FROM: Project Lead
TO: Arma 3 Users
UNIT: Main Branch
ACTIVITY: Game Update: 1.44 (BattlEye Service, Open-source PhysX, Netcode Optimizations, Launcher Improvements)
SIZE: ~1.2 GB / ~623 MB

NOTES

Consider using the Steam client option to verify the integrity of the local game cache to avoid corrupted data after downloading this update.
Consider defragmenting your HDD after downloading large updates.
A Legacy Build Steam branch is available for advanced users. It contains the previous significant main branch version (1.42). It can be used to compare specific changes between major releases. The access code for this branch is: Arma3Legacy142
You can find the servers in the Steam library (switch the filter to "Tools") - "Arma 3 Server" (based on your OS, it will download the Windows or Linux version).
- Administrators can also use the command-line SteamCMD utility. The app ID is to be 233780.
- NVIDIA GameWorks™ Technology provided under license from NVIDIA Corporation. Copyright © 2002-2015 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.

CHANGELOG

DATA:

Added: Healing other characters now has its own animation
Added : Another height to Weapon Deployment
Added: Amphibious vehicles have a proper gearbox for water movement
Added: DLC Content Browser can now be closed using the same shortcut as for opening (LShift + P)
Added : Stomper RCWS and variants are available in Virtual Garage
Added: "Default" faction
Added: Possibility to override both mission config and respawn template respawn delay by using: missionNamespace setVariable ["BIS_customRespawnDelay", 60]
Added: Respawn delay can now be dynamically overridden in scenarios
Added: The profiles containing a huge variable BIS_fnc_diagAAR_data now trigger a performance warning which offers an option to wipe it out when the pause menu is displayed
Added: Camouflaged face variants from standard profile faces, not available in profile selection, seen on full ghillie snipers
Added: Localized indicators in Virtual Arsenal
Added: buoyancy = 1 property and value for all models that use buoyancy
Added: Command bar icons for launchers (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=23920)
Added: New config parameters for setting the color of text on the right side of ListBox and ComboBox items
Fixed: VR Garage script error
Fixed: Cannot try a vehicle once you've clicked on a UAV in Garage
Fixed: FD vehicles did not have their direction / speed reset on restart
Fixed: Screen would sometimes fade in, in MP, before it was supposed to (Showcase FFV)
Fixed: Wrong class name in the model.cfg of M320 camo
Fixed: Proper names for new music tracks
Fixed: FPS drop in the respawn menu when too many inventory load-outs are present
Fixed: Dust created on the water surface when SDAR was fired underwater
Fixed: Muzzle flash of Panther GMG was not visible at a low framerate
Fixed: MBT main cannon zeroing didn't work for the highest values (see http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=23318)
Fixed: High caliber rifle ammo was able to pass through the VR Gorgon (see http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=23064)
Fixed: Sound of the bounding mine trigger
Fixed: Silenced Rook 40 sound inside buildings
Fixed: Pre-loading of textures for the stance indicator
Fixed: VR Garage vehicle position was sometimes incorrect
Fixed: VR humming was missing from Arsenal
Fixed: Arsenal script error
Fixed: When changing crewed vehicle type in Garage, crew in the new vehicle was using an incorrect shader
Fixed: Vehicle crew in Garage sometimes left the vehicle
Fixed: Cargo positions in some vehicles in Garage were duplicated
Fixed: Displaying of usage statistics in DLC Debriefing for models whose path is missing a .P3D extension
Fixed: Start-up timer animation exploit - sit down and salute disabled
Fixed: Hitting ‘Enter’ to save a vehicle didn't work
Fixed: FIA Quad Bike has a proper woodland texture variant
Fixed: It was possible to make the right glass of the Offroad levitating in the air
Fixed: The components (animation sources) of the Offroad took long to show / hide themselves
Fixed: Zeus wasn't able to put bipods to ammo boxes
Fixed: Binoculars switch while moving forward, crouching with your weapon lowered (both rifle and sidearm)
Fixed: Missing muzzle flashes for the GMGs of RCWS turrets on M4 Scorcher and 2S9 Sochor
Fixed: “Support” markers were visible in the editor
Fixed: Attenuation for commander and gunner positions of the Strider / added bush collision
Fixed: Default coordinates were missing in RscListNBox
Fixed: Added sound for walking - crouched - with lowered sidearm
