For players
STW/CQB is ambient: there are no objectives to accept and no mission-authored squads are replaced. Look for the red CQB map marker, then approach the marked town or village. The marker identifies an active combat area only; it does not represent a faction.
- AI never spawn within the configured player safety distance, which defaults to 200 metres.
- When players are distant, a small background force keeps the location alive. As players approach, population and reinforcement activity increase.
- All CQB groups are independent from mission AI. They use their configured faction relationships and remain combat-alert while relocating between nearby buildings.
- Dead bodies are cleaned up by default; server owners may disable that cleanup.
How locations are chosen
On its first run for a scenario and map, the server scans the world for usable house/building assets and authored city, town, village and settlement labels. Named settlements are strongly preferred; large settlements are selected first and equal candidates are shuffled to avoid repeating the same places every session.
A location needs at least minimumEligibleBuildings buildings (six by default). For maps without settlement labels, compact building clusters can still qualify. A cached result is stored after the scan, so later starts skip the expensive discovery pass.
Each active location has an independent battle rhythm. Units reinforce gradually, cleared locations can restart after their own pause, and recently active locations are temporarily deprioritised to rotate combat across the map.
For Game Masters and scenario authors
No placement is required. CQB is a server-side ambient system and never joins, commands or replaces AI authored by your mission. Use the configuration file to enable or disable it, tune density, limit locations, or exclude sensitive areas.
For a scenario with bases, mission objectives, safe zones or player-built areas, add exclusion zones around those places. CQB markers can be disabled without disabling the combat system.
Server configuration
The configuration file is automatically created on first server start:
$profile:STW/CQB/STWCQBConfiguration.jsonStop the server before editing it. Values are validated and configuration versions are migrated automatically when the mod adds defaults.
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
enableddensityProfile | Enables CQB and selects LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH density. |
maximumActiveLocations*MaximumUnitsPerLocation*MaximumGlobalUnits | Caps simultaneous battle areas and the AI budget for each density profile. |
minimumEligibleBuildingsmaximumUnitsPerBuildingsquadSize | Controls settlement suitability and local group size. |
distantActivityMultipliernearbyActivityDistanceMetersactivityRampStartDistanceMeters | Controls the quiet background force and player-driven activity ramp. |
minimumPlayerSpawnDistanceMetershostileSpawnBuildingSeparationMeters | Prevents visible spawns and separates hostile starting buildings. |
nearbyReinforcementSecondsdistantReinforcementSecondsclearedLocationRestartSeconds | Sets gradual reinforcement and independent restart pacing. |
guardPercentagerelocationMinimumSecondsrelocationMaximumSeconds | Controls stationary defenders and dynamic squad movement between buildings. |
preferredUSFactionKeyspreferredUSSRFactionKeysoptionalFactionKeysoptionalFactionPercentage | Faction priority and lower-frequency optional faction participation. RHS USAF/AFRF are preferred when installed; otherwise US/USSR are used. |
cleanupCorpsescorpseCleanupSeconds | Controls CQB-owned corpse cleanup. |
showLocationMarkersexcludeAirportslocationWhitelistTokenslocationBlacklistTokensexclusionZones | Controls map markers and which settlements may become CQB locations. |
Map support and cache
Arland, Everon and community maps are supported when they provide suitable building assets. Authored settlement descriptors are used whenever available; otherwise STW/CQB uses compact building clusters. The scanner writes a compatibility report to the server log, including usable buildings, authored anchors, exclusions and final eligible locations.
The location cache is scenario- and map-specific:
$profile:STW/Persistence/STW_CQB_<scenario>_<map>.jsonDelete that cache only when you intentionally want the current scenario/map to perform a fresh settlement scan—for example after changing map content or relevant suitability settings.
Operational notes
- Ambient CQB has no capture mechanic, rewards or objectives in v1.
- Faction hostility follows the installed faction-to-faction relation; optional factions can join a location alongside the primary sides.
- Night vision, AI skill and specialist chance are configurable. Time and weather do not change the v1 activity budget.
- Use exclusion radii around mission-critical areas before publishing a scenario.
