How to install and configure the Dr_J0nes Trader mod

By Niko Catarino

Updated 7 October 2026

To install the original Dr_J0nes Trader on a DayZ Steam PC server, load its Workshop package on the server and clients, copy its Trader/ configuration folder into the active profiles directory, then test an NPC and a small buy/sell transaction. Trader uses its own text configuration. Expansion Market’s JSON files do not configure this mod.

Use Trader, Workshop item 1590841260, published by Dr_J0nes and Helkhiana. This guide covers that original distribution, separate from TraderPlus and Expansion Market. Console community servers cannot install the package.

Check the release and preserve the old economy

Read the current author page and change notes against your game branch. At this review the listed package update is 16 October 2024. Test it on your installed DayZ release before changing a live trader economy; the update date alone won’t confirm compatibility.

Start from a server that accepts a client join. Take a stopped backup of its mission, persistence, profiles, launch list and existing trader data. Record the currency and the trading system you intend to keep. Avoid testing two overlapping trading systems at the same location.

The author says Trader Fixes and Features has been integrated into this original package. Do not add that old fix alongside it. A repack containing the same classes can cause duplicate declarations too.

Install the original package

In VXPanel:

1. Stop the test instance and open Mods.
2. Search for item 1590841260 and follow its Steam link to confirm the original publisher.
3. Install it in client-required scope, including the current requirements of your complete mod set. Wait for the job to finish.
4. Check the release’s supplied public signing key in the central server keys/ directory. Retain signatures and signature verification.
5. Deploy its profiles files below, then start and join with a client loading the same package.

For a self-managed host, follow the manual mod and key procedure. For a folder named @Trader, retain the existing launch command and include it in the normal mod list:

"-mod=@Trader"

Keep the other required packages in that same semicolon-separated list, with dependencies first. Do not put a client interface mod only into -serverMod=. Resolve join verification errors before diagnosing trade files.

Deploy the author’s complete profiles folder

Resolve the running service’s -profiles= directory. The Workshop instructions say to copy the supplied extra folder’s Trader/ directory into it. The author also links updated configuration files. Use the file set intended for your installed release and retain its revision.

The reviewed author-linked configuration includes:

<profiles>/Trader/TraderConfig.txt
<profiles>/Trader/TraderConfig_Vehicles.txt
<profiles>/Trader/TraderObjects.txt
<profiles>/Trader/TraderVariables.txt
<profiles>/Trader/TraderVehicleParts.txt
<profiles>/Trader/TraderAdmins.txt

This is an abbreviated list. Copy the complete matched folder, including referenced boat or other included files. The reviewed TraderConfig.txt ends with an <OpenFile> reference to TraderConfig_Vehicles.txt; omitting that file breaks the intended configuration set.

Use Files and SFTP and edit with the service stopped. Retain the supplied <FileEnd> markers in files that use them and preserve exact tags and classnames. The author’s configuration supports // single-line comments and warns against /* ... */ comments. These files are not JSON or XML documents despite their angle-bracket tags.

Match the NPC to its trader marker

Start with the matched default configuration on its intended terrain. The original defaults place traders around Chernarus; those coordinates do not become valid Namalsk or Sakhal trader locations.

In TraderConfig.txt, each <Trader> section is assigned an ID by its order, starting from 0. TraderObjects.txt uses <TraderMarker> IDs to bind placed vendors to those sections. Inserting a new <Trader> header can shift the IDs of later entries, so review every affected marker when reorganizing the file.

For each vendor:

1. Use a loaded NPC or supported vendor classname.
2. Keep its <TraderMarkerPosition> and <ObjectPosition> identical.
3. Preserve a <TraderMarkerSafezone> value for every marker, including 0 where no safe zone is intended.
4. Spawn the vendor through TraderObjects.txt, as the author requires. Use your map editor for surrounding decoration instead of spawning a second copy of the vendor.
5. For a supported vending machine or another non-character vendor, include the author’s required NPC_DUMMY attachment.

