mission load error, missing dependency, or invalid mission content | Load a known-good mission manually and use the RPT to identify the first custom-mission error. |
| Server fails while reading configuration | Brace, semicolon, class, or value error | Replace the file with a minimal configuration and add settings back incrementally. |
| Mission is visible but clients are rejected | Signature, key, or client/server mod mismatch | Compare versions and keys; restore verifySignatures = 2 after any private diagnostic test. |
| Manual start works but startup does not | missionCycle, autoInit, or Persistent configuration |
Use one known-good template and validate the automatic-start settings separately. |
| Vanilla missions also fail | Installation, executable selection, data precedence, or base configuration | Verify files, use the dedicated-server path, launch with empty -mod=, and inspect fresh logs. |
When the mission itself is damaged
If the server sees the PBO, lists it, and still fails only when that mission is selected, the fault is inside the mission package or one of its dependencies. Compare the failing PBO with a newly exported or known-good copy. A corrupt archive, incomplete upload, or wrong terrain build can all survive the filename check.
- Test the mission on a private server with no unrelated mods.
- Read the first script, config, or addon error generated after selection.
- Confirm that the mission’s required addons are installed and loaded, not merely present in a client’s library.
- Remove optional mission components temporarily if the mission author provides a documented minimal variant.
- Repack or redeploy the mission only after preserving the original PBO and log.
Do not use ignoreMissionLoadErrors as a permanent workaround. A mission that starts while errors are ignored may fail later when players reach the affected script or object.
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Finish with a clean, repeatable deployment
Once the mission loads, restore normal protections and document the working command line. Keep the final deployment smaller than the diagnostic environment.
- Restore the intended
missionCycleentries and remove temporary comments or test missions. - Remove diagnostic overrides such as
ignoreMissionLoadErrorsand any temporary signature relaxation. - Set
verifySignatures = 2when that is your normal security policy, and verify the required keys. - Confirm that
autoInitandPersistent = 1match the desired startup behavior. - Restart from the same executable, working directory, and configuration path that production uses.
- Keep the successful RPT and startup command as a reference for the next update.
The durable fix is the one supported by a log entry and reproduced from a clean launch: an exact mission name in the active directory, valid configuration syntax, the correct dedicated-server data path, compatible dependencies, and signatures restored after testing.
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