How to configure custom DayZ zombie spawns with PvZmoD

By Niko Catarino

Updated 3 October 2026

Install PvZmoD Spawn System with CF to configure custom infected encounters on a DayZ PC server. Put the matching map profile in the active profiles directory, then test a single zone. Decide how PvZmoD and vanilla spawning should interact before adding more infected.

The original package is Liven’s PvZmoD_Spawn_System, Workshop item 1772776141. It creates dynamic spawns around players and fixed-location encounters activated by players nearby. Customisable Zombies covers health and movement changes; increase zombies covers the vanilla economy system.

Preserve a working baseline

With the service stopped, back up its active mission, persistence, profiles, packages, keys and launch settings. Prepare a restricted test instance on the intended map and verify that a client can join. Note the population, vanilla ZombieMaxCount and server load for comparison after installation.

The required dependency is CF, item 1559212036. Its author requires a wipe when introducing CF to an existing world. Test that installation with new persistence and preserve the original world backup.

Review the package change notes, including 15 July 2026, V1.29.ai4. Earlier releases added map profiles and revised category data. Updating the binary alone can leave an old server profile missing those changes.

Install both client and server files

In VXPanel, stop the service and search 1772776141 under Mods. Verify the author and Steam link before choosing Install. Review Install all required mods; CF and Spawn System both need the server-and-client scope. Check the map profile’s location separately after installation. VXPanel mod controls

For manual installation, give each subscribed package its own mod folder and place the supplied .bikey files in keys. Leave signature verification enabled. With these folder names, the argument is:

"-mod=@CF;@PvZmoD_Spawn_System"

Retain other required packages in the complete list. Players joining the server must load matching client versions. This Steam Workshop package cannot be loaded on Xbox or PlayStation servers.

Copy the matching map profile before starting

Find the profile supplied with your current subscribed package for the map you run. Copy that entire folder into the directory named by -profiles. Rename the copy to PvZmoD_Spawn_System_Profile, keeping the files inside it.

The Livonia example in the author’s instructions changes PvZmoD_Spawn_System_Profile_Livonia to that common active name. Rename only the copy uploaded to the server; retain the original package directory. Author’s profile installation

Files in the profile include:

<profiles>/PvZmoD_Spawn_System_Profile/
  Admins.txt
  RealTimeTweaks.json
  SpawnDatas/
    DynamicSpawnZones.c
    DynamicSpawnDatas.c
    StaticSpawnDatas.c
  ZombiesCategories/
    ZombiesCategories.c
    ZombiesChooseCategories.c
  Loot/
    ZombieLoot.c
    ChestLoot.c

Copy the release’s help and additional files too. Folder and filename case matters on case-sensitive hosts. If compilation reports a missing profile .c file, inspect the active path and complete upload before changing ratios.

The author’s public profile repository dates to July 2019. Its examples explain file roles. Obtain the profile you install from the current package so its map data and definitions match that release.

Configure owner refresh access

On the stopped test server, add staff SteamID64 values to the copied Admins.txt. Preserve its format and review who has access. Restrict the initial join test to those accounts.

Start the instance, read the RPT/script logs and join as the owner using matching client files. Numpad 5 reloads the real-time JSON settings; restarting also applies them. Confirm the refresh message, key binding and administrator ID. Changes to compiled .c profile files require a full restart. Author’s refresh instructions

Set population limits and choose the vanilla relationship

Read RealTimeTweaks.json alongside the help supplied by that release. The author identifies these controls in the setup instructions:

Control	Purpose
1	Maximum PvZ population
3	Dynamic spawn ratio; zero disables that component
4	Static spawn ratio; zero disables that component
56	Server-FPS threshold used by performance behavior

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Verify each numeric label against the installed help, and leave other fields intact. Use numbers where required by the schema. Comments and trailing commas make the JSON invalid.

Start the static-zone test with dynamic spawning disabled through control 3 and a small PvZ cap. Retain the original vanilla population temporarily for comparison. Both systems can use resources and spawn infected in the same area, so use the recorded baseline to distinguish their groups.