Move one vendor at a time on a test copy and check the trading prompt. Use the supported TradingDistance from TraderVariables.txt; increasing it beyond the documented range is not a repair for mismatched positions.

Check the supplied examples too. In the reviewed snapshot, Green Mountain’s vehicle marker 5 and its NPC have different positions. Reconcile that pair on your deployment copy before testing; an author-supplied sample still needs these checks.

Replace a vendor with ZT Vending Machine

ZT Vending Machine, item 2149462115, published by ^kitty and collaborators, supplies vendor objects. Trader still controls the inventory, prices, currency and transactions. Install the original ZT package on the server and joining clients alongside Trader, with its supplied signing key.

Start with one working vendor in TraderObjects.txt. Replace its object classname with the chosen machine and use the required dummy attachment. These two lines are an object fragment, not a replacement for the full trader file:

<Object> ZT_Vending_Clothing
<ObjectAttachment> NPC_DUMMY

Keep the vendor’s marker ID and its matching marker/object positions. Retain the object’s orientation and remove NPC clothing attachments that the machine doesn’t use. Use the installed package’s classname list for other variants; their names begin with ZT_Vending_. The machine’s clothing, aircraft or parking label doesn’t create a category or enable that service by itself.

Remove the old vendor from the working configuration so only one object occupies the location. Check for a second copy placed through an editor. After restarting the test instance, approach the machine as an ordinary player, open its menu and repeat the buy/sell checks below. The June 2021 update warns that switching to glowing variants requires a position adjustment, so inspect placement after changing variants.

The ZT description also names TraderPlus, but this text-file example applies to Dr_J0nes Trader. Follow TraderPlus’s own configuration for that system. Keep the original ZT package: permission to make a separate retexture doesn’t permit repacking the main mod.

This section used AI-assisted research and drafting on 7 October 2026. We read the original ZT description and all eight change entries. Current package classes, client interaction, trading and restart behavior remain untested here.

Set up Better Vending Machines

BetterVendingMachines, item 2764730905, by tteett, supplies vending-machine and ATM objects. It requires Dr_J0nes Trader or TraderPlus. The normal package does not support Expansion Market; use the author’s separate Expansion version with the Expansion Market procedure.

For Dr_J0nes Trader, start with a working vendor and preserve its files using the backup steps above. Install BetterVendingMachines on the test server and joining clients alongside Trader, with the release’s signing key. Keep the original Workshop package unless you have the author’s repack approval.

Stop the test service and edit that vendor in TraderObjects.txt. Change two fields in its existing object entry:

• Set <Object> to BVM_VendingMachine_tools, from the author’s classname list.
• Set <ObjectAttachment> to NPC_DUMMY.

Retain its marker ID, matching marker/object positions, orientation and safe-zone setting. Remove the old NPC’s clothing attachments. Keep the NPC_DUMMY line active: remove leading //, which would comment it out. The Trader configuration’s own example explains that non-character vendors need this attachment for the trading action.

Trader places the machine through this file; adding a natural-loot entry to types.xml doesn’t complete vendor placement. Check that an editor hasn’t placed a second copy at the same coordinates. Leave the existing category and prices alone for the first test: a machine marked “tools” doesn’t create an inventory of tools.

Start the test instance and join as an ordinary player. Confirm that the machine appears once and opens the expected catalog, then repeat this guide’s purchase, sale and insufficient-funds checks. Check it again after restarting. If the prompt is missing, inspect the active attachment line, matching positions and startup logs before changing prices or adding more machines.

An ATM model alone doesn’t provide bank accounts. The author links a separate Enhanced Banking integration; configure that system separately. For TraderPlus, use its vendor configuration. If the replacement fails, stop the service and restore the saved vendor entry, then confirm the original trader works before removing the added package.

This section used AI-assisted research and drafting on 7 October 2026. We reviewed the cached author’s setup text and comments, plus the opening trader-configuration example. Current package classes, interaction, transactions and restart behavior remain untested here.

