Arma 3 Single Player Enhancements (Oct 2021)

Intro

Note: I am open to corrections, suggestions, and any more info to make this article more resourceful as I do plan to keep this guide updated. Thanks in advance!

Are you just getting in to ARMA 3 and looking to find solutions for the ultimate single player experience? Have you been away from the scene and return to seek what is available and working these days? Either matter or more, I will guide you to great solutions to aid you in tweaking ARMA 3 for an enhanced single player experience!

While there is no mod that is 100% compatible, there are many mods that are compatible with most campaigns, scenarios, and other play experiences. Most of the additions listed in this guide will work fantastic together in solo or coop play, some will also still be valid and useable in multiplayer experiences as well, depending on the host settings!

Workshop Collection

I have compiled a Collection of Workshop items within this guide for easy subscribing ;-)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2614996989

AI Tweaks

Just about ANY AI mod is generally an improvement over the vanilla AI and will greatly enhance your squad's performance, as well as enriching commanding your squad as a leader.

Note: YES, LAMBS and VCOM AI are completely compatible with each other and can be used at the same time! Both do different things and I personally use ACE3 with the 2 as well!

Vcom AI is an AI overhaul that changes the feel of combat by enhancing AI behaviors, tactics, and many other abilities and is a must have for the single player squad leader

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=721359761

LAMBS Danger is the most popular of the LAMBS enhancements and required by many community scenarios. With LAMBS Danger, the AI will search through buildings, hide and garrison within, as well as provide suppressive fire against suspected enemy positions. In addition AI reactions to fire, even when the origin is unknown is expanded. The AI will also communicate threats to nearby allies.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1858075458&searchtext=lambs

You can also try other official LAMBS enhancements on the following Workshop page via https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197962792796/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410&p=1&numperpage=30

Automatically Make Units Switchable will automatically make units in the player's group playable and force the player to respawn as a squad member upon death without further interaction.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2596765430&searchtext=Automatically+Make+Units+Switchable

Further note: There is an older mod for AI called ASR, however it has been long discontinued and causes unusual activity when used with the much improved VCOM, thus ASR is widely not recommended.

ACE3 Mod

ACE3 is an advanced medical system with many more features and can be usually be used for most single player, multiplayer, or coop missions unless specified. It can also be used along with VCOM and LAMBS in most scenarios. There are many options that can be fine tuned to your preference, as well as many additional plug-ins for added functionality and patches for compatibility for many popular mods of all types.

While there are many modified custom editions of ACE3 via Steam Workshop, I highly recommend sticking to the full original version for the best compatibility with community made missions. It is also not recommended to use a modified ACE3 along with the original base version to prevent overriding each other. Go get the base version of ACE via

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=463939057&searchtext=ACE3

You can also download additional ACE3 patches for much such as RHS and more via the Workshop page at https://steamcommunity.com/id/acemod/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410

One major vanilla ACE3 change you may wish to make is to download an additional "full night vision" mode mod, as the NVG in ACE3 defaults as a simple goggle view as opposed to a full screen view. You can get "Removed ACE Nightvision Border" via

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2291593118&searchtext=Removed+ACE+Nightvision+Border

There are also optional CUP, RHS, and other mod compatibility patches for "Removed ACE Nightvision Border" at Red-Thirten's Workshop page via https://steamcommunity.com/id/redthirten/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410

Advanced Tweaking: Once in game (in a mission), you can navigate to options > addons > and further customize ACE3 features to your liking. This can include disabling ACE3's "Advanced Fatigue System", medical features and abilities, weather modules, bullet tracing, and much more.

Command Tweaks

Integrated AI Voice Control System is the most direct command tool there is; it's VOICE RECOGNITION for AI 😎 all you need for operation is a mic, a short speech training session (via Windows Speech) and a little reading to learn the commands and you will be commanding your squad in no time simply with a single key bind. Even correcting failed recognitions is quicker than using the traditional command systems, alternative command menus, and other methods. Simply amazing!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2582780947

All-in-One Command Menu is awesome to fill in gaps with squad management, alt orders, cheats (squad healing, teleporting, etc), and more.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1893300731

ACRE2 is a full fledged communications suite for Arma 3, allowing realistic radio and voice communications through TeamSpeak 3.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=751965892

Mechanical Tweaks

The following are some of my personal favorites to enhance movement mechanics and are compatible on many community maps and multiplayer servers.