After the first successful encounter, choose a population policy:

• Both systems: keep a tested vanilla cap and account for both populations’ workload.
• PvZ only: first verify PvZ spawns, then change the existing vanilla ZombieMaxCount to 0.
• Vanilla with added static encounters: leave dynamic PvZ spawning off and check each static group.

The author’s FPS-based fallback mode has effects beyond limiting population: switching back to PvZ can delete infected created by other systems. Read the current control and threshold definitions before enabling it. Vanilla/PvZ interaction reference

Measure server FPS and active infected under the player workload you expect. An old example’s threshold cannot establish your server’s capacity.

Configure one fixed-location encounter

Stop the instance and save a backup of SpawnDatas/StaticSpawnDatas.c. Select a supplied row in the current map profile. The author instructs owners to reuse an existing row when adding a personal encounter. Creating a new array name does not establish that the compiled mod reads it.

Consult the installed file’s header and help before changing these fields:

Field group	Change for the test
Configuration identity	Retain the row’s variable name and supported identifier
Minimum/maximum count	Choose a small group; the global static ratio also affects it
Spawn area	Measure the map position and choose a radius that avoids walls
Building floors	Use the release’s height/floor rules only when testing a building
Activation distance	Allow a player to approach from outside the trigger range
Infected category	Select an existing category from the map profile
Chest and reactivation fields	Preserve them unless you are testing those features

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Preserve all reserved and runtime-state columns, including those marked Spawned or unused. Keep array values in their original order and retain the expected number of columns. These .c files use Enforce Script; XML validation will not check their syntax.

Use a permitted admin tool to measure positions on the active map. World vectors contain x, height y and z. Coordinates from Chernarus cannot locate the same encounter on Namalsk or DeerIsle. Start on open terrain before testing floor offsets and building interiors.

After editing, restart and read the compile logs. Approach from outside the activation distance, observe the group, then leave. Return after the configured reactivation interval to check another encounter. Static profile structure

Adjust dynamic zones after the static test

Check both dynamic files before editing a region. DynamicSpawnZones.c assigns map areas to configurations. DynamicSpawnDatas.c supplies their delays, counts, distances and category choices.

The public author profile defines zones with horizontal corner coordinates and a quantity ratio. For overlaps, the first matching region takes precedence. Its dynamic-data header identifies delays in seconds and player-relative placement fields. Confirm those definitions in your release and preserve calculation-only values.

Edit a single supplied region and leave another working region for comparison. Enable dynamic spawning at a conservative ratio, restart after the .c changes, then walk across its boundary. Keep player counts equal when comparing rural, town and overlapping regions. Zone layout and dynamic configuration layout

Check categories, loot and night rules

Follow each encounter’s category reference through ZombiesChooseCategories.c to the classes in ZombiesCategories.c. Before listing custom infected classes, load their required packages on both the server and clients.

Infected and chest loot have separate controls: ZombieLoot.c and ChestLoot.c. According to the Workshop author, vanilla infected cargo definitions do not behave as expected on PvZ-created infected. Inspect cargo from each spawning system you enable. Back up the vanilla definitions and retain them until a tested replacement is ready. Spawn System behavior notes

Configure night-specific spawns separately, then verify their categories and ratios during server night. Moving the clock alone does not establish that a night feature is configured. Check safe-zone and fire-barrel exclusions for each active spawning system; a working PvZ exclusion does not show that vanilla or another mod is suppressed.

Diagnose missing spawns and recover

Symptom	Check
Missing profile-file compile error	Complete map profile, active parent path, exact folder name and case
No PvZ infected	Cap, component ratio, selected category, activation distance and performance controls
A static group never activates	Approach from outside its range; check exclusions and reserved fields
Wrong infected or location	Map profile, category reference, coordinates and floor settings
Groups disappear as load rises	Active population and FPS behavior, including fallback mode
Refresh has no effect	Staff ID, key binding, JSON syntax; restart for .c edits

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Before release, test encounters as an ordinary player. Check despawn, returning to the area, day/night differences, cargo and a stop/start. Starting with no players cannot test proximity-triggered encounters or a busy server’s performance.

To roll back settings, stop the service and restore the saved profile and any changed mission globals. A package rollback also needs the matching profile version. Follow mod removal before removing CF or Spawn System, including saved-data and shared-dependency checks.