Add an item and set its price

Within the intended existing trader section, add a category and a supported item. This example is a category fragment, with deliberate test prices; it is not a complete TraderConfig.txt:

<Category> Test drinks
    SodaCan_Pipsi, *, 20, 8

The four fields are classname, quantity mode, buy value and sell value. The reviewed configuration uses * for maximum quantity, M for magazines and W for weapons. Follow its vehicle modes when adding vehicles; a generic quantity mode does not give every class the correct transaction behavior.

The example lets a player buy for 20 and sell for 8 units of the configured currency. In the author’s schema, -1 disables the corresponding buy or sell action. Check the exact class exists in the loaded packages and test the delivered quantity before adding a whole item pack.

Trader defaults to Ruble items. Its <Currency> entries map currency classnames to denomination values. Trader balances and Expansion Market currencies are separate systems. Do not change the displayed currency name and assume existing money has been converted.

Retain a denomination worth exactly 1, and order currency entries from the lowest value to the highest, as the author requires. Load any replacement currency package on both server and clients before referencing its classes.

The author-linked Types/trader_types.xml defines the currency items, but the reviewed nominal and minimum targets are 0. If you want currency to spawn as natural loot, reconcile its definitions with the active mission, locations and chosen targets using the loot procedure. Buying and selling can distribute currency without natural spawning. Keep duplicate definitions out of the economy.

Use CJ187-MoreMoney as trader currency

CJ187-MoreMoney, item 2018887948, adds rubles, dollars, euros, Deutsche Mark, barter items and wallets. Install CJ187’s original package on the server and joining clients, keep its supplied signing key, then use the examples included with your installed release. The package supplies the items; your trading system determines their value.

Choose one currency before editing TraderConfig.txt. Copy its exact item classnames from the package’s examples into the existing <Currency> entries, keeping ascending values and a denomination worth 1. Preserve the rest of the file. A wallet’s name or displayed banknote value doesn’t establish the classname that Trader needs. For TraderPlus or Expansion Market, use that system’s currency configuration instead.

Review older money lists before importing them. The 12 September 2022 change notes removed the five- and ten-ruble bills and wads, plus gold nuggets. Five- and ten-ruble coins remain in the description. Search your trader and economy files for the removed classes, and plan how existing player holdings will be handled before changing the live currency. Replacing a class reference doesn’t convert saved money or bank balances.

If money should appear as natural loot, merge the release’s economy examples using the loot procedure. Check targets and locations, and keep each class defined once. Test a small purchase, change returned from a larger denomination, a sale and an insufficient-funds attempt. Repeat with money in a wallet and loose in the player’s inventory, then check both after reconnecting and restarting the test server. Note and keycard mods need a separate check because the author’s later fixes changed paper handling and compatibility.

Back up trader files, bank data and persistence together before switching currencies. If the test fails, stop the service and restore that matching set with its previous packages. Keep MoreMoney as the original Workshop package; the author declines repack requests.

This section used AI-assisted research and drafting on 7 October 2026. We read the original description and latest ten of eighteen change entries. The latest listed update is July 2023. Current packaged examples, classnames, wallet behavior, transactions and saved-money conversion haven’t been verified here.

Check DayZCasinoV2 chip values and saved data

If you already run DayZCasinoV2, check its chip values before adding them to a trader. Trader sets purchase and sale prices; the casino’s currencyValues sets what each item is worth inside its games. A cheap chip with a high casino value can undo the economy you intended.

The author identifies Workshop item 1940425039 and CF as its dependency. This is separate from the older DayZCasino package. Trader can distribute its chips, but placing a casino machine doesn’t create a trader or establish a safe zone.

The documented chip values are:

Classname	Casino value
CasinoChip	1
CasinoChip_Red	10
CasinoChip_Green	100
CasinoChip_Blue	1,000
CasinoChip_Yellow	10,000

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Compare these with your generated settings and trader prices. Test one chip denomination first: buy it, check the delivered quantity, spend it in a game, then check the remaining items and any winnings. Repeat with insufficient funds, after reconnecting and after a restart. Use a normal player account and record the results before distributing chips to everyone.

