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Freedom251 › Blog › Arma 3

How to Delete Existing Buildings from the Map on an Arma 3 Server

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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You cannot remove a building that is part of Arma 3’s terrain with deleteVehicle. Those map-native buildings are terrain objects, not mission objects. To make one disappear, identify it in Eden Editor, resolve that ID with nearestObject, and set hideObject true.

deleteVehicle remains the correct command for buildings or other objects placed in Eden and for objects spawned during the mission. The reliable method therefore depends on where the object came from: hide terrain scenery; delete mission-created objects.

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First determine what kind of building you have

Arma 3 presents two visually similar but technically different kinds of structures. A house that was already part of the island when the mission loaded is a terrain object. A house, warehouse prop, vehicle or other object added in Eden or created by a script is a mission object. The engine treats them differently, so the same deletion command cannot be used for both.

Object origin Correct operation Typical scope What to remember
Map-native terrain building nearestObject followed by hideObject true One known terrain ID deleteVehicle does not remove it
Eden Editor object deleteVehicle One object or a selected collection Editor-placed objects are local to the server
Object spawned during gameplay deleteVehicle One object or a scripted collection Delete its crew separately when applicable
Mixed objects in an area nearestObjects to find candidates, then filtered deletion Trigger or radius cleanup Exclude players, protected objects and terrain scenery

The Bohemia Interactive Community reference for deleteVehicle limits that command to objects inserted in the mission editor and objects created during gameplay. The same reference explicitly excludes terrain objects and players. That is why a command can execute without an error yet leave an island building untouched.

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Hide a terrain building by its Eden map ID

For a building that belongs to the island, the practical workflow is to obtain its map ID, resolve the corresponding object, and hide it. The following procedure follows the editor method demonstrated in Nitrado’s guide published on December 1, 2022.

1. Turn on map IDs in Eden Editor

  1. Open the mission in Eden Editor.
  2. Enable the editor’s map-ID display.
  3. Zoom in until the target structure is unambiguous, then record the integer shown for that building.

Record the ID exactly. Do not substitute the building’s class name, editor object name or a nearby object’s ID. The integer is the identifier passed to nearestObject.

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2. Add a helper object

Select an existing helper object or place a small object close to the target building. Open that object’s initialization field and add the hide expression below. Replace HIEROBJEKTID with the number you recorded.

this enableSimulation false;
this allowDamage false;
delh = [0,0,0] nearestObject HIEROBJEKTID;
delh hideObject true;

The first two lines make the helper itself inert and invulnerable; they are not what removes the terrain building. The operative lines are the ID lookup and hideObject true. The example uses the global variable delh, matching the published editor workflow. In a larger mission, use a distinct variable name for each helper or put the operation in a script with a private variable so one helper does not overwrite another.

3. Use the direct form in a script when preferred

If you are running the operation from a mission script rather than an object’s init field, the essential code is:

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private _building = [0,0,0] nearestObject 1117336;
_building hideObject true;

Replace 1117336 with your own terrain-building ID. The position [0,0,0] is part of the documented example; the ID is the value that identifies the target. Keep the lookup and hide call together so that the object reference is available when the command runs.

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4. Preview, then test with a dedicated server

  1. Save the mission and use Eden’s Preview function.
  2. Confirm that the intended building, rather than a nearby structure, disappears.
  3. Run the mission on the dedicated server with at least one connected client.
  4. Check the same location from the client’s view and after reconnecting.

Nitrado’s example reports the building disappearing in preview. That demonstration does not establish identical persistence for every mission framework or server startup sequence, so a dedicated-server test is essential before publishing the mission.

Why deleteVehicle appears to do nothing

A terrain building is loaded as part of the map rather than created by your mission. Calling deleteVehicle on a reference to it therefore does not convert it into a deletable mission object. There is no useful “force delete” variant of that command for terrain scenery. Resolve the map ID and hide the object instead.

Hiding changes visibility without destroying the terrain definition. This is useful when you want a permanent-looking clearance while retaining the original map data. If your design later needs the structure visible again, the corresponding operation is to apply hideObject false to the same resolved object, provided your mission runs that command in the context where the object is hidden.

When deleteVehicle is the right command

Use deleteVehicle for objects your mission owns: props placed in Eden, vehicles spawned by scripts, and other mission-created entities. The single-object form can be written either as a command or as an object command:

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// Mission-created object
deleteVehicle _myObject;

// Equivalent object-command form
_myObject deleteVehicle;

The command also accepts an array. This is useful after you have built a collection of objects that are safe to remove:

{ deleteVehicle _x } forEach _objects;

Remove vehicle occupants first

If the object is a vehicle with crew, call deleteVehicleCrew for the occupants before deleting the vehicle. The Bohemia Interactive command reference warns that deleting crew with deleteVehicle can leave bugs or ghost objects.

deleteVehicleCrew _vehicle;
deleteVehicle _vehicle;

This distinction matters for spawned patrols, abandoned cars and mission props that can contain units. It does not make a terrain house deletable; it only prevents an incomplete cleanup of a mission-created vehicle.

Cleaning a trigger area without damaging the mission

A common community pattern finds objects around a trigger and attempts to delete each one:

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{
    deleteVehicle _x
} forEach (nearestObjects [thisTrigger, ["all"], (triggerArea thisTrigger) select 0]);

The pattern, published on the Bohemia Interactive Forums on August 10, 2021, is a starting point rather than a safe universal cleanup routine. The "all" filter can return players, vehicles with occupants, mission-critical objects and terrain scenery. Before calling deleteVehicle, narrow the result to objects your mission created.