Enhanced Movement greatly improves core mechanics by adding jumping, climbing, and other mechanics not included in the core game via simple keybinds. This will make any map more navigable for you and your AI mates.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=333310405&searchtext=Enhanced+movement

Enhanced Movement Rework simplifies EM by automating climbing, falling, and jumping functions and does require the original EM mod.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2034363662&searchtext=Enhanced+movement

Alt Views

While there is a default option to change between 1st and 3rd person view via a keybind, these mods will aid you in customizing the view and switching between them effortlessly.

3rd Person Personal Space is a view tweak for 3rd person views.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2008865554&searchtext=3rd+Person+Personal+Space

You can also look on MrSocomDude’s Workshop to find alternative editions to find the 3rd person view of your preference, as well as a left handed configuration via https://steamcommunity.com/id/MrSocomDude/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410&p=1&numperpage=30

AutoCam enables automatic switching to 3rd person view with a lowered weapon or when no weapon is equipped & to 1st person view with a raised weapon or when sprinting.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2501417720&searchtext=AutoCam

Cheats / Helpers

What do you mean ARMA's too hard? 🤪 True, ARMA is not just another shooter and the difficulty can be a bit much for some, or even experienced players may just want a more relaxed experience at times. So here's some optional helpers.

Even if you're not in the market for infinite health, disabling fatigue, or similar cheats, Simple Single Player Cheat Menu still has features to help any player such as squad teleportation, virtual arsenal, Zeus real time editor enabler, and more 😉

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=410206202

Too much realism in ARMA? Completely disable weapon recoil and aim sway.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=833939663&searchtext=No+Recoil+No+Weapon+Sway

Dynamic Missions

Single Player Enhancements (Oct 2021) image 54

"Dynamic" scenarios are highly customizable and randomly generated each play through, ensuring endless unique experiences for the corresponding terrain 😎 Most of these are accessible via Game ≥ Main Menu ≥ Single Player ≥ Scenarios for Single Player or Co-op play or by creating a new local host and adding AI players.

Though there are different "brands" of popular dynamic or simulation type scenarios, most share similar features such as supporting solo play, selecting time / date / weather options, insertion locations / type, player & AI faction choices, and more. Popular "brands" of dynamic or simulation type scenarios include

Dynamic Recon Ops specializes in smaller scale infantry combat with recon, intel, demolition, and similar tasks.

Dynamic Combat Ops focuses on larger combined arms operations.

TRGM2 is a "press play and go" flavor of dynamic mission generation that also has advanced customization options.

Antistasi are Persistent Whole Map missions, for SP / MP / Coop focused on Resistance Infantry and Guerrilla Tactics.

WarMachine is a Conquest game mode inspired by the Battlefield games with dynamically generated missions for SP | Coop | PvP.

Direct Action are open world, combined arms, dynamic missions for SP | Coop | PvP and supports many mods.

You can search for "terrain name (example: Cambodia)" + "dynamic mod name (example: Dynamic Recon Ops" in the ARMA 3 Steam Workshop to find dynamic missions for your favorite terrains.

Vanilla ARMA 3 terrain Dynamic Recon Ops scenarios:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=705986840

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=722675841

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=722648525

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1818899168

Environment Tweaks

CH Bright Nights makes most "Dusk" and "Dawn" times visible without night vision on vanilla and most custom maps, as well as generally brighter night time skies for those that wish to play in darker environments without relying completely on NVG.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=853333870&searchtext=CH+Bright+Nights

The Reduced Haze Mod reduces haze for better visibility on all official ARMA 3 terrains, as well as many community made terrains.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1397683809

EO has also created many custom skybox mods to alter skies for vanilla and custom maps available known as "Sullen Skies" which tweaks the cloud and overcast systems to yield more turbulent clouds and cloudless skies:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=939160383

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=939163153

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1752252243

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2605174551

Single Player Enhancements (Oct 2021)