Submit a Terrain

Overview

Add a terrain to ALiVE

If a terrain isn't on the compatibility list, there are two ways to index it and get it added to a future ALiVE 3 build. The quickest is the online indexer: give it the terrain's Workshop link, our server builds the index with every building's positions measured, and you send it in from there. The other is the in-game Map Indexer below, for a map that isn't on the Workshop or when you'd rather check every category yourself. Either way, indexing scans the terrain once and builds the data ALiVE relies on: where the buildings are, what kind each one is, and where military and civilian objectives should sit.

Before you start

What you need for the in-game indexer

Only for indexing in game. Index a Terrain needs none of this: it works from the terrain's Workshop link.

• The terrain and its dependencies installed, alongside @CBA_A3 and a copy of ALiVE in a folder named exactly @ALiVE (capitals included) inside your Arma 3 folder. The indexer can't work from the Workshop copy, which lives somewhere else. ALiVEClient_x64.dll and alive_object_blacklist.txt come with ALiVE and must sit at the top of that folder.
• Arma started with those mods and file patching on, for example -mod=@ALiVE;@CBA_A3;@YourMap -filePatching.
• DeWrp, which reads the terrain. It's no longer in Mikero's free downloads, so use ALiVE's copy: unzip its 3 files straight into C:\Program Files (x86)\Mikero\DePboTools\bin, making the folder if it isn't there (back up your own DePbo64.dll first if you have Mikero's tools in it), and unblock them (right-click, Properties). The indexer looks for DeWrp in exactly that folder. If you use the Windows 10 setting instead (see below), add the folder to your Windows PATH and restart Steam.
• The indexing scripts unzipped into your Documents\Arma 3 folder.
• BattlEye off for the indexing run, and your antivirus switched off or set to leave the indexing folder alone.
• A log viewer such as BareTail helps: the RPT in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Arma 3 shows how far the indexer has got.

Indexing

How to index a terrain in game

These are the in-game indexer's steps. With Index a Terrain you skip all of them: give it the Workshop link and send the result in from that page.

1. Place the Map Indexer

   In the editor on your terrain, place a player unit and the ALiVE Map Indexer module. Set Object Categorization to Yes for a new map; No is only for a map that already has a static data file, such as one you're indexing again. Set Map PBO file path to the terrain's PBO relative to your Arma 3 folder, with its extension, for example @mapname\addons\mapname.pbo; the example text in the box always fails. Leave Custom Map Bounds at 0 unless the objectives come out wrong (see the last step). Leave Operating System on Windows 7 whatever Windows you run: it's the setting that opens a command window you can watch. Changing it is the fix if Arma crashes as the scan starts. Save the mission as index.

2. Set the composition environment

   On the same module, set Composition Environment to whichever of Urban, Woodland, Desert, Jungle, Pacific or Bocage suits the terrain. This decides which set of ALiVE compositions gets used for camps, checkpoints and installations, and it is written into your index when the scan starts, so it has to be right before you run it rather than after. It defaults to Urban, which means a woodland or desert map left untouched will index quite happily and then place town-style compositions in the middle of a forest. If you are unsure, pick the one that matches how the terrain mostly looks on the map. For any Vietnam or Indochina map pick Jungle: with SOG Prairie Fire and ALiVE's optional SOG compositions loaded it uses those, and without them the Pacific compositions, so it works whether or not players run SOG.

3. Start the scan

   Launch the mission, open the map and zoom out until the whole terrain shows, then open the ALiVE menu and choose Map Indexer. A command window opens while DeWrp reads the terrain; if none opens and the RPT says ERROR with deWrp, DeWrp isn't in the folder above. When it asks you to press any key, press the Up arrow, not Space or Esc.

4. Categorise each object

   Each kind of object on the map is shown in turn, with a count of how many are left and its model name at the bottom of the screen. Tick every category that applies (they're explained below), then press Click for Next Object. A tick on an indented option only adds the object to that option's list, so tick the line above it too: Allow ambient vehicles goes with Military Buildings (General).

5. Check the static data when it pauses

   After the last object the indexer stops so you can correct mistakes in <mapname>_staticData.sqf, in @ALiVE\indexing\<mapname>\x\alive\addons\main\static. Check every array ends in ]; (the blacklist is the one that tends not to, after a lot of blacklisting) and that the ALiVE_mapCompositionType line names the environment you picked. Then press any key to carry on.

