DayZ Modding Complete Guide — English
A complete, community-maintained guide to DayZ modding and server administration — 98 chapters across nine parts, from your first mod to advanced economy tuning.
Note: This is the English version. For other languages, see the home page.
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Enforce Script Language
Learn DayZ's scripting language from the ground up.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1.1 | Variables & Types |
| 1.2 | Arrays, Maps & Sets |
| 1.3 | Classes & Inheritance |
| 1.4 | Modded Classes |
| 1.5 | Control Flow |
| 1.6 | String Operations |
| 1.7 | Math & Vectors |
| 1.8 | Memory Management |
| 1.9 | Casting & Reflection |
| 1.10 | Enums & Preprocessor |
| 1.11 | Error Handling |
| 1.12 | What Does NOT Exist |
| 1.13 | Functions & Methods |
Part 2: Mod Structure
Understand how DayZ mods are organized.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2.1 | The 5-Layer Script Hierarchy |
| 2.2 | config.cpp Deep Dive |
| 2.3 | mod.cpp & Workshop |
| 2.4 | Anatomy of a Minimal Mod |
| 2.5 | File Organization |
| 2.6 | Server/Client Architecture |
Part 3: GUI & Layout System
Build user interfaces for DayZ.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 3.1 | Widget Types |
| 3.2 | Layout File Format |
| 3.3 | Sizing & Positioning |
| 3.4 | Container Widgets |
| 3.5 | Programmatic Creation |
| 3.6 | Event Handling |
| 3.7 | Styles, Fonts & Images |
| 3.8 | Dialogs & Modals |
| 3.9 | UI Patterns in Practice |
| 3.10 | Advanced Widgets |
Part 4: File Formats & Tools
Working with DayZ asset pipeline.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 4.1 | Textures (.paa, .edds, .tga) |
| 4.2 | 3D Models (.p3d) |
| 4.3 | Materials (.rvmat) |
| 4.4 | Audio (.ogg, .wss) |
| 4.5 | DayZ Tools Workflow |
| 4.6 | PBO Packing |
| 4.7 | Workbench Guide |
| 4.8 | Building Modeling (Doors & Ladders) |
Part 5: Configuration Files
Essential configuration files for every mod.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 5.1 | stringtable.csv (13 Languages) |
| 5.2 | Inputs.xml (Keybindings) |
| 5.3 | Credits.json |
| 5.4 | ImageSet Format |
| 5.5 | Server Configuration Files |
| 5.6 | Spawning Gear Configuration |
Part 6: Engine API Reference
DayZ engine APIs for mod developers.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 6.1 | Entity System |
| 6.2 | Vehicle System |
| 6.3 | Weather System |
| 6.4 | Camera System |
| 6.5 | Post-Process Effects |
| 6.6 | Notification System |
| 6.7 | Timers & CallQueue |
| 6.8 | File I/O & JSON |
| 6.9 | Networking & RPC |
| 6.10 | Central Economy |
| 6.11 | Mission Hooks |
| 6.12 | Action System |
| 6.13 | Input System |
| 6.14 | Player System |
| 6.15 | Sound System |
| 6.16 | Crafting System |
| 6.17 | Construction System |
| 6.18 | Animation System |
| 6.19 | Terrain & World Queries |
| 6.20 | Particle & Effect System |
| 6.21 | Zombie & AI System |
| 6.22 | Admin & Server Management |
| 6.23 | World Systems |
Part 7: Patterns & Best Practices
Recurring structural patterns --- singletons, module systems, RPC, permissions, events --- worked through the wiki's Lantern teaching framework. Read them as designs to adapt, not as drop-in code: none has been compiled or run against a live DayZ build as part of this documentation.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 7.1 | Singleton Pattern |
| 7.2 | Module/Plugin Systems |
| 7.3 | RPC Communication |
| 7.4 | Config Persistence |
| 7.5 | Permission Systems |
| 7.6 | Event-Driven Architecture |
| 7.7 | Performance Optimization |
Part 8: Tutorials
Step-by-step guides.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 8.1 | Your First Mod (Hello World) |
| 8.2 | Creating a Custom Item |
| 8.3 | Building an Admin Panel |
| 8.4 | Adding Chat Commands |
| 8.5 | Using the DayZ Mod Template |
| 8.6 | Debugging & Testing |
| 8.7 | Publishing to Steam Workshop |
| 8.8 | Building a HUD Overlay |
| 8.9 | Professional Mod Template |
| 8.10 | Creating a Vehicle Mod |
| 8.11 | Creating a Clothing Mod |
| 8.12 | Building a Trading System |
| 8.13 | Diag Menu Reference |
Part 9: Server Administration
Configure and manage DayZ dedicated servers.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 9.1 | Server Setup & First Launch |
| 9.2 | Directory Structure & Mission Folder |
| 9.3 | serverDZ.cfg Complete Reference |
| 9.4 | Loot Economy Deep Dive |
| 9.5 | Vehicle & Dynamic Event Spawning |
| 9.6 | Player Spawning |
| 9.7 | World State & Persistence |
| 9.8 | Performance Tuning |
| 9.9 | Access Control |
| 9.10 | Mod Management |
| 9.11 | Server Troubleshooting |
| 9.12 | Advanced Topics |
Reference
Standalone lookup material that sits outside the chapter sequence:
- Enforce Script Cheat Sheet
- API Quick Reference
- Widget Type Reference
- Common Gotchas
- Diag Menu Reference
- Glossary
- FAQ
- Troubleshooting Guide
About the Lantern Examples
The framework-style code that runs through this wiki belongs to Lantern, a fictional mod family (packages such as Lantern_Core, class prefix LNT_, singleton entry point LanternCore) attributed to the equally fictional team "Northlight" purely as a teaching vehicle. Lantern is not a real, published mod --- do not go looking for it on the Workshop, and do not expect a Lantern_Core PBO to exist. The Part 7 pattern chapters carry its fullest treatment. Where a chapter needs two interacting mods, a second fictional content mod, NightPatrol (prefix NP_), plays the counterpart.
Contributing
This documentation is written against the vanilla DayZ scripts and official Bohemia Interactive documentation and tools. Example code is written for the wiki rather than copied from a published mod, and the Lantern/NightPatrol framework is fictional (see above). Examples illustrate APIs and structure; they are not compiled or run as part of producing these pages, so verify anything you adopt against your own build.
Pull requests welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Credits
| Contributor | GitHub | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bohemia Interactive | @BohemiaInteractive | DayZ, the Enforce Script engine, vanilla scripts, DayZ Tools, official sample mods |
| StarDZ Team | @StarDZ-Team | Documentation compilation, translation & organization |
Thanks also to the wider DayZ modding community, whose public forums, tools, and ecosystem make independent documentation like this possible.
License
This documentation is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Code examples are licensed under MIT.