Fixed: BIS_fnc_getParamValue didn't work when paramsArray was undefined
Fixed: Drivers of randomized Karts now have the appropriate uniform and headgear
Fixed: ZSU-39 Tigris commander's turret was not rotating in external view
Fixed: Cleared paths to non-existent and unused SFX samples
Fixed: BIS_fnc_diagAARRecord is no longer called automatically to avoid accidental profileNamespace spam (scenario designers can still call it manually for debugging purposes)
Fixed: Commanders of the Strider no longer have the manual fire option
Fixed: Vermin has a magazine with red tracers at the end by default, added tracer magazines for all colors (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=21399)
Fixed: L / BL / B / BR rifle lowered movement binocular switch (http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=23349)
Fixed: Zamak first set of rear wheels didn't change into destroyed shape
Fixed: Cropped Singleplayer tab text in Czech translation in the DLC Content Browser
Fixed: Missing link to silenced interior tail for automatic shooting of Katiba
Fixed: Wrong samples linked for silenced shots in automatic fire mode of MX
Fixed: Unarmed version of PO-30 Orca didn't have countermeasures
Fixed: RCWS versions of Stomper / Saif now have distinguishable tracers per side
Fixed: AI can now correctly see through ground floor windows of shops
Fixed: The iron sights on the MMG_01 (Navid) are now being hidden when an optic is attached to avoid model clipping
Fixed: The animation source AddGunHolder was not defined in the config of the Mohawk
Fixed: Arm-shields of the AAF heavy vest to fit with BLUFOR / OPFOR
Fixed: When exporting from Garage when there is no animation source to change, the export will force the default state of the animations (instead of a randomization)
Fixed: Static HMGs now have distinguishable tracers per side
Fixed: Wrong assignment of the flashlight in Showcase AAF
Fixed: Wheels on the Zamak that were clipping through the model
Fixed: Self-healing animation speeds to avoid sound desynchronization
Fixed: Greyhawk had a broken damage indicator in vehicle info
Tweaked: Weapon Deployment heights regarding new engine behavior
Tweaked: Many translations for Marksmen
Tweaked: FD12 - Medal times nerfed based on play testing
Tweaked: Lowered the volume of the music to not overwhelm the voice-acting (Showcase FFV)
Tweaked: Music for Marksmen
Tweaked: Stance Indicator - ‘can deploy’ and ‘rested can deploy’ separated
Tweaked: Fire particle effect for Fireplace and Campfire
Tweaked: Minor tweaks in VR courses
Tweaked: Smoke screen for Strider and Ifrit
Tweaked: Centered all Zamak models
Tweaked: Adjusted ambient animals density
Tweaked: Refactored weapon deployed actions
Tweaked: Defined Inverse Kinematics for warming up animations (plus tweaks and optimizations)
Tweaked: Improved launcher sway in all stances and also optimized the differences between walking and tactical pace in crouch with a launcher
Tweaked: Marksmen characters re-factored
Tweaked: Cleaned radio static from clicks and fade in and fade out applied
Tweaked: Slightly increased Zafir's inertia coefficient to better correspond with the gun's weight
Tweaked: Shadows of the xH-9 family of helicopters
Tweaked: Volume of closure samples for MX
Tweaked: Positions of optics on Navid
Tweaked: Some OPFOR Recon soldiers got LBV Harnesses instead of obsolete ELBV Harnesses
Tweaked: Configured countsForScoreboard for base classes
Tweaked: Sound for Check Point Clear used in Firing Drills and Time Trials
Tweaked: Dirt runways were not producing dust effects and now are
Tweaked: Configured isLockingDisabled to disable locking and targeting on House_F, FloatingStructure_F and Lamp_base_F
Tweaked: Vermin magazines tracer variants localized
Tweaked: Changed audibility of footsteps
Tweaked: Changed names of samples for swimming
Changed: External camera position for static laser designators
Changed: Default muzzle flash of ASP-1 Kir to be on par with other suppressed weapons
Changed: Disabled Sling Load Assistant for Taru helicopters with pods
Changed: ELBV Harnesses are not visible in the game anymore, since they are now obsolete. LBV Harnesses can be used instead.
Changed: BIS_fnc_initVehicle_textures is no longer defined by the VhC function because it was a duplicate of the command getObjectTextures
Removed: Obsolete backpacks containing parts of non-existing autonomous weapons
Removed: Surplus items from CfgPatches
Removed: CA_TextReserved class from RscDisplayConfigureAction.hpp (label about reserved keys)
Removed: FlareLoop effect from the editor

