Project Zomboid keeps its settings in two files, servertest.ini for server options like the name, password and player slots, and servertest_SandboxVars.lua for the world rules like zombie count and loot, and you edit both from the Files tab.
The two files that control your server
By default your server is named servertest, so its two config files are servertest.ini and servertestSandboxVars.lua. They live together in the Zomboid/Server folder, which you can open from the Files tab in your GuavaHost panel. If you renamed your server, the files use that name instead, for example myserver.ini`.
Always take a snapshot on the Backups tab before editing. If a change breaks the server, restoring puts everything back exactly as it was.
Editing servertest.ini
servertest.ini is a plain list of Setting=Value lines. Open it in the browser editor on the Files tab and change what you need. The most useful options are:
- PublicName= and PublicDescription=, the name and blurb shown in the server browser.
- Public=true or false, whether the server appears in the public list.
- Password=, the join password players must enter. Leave it blank for no password.
- MaxPlayers=, how many people can connect.
- PVP=true or false, whether players can hurt each other.
- PauseEmpty=true, which pauses the world when nobody is online.
- Mods= and WorkshopItems=, your installed mods.
Editing the sandbox settings
servertestSandboxVars.lua holds the world rules, the same options you see on the Sandbox screen when you start a solo game. It is a Lua table, so each line looks like Setting = value,. Keep the commas and the SandboxVars = {` wrapper intact.
Common settings to tune:
- Zombies, the overall population. Lower numbers mean more zombies.
- Distribution and the loot settings, how much gear you find.
- XpMultiplier, how fast skills level up.
- DayLength, how long an in-game day lasts.
- WaterShutModifier and ElecShutModifier, how many days until the water and power cut out.
If you are unsure what a value does, open a solo game, set it on the Sandbox screen where every option has a description, and copy the number across.
Apply your changes
- Stop the server from the Console tab.
- Edit and save the file on the Files tab.
- Start the server again.
Editing while the server is running risks your changes being overwritten when it next saves, so always stop it first. Once it boots back up, your new settings are live.
Watch the Lua syntax
A single missing comma or brace in servertestSandboxVars.lua can stop the world loading. If the server refuses to start after a sandbox edit, check the Console log for a Lua error naming the line, or restore your snapshot from the Backups** tab and try again.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.