Most Arma Reforger servers run stock Conflict, which is a reasonable default and a long match. A round can run for hours because the win condition, the supply economy and the base layout are all set to values chosen for the general case rather than for your community.
All three are editable from config.json without a mod, through a block called missionHeader that overrides the scenario’s own header. This guide covers what you can change, what the values mean, and which changes are worth making.
Where These Settings Live
missionHeader sits inside game.gameProperties in config.json, which you edit through the panel file manager. It is not part of the Reforger config editor, which manages startup variables rather than the config file itself.
"gameProperties": {
"missionHeader": {
"m_sName": "Weeknight Conflict",
"m_iControlPointsCap": 42,
"m_fVictoryTimeout": -1,
"m_iStartingHQSupplies": 9001,
"m_iMinimumBaseSupplies": 500,
"m_iMaximumBaseSupplies": 10000,
"m_bIgnoreMinimumVehicleRank": true
}
}
Almost every numeric field here treats -1 as “use the scenario default”. That is more useful than it sounds: you can drop a key in with -1 while you are experimenting, and only commit a real number once you know what you want.
Warning:
config.jsonmust be valid JSON. A trailing comma or a missing brace stops the server booting, and the failure is not always obvious in the log
Tip: Take a backup before editing. See backing up a Reforger server
Making Matches Shorter
The single most requested change on a community server is a match that fits an evening.
| Key | What it controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
m_iControlPointsCap | How many control points a faction needs to win | -1 |
m_fVictoryTimeout | How long a faction must hold, in seconds | -1 |
Lowering m_iControlPointsCap is the direct lever. Fewer required points means a shorter path to victory, and it changes the shape of the match as well as the length: with a low cap, a single well-defended cluster can decide the round, which pushes people into concentrated fights rather than a spread-out grind.
m_fVictoryTimeout is the hold timer. Raising it gives the losing faction a real window to counter-attack before the round ends, which is usually a better experience than simply cutting the point cap to something tiny.
Tip: Change the cap first and leave the timeout at -1. One variable at a time, and the cap has the larger effect
The Supply Economy
Supplies gate almost everything in Conflict: loadouts, vehicles, building. Three keys set the starting position.
| Key | What it controls |
|---|---|
m_iStartingHQSupplies | Supplies the main HQ starts with |
m_iMinimumBaseSupplies | Minimum starting supplies in small bases |
m_iMaximumBaseSupplies | Maximum starting supplies in small bases |
Raising starting HQ supplies is how you skip the slow opening. On a server where people have two hours and want to be in a fight rather than a logistics run, a generous HQ figure is the most effective single change available.
The two base figures set a range that small bases are seeded within, so raising both lifts the whole map’s opening economy rather than just the main base.
There is also m_fSupplyOffloadAssistanceReward, a fraction controlling how much experience goes to a player who unloads supplies they did not personally load. It exists to stop one person doing the driving and another collecting the reward, and it is worth raising on a server where logistics is a team activity you want to encourage.
Note: 1.8 set the minimum loadout cost to 1. Previously a zero-supply loadout let players spawn on empty bases, which undercut the supply economy entirely
Vehicle and Rank Rules
m_bIgnoreMinimumVehicleRank disables the rank requirement for spawning vehicles. On a public server the rank gate is doing useful work, keeping new arrivals out of expensive hardware. On a private or milsim server where everyone is known, it is friction with no benefit, and turning it off is one of the most common changes on a closed server.
This one gained weight in 1.8, which added rank progression loss on death, costing 30 points. Deaths from friendly fire do not penalise the victim, and dying no longer makes a player a Renegade. On a server where people die often and casually, rank now moves downward as well as up, so a rank gate on vehicles bites harder than it used to. If your community found the gate tolerable before 1.8, it is worth rechecking.
Faction Player Limits
Balancing faction populations is not a missionHeader setting. It is a startup variable, and it is in the Reforger config editor under Faction.
Set Faction player limits to a comma-separated list of FACTION:LIMIT pairs:
US:32,USSR:32,FIA:0
Faction names are defined by the scenario, with US, USSR and FIA being the common ones. Numbers run from 0 to 999, and setting a faction to 0 closes it entirely, which is how you run a two-faction match on a scenario that offers three.
Tip: Faction limits are the cleanest fix for a server where everyone piles onto the winning side. It is a hard cap rather than a suggestion
Warning: The whole flag is skipped if the value is blank, so a typo that empties the field silently removes your limits rather than erroring
Custom Base Lists
For a server that wants a specific slice of the map rather than the whole thing, m_aCampaignCustomBaseList defines bases individually.
