Arma 3 basic.cfg Network Tuner

Generate a tuned basic.cfg for your Arma 3 server. This file controls low-level networking — bandwidth ceilings, packet sizes, and position update frequency — and is the single biggest lever for reducing desync.

⚠️

basic.cfg is a SEPARATE file from server.cfg

Place it in the same directory as your server.cfg and reference it with -config=server.cfg -cfg=basic.cfg on the server launch command. Most admins don't know it exists and leave defaults, causing avoidable desync.

Quick Presets

Network Settings

No floor

MinBandwidth — bits/sec floor; 0 = no floor (default 0)

100 Mbps

MaxBandwidth — bits/sec ceiling; match your actual uplink

128

MaxMsgSend — messages sent per frame; default 128; increase for fast links

512 B

MaxSizeGuaranteed — reliable (TCP-like) packet max bytes; default 512

256 B

MaxSizeNonguaranteed — unreliable (UDP) packet max bytes; default 256

10 — 8 kHz

vonCodecQuality — 1-10 = 8 kHz, 11-20 = 16 kHz, 21-30 = 32 kHz; default 10

0.0010

MinErrorToSend — position error threshold before an update is sent; lower = smoother (default 0.001)

0.0100

MinErrorToSendNear — same for nearby units; recommend 3-12x MinErrorToSend

Disabled

MaxCustomFileSize — custom face/voice file size limit in bytes; 0 = disabled (recommended)

1400 B

sockets { maxPacketSize } — 1400 is MTU-safe for most networks (avoids fragmentation)

Generated basic.cfg

// Arma 3 basic.cfg — generated by DustBowl.Games Tools
// Place this file alongside server.cfg and launch with: -cfg=basic.cfg

// ── Bandwidth ──────────────────────────────────────────
MinBandwidth         = 0;          // bits/sec floor (0 = no floor)
MaxBandwidth         = 100000000;   // bits/sec ceiling — match your uplink

// ── Packet sizing ───────────────────────────────────────
MaxMsgSend           = 128;         // messages sent per frame (default 128)
MaxSizeGuaranteed    = 512;        // reliable packet max bytes (default 512)
MaxSizeNonguaranteed = 256;        // unreliable packet max bytes (default 256)

// ── Position update thresholds ──────────────────────────
MinErrorToSend       = 0.0010;  // position delta before distant-unit update
MinErrorToSendNear   = 0.0100;  // same for nearby units (rec: 3-12x MinErrorToSend)

// ── Voice over network ──────────────────────────────────
vonCodecQuality      = 10;          // 1-10=8kHz, 11-20=16kHz, 21-30=32kHz

// ── Custom files ────────────────────────────────────────
MaxCustomFileSize    = 0;          // 0 = disable custom faces/voices

// ── Socket / MTU ────────────────────────────────────────
class sockets
{
    maxPacketSize = 1400;     // MTU-safe UDP packet size
};

Save this as basic.cfg in the same directory as server.cfg, then add -cfg=basic.cfg to your server launch args.

Setting Reference

Property Default Effect
MinBandwidth 0 Bits/sec floor for outgoing data. 0 means no enforced minimum.
MaxBandwidth unbounded Bits/sec ceiling. Set to your actual uplink — exceeding it causes packet loss and desync.
MaxMsgSend 128 Messages sent per simulation frame. Increase for fast links; lower if CPU is struggling.
MaxSizeGuaranteed 512 Max bytes for reliable (guaranteed delivery) packets — inventory, events, RPCs.
MaxSizeNonguaranteed 256 Max bytes for unreliable (position/movement) packets. Larger = more data per frame but more loss risk.
MinErrorToSend 0.001 Position error delta before a network update is sent for distant units. Lower = more updates = smoother.
MinErrorToSendNear 0.01 Same threshold for nearby units. Should be 3–12x MinErrorToSend — near units need more frequent updates.
MaxCustomFileSize 0 Max bytes for custom player face/voice files. 0 disables custom files entirely (reduces join lag).
vonCodecQuality 10 VON voice quality 1–30. Bands: 1-10 = 8 kHz, 11-20 = 16 kHz, 21-30 = 32 kHz. Higher uses more bandwidth.
sockets.maxPacketSize 1400 UDP packet size cap in bytes. 1400 avoids IP fragmentation on most networks (safe default).
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