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Exclude players and protected objects

Keep an explicit list of objects that must survive the cleanup and skip players. For example:

private _protected = [crate_1, vehicle_1];
private _candidates = nearestObjects [thisTrigger, ["all"], (triggerArea thisTrigger) select 0];

{
    if (!isPlayer _x && !(_x in _protected)) then {
        deleteVehicle _x;
    };
} forEach _candidates;

This still may encounter terrain objects. The command simply is not the mechanism for removing them, so an area sweep should be designed around known mission objects, tracked spawn arrays or restrictive class filters rather than assuming every returned object is deletable.

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Track spawned objects instead of scanning blindly

For scripted waves or temporary scenery, store each object as it is created and delete only that array. This avoids catching unrelated map content and makes the cleanup scope explicit:

private _spawnedObjects = [];

// Add each mission-created object to _spawnedObjects when you create it.
{ deleteVehicle _x } forEach _spawnedObjects;

The array must contain references to objects created by the mission. Do not add terrain buildings merely because they are located inside the same area.

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Multiplayer locality and where the code runs

Locality explains many differences between an Eden Preview result and a dedicated-server result. Bohemia Interactive’s multiplayer locality reference identifies terrain objects such as buildings as local everywhere, while editor-placed objects and empty vehicles are local to the server. A command acting on a local object must be considered in relation to the machine that executes it.

For terrain, test the hide operation with a connected client, not only on the server’s own display. For editor-created and spawned objects, perform deletion where those objects are local, normally the server. If a framework moves code between server and client execution, verify that the hide or delete call is still running in the intended locality.

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allowDamage is not a substitute for hiding. Its command reference states that it affects only the local object state and has locality requirements. In the helper example, this allowDamage false protects the helper object; it does not make a terrain building disappear and does not solve a locality mistake.

Troubleshooting by symptom

The command runs, but the house remains visible

  • Confirm that the house is map-native. If it was placed or spawned by the mission, use deleteVehicle; if it was present on the island, use the ID-and-hide method.
  • Check that you enabled map IDs in Eden and copied the target building’s integer, not a nearby object’s value.
  • Use the exact lookup form, such as [0,0,0] nearestObject 1117336, and call hideObject true on the returned object.
  • Test from a connected client on the dedicated server. A preview result alone does not prove the server deployment behaves the same way.

The wrong building disappears

  • Return to Eden and zoom in further before recording the ID.
  • Check for adjacent structures, ruins or duplicate-looking sections.
  • Give each helper its own variable when hiding several buildings; reusing a global such as delh makes troubleshooting harder.

The building disappears in Preview but returns online

That result indicates a mission-start or execution-context difference, not that deleteVehicle should be substituted. Confirm that the helper object and its init expression are included in the server-loaded mission, then test with a client connected. If your framework executes initialization only on one machine, adapt the mission so the terrain hide command runs in the context required by your deployment and verify the result after reconnecting.

An area cleanup removes something important

  • Stop using the broad ["all"] result as the deletion list.
  • Exclude players and maintain an explicit protected-object array.
  • Delete only references to mission-created objects, and handle vehicle crew with deleteVehicleCrew first.
  • Leave terrain scenery out of the deletion operation; hide individual terrain buildings by ID when that is the intended visual change.

The helper object is damaged or interferes with play

The helper is only a convenient place to run initialization. The published expression disables its simulation and damage with enableSimulation false and allowDamage false. You can also place it away from player paths or replace it with a script-based initialization once the ID has been confirmed.

Hide versus delete: choosing the least destructive method

Question Hide the terrain object Delete the mission object
Was the object already part of the island? Yes; resolve its map ID and use hideObject true No; deleteVehicle is not the terrain solution
Was it placed in Eden or spawned by a script? Possible, but unnecessary for ordinary cleanup Yes; use deleteVehicle
Can the change be reversed? Use hideObject false on the same object reference Deletion removes the mission object; recreate it if needed
Best scope Specific buildings identified by ID Tracked objects or carefully filtered collections
Main risk Wrong ID or inconsistent execution context Deleting players, protected objects, crew or non-deletable terrain

If the goal is to clear a courtyard, roadblock or landmark that came with the map, hiding selected IDs is safer than attempting a radius-wide deletion. If the goal is to remove temporary barricades, spawned vehicles or editor props, track those mission objects and delete them directly.

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A deployment checklist

  • Classify every target as terrain-native or mission-created.
  • For terrain, enable map IDs in Eden and record the exact integer for each structure.
  • Use nearestObject and hideObject true; do not substitute deleteVehicle.
  • For mission objects, keep references and delete only those references.
  • Delete vehicle crew with deleteVehicleCrew before deleting the vehicle.
  • For trigger cleanups, exclude players and protected objects and avoid terrain scenery.
  • Check locality: terrain is local everywhere; editor objects and empty vehicles are local to the server.
  • Preview the mission, then test on the dedicated server with a connected client.
  • Reconnect and revisit the location before treating the change as complete.

The practical answer in one sentence

For an existing island building, record its Eden map ID and run private _building = [0,0,0] nearestObject ID; _building hideObject true;; reserve deleteVehicle for objects your mission placed or spawned, with the appropriate crew and locality handling.

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Arma 3Dedicated ServersEden Editormultiplayer localitySQF scriptingterrain buildings

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