6. Let it finish

   Analysis and clustering can take up to half an hour on a large map. Arma will look frozen and must stay the active window, so don't close it; the RPT shows it's still working. If it stays on Generating Sector Data, unzip the indexing scripts, copy their x folder into your index mission's folder (Documents\Arma 3\missions\index.<mapname>) and run it again.

7. Check the result

   Your index is in @ALiVE\indexing\<mapname>\x. That x folder is what you test and submit.

8. Test it first (recommended)

   Start a new mission on your terrain with a player unit, ALiVE (Required), the ALiVE Virtual AI System (debug on, Synchronisation Options set to Virtualize all editor placed units except synced units) and Military Placement (Mil. Obj.) and Military Placement (Civ. Obj.), both with debug on. Save it, copy the x folder into its folder, next to mission.sqm, and play: it should load without errors, with units spawning in sensible places.

9. If the objectives miss part of the map

   Delete everything in @ALiVE\indexing\<mapname>\x except your static data file. In that file, change the number on the ALIVE_mapBounds line to the map's size rounded up to the nearest 1000 (5120 becomes 6000), set Custom Map Bounds on the module to the same, set Object Categorization to No and index again. When you're done, turn your antivirus back on if you switched it off.

Categorising

What each object category means

ALiVE has to know which map objects are military and which are civilian before it can find the clusters that become objectives, and the same lists decide where ambient vehicles, supplies, HQs and civilians go and which buildings player tasks and insurgents pick. Map makers don't all use objects the same way (a hangar is often part of a civilian factory), so a person has to judge each one.

The online indexer on Index a Terrain does this for you. From index v3.1 it also measures every building's positions in game, so a prop the AI can't stand in stays out of the military and civilian lists, and trenches, bunkers and towers are picked out as fieldworks. In the in-game indexer, tick every category that applies; each tick adds the object to one list in the static data file, shown in brackets. The Fieldworks tick is the exception: tick it on its own, so a bunker isn't also turned into an ordinary military objective.

• Blacklist: Objects that have nothing to do with objectives, such as clutter, carts, boxes, pipes and wood piles. They're left out of the index. (ALIVE_Indexing_Blacklist)
• Military Buildings (General): Any building on a military base or in a camp, a bunker for example. This is the main category for military objectives. (ALIVE_militaryBuildingTypes)
  • Allow ambient vehicles to spawn here: Military Placement parks ambient vehicles near these. (ALIVE_militaryParkingBuildingTypes)
  • Allow ambient supplies to spawn here: Military Placement puts supply boxes around these. (ALIVE_militarySupplyBuildingTypes)
  • Allow this building to be used as an HQ: Military Placement can pick these for an HQ. A map should have at least one. (ALIVE_militaryHQBuildingTypes)
• Fieldworks (index v3.1): Trenches, bunkers, sandbag positions and guard towers that men can stand in. Three or more within 50 m make a fieldwork group, which the Fieldworks settings on Military Placement and CQB can garrison or use to strengthen nearby objectives. In the in-game indexer, tick Fieldworks on its own; the indexer refuses the tick on anything soldiers can't stand in. (ALIVE_militaryFieldworkBuildingTypes)
• Aircraft (Fixed Wing) Buildings: Control towers, runways and hangars, where planes can be placed. (ALIVE_airBuildingTypes)
  • Primarily used by Military aircraft: Makes it a military airfield. Tick this or the next one, not both. (ALIVE_militaryAirBuildingTypes)
  • Used by Civilian aircraft only: Makes it a civilian airport. (ALIVE_civilianAirBuildingTypes)
• Aircraft (Rotary Wing) Buildings: Mostly helipads. (ALIVE_heliBuildingTypes)
  • Primarily used by Military aircraft: Military helipads. Tick this or the next one, not both. (ALIVE_militaryHeliBuildingTypes)
  • Used by Civilian aircraft only: Helipads in civilian places. (ALIVE_civilianHeliBuildingTypes)
• Civilian Buildings (General): Any civilian building, a house for example. This is the main category for civilian objectives. (ALIVE_civilianSettlementBuildingTypes)
  • Allow this building to be used as an HQ: Can be an HQ for an insurgency or an occupation. (ALIVE_civilianHQBuildingTypes)
  • Allow ambient civilians here: Civilian Population puts ambient civilians in these and ambient vehicles around them. Works best with buildings you can go into. (ALIVE_civilianPopulationBuildingTypes)
• Civilian - Power, Comms, Marine, Rail, Fuel and Construction: Infrastructure: a power station, a TV mast, a pier, a railway station, a fuel station, a building site. These are priority targets for tasks and for insurgents in asymmetric campaigns, and they help define civilian objectives. Tick only buildings that belong to that kind and no other. (ALIVE_civilianPowerBuildingTypes, ALIVE_civilianCommsBuildingTypes, ALIVE_civilianMarineBuildingTypes, ALIVE_civilianRailBuildingTypes, ALIVE_civilianFuelBuildingTypes, ALIVE_civilianConstructionBuildingTypes)

You can correct the lists by hand in the static data file. An entry only has to be part of the model name: mil_house covers mil_house_1, mil_house_2a and so on.

