Credit to Viktor_SMI for implementing the theater server, and figuring all this stuff out! Check out Viktor’s version of boiii here

Demo Files

In general, loading demos in boiii works the same as it does in the vanilla game. Just browsing to theater mode will display recorded clips.

Demo files are structured the same as they are in BO2 Redacted, where a single demo consists of 4 files. .demo, .demo.tags, .demo.summary and .demo.thumbnail. If playing with mods, boiii will also write an extra .demo.mod file, containing the name of the mod which was loaded when the demo was recorded. These files are located in the following folder:

Call of Duty Black Ops III\boiii_players\user\demos

The tags, summary and thumbnail files are only required for loading the demo in the theater mode menu. These files can be replaced with files from another demo, and the demo will still be loadable. This will be useful for loading demos on custom maps, which will be explained more later.

Mods in Theater Mode

Using mods in theater mode does work, but can require some extra setup. There are a few things different in the way demos and maps need to be loaded in order for this to work.

Loading custom maps

Moving map files

By default, when installing custom maps from the steam workshop, the maps will be installed to Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\311210\MOD_ID

If the maps are installed here, while they are playable in game, theater mode will not be able to load the map. Instead, we need to move the files to a different location.

For this example, I will use the map ‘Dome Night’, by default, this map is installed to:

Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\311210\2169081784

We need to move this map to this folder:

Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty Black Ops III\usermaps\mp_dome_night

Note that we have renamed the map to mp_dome_night. This is very important, and requires the correct name. You can find the name of a given map by looking at either the map files, or a demo recorded on this map.

For example, the demo file will be named something like dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo, and we can take the map name from here. Alternatively, the map files contains a file named mp_dome_night.ff which we can also use to find the name.

After moving the files to this folder, inside the mp_dome_night folder, there is a file named workshop.json. This file needs to be deleted

The map also needs to be removed from the original steamapps\workshop folder.

Loading demo files on custom maps

There are two methods which can be used in order to load a demo that was recorded on a custom map. We can either modify the demo files a little, or use demo injection tool, like is found in my BO3 Tool

Modifying demo files

To be able to load a custom map demo file without an injector tool, you will need not only the demo file you wish to load, but also tags, summary and thumbnail files recorded on an official map.

So we should have the following files:

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dm_mp_conduit_6_18_2023_1_42.demo
dm_mp_conduit_6_18_2023_1_42.demo.tags
dm_mp_conduit_6_18_2023_1_42.demo.summary
dm_mp_conduit_6_18_2023_1_42.demo.thumbnail
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.tags
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.summary
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.thumbnail

To get this demo to load, we will be deleting the tags, summary and thumbnail files for the mp_dome_night demo, and replacing them with the tags, summary and thumbnail files from the mp_conduit demo.

So simply delete the necessary mp_dome_night demo files, then create a copy of the mp_conduit files, and rename them accordingly.

So dm_mp_conduit_6_18_2023_1_42.demo.tags becomes dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.tags, and so on.

By the end, you should have four files, like so:

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dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.tags
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.summary
dm_mp_dome_night_6_18_2023_2_18.demo.thumbnail

but the tags, summary, and thumbnail files are actually copies of the mp_conduit demo files

When browsing the demos in theater mode, the demo will display as if it was the mp_conduit demo, as in the thumbnail will not actually show the custom map, it shows the map which you took the extra files from. But when you actually load the demo, it will load the custom map instead.

Demo injection

Alternatively, a demo can be loaded using a demo injector, like the one found in BO3 Tool. To use this simply go to theater mode, and select a demo on an official map, then inject the .demo file for your custom map game. Then load the demo

Mods (not to be confused with custom maps)

If you are recording a demo while using a mod, such as weapon pack or character model swap, is is important that you have the same mod loaded when you play back the demo. While it is possible to play back the demo with no mods, or even the wrong mod loaded, Things may not behave as expected.

Depending on how much the mod changes the game, things may work normally, or not at all.