End Game

Added: Time Acceleration parameters to lobby
Added: Timer for End Game (scenario can now end in a draw if sides are not able to upload schematics before the timer runs out)
Added: There are no predefined tasks anymore, users can create their own unique set of tasks for End Game
Added: Module parameters exposed
Added: Safe check for undefined gvar BIS_fnc_respawnMenuPosition_systemSelect
Added: Respawn handling now specific to End Game instead of scenario
Added: Last phase timer can now be changed in the lobby
Added: "Attacking Side" parameters to the StartGame objective module that flags the side which will have to establish their FOB at the given StartGame objective
Added: Respawn delay can now be dynamically overriden in mission
Added: When player is the carrier, he now sees a icon on his screen when he is not concealed from the enemy
Added: Retrieve Intel objectives can now have side specific respawn points
Fixed: AreaManager locations are now unregistered after End Game has started
Fixed: Retrieve Intel tasks icons (3D and 2D) were not attached to their object
Fixed: Missing textures for RscHvtPhase
Fixed: Laptop could not be destroyed after the intel was being downloaded from it
Fixed: The destroy Intel container conversation was playing even if the object was already destroyed
Fixed: After a side downloads Intel, the opposite side could not download Intel from the same objective
Fixed: Function header
Fixed: Pick-up locations on dead bodies were not blacklisted from the garbage collector
Fixed: Possible bad initialization for remote players
Fixed: Respawns at the enemy upload points were not unlocking after the last phase started
Fixed: In singleplayer there was a chance that the rules would never display
Fixed: Both RscHvtPhase and RscRespawnCounter did not use proper rscLayer and could be overridden by a cutText
Fixed: Proper names given to rules-specific sound effects
Fixed: Sound effects' names localized
Fixed: Area markers would not be deleted when the last phase would start
Fixed: Players could download Intel while incapacitated
Fixed: RscHvtPhase was visible upon death
Fixed: Respawn at the enemy upload points were not unlocking after the last phase started
Tweaked: Major improvements to RscHvtPhase
Tweaked: The destroy Intel container conversation now plays sooner after the download has completed
Tweaked: Modules work
Tweaked: Rifleman (AT) replaced with Engineer to allow players to repair knocked-out vehicles
Tweaked: Mines removed from Virtual Ammoboxes, now they are available only at certain ammo crates, vehicles and AAF units
Tweaked: Lobby display names of units are now localized
Tweaked: Carrier icon visuals
Tweaked: Decreased respawn delay when in the last phase of End Game

Dynamic Groups:

Fixed: When selecting themselves, players would see kick / ban instead of disband as options
Fixed: UI would flash every time there was an update to it
Fixed: Making a group private would require closing / opening the UI to be able to make the group public again
Fixed: Script error
Fixed: Pressing the open / close key would close the interface when a player would have focus on the group name edit box
Removed: Log in the PlayerIsLeader sub-function

Revive:

Added: Units close to death are now visualized
Added: Units being revived are now visualized
Added: Showing when a unit becomes incapacitated
Added: Showing when a unit dies
Added: Fail-safe to ensure icon effects do not get applied prematurely
Added: BIS_fnc_keyHold to allow custom hold 'Space' interactions

Potential spoilers:

Added: New method of ensuring AI properly board the extraction truck (Wet Work)
Fixed: The wrong ending could sometimes be shown if the player used all of the UAV's ammo to destroy the wreck in Showcase FFV
Fixed: Checkpoint inspector's animation would break if the player failed to pass the checkpoint (Drawdown 2035)
Fixed: No longer possible to disable the Marshalls and break the mission (Resurgent West)
Fixed: Crash landing on water wasn't properly handled (Gunships)
Fixed: Paratroopers would not exit their helicopters correctly (Tipping Point)
Fixed: Truck would sometimes be too damaged to drive away (Wet Work)
Fixed: Mi-48 pilots should now behave properly if they successfully bail from their helicopter (Tipping Point)
Fixed: Depending on the circumstances, AI squad mates would occasionally fail to board the truck properly (Wet Work)
Fixed: Player can no longer shoot from the helicopter (Drawdown 2035)
Tweaked: UAV returns to base after the helo wreck is destroyed (Firing From Vehicles)
Tweaked: Removed camera shake caused by UnitPlay (Wet Work)

ENGINE:

