STW/Combat Knowledge — Online Manual

Dependencies

STW Transport Helipads is required for automated Helicopter Assault. STW Snipers & Spotters remains optional: when installed, it supplies managed sniper and spotter roles through STW Combat Support API; Combat Knowledge then applies its shorter contact-memory and lower-priority policy to AI-observed roles. Without it, the vanilla low-visibility policy remains in effect.

Mod	Workshop ID	Workshop page
STW Snipers & Spotters	`6A0C1B4265742EBC`	Open Workshop page

STW Snipers & Spotters is optional. Install it only on servers that want its sniper/spotter functionality.

What it does

STW/Combat Knowledge turns legitimate AI perception into support opportunities. It does not continuously scan the map, track players, or invent enemy positions. A contact begins only when an eligible AI group discovers it; the system keeps the AI-reported last-known position and uses it for any later order.

Observe. Decide. Support. Automation runs on the server and keeps automatic support separate from player-issued Combat Support orders.

Players

A player is never globally tracked. Once an enemy player is genuinely seen by AI, the contact may be prioritized; when sight is lost, the system does not learn the player's new location.

AI infantry

Ordinary infantry needs a recent observed cluster before it becomes an indirect-support candidate. The default cluster is three contacts within 100 metres during 20 seconds.

Server setup

Load STW/Combat Knowledge, STW Combat Support API, the desired support providers, and STW Transport Helipads on the server and clients.
Start the scenario once. The server creates $profile:STW/CombatKnowledge/STWCombatKnowledgeConfig.json.
Configuration is loaded once per server session. Stop the server before making changes, then restart it.
All currently implemented automatic support categories are enabled in the fresh default configuration. Tune individual switches, probabilities and faction profiles to suit the mission.

Default profiles cover US, RHS_USAF, USSR, RHS_AFRF, CIV and PLASTICBANDIT. US, USSR, RHS_USAF and RHS_AFRF can use CAS and Helicopter Assault. CIV has no automatic support. PLASTICBANDIT is limited to light vehicles unless an administrator changes its capability list.

How support is chosen

Observed situation	Possible response
Vehicle or aircraft	CAS, relevant ground support, and one indirect mission can each be considered.
Observed infantry cluster	Armored support, light vehicles, CAS, smoke or HE mortar support may be considered.
Directly observed enemy player on foot	High-priority indirect candidate; its default indirect decision chance is 100%.

Support categories are independent: an accepted CAS request does not suppress armored, light-vehicle, or mortar/smoke evaluation. HE and smoke remain alternatives within one indirect mission: smoke is preferred 70% of the time, and HE is preferred otherwise. If the preferred indirect option cannot be scheduled, the other may be tried.

At night (20:00–06:00 by default), a qualifying observation can also schedule an illumination flare. Flares are independent from CAS, ground, smoke and HE decisions, but share the faction mortar queue.

Mortar missions use the reporting AI's last-known target information. They have a 45-second preparation delay, and each faction's mortar queue spaces later missions behind earlier ones. As a result, a queued mission can take longer than 45 seconds to fire.

Covering fire and building clearance

Combat Knowledge also gives nearby friendly AI groups two direct-response options. These use the groups already reporting a recent enemy contact; they do not create a separate mortar, helicopter, or vehicle mission.

Covering fire

Covering fire (shown in the support system as suppressive fire) sends an eligible nearby AI group toward the contact's last-known position and places it on fire at will. The group can engage from its existing weapons and position while friendly players move, assault, or reposition. It is not a precision strike and does not track an enemy after the reported position becomes stale.

Player use: open the map radial menu, choose Combat Support → Covering Fire, and select the target area. The request requires a recent friendly AI report within the local support area, normally up to 350 metres.

Building clearance

Building clearance directs a nearby reporting AI group through the usable entrances and interior search points associated with the last-known contact building. Each point uses fire-at-will combat behaviour, allowing the group to clear the structure rather than simply hold outside it.

Player use: open Combat Support → Building Clearance and select the building or nearby target area. The system needs a recent contact, a usable building/door route, and a friendly AI group close enough to carry it out. If no route is available, the request is refused and the group keeps its normal task.

Important: both actions use the AI's remembered position. They are short-range tactical responses, not live tracking, and they do not reveal hidden players or guarantee that every room is occupied or cleared.

Safety and deconfliction

Automatic HE is conservative. At the moment of execution, explosive mortar fire is refused if a civilian or friendly player is in the configured danger area. Vanilla/RHS allied pairs are treated as friendly: US with RHS_USAF, and USSR with RHS_AFRF.

Sniper and spotter concealment

STWSnipers-managed snipers and spotters are treated as lower-confidence contacts after AI has genuinely seen them. Combat Knowledge retains their actionable report for less time and lowers their automatic-support priority. If they conceal themselves and are not seen again, a delayed smoke, mortar, or illumination order can be cancelled as stale. Vanilla low-visibility units receive a lighter version of the same policy.

