Automatic Config File Format Specification

1. Overview

The system operates with two separate files:

1. options.ini — machine-level one-time configuration, read once at game startup. Contains the path to the config file. Never changed by the game.
2. The config file (path specified in options.ini) — written by the external application before each match. Read by the game when the operator clicks Load File in the console lobby. Not consumed — the game leaves it on disk. Overwrite it to set the next match.

When Load File is clicked, the game:

1. Checks that automaticmode=1 and the file path is configured.
2. Checks that the config file exists on disk (GetFileAttributes). If not, does nothing.
3. Reads the file, applies game options, clears all current lobby slots, then fills slots from the file.
4. Leaves the file on disk unchanged.

2. options.ini Setup (One-Time, Per Machine)

Add the following section to the game’s options.ini in the game working directory.

[automaticmode]
automaticmode=1
automaticfile=c:\mw4files\nextmatch.ini

3. Config File Format Rules

The config file uses standard Windows INI format, parsed by NotationFile::Standard.

• Encoding: ANSI / ASCII only. No Unicode, no UTF-8 BOM.
• Line endings: CRLF or LF — both accepted.
• Section headers: [sectionname] — case-sensitive, must be all lowercase exactly as shown.
• Key names: Case-sensitive. Must match exactly as documented below.
• String values: Everything after = to end of line. Do not wrap in quotes. Example: MissionName=ScarabStronghold - Attrition
• Integer values: Raw decimal integer only. No quotes, no sign unless negative. Example: GameType=2
• Do not use comments (// or ;). Parser behavior is not guaranteed. Keep the file clean.
• Missing key: If a key is absent from its section, the corresponding lobby value stays at its current setting. No error is raised.
• Missing section: If [mission] is absent, no game options are changed. If [slot0] is absent, no slots are changed.

4. Section: [mission]

Sets all game lobby parameters. This section is optional — omit it to leave game options unchanged and only configure slots.

[mission]
MissionName=ScarabStronghold - Attrition
GameType=2
Visibility=0
Weather=0
TimeOfDay=0
TimeLimit=7
Radar=0
HeatOn=0
FriendlyFire=0
SplashDamage=0
UnlimitedAmmo=1
WeaponJam=0
AdvanceMode=0
ArmorMode=0

4.1  MissionName — string, max 255 characters

The scenario name, exactly as it appears in the mission list dropdown in the console lobby. Match is exact string equality, case-sensitive. Trailing/leading spaces are stripped by the parser.

4.2  GameType — integer (dropdown index, 0-based)

For a standard full installation with all game types present, the order is fixed:

Team vs. FFA is important: it determines whether the Team or Skin field is applied to each slot. See Section 5 for details.

4.3  Visibility — integer

4.4  Weather — integer

4.5  TimeOfDay — integer

4.6  TimeLimit — integer (actual minutes, not a list index)

Specify the desired match length in real minutes. Valid values that appear in the lobby dropdown:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 25, 30

Other integers are accepted and applied to the network parameter but will not match a dropdown item (the visual display may show the nearest value).

Special value -1: use the server’s current default time (7 minutes unless changed separately).

Default if key absent: server current default (equivalent to -1).

4.7  Radar — integer

4.8  HeatOn — integer

4.9  FriendlyFire — integer

4.10  SplashDamage — integer

4.11  UnlimitedAmmo — integer

4.12  WeaponJam — integer

4.13  AdvanceMode — integer

4.14  ArmorMode — integer

4.15  TeamAllowed — integer (required for correct team/FFA slot display on first click)

Must match the GameType selected. Controls whether Team or Skin is applied to slots, and whether team dropdowns are shown.

4.16  TeamCount — integer (optional, only when TeamAllowed=1)

Number of teams. Valid range: 2–8. Default: 2.

5. Sections: [slot0] through [slot15]

One section per roster slot, numbered starting from zero.

Maximum: 16 slots (indices 0–15). All slots are cleared before applying file data, so slots not defined in the file will be empty in the lobby after Load File is clicked.

[slot0]
Type=1
PilotName=Alpha One
Mech=Atlas
Team=0
Skin=0
Decal=3

5.1  Type — integer, required

Determines what occupies this slot. All other fields are ignored when Type=0.

If Type key is absent, it defaults to 0 (empty) due to zero-initialization.

5.2  PilotName — string, max 63 characters

Only meaningful when Type=1 (player slot). Sets the callsign shown in the lobby pilot editbox. The connecting player can override this after they connect.

For bots (Type=2–9), this field is read from the file but ignored by the script.

Set to empty value or omit key to leave the name blank: PilotName=

Strings longer than 63 characters are silently truncated.

5.3  Mech — string (chassis name, exact and case-sensitive)

Must match exactly one of the chassis names from MechTable.tbl. The lookup is case-sensitive exact string comparison. If the name is not found, the mech dropdown for that slot stays at its previous value. No error is raised.

5.4  Team — integer

Only applied in team game modes (game types marked “Team” in Section 4.2 table). IGNORED in FFA modes.

5.5  Skin — integer (FFA camo, dropdown index 0-based)

Only applied in FFA game modes. IGNORED in team modes.

5.6  Decal — integer (faction emblem, 0–63)

Applied in both team and FFA modes. Valid range: 0–63. All values in range are accepted. Common values:

6. Complete Example File

[mission]
MissionName=ScarabStronghold - Attrition
GameType=2
Visibility=0
Weather=0
TimeOfDay=0
TimeLimit=7
Radar=0
HeatOn=0
FriendlyFire=0
SplashDamage=0
UnlimitedAmmo=1
WeaponJam=0
AdvanceMode=0
ArmorMode=0

[slot0]
Type=1
PilotName=Blackjack
Mech=Atlas
Team=0
Skin=0
Decal=3

[slot1]
Type=1
PilotName=Viper
Mech=Mad Cat
Team=0
Skin=1
Decal=4

[slot2]
Type=2
PilotName=
Mech=Thor
Team=1
Skin=1
Decal=4

[slot3]
Type=2
PilotName=
Mech=Warhammer
Team=1
Skin=1
Decal=4

7. Known Constraints and Caveats

1. Slots must be numbered contiguously from [slot0]. The parser uses a loop that breaks on the first missing section. Defining [slot0] and [slot2] without [slot1] means only slot 0 is processed.
2. All current slots are cleared before file slots are applied. Any slot not defined in the file (or defined with Type=0) will be empty in the lobby.
3. Team vs. FFA assignment uses the lobby’s state at the moment Load File is clicked, not the GameType written in the file. The game type change from [mission] is processed asynchronously (next frame). If you are changing game mode, click Load File a second time to correctly apply team/skin assignments, or pre-configure the lobby to the correct game type before writing the config file.
4. MissionName and Mech matches are case-sensitive. atlas will not match Atlas.
5. The file is never deleted by the game. Write it before the match, overwrite it before the next match. No locking is performed.
6. options.ini is read only at game startup. Changing the automaticfile path or enabling/disabling the feature requires a restart. The config file itself is re-read fresh on every Load File button click.
7. Buffer limits: PilotName ≤ 63 chars (truncated silently); MissionName ≤ 255 chars; automaticfile path ≤ 259 chars (MAX_PATH − 1).
8. Mech names are sourced from MechTable.tbl. If the game installation has custom mechs added or some mechs removed, the valid name list changes accordingly. The table above reflects the standard Firestorm build.

Generated from source: MW4Shell.cpp — CTCL_LoadAutoFile, CTCL_GetAutoSlotName/Mech/Int  |  ConLobby.script — o_load_file handler  |  Commit c3346561  |  2026-07-24