What to submit

Package your index

Submit

Send it in

After you submit

What happens next

Submissions are reviewed before anything goes into a build. If yours checks out, the terrain is added to a future ALiVE 3 development build and appears on the Terrain Compatibility list. Credit goes to the handle you give above; if you leave that blank we will ask you what to use rather than publish the name you entered. We may get in touch using your name or comments if we have a question about the index. We keep the details you enter with your submission, along with a hashed marker (not your address) used only to help curb abuse.

Accepted

Terrains added from submissions

31 community terrains reached ALiVE 3 through this page.

• 2026-10-29
  Lang Dan, submitted by Zero ZedZee. Temppa's 8 km Vietnam-war island for S.O.G. Prairie Fire, with rice fields, swamps, three US bases and hut villages. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page: 111 military and 180 civilian objectives.
• 2026-10-28
  Fjord, submitted by ZeroZedZee. The arctic map of northern Norway in the Global Ops Terrains pack, beside Farabad and Isla Pera. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data across all 14 km of the map, made with the Index a Terrain page: 35 military and 237 civilian objectives.
• 2026-10-27
  Mutambara, submitted by LuGoPa. Back in ALiVE after its old index was removed by mistake. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-24
  Garmanda, submitted by A. Ares. juj's 12 km of remote wilderness on the Chernarus and Russia border. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-24
  Carentan, submitted by Will501. The Normandy town of Spearhead 1944: Extended, beside Utah Beach. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-18
  Isla Pera, submitted by ZeroZedZee. The island of the Global Ops Terrains pack, beside Farabad. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-16
  Uzbin Valley, submitted by PolitePo. The Afghan valley of the 2008 ambush, built by Max with CUP buildings. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-14
  Sakeshima Island 1945, submitted by TheBigDog90. An 8 km island from East Asia War, full of bunkers and trench lines. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-14
  Onderon, submitted by Will501. A 3AS Star Wars terrain. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-11
  Tria, submitted by A. Ares. An unfinished alpha map. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-11
  Lesser Swamp, submitted by A. Ares. A swamp map with many buildings in shallow water. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-09
  New Esseker, submitted by A. Ares. An update to the shipped Esseker index, made from New Esseker. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-09
  Shanghai - Nanjing 1937, submitted by spooked. A terrain that needs Improved Melee System. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-09
  Sa'hatra, submitted by Neutrino. A terrain that needs CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-09
  Chernobyl, submitted by A. Ares. A 30 km terrain that needs CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-08
  Green Valley, submitted by A. Ares. A 5 km terrain that needs CUP Terrains Core and OPX. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-08
  Chasiv Yar, submitted by A. Ares. A 10 km wooded terrain that needs CUP Terrains Core and RHS: Terracore. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-08
  Krayina, submitted by will501. A 14 km wooded terrain that needs RHS: Terracore and HAG Objects. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-07
  Sangin District Helmand Province, submitted by A. Ares. A 5 km Helmand terrain with no other mods needed. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-07
  Novogorsk, submitted by A. Ares. A 5 km terrain of a province in north-west Chernarus, needing CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-06
  Vanimko, submitted by Karmo. NobleZedex's 12 km fictional Oceania terrain, needing the Apex DLC. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page and sent in through the upload form.
• 2026-10-06
  Šumava, submitted by A. Ares. Bref's 12 km Czech terrain around Sušice, needing CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-04
  Utah Beach, submitted by TheLogatron. The 1:2 scale D-Day beach map from Spearhead 1944: Extended, needing the Spearhead 1944 Creator DLC. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page, with its 186 casemate bunkers as military objectives.
• 2026-10-04
  Al Salman, submitted by TheBigDog90. 10 km of Iraqi desert with a town, oil fields and an airbase, needing CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page.
• 2026-10-04
  Sehreno, submitted by TheBigDog90. 20 km re-imagining of Sahrani, needing Jbad. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page and set to the Woodland compositions like ALiVE's own Sahrani maps.
• 2026-10-04
  Kunduz River, submitted by TheBigDog90. 10 km of Afghan river valley, needing CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, made with the Index a Terrain page, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it first.
• 2026-09-19
  Oberlausitz, submitted by KristyWV. 16 km of German countryside north of Bautzen, needing CUP Terrains Core and Maps, MBG Buildings 3, MBG Celle 2, Rosche and X-Cam-Taunus. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it first. The map is at version 0.8, so a later update may need a fresh index.
• 2026-09-19
  Drakovac, submitted by KristyWV. Islands based on Cres in Croatia, with no DLC or other mods needed. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it first.
• 2026-09-19
  Avdiivka, submitted by KristyWV. 13 km around the city of Avdiivka in Ukraine, needing RHS Terra Core and CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it first.
• 2026-09-17
  Farabad, submitted by KristyWV. One of the three terrains in the Global Ops Terrains pack, which wants CUP Terrains Core. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it first. The index covers the whole map. Isla Pera and Fjord from the same pack are still unindexed.
• 2026-08-10
  Mehland, submitted by MrCovin. Object index, civilian and military clusters, analysis data and static data, so the modules can be dropped onto the map without indexing it at runtime. Tested over a long campaign before it was sent in.