Preserve the casino directory beneath the active profiles folder with the same stopped backup as your trader files and player/world data. The author lists these generated files:

DayZCasinoV2/
  dayZCasinoConfigV2.json
  dayZCasinoJackpot.json

Edit the generated configuration and retain configVersion. The configuration example contains explanatory comments and repeats wheel number 31 with different values. Don’t copy it as a complete config or guess which duplicate the installed release will use.

Check the economy files separately. The author’s Types page contains an extra closing </type> tag, and its lifetimes differ from the main README. Resolve those differences against your installed package before merging chip definitions; parsing corrected XML alone won’t prove spawning or persistence. Keep your existing economy intact until the test copy works.

This reference used AI-assisted research and drafting on 7 October 2026. Four complete author documentation files were read at the repository’s 6 October revision. Current package matching, transactions, jackpot persistence and recovery remain untested; the documentation conflicts prevent a verified installation procedure here.

Configure a vehicle trader as a separate test

For a vehicle vendor, review its <VehicleSpawn> and <VehicleSpawnOri> in TraderObjects.txt. Choose a clear, usable location away from the NPC, players and other parked vehicles. Keep the classname’s corresponding <VehicleParts> section in TraderVehicleParts.txt, with valid attachments from the installed release.

Use the quantity/key mode that matches your lock system. The author’s MuchCarKey instructions use VNK and add the MCK key through the vehicle-parts configuration. Apply that combination only when the corresponding MuchCarKey package and supported class are installed; do not guess a key classname.

Inspect the purchased vehicle’s economy definition and lifetime before inviting players to buy. Follow the complete vehicle checks for parts, fluids and restart persistence. A vehicle spawned during a transaction still needs compatible world and item definitions.

Review VehicleCleanupTimer and the author-documented cleanup behavior before changing it. A key that works at purchase may not remain restricted under your intended cleanup policy. TraderAdmins.txt uses one intended administrator’s Steam64 ID per line for the mod’s vehicle administration. Remove example identities and keep that access separate from VPP or COT roles.

Verify transactions and safe-zone boundaries

Use a normal player with temporary test currency. Record these results on the rehearsal instance:

1. The vendor appears once, at the intended location, and opens the expected inventory.
2. Buying the test item deducts the expected amount and delivers the intended quantity.
3. Selling it gives the expected return. Check a disabled buy/sell entry too.
4. A player without enough currency cannot complete the purchase.
5. Test the safe-zone boundary and exit timeout with your enabled damage and vehicle mods. Check each damage method you use instead of relying on the zone label.
6. If vehicles are offered, buy one, check its parts and access, leave the purchase area and confirm it after a supported restart.

Inspect the failed run’s logs before expanding the catalog. Record the test results separately for modded weapons, magazines, vehicles and custom currency.

Fix common Trader failures

Symptom	Check
No vendor appears	Active profiles folder, complete Trader/ copy, loaded classname and terrain coordinates.
Vendor appears but has no prompt	Same marker/object position, vendor spawned only through TraderObjects, correct ID and NPC_DUMMY where required.
Wrong inventory at an NPC	Order-based trader IDs and marker assignments after inserting sections.
Configured item missing	Loaded classname, current quantity mode, category placement and referenced files.
Currency never spawns naturally	The supplied definitions use zero targets; reconcile targets and locations in the active mission.
Purchased vehicle disappears	Economy lifetime, loaded class, saved-world errors and compatible cleanup settings.
Duplicate TraderItem declaration	Old Trader Fixes and Features or another repack containing it.
Edited files have no effect	Active profiles path, stopped edits, complete file syntax and startup errors.

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Update or restore the previous trading system

Back up the whole profiles folder and world before updates. Compare new author files with your catalog and locations instead of replacing a customized folder without review. Update server and clients together, then repeat the transaction tests.

For rollback, stop the service and restore the previous package set, profiles configuration and compatible world from the same recovery set. Handle custom currency and vehicle/key data before removing a trading mod.

Return to the DayZ tutorials or use Expansion Market setup for that separate trading system.