Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide takes you from zero to a working AEE installation in five minutes. No prior Arma 3 modding experience is needed.

Prerequisites

  • Arma 3 (Steam, Windows or Linux).
  • CBA_A3 (Workshop ID 450814997). AEE’s only dependency.
  • HEMTT (optional, for building from source).
  • Docker (optional, for automated testing).

Installation

Option 2: Build from source

git clone https://github.com/lErrorl404l/AEE.git
cd AEE
hemtt build

The built mod appears in @aee/. Copy the @aee folder to your Arma 3 installation directory (or use hemtt launch to start the game with the mod loaded).

Option 3: Download a release

Download the latest @aee.zip from Releases. Extract it into your Arma 3 directory.

The automated Docker test requires the Arma 3 Linux dedicated server.

First mission

  1. Launch Arma 3 with AEE and CBA_A3 loaded.
  2. Open the Editor and place a unit on any map.
  3. Start the mission.
  4. Open the ACE Arsenal or CBA Settings menu.
  5. Find AEE Core under the CBA settings category.
  6. Enable AEE and set the update interval (default: 5 seconds).

AEE computes environment data immediately. You can read the state variables from the debug console or via ACE’s ace_common_fnc_getState.

Checking it works

Open the debug console and run:

diag_log text format ["Temp: %1, Pressure: %2, Humidity: %3",
    aee_core_currentTemperature,
    aee_core_currentPressure,
    aee_core_currentHumidity];

If you see numeric values (not nil), AEE is running.

Compatibility

AEE works alongside ACE3, ACRE2, TFAR, KAT, ACM, and Real Weather. Each compat addon loads only when its host mod is present. You do not need to configure anything — the compat activates automatically.

Host mod What AEE does
ACE3 Disables ACE3’s weather tick (ace_weather_enabled = false) so AEE’s state writes persist; publishes temperature/humidity/overcast/heat-index/WBGT to the ace_weather_current* namespace; maps WBGT and dehydration onto ACE3 medical vitals
ACRE2 Feeds radio propagation index from atmospheric state
TFAR Feeds radio propagation index from atmospheric state
KAT Feeds dehydration and hypoxia state to KAT’s circulation model
ACM Feeds CBRN persistence to ACM’s contamination state; registers an optional hypoxia duty factor that engages above risk 0.8
Real Weather Reads weather.json from the mission folder and overrides the AEE simulation

Troubleshooting

AEE does not load. Check that CBA_A3 is also loaded. AEE requires CBA for XEH and settings. Run diag_log text format ["CBA: %1", isClass (configFile >> "Patches" >> "cba_main")] in the debug console.

Temperature is nil. Wait a few seconds after mission start. AEE computes the first environment data on the second tick (default: 5 seconds). If it remains nil, check the RPT for script errors.

Settings do not appear in CBA. Make sure aee_core is loaded. The settings are registered in addons/core/initSettings.inc.sqf via CBA_fnc_addSetting.

Compatibility addon loads but produces no state. Check the RPT for [AEE-TEST] [PASS] lines. Each compat addon logs its integration result on mission start.