How friends and community groups configure modoptions, tweakdefs, and tweakunits to create custom Beyond All Reason matches with modified rules.
Tags: beyond all reason, modoptions, tweakdefs, private games, custom rules, lobby commands
Modoptions are the game settings that appear in the lobby before a match starts. They control starting resources, unit availability, and special game modes. The extra unit options and scavenger pack settings live in this layer.
The tricky part is that extra unit options get applied after tweakunits and tweakdefs run. If you want to remove a unit from the game that gets added by an extra option, you must copy the relevant sections from alldefs.post, remove the unwanted unit, and force load all units.
Tweak commands sent through the lobby need Base64 encoding. Pasting raw Lua code into alldefs sections and encoding the result works, but removing units from the encoded block requires care. Deleting a unit definition from the encoded block can break the entire encoding if brackets and commas are not properly balanced.
A common mistake is removing a closing bracket or comma that belongs to a sibling definition. One missing bracket cascades into a complete parse failure.
BAR tweak code uses Lua bracket syntax that can confuse newcomers. Understanding what those closing brackets do matters: damage = { default = 300, }, tells Lua that 300 belongs to the damage table. Additional weapon parameters like reloadtime or heightmod sit alongside it at the same level.
Shield and naval unit tweaks sometimes need three or four levels of nesting, while simpler land units need fewer. Tracking bracket depth keeps modifications working.
Using bracket notation like var["attr"] instead of dot notation var.attr produces more consistent results in rare edge cases.
A productive pattern puts unit definitions in tweakdefs and weapon modifications in tweakunits. Keeping units and weapons in separate tweak channels reduces conflicts. Unit tweaks go into tweakdefs slots zero and one while weapon data goes into tweakunits.
Setting up custom game rules for friends teaches BAR's underlying systems. That mechanical knowledge transfers to ranked play, where understanding unit capabilities and weapon interactions improves decision speed. Patient communities make this learning possible:
[Crd] The removal of toxicity, the goal of fun and learning, makes for a refreshing spot to play and spend time. It has also made a game with plenty of complexity a bit less daunting to dive into.