Added: BattlEye Service implementation (more info)
Added: New scripting command sort for sorting arrays (ascending or descending)
Added: New script commands diag_activeSQFScripts, diag_activeSQSScripts, diag_activeMissionFSMs
Added: Possibility to configure crew in each turret separately (property gunnerType in turrets)
Added: Reloading magazines properly shows bullets in the new one (e.g. for MMGs)
Added: New parameter countsForScoreboard to ignore MP score for some objects
Added: Extended logging for simple serialization in the netcode (to assist with diagnostics)
Added: New config parameters for setting the color of text on the right side of ListBox and ComboBox items (colorTextRight, colorSelectRight, colorSelect2Right)
Hotfixed: Sound: Null pointer access
Fixed: Weapon attachments properly affect AI aiming
Fixed: Assembled autonomous turrets have a default 0.5 skill now
Fixed: Occasional error where player gets stuck in a cargo animation when 2 players try to get in the same position at the same time in MP
Fixed: Rare turret desync if turning out at the very beginning of a MP mission
Fixed: Update vision mode when switched through binoculars
Fixed: Items disappearing after dragging from a non-local linked bag
Fixed: Invalid initialization of the sessionInfo class for the MP browser
Fixed: Weapon Deployment - Player can end under a building or end up levitating when deploying a weapon
Fixed: Weapon Holders were not removed automatically (even empty ones) when near an ammo box
Fixed: Correct position and direction of weapon particle effects while in a FFV position
Fixed: AI got stuck if it joined another group during healing
Fixed: Deleting corrupted items right after failed publishing and in published list processing (SteamLayer)
Fixed: Item update - updated data was not copied (SteamLayer)
Fixed: Weapon crosshair visible for turned out commanders even if disabled in difficulty
Fixed: Correct server status in MP browser
Fixed: Popping of subscribed items (SteamLayer)
Fixed: Content list checking period (SteamLayer)
Fixed: Possible CTD on weapon effects when in FFV
Fixed: Saves for Steam scenarios could get lost if the scenario would be updated
Fixed: Old versions of Steam scenarios were loaded if a scenario would change its name
Fixed: Using mouse, sticks or head-trackers in combo keys
Fixed: Maximum aiming deadzone clamped by aiming limits from a unit's class
Fixed: Scripts blocking keys
Fixed: Crash when users try to delete a listbox column with negative index
Fixed: Reloading while on a ladder consumes a magazine from inventory
Fixed: Selecting more appropriate level of details for land clutter with the "Objects" setting set to "Standard" in the video options
Fixed: Enabled strict parsing rules for squad.xml in an attempt to get rid of RPT spam and squad.xml abuse
Fixed: Crash by script command lnbDeleteColumn
Fixed: Key combinations - can do combos on dragged keys
Fixed: Possible CTD when working with cargo items if there's no supply,
Fixed: Sun was getting brighter with higher levels of FSAA
Fixed: It is no longer possible to deploy a weapon on the quad copter
Fixed: Correct title text in MP browser when selecting different modes (Internet / Recent / LAN / Friends)
Fixed: ExplosionEffects are shown only if a projectile stops
Fixed: Countermeasure always considered successful for airplanes even when it shouldn't be
Fixed: Airplanes were moving on their own with their engine on
Fixed: Random crash in AI reload checks
Fixed: CTD when an object is animated and dead at the same time
Fixed: Possible CTD
Fixed: Possible CTD in the server browser
Fixed: Fire disappeared after loading
Fixed: Strange soldier neck glitch
Fixed: Sound: Looped sound repeating with short empty gap
Fixed: Occasional stuttering of 2D icons
Fixed: Crash after respawning
Fixed: Crash when releasing constraint without any actor (PhysX-related)
Fixed: Spam of AskForPilotLight network messages
Fixed: Player will not lose command after use of the respawn button
Fixed: #logEntities admin command
Fixed: Deaths not being recorded in all cases
Fixed: Teary movement when unable to deploy a weapon
Fixed: Canceling Steam server search when creating a new session in the server browser
Fixed: Crash caused by a null pointer
Fixed: switchCamera to a unit inside of a vehicle
Tweaked: Ground weapon holders are ignored when looking for focus objects in optics
Tweaked: Gestures ignored when positioning soldiers against deployment points
Tweaked: Stance indicator shows Rested and CanDeploy as separate states
Tweaked: Smoother deployment camera transitions
Tweaked: Sound: Supersonic crack improvements
Tweaked: Coloring tabs in the MP browser according to current filter (Online / LAN / Friends / Recent) selection
Tweaked: Keyboard & mouse combos
Tweaked: drawIcon3D improvements (align, do not rotate sideArrow)
Tweaked: Published corrupted items detection (SteamLayer)
Tweaked: Adjusted number of network messages
Tweaked: Removed restrictions for the squad.xml header
Changed: Switched to open-source version of PhysX
Changed: Script command load and loadAbs return 0 instead of <null> when a wrong parameter is given
Changed: Script commands loadUniform, loadVest, loadBackpack and getMass return 0 instead of <null> when a wrong parameter is given
Changed: createTrigger command - trigger can be created locally
Changed: Command menu no longer offers Team Switch to a dead soldier
Changed: Weapon resting / deployment indicator hidden while healing yourself
Optimized: Inventory-related network message
Optimized: Inventory networking
Optimized: Minor CheckVisibility improvements
Optimized: Network traffic for some of the AI related messages
Optimized: Re-factored FFV visual states and simulation
Optimized: Refactored and optimized serialization functions for the *variable messages (optimized the size of various types of data sent across the network via scripts, e.g. arrays, groups and nils)
Optimized: Small performance optimization for the str script command
Optimized: Various netcode optimizations to reduce the amount of redundant information being synchronized (in gear, position, turret and other updates)
Removed: Deprecated "Addon" tag for Workshop
Removed: Error message for unknown GlassesType (moved to RPT)

