How To Publish Game Master Saves Arma Reforger

How to Publish Game Master Saves in Arma Reforger

Ready to share your awesome Game Master creations with the world in Arma Reforger? It’s a fantastic way to let others experience the scenarios, battles, and stories you’ve crafted. But how do you go about publishing those save files? Let’s walk through the process step-by-step so you can share your work with the Arma community!

Understanding Game Master Saves

Before we jump into publishing, let’s chat about what a Game Master save actually is in Arma Reforger. It’s not just a record of where units are on the map. It’s a snapshot of the entire game state – the placement of units, objects, the game rules you’ve set up, and much more. When you load a Game Master save, you’re picking up right where you left off, and potentially letting others play in your created world. Think of it like saving your progress in a really detailed construction game, but instead of building a house, you’ve designed a military operation.

Preparing Your Game Master Save

The first thing we need to do before sharing with others is to make sure your save is in tip-top shape. No one wants to load into a broken mission. Here’s how to prepare your save:

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

Before even thinking about publishing, you must fully test your scenario. Play through it from start to finish, if you have one, or at least for a considerable amount of time. This way, you can catch any mistakes, such as:

• Units not behaving as expected.
• Broken triggers or scripts.
• Items or objectives that are impossible to complete.
• Unintended issues that can affect gameplay experience.

Make sure that your save works and provides a fun experience. You’d want to be proud of your creation when people are playing it, right?

Save With a Descriptive Name

When you save your scenario, don’t just call it “Game Master Save 1.” Give it a name that tells people what it’s about. Is it a large-scale battle? A stealth mission? A specific story-driven objective? A descriptive name helps others find the perfect scenarios they want to play. Something like “Night Raid on Hill 214” or “Convoy Ambush in the Valley” is much more helpful. Descriptive names make it easy for users to navigate.

Add a Brief Description

Arma Reforger also lets you add a description to your saves, when you save your scenario. Take advantage of this! Briefly explain the mission objective, the scenario’s setting, or anything else important that players should know before jumping in. A good description helps set expectations and might attract more players. If your scenario needs specific items to be picked, or you are requiring the player to go somewhere to trigger the beginning, include that detail in description.

Locating Your Save Files

Now that your save is prepared, you need to find the actual save files. These files are not in the game itself, rather stored on your computer, in a specific location. The way to find your game master save files is by navigating the file system of your PC:

Step by Step Guide

Here’s the usual path where you find your game master save files:

1. Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Go to the “Documents” folder.
3. Find and open the “My Games” folder.
4. Open the “ArmaReforger” folder.
5. Inside, you’ll see a folder with a long string of numbers and letters, the folder’s name is based on your ID. Open it.
6. Finally, go to the “saves” folder.

Inside the “saves” folder, you’ll see the save files for your Game Master scenarios. The names of these files match the names you gave when you saved them in-game. Be careful when copying these files, so you don’t move or rename the original file.

File Types to look for

Game Master save files in Arma Reforger are often stored as .rgs or .save files. These are the files you’ll need to upload and share, if the platform you will use to share requires the exact save file extension. Keep them organized, or put them in the same folder so it will be easy for you to share. You can compress these files into .zip or .rar archives to make sharing easier.

Publishing Your Save Files

Now for the exciting part, publishing your creations for others to experience. You need to be very cautious when you share your files, always check the source of where you upload your files, or where you download the files, since you don’t know if there can be hidden malicious files in the archives. Below are the main ways you can share your game master saves:

Sharing on the Steam Workshop

The most direct way to share your game master save in Arma Reforger is through the Steam Workshop. This method is easiest and convenient to both the creator and the player who is going to use your save. This is also the first place people check when they are looking for game scenarios. If you want to reach many players, then it is recommended to use this method, if possible. The steps are outlined below:

Preparing for Upload

Before you can upload to Steam Workshop, make sure you have:

• A Steam account
• Arma Reforger installed on your PC through Steam.
• Your Game Master save files compressed to a zip or rar. archive.
• An appealing screenshot or video that is representing the game master save you are about to upload.

Uploading Process

Here’s how to upload your save to the Steam Workshop:

1. Launch Arma Reforger through Steam.
2. On the main menu, find “Workshop”. Click on it.
3. From there, you’ll see an option to “Publish”. Click on “Publish” and choose “Scenario” option.
4. Select your save file from your computer.
5. Name your scenario, add a description, and a nice thumbnail image to grab attention of the users. Use descriptive title and well-written description for your save.
6. Click “Publish”. Make sure you have good internet connection to not interrupt the upload process.

