How to Set Up a Project Zomboid Roleplay (RP) Server: Settings and Rules
A Project Zomboid roleplay server is one where everyone plays as their character: with a first and last name, talking only to whoever is nearby and not knowing what the character couldn't know. The game has almost everything you need in the .ini: showing the character's name instead of the username, proximity voice, chat without a global channel and a map that doesn't give people away. The rest is rules and someone to enforce them.
Names: show the character's
ShowFirstAndLastName shows each player's character first and last name above them instead of their username. It's the first thing to turn on for a roleplay server.
DisplayUserName decides whether a name shows above heads at all, and MouseOverToSeeDisplayName makes it show only when you hover over the player. UsernameDisguises and HideDisguisedUserName hide the name of anyone with their face covered: a masked person is a stranger.
SneakModeHideFromOtherPlayers means someone crouching can't be seen from far away, and HidePlayersBehindYou hides the players your character can't see, just like zombies. Both help make sure nobody knows what their character wouldn't see.
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Proximity chat and voice
GlobalChat=false removes /all, the server-wide chat: that way you only talk to people nearby or over the radio, as in the game world. ChatStreams is the list of channels that exist (the default has s, r, a, w, y, sh, f, all); removing one disables it.
VoiceEnable turns on the in-game voice chat, which you hear by proximity: VoiceMinDistance and VoiceMaxDistance set how many tiles away. This adds more to roleplay than anything: shouting a warning draws in whatever is around.
So staff don't break immersion, the options DisableRadioStaff, DisableRadioAdmin, DisableRadioModerator, DisableRadioGM, DisableRadioOverseer and DisableRadioInvisible take radio broadcasts away from them. And to slow down people who type non-stop, ChatMessageSlowModeTime, plus a banned-words list with BadWordListFile and BadWordPolicy (kick, ban or just log it).
What people know: map, deaths and player list
MapRemotePlayerVisibility at 1 hides the other players from the in-game map (2, friends only; 3, friends and nearby players; 4, everyone). In the world settings, turn off “All Known On Start” and, if you want it tougher, turn on “Light Needed To Read Map” or turn off “Allow Mini-Map”.
AnnounceDeath posts every death in the chat: for roleplay, better off, so the news spreads in character. DisableScoreboard removes the player list and HideAdminsInPlayerList hides the admins on it.
PvP with rules
On a roleplay server PvP is usually on but with rules: SafetySystem=true so each player decides with the skull toggle, PVPLogToolChat and PVPLogToolFile to keep a record for when there are complaints, and non-PvP zones for meeting points. How to set each one up, in the PvP guide.
Factions and safehouses give groups their shape (safehouses and factions). If you want conflict between bases, Build 42's .ini has safehouse wars (War, with its duration and advance warning).
Who gets in and what happens on death
Most roleplay servers ask for an application (on Discord or a form) before letting people in. That's a whitelist: Open=false and one account per person, created by staff (how to set it up).
If it's a one-life server, DropOffWhiteListAfterDeath removes whoever dies from the list and they have to apply again. If not, have the rules say what happens with the new character: whether they remember anything, where they respawn, whether they can rejoin their group. What happens when you die on a server explains the game's options.
Rules and staff
Short, public rules: in ServerWelcomeMessage (what everyone sees when they join, with colours and line breaks) and in PublicDescription, if the server is on the public list. The usual is to make clear what counts as metagaming (using what you know outside your character), what happens on death and how a complaint is handled.
You don't need to make all your staff admins: there are lower levels, such as moderator, gm or observer (how to give each level). And the .ini has Discord integration (DiscordEnable and its channels) so you can follow the server chat from there.
How much server it needs
A roleplay server usually has more people online at once and more mods (clothing, cars, maps) than one among friends. With Build 42, 6 GB is the minimum and 8 GB is comfortable with a long mod list; the RAM guide explains how to tell if you're short. MaxPlayers goes up to 254, but the game itself warns that with more than 32 at once there may be problems.
With NapNodes
Every option in this guide is in the panel's “Settings”, by topic (“Chat and voice”, “Joining and accounts”, “PvP and fighting”, “Safehouses and factions”…) and with a search box; they apply when you restart. The Bastion plan (8 GB) gives headroom for a community with mods, the RAM is yours alone and, if it falls short, you can add more without changing server. To give your staff access to the panel, how to share your server (in Spanish).
Frequently asked questions
How do I show character names in Project Zomboid?
With ShowFirstAndLastName=true in the server's .ini: above each player you see their character's first and last name instead of their username.
How do I turn off global chat on my Project Zomboid server?
With GlobalChat=false in the .ini: /all disappears and people talk to whoever is nearby, over the radio or on the faction and safehouse channels.
Does Project Zomboid have proximity voice chat?
Yes: with VoiceEnable on, voice is heard by proximity, and VoiceMinDistance and VoiceMaxDistance set how many tiles away.
How do I hide players on the map in Project Zomboid?
With MapRemotePlayerVisibility=1: nobody sees the others on the in-game map. With 2, only friends.
How do I run a whitelisted roleplay server with applications?
With a whitelist: Open=false in the .ini and one account per person, created with /adduser when their application is approved.
Shall we set it up for you?
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