LAUNCHER:

Added: BattlEye Service support
Added: Support for branch name
Added: A branch ribbon for indicating the currently active beta branch of Arma 3
Added: Game version information
Added: Minimize to tray support
Added: A combo box that sets Launcher behavior after the game is started (Do nothing | Minimize | Shutdown before game starts | Shutdown after game ends)
Added: A preset list to a play split button that allows you load a mod preset and play the game in a single click (OK, actually it's two clicks)
Added: An indication of signed mods (presence of a BISIGN file)
Added: Caching for news to speed-up loading process
Added: Animations to the news expander
Added: Animations to the mod detail expander
Added: A notification about unusual / unexpected endings of the game process
Added: A special case for the mod signatures check when no PBO is found in the Addons folder
Added: Copyright information the for wpf tray license
Added: Support for new BattlEye states and messages
Added: A menu item to access the BattlEye log
Added: Localizations for 1.44
Fixed: Localization of the filter of the dialog for Cgf parameter in Japanese
Fixed: The list of presets expands beyond popup boundaries and it is clipped instead of enabling a vertical scroll bar
Fixed: Profile Path parameter quotes were not enforced when a path element contained a space in its name (a more complex fix may follow)
Fixed: null in a BasePath property can cause a CTD when a dialog is displayed for a folder value parameter
Fixed: The play shortcut Ctrl+P was not bound correctly
Fixed: Typo in code
Fixed: The game parameter processor was not properly initialized before use
Fixed: Handling of missing executables and informing the user about existing problems
Fixed: If there is a problem with running the game, the PLAY button is now immediately re-activated
Fixed: Updated implementation to match changes in the SteamLayer library
Changed: The last update and the file size of a mod is now displayed in a system format and better formatted overall
Changed: ArmaExecutor functionality has been divided into separate classes ArmaLocator and ArmaExecutor
Tweaked: When the Launcher is automatically minimized when the game starts, it's then automatically restored after the game ends
Tweaked: Parameter styles moved to separate sub-folder, shared styles extracted to a special file
Tweaked: Small update of animations and positioning of visual elements
Updated: Launcher / game version info and safe-mode and HW acceleration flags
Updated: Localization
Optimized: News post content is now pre-processed a little bit more and then processed faster on the UI thread
Optimized: Caching of the news
Improved: English texts
Improved: Parameter quoting is more reliable
Improved: The parameter label is clickable for all parameter types (it toggles the check box next to it)
Improved: -maxMem and -maxVRAM minimum value and increment has been updated
Removed: All localizations of the FontWeight property of the WhyButton
Removed: All localizations of the Click event from buttons in the remove local mod dialog
Removed: Localizations from non-localizable elements

SERVER:

Updated: Stand-alone Windows Dedicated Server (1.44)
Updated: Stand-alone Linux Dedicated Server (1.44)
- Known issue: Steam client modifies the steam_appid.txt file incorrectly. In case of issues, verify its content is: 107410
- Known issue: Sometimes the add-ons are loaded from the wrong installation (e.g. main game)
- Try adding -mod=curator;kart;heli;mark;dlcbundle to your arma3server.exe shortcut