This does not reveal hidden snipers or track them after sight is lost. It also does not overwrite vanilla AI's own combat-memory system.

AI has to discover the target first; hidden players receive no automatic tracking.
AI uses its observed position snapshot, not a live target transform.
Player-issued support orders have priority over automation through the shared support API reservation mechanism.
Faction capability policy, support-provider availability, safety gates and cooldowns remain authoritative.
Automatic requests do not retask player-owned CAS or other player-owned support activity.

Key configuration values

These values are stored in STWCombatKnowledgeConfig.json. Fresh V5 configuration enables all currently implemented automatic-support categories. Use true/false for feature switches and values from 0.0 to 1.0 for probabilities.

Setting	Purpose
`enableAutomaticSupport`	Master switch for all automatic support.
`enableAutomaticSmokeScreen` `enableAutomaticMortarHE` `enableAutomaticIlluminationFlares`	Enable native smoke, HE mortar missions and night illumination flares.
`enableAutomaticCASAgainstVehicles` `enableAutomaticCASAgainstInfantry` `automaticCASVehicleProbability`	Enable CAS against observed vehicles/aircraft or qualified infantry. Vehicle/aircraft CAS has an independent probability; default `0.35`.
`enableAutomaticLightVehicleSupport` `enableAutomaticArmoredSupport`	Enable the corresponding ground-support routes.
`enableAutomaticHelicopterAssault` `automaticHelicopterAssaultProbability` `automaticHelicopterAssaultTroopCount`	Enable Helicopter Assault, set its opportunity probability (default `0.25`), and set troop count. Use `-1` for the selected helicopter's current full cargo capacity; use a positive value for an exact force size.
`automaticIndirectOrderProbability`	Chance for a normal eligible indirect opportunity; default `0.55`.
`automaticSmokePreferenceProbability`	Chance that smoke is preferred over HE; default `0.70`.
`automaticIndirectPlayerOrderProbability`	Indirect chance for a directly observed enemy player; default `1.0`.
`automaticGroundReinforcementProbability`	Chance per independently eligible ground-support capability; default `0.35`.
`mortarHEDelaySeconds` `smokeScreenDelaySeconds`	Minimum preparation delay before the native effect can fire; default 45 seconds.

Set faction enabled and permittedCapabilities deliberately. A faction must list the exact capability—such as mortar_he, mortar_smoke, cas, armored, light_vehicle, or helicopter_assault—before it can use it.

Gameplay testing and diagnostics

Use normal gameplay to assess whether support frequency, delays and availability feel believable. Keep the server script log available during testing: entries beginning [STW][CombatKnowledge] explain what happened.

Log message	Meaning
`Decision: ... candidate=1`	A legitimate AI observation qualified for support evaluation.
`Smoke screen scheduled` or `HE mortar scheduled`	A native indirect mission was accepted and placed in the faction queue.
`Executed module`	The scheduled native smoke or HE module reached execution.
`CAS accepted`	A CAS provider was assigned immediately.
`CAS queued`	The CAS request was accepted but is waiting for a provider.
`CAS unavailable`	No eligible provider was available, or the bounded CAS queue was full. Repeated observations of the same contact are deliberately suppressed for a short backoff period.
`CAS canceled_eta`	An accepted CAS assignment exceeded its ETA and was released for recovery.
`Covering Fire` or `Building Clearance`	A nearby reporting AI group accepted a direct tactical response.

A scheduled order is not an immediate visual effect. Allow for the preparation delay and any existing faction mortar queue before treating it as missing. Covering fire and building clearance also depend on a recent, usable AI contact and nearby group.

Automated Helicopter Assault

STW Transport Helipads is required for this capability. When a legitimate AI observation qualifies, Combat Knowledge can call a same-faction transport to insert an AI assault group near the reported enemy position.

The AI-reported last-known enemy position is the assault anchor and initial ground objective. The transport service selects a safe landing area 75–150 metres from that anchor, then the inserted group moves toward it after landing.

By default, a selected helicopter carries its current full cargo capacity. Server administrators can choose a specific troop count instead. Player orders retain priority; faction policy, probability, provider availability, helicopter cooldown and readiness, and landing-area validation still apply.

Automated support deconfliction

Automated CAS, armored, tank, light-vehicle, and Helicopter Assault support uses automatedSupportAreaRadiusMeters, defaulting to 300 metres, to group nearby contacts. The same faction and support type cannot be assigned again in that area until the first order completes, is cancelled, or fails. This prevents support markers and vehicles from accumulating around one contact area.

Mortar HE, smoke, and illumination remain independently schedulable. Observed player-controlled enemy contacts receive priority and bypass normal random opportunity suppression, while still requiring legitimate AI detection and all safety and provider-availability checks.

Adjust automatedSupportAreaRadiusMeters in $profile:STW/CombatKnowledge/STWCombatKnowledgeConfig.json; it is a map-cell grouping size rather than a circular hard radius.

Captain Sprocket community

Arma Reforger server: STW Reforger

Community: Join the Discord server

More STW manuals