Chapter 5.3: Credits.json

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Summary: The Credits.json file defines the credits that DayZ displays for your mod in the game's mod menu. It lists team members, contributors, and acknowledgments organized by departments and sections. While purely cosmetic, it is the standard way to give credit to your development team.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• File Location
• JSON Structure
• How DayZ Displays Credits
• Using Localized Section Names
• Templates
• Real Examples
• Common Mistakes

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Overview

When a player selects your mod in the DayZ launcher or in-game mod menu, the engine looks for a Credits.json file inside your mod's PBO. If found, the credits are displayed in a scrolling view organized into departments and sections --- similar to movie credits.

The file is optional. If absent, no credits section appears for your mod. But including one is good practice: it acknowledges your team's work and gives your mod a professional appearance.

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File Location

Place Credits.json inside a Data subfolder of your Scripts directory, or directly in the Scripts root:

@MyMod/
  Addons/
    MyMod_Scripts.pbo
      Scripts/
        Data/
          Credits.json       <-- Common location (COT, Expansion, DayZ Editor)
        Credits.json         <-- Also valid (DabsFramework, Colorful-UI)

Both locations work. The engine scans the PBO contents for a file named Credits.json (case-sensitive on some platforms).

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JSON Structure

The file uses a straightforward JSON structure with three levels of hierarchy:

{
    "Header": "My Mod Name",
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Department Title",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Section Title",
                    "Names": ["Person 1", "Person 2"]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Top-Level Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
Header	string	No	Main title displayed at the top of the credits. If omitted, no header is shown.
Departments	array	Yes	Array of department objects

Department Object

Field	Type	Required	Description
DepartmentName	string	Yes	Section header text. Can be empty "" for visual grouping without a header.
Sections	array	Yes	Array of section objects within this department

Section Object

Two variants exist in the wild for listing names. The engine supports both.

Variant 1: Names array (used by MyMod Core)

Field	Type	Required	Description
SectionName	string	Yes	Sub-header within the department
Names	array of strings	Yes	List of contributor names

Variant 2: SectionLines array (used by COT, Expansion, DabsFramework)

Field	Type	Required	Description
SectionName	string	Yes	Sub-header within the department
SectionLines	array of strings	Yes	List of contributor names or text lines

Both Names and SectionLines serve the same purpose. Use whichever you prefer --- the engine renders them identically.

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How DayZ Displays Credits

The credits display follows this visual hierarchy:

╔══════════════════════════════════╗
║         MY MOD NAME              ║  <-- Header (large, centered)
║                                  ║
║     DEPARTMENT NAME              ║  <-- DepartmentName (medium, centered)
║                                  ║
║     Section Name                 ║  <-- SectionName (small, centered)
║     Person 1                     ║  <-- Names/SectionLines (list)
║     Person 2                     ║
║     Person 3                     ║
║                                  ║
║     Another Section              ║
║     Person A                     ║
║     Person B                     ║
║                                  ║
║     ANOTHER DEPARTMENT           ║
║     ...                          ║
╚══════════════════════════════════╝

• The Header appears once at the top
• Each DepartmentName acts as a major section divider
• Each SectionName acts as a sub-heading
• Names scroll vertically in the credits view

Empty Strings for Spacing

Expansion uses empty DepartmentName and SectionName strings, plus whitespace-only entries in SectionLines, to create visual spacing:

{
    "DepartmentName": "",
    "Sections": [{
        "SectionName": "",
        "SectionLines": ["           "]
    }]
}

This is a common trick for controlling visual layout in the credits scroll.

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Using Localized Section Names

Section names can reference stringtable keys using the # prefix, just like UI text:

{
    "SectionName": "#STR_EXPANSION_CREDITS_SCRIPTERS",
    "SectionLines": ["Steve aka Salutesh", "LieutenantMaster"]
}

When the engine renders this, it resolves #STR_EXPANSION_CREDITS_SCRIPTERS to the localized text matching the player's language. This is useful if your mod supports multiple languages and you want the credits section headers to be translated.