Changelog

Updates to this page

• 2026-10-29
  Lang Dan is in, submitted by Zero ZedZee and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Jungle set of compositions.
• 2026-10-28
  Fjord is in, submitted by ZeroZedZee and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-27
  Mutambara is back in, submitted by LuGoPa and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-24
  Garmanda is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-24
  Carentan is in, submitted by Will501 and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Bocage set of compositions.
• 2026-10-18
  Isla Pera is in, submitted by ZeroZedZee and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Pacific set of compositions.
• 2026-10-16
  Uzbin Valley is in, submitted by PolitePo and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Desert set of compositions.
• 2026-10-14
  Sakeshima Island is in, submitted by TheBigDog90 and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-14
  Onderon is in, submitted by Will501 and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-11
  Tria is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-11
  Lesser Swamp is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-09
  New Esseker is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. It replaces the Esseker index and uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-09
  Shanghai - Nanjing 1937 is in, submitted by spooked and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-09
  Sa'hatra is in, submitted by Neutrino and made with the Index a Terrain page. It uses the Desert set of compositions.
• 2026-10-09
  Chernobyl is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-08
  Green Valley is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Desert set of compositions.
• 2026-10-08
  Chasiv Yar is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-08
  Krayina is in, submitted by will501 and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-07
  Sangin District Helmand Province is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Desert set of compositions.
• 2026-10-07
  Novogorsk is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Urban set of compositions.
• 2026-10-06
  Vanimko is in, submitted by Karmo. It was made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Pacific set of compositions.
• 2026-10-06
  Šumava is in, submitted by A. Ares and made with the Index a Terrain page. The index covers the whole map and uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-10-04
  Utah Beach is in, submitted by TheLogatron and made with the Index a Terrain page. Its casemate bunkers count as military objectives, the index covers the whole map and it uses the Bocage set of compositions.
• 2026-10-04
  Al Salman and Sehreno are in, both submitted by TheBigDog90 and made with the Index a Terrain page. Each index covers its whole map; Al Salman uses the Desert set of compositions and Sehreno the Woodland set.
• 2026-10-04
  Kunduz River is in, submitted by TheBigDog90 and made with the Index a Terrain page, so the modules go straight onto it without indexing the map first. The index covers the whole map and uses the Desert set of compositions.
• 2026-09-19
  Oberlausitz, Drakovac and Avdiivka are in, all three submitted by KristyWV, so the modules go straight onto any of them without indexing the map first. Each index covers its whole map and uses the Woodland set of compositions.
• 2026-09-17
  Farabad is in, submitted by KristyWV, and the index covers the whole map. It's one of three terrains in the Global Ops Terrains pack; Isla Pera and Fjord are still unindexed if anyone fancies them.
• 2026-08-14
  Mehland is in, submitted by MrCovin and added on 10 August 2026, so the modules drop straight onto it. MrCovin notes some objects aren't categorised ideally, so placement may be rougher than on a hand tuned map. First community terrain through this page.
• 2026-08-13
  Added a step for the new Composition Environment setting on the indexer module, which decides which set of compositions a terrain uses and is now written into the index for you. It defaults to Urban, so set it before the scan runs.
• 2026-08-02
  First published: submit your own indexed terrain for inclusion in ALiVE 3, with a walkthrough of how to index a map and package the result.