"m_bCustomBaseWhitelist": true,
"m_aCampaignCustomBaseList": [
{
"m_sBaseName": "MajorBaseMorton",
"m_bIsControlPoint": false,
"m_bCanBeHQ": true,
"m_bDisableWhenUnusedAsHQ": true,
"m_fRadioRange": 500
}
]
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
m_sBaseName | The base entity name as set in the World Editor |
m_bIsControlPoint | Whether the base counts toward the win condition |
m_bCanBeHQ | Whether it can serve as a headquarters |
m_bDisableWhenUnusedAsHQ | Disable it when not being used as HQ |
m_fRadioRange | Radio range in metres, -1 for the default |
m_bCustomBaseWhitelist decides how the list is read. Set it to true and the list is a whitelist, meaning only those bases are used. Leave it out and the list behaves as a blacklist.
This is the most advanced setting here and the easiest to get wrong, because m_sBaseName has to match the entity name in the World Editor exactly. A name that does not match is silently ignored rather than reported.
Tip: Whitelisting a handful of bases in one region is an effective way to make a large map play well with a small group, without needing a custom scenario
What Else 1.8 Changed for Conflict
Several 1.8 changes alter how a Conflict server plays without any config edit:
- MOB construction is no longer blocked by nearby enemies, so being under fire is no longer a reason building stops
- Decommissioning vehicles now only works in friendly bases
- Factions not meant to capture bases, such as FIA, can no longer capture radio relays
- Base capture speed scaling with the number of players capturing was broken and is now fixed, so stacking a capture works as intended again
- The faction commander is automatically re-elected after a reconnect
- A minimum player count for contesting can now be set through the mission header, and contesting can be disabled entirely
That last one is new in 1.8 and directly relevant here, though it is worth checking the current server configuration documentation for the exact key before relying on it.
Note: Game servers come with a 3-day money-back guarantee. Dedicated servers are non-refundable
A Starting Point for an Evening Server
For a community that plays two to three hour sessions:
"missionHeader": {
"m_sName": "Weeknight Conflict",
"m_iControlPointsCap": 20,
"m_iStartingHQSupplies": 8000,
"m_iMinimumBaseSupplies": 1000,
"m_bIgnoreMinimumVehicleRank": true
}
A reduced point cap so the match can conclude, a generous supply opening so the first thirty minutes are not logistics, healthier small bases, and no rank gate on vehicles because everyone is known. Pair it with faction limits so the sides stay even.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make Conflict matches shorter?
Lower m_iControlPointsCap in missionHeader, which sets how many control points a faction needs to win. It has a larger effect than any other single setting. m_fVictoryTimeout adjusts how long a faction must hold, which changes the pace rather than the length.
Can I change Conflict settings without a mod?
Yes. The missionHeader block inside game.gameProperties in config.json overrides the scenario’s own header, covering the win condition, supply economy, vehicle rank rules and base list. No mod is required.
What does -1 mean in these settings?
Use the scenario default. Nearly every numeric field in missionHeader accepts -1, which is useful when you want a key present while you experiment without committing to a value.
How do I balance factions on a Reforger server?
Faction player limits, which is a startup variable rather than a config file setting. Set it to FACTION:LIMIT pairs such as US:32,USSR:32, with 0 closing a faction entirely. It is a hard cap, not a suggestion.
How do I give players more starting supplies?
Raise m_iStartingHQSupplies for the main base, and m_iMinimumBaseSupplies with m_iMaximumBaseSupplies for the range small bases are seeded within. This is the most effective change for a server where people want to fight rather than run logistics.
How do I remove the rank requirement for vehicles?
Set m_bIgnoreMinimumVehicleRank to true. It is a common change on private and milsim servers. Note that 1.8 added rank loss on death at 30 points, so rank now falls as well as rises and the gate is stricter in practice than it was.
Can I use only part of the map?
Yes, with m_aCampaignCustomBaseList and m_bCustomBaseWhitelist set to true, which restricts play to the bases you list. Each entry needs m_sBaseName to match the World Editor entity name exactly, and a name that does not match is ignored without an error.
Where do I edit config.json on a Loafhosts server?
In the panel file manager. The Reforger config editor manages startup variables such as persistence and the network settings; the missionHeader block lives in the config file itself.
Scenario IDs are listed in Arma Reforger scenario IDs, the wider file is covered in config.json explained, and world state across restarts is in persistence and save games.