Department names can also use stringtable references:

{
    "DepartmentName": "#legal_notices",
    "Sections": [...]
}

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Templates

Solo Developer

{
    "Header": "My Awesome Mod",
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Development",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Developer",
                    "Names": ["YourName"]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Small Team

{
    "Header": "My Mod",
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Development",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Developers",
                    "Names": ["Lead Dev", "Co-Developer"]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "3D Artists",
                    "Names": ["Modeler1", "Modeler2"]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Translators",
                    "Names": [
                        "Translator1 (French)",
                        "Translator2 (German)",
                        "Translator3 (Russian)"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Full Professional Structure

{
    "Header": "My Big Mod",
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Core Team",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Lead Developer",
                    "Names": ["ProjectLead"]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Scripters",
                    "Names": ["Dev1", "Dev2", "Dev3"]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "3D Artists",
                    "Names": ["Artist1", "Artist2"]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Mapping",
                    "Names": ["Mapper1"]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Community",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Translators",
                    "Names": [
                        "Translator1 (Czech)",
                        "Translator2 (German)",
                        "Translator3 (Russian)"
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Testers",
                    "Names": ["Tester1", "Tester2", "Tester3"]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Legal Notices",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Licenses",
                    "Names": [
                        "Font Awesome - CC BY 4.0 License",
                        "Some assets licensed under ADPL-SA"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

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Real Examples

MyMod Core

A minimal but complete credits file using the Names variant:

{
    "Header": "MyMod Core",
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Development",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Framework",
                    "Names": ["Documentation Team"]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Community Online Tools (COT)

Uses the SectionLines variant with multiple sections and acknowledgments:

{
    "Departments": [
        {
            "DepartmentName": "Community Online Tools",
            "Sections": [
                {
                    "SectionName": "Active Developers",
                    "SectionLines": [
                        "LieutenantMaster",
                        "LAVA (liquidrock)"
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Inactive Developers",
                    "SectionLines": [
                        "Jacob_Mango",
                        "Arkensor",
                        "DannyDog68",
                        "Thurston",
                        "GrosTon1"
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "SectionName": "Thank you to the following communities",
                    "SectionLines": [
                        "PIPSI.NET AU/NZ",
                        "1SKGaming",
                        "AWG",
                        "Expansion Mod Team",
                        "Bohemia Interactive"
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Notable: COT omits the Header field entirely. The mod name comes from other metadata (config.cpp CfgMods).

DabsFramework

{
    "Departments": [{
        "DepartmentName": "Development",
        "Sections": [{
                "SectionName": "Developers",
                "SectionLines": [
                    "InclementDab",
                    "Gormirn"
                ]
            },
            {
                "SectionName": "Translators",
                "SectionLines": [
                    "InclementDab",
                    "DanceOfJesus (French)",
                    "MarioE (Spanish)",
                    "Dubinek (Czech)",
                    "Steve AKA Salutesh (German)",
                    "Yuki (Russian)",
                    ".magik34 (Polish)",
                    "Daze (Hungarian)"
                ]
            }
        ]
    }]
}

DayZ Expansion

Expansion demonstrates the most sophisticated use of Credits.json, including:

• Localized section names via stringtable references (#STR_EXPANSION_CREDITS_SCRIPTERS)
• Legal notices as a separate department
• Empty department and section names for visual spacing
• A supporters list with dozens of names

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Common Mistakes

Invalid JSON Syntax

The most common issue. JSON is strict about:

• Trailing commas: ["a", "b",] is invalid JSON (the trailing comma after "b")
• Single quotes: Use "double quotes", not 'single quotes'
• Unquoted keys: DepartmentName must be "DepartmentName"

Use a JSON validator before shipping.

Wrong File Name

The file must be named exactly Credits.json (capital C). On case-sensitive file systems, credits.json or CREDITS.JSON will not be found.

Mixing Names and SectionLines

Within a single section, use one or the other:

{
    "SectionName": "Developers",
    "Names": ["Dev1"],
    "SectionLines": ["Dev2"]
}

This is ambiguous. Pick one format and use it consistently throughout the file.

Encoding Issues

Save the file as UTF-8. Non-ASCII characters (accented names, CJK characters) require UTF-8 encoding to display correctly in-game.

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Best Practices

• Validate your JSON with an external tool before packing into a PBO -- the engine gives no useful error message for malformed JSON.
• Use the SectionLines variant for consistency, since it is the format used by COT, Expansion, and DabsFramework.
• Include a "Legal Notices" department if your mod bundles third-party assets (fonts, icons, sounds) with attribution requirements.
• Keep the Header field matching your mod's name in mod.cpp and config.cpp for a consistent identity.
• Use empty DepartmentName and SectionName strings sparingly for visual spacing -- overuse makes credits look fragmented.

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Compatibility & Impact

• Multi-Mod: Each mod has its own independent Credits.json. There is no risk of collision -- the engine reads the file from within each mod's PBO separately.
• Performance: Credits are loaded only when the player opens the mod details screen. File size has no impact on gameplay performance.