Once the upload is finished, the workshop will process your submission, and it will be available for others to find and subscribe to. Make sure the file size is acceptable for uploading to the workshop, as steam workshop has a size limit for game files.

Tips for Steam Workshop

• Use a compelling title: Make it catchy and informative.
• Create a good thumbnail: A great image will attract more users.
• Write a detailed description: Mention the objective, setting, any special rules or settings for your scenario.
• Tag appropriately: This helps people find your scenario more easily. Use relevant tags like “single player”, “co-op”, “large scale”, “infantry only”, etc.
• Keep it updated: If you find any issues, fix them and re-upload an updated version, or inform users that your scenario has been updated in the Steam workshop.

Using Community Forums and Websites

There are a lot of Arma communities and fan websites which are a great way to share your saves, if you encounter issues with steam workshop, or you are not happy with how your files are presented on the platform. Forums are great for getting feedback from the players. Some popular websites or forums where you can share your creations include:

• Official Arma Reforger Forums: This is a place where you can find lots of players looking for game content.
• Dedicated Arma Community Websites: There are many websites that focus on specific Arma games, such as ArmaReforger.com or similar websites.
• Reddit: Subreddits like r/arma or r/armaReforger are good places to announce your creations to the wider player base.

Steps to share

1. Prepare your save files: You will need the save files as mentioned in the previous sections.
2. Create an account: If you don’t have one already, you might need to register in the forums or on the website.
3. Create a thread: Make a new thread and introduce your scenario.
4. Provide details: Write a detailed description, similar to what you’d put on the Steam Workshop.
5. Attach files: Upload your save files. (If the website supports file uploads, make sure your files are in a compressed format)
6. Share link: Share a link to the thread or files in the relevant subreddits, or similar public platforms for a wider audience.

In forums or other websites you can directly interact with the players and get direct feedback which can be beneficial for you. Always use reputable platforms when sharing your files, to ensure the files you are distributing are safe.

Sharing via Cloud Storage

If other options don’t work for you for sharing your files, such as due to file size limitations or other issues, then you can resort to using Cloud storage services. This might not be the easiest for the players who want to use your save, but it is a good way to share your files with a specific group of people. Using this method requires the player to take extra steps, such as downloading a file from a link, and moving the file to the right location on their computer, so it is not as convenient as other methods, such as sharing through Steam Workshop. Below are the basic steps on how to share through cloud services.

• Prepare your files: Similar to previous methods, you will need your save files, compressed in a ZIP or RAR archive.
• Choose a cloud service: Some popular platforms are Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Mega.
• Upload your files: Upload the archive of your save files to your chosen service.
• Generate a Shareable Link: Create a shareable link. You can choose if the link will be accessible to anyone who has the link, or only to those who have permission to see the files.
• Share the link: Share this link with the desired audience. Make sure that the link is publicly accessible, so people can download your saves.

When using this method, ensure that the links are always active, and don’t expire over time. If the cloud service is limited in storage capacity for the free accounts, make sure you clean up your cloud storage regularly. This is not a recommended method to share files, but if other methods are not working for you, this is a good alternative to share.

Helping Others Use Your Saves

When people download your saves, it’s important they can use them without problems. Clear instructions are key.

Installation Guidance

Provide clear instructions on how to use your save files. Here’s what you should typically tell your audience:

• Location: Tell users where exactly the save files are located on the computer.
• Moving the files: Users need to copy your save files into their specific “saves” folder.
• Loading the save: After the files are in the right folder, the users can load them by launching the game, opening Game Master mode, and choosing the save file, from in-game menu.
• Restart the game: You may recommend users to restart the game after moving files, for the changes to take effect.

Troubleshooting Tips

Be prepared for people to encounter problems. Here are some common issues and solutions you can provide:

• Save doesn’t show up: Make sure users have placed the files in the right folder, restart the game, and that the name of the save file is correct.
• Save crashes the game: Sometimes the saves can be corrupt. Ensure you’ve tested the save fully before publishing. Ask the users to try a new download, or try loading a previous save.
• Game freezes or lags: This can be due to the user’s PC not meeting game requirements, or the save itself having too many objects. Users should lower graphic settings or try loading a previous save that has less objects.
• Game breaking bugs: If the save is too old, or the game has received a major update, it is possible that the save will stop working. This is something you can’t prevent, but you can advise users that your save file is outdated.