Unraid Dedicated Server Hosting for Project Zomboid

This guest blog is by the esteemed Stefano Partida of SPX Labs.

Project Zomboid has been around since 2011 and is described as the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in multi-player, you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, a massively customizable sandbox, and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite...

Due to continued development and a cult-like following, Project Zomboid remains a very popular top 30 game on Steam.

If you are unfamiliar, here is the game trailer:

Dedicated Server Set-Up

This is a guide to setting up a Project Zomboid dedicated server within Unraid 6.9+. Here, you will learn how to configure and run it for you and your friends to enjoy. You’ve been bitten!

Server Requirements

The server requirements are reasonable. Here are the minimum requirements for 4 players.

• An SSD or NVMe cache or dedicated SSD drive with at least 50GB’s of free space
• 4+ CPU Cores
• 4GB of RAM + 500MB per additional player

My Server Specs

The container will access resources as needed so there is nothing you need to set.

• 1TB NVMe Cache
• Ryzen 3700x
• 64GB of RAM

Guide

This guide assumes you have already installed the Community Apps plugin for Unraid and know how to port forward on your router.

1. Download and Install ich777’s Project Zomboid container.
2. Edit the server container and make the following changes:
   1. Network Type: br0
   2. Fixed IP Address: 192.168.1.69
   3. Validate Installation: true
   4. Done, let the container install and wait several minutes before configuring the server

Here is a visual aide from my setup:`

Make your Server Public

Now that you have waited several minutes for the game to download and run you will want to stop the Project Zomboid container so we can configure+customize it.

The game files live in the appdata share, so this is where you will need to make your edits.

Stop the container before editing!

Game Files

• /mnt/user/appdata/projectzomboid/Zomboid/Server
• servertest.ini - This file is for customizing your server
• servertest_SandboxVars.lua - This file is for customizing the world and zombies

You can read more about customization here.

For now, to make a Public viewable server you will need to edit the following items. 
 

• Open=true
• Public=true
• PublicName=Windows of Death
• PublicDescription=Hosted by spxlabs.com using Unraid
• Password=Docker
• server_browser_announced_ip=69.42.01.33

You can get your WAN/Public IP address from https://www.whatismyip.com/ as you will need this for the “server_browser_announced_ip=” portion.

After you have configured and customized all the settings, be sure to start the Project Zomboid container so you can start playing!

Port Forwarding

Now that you have completed everything above, you will now need to forward some ports so friends can join.

• 16261 UDP - For the game
• 16262-16326 TCP - You need 1 port per player, this range of ports allows for 64 players
• 27015 TCP - RCON (optional)
• 8766 TCP - Steam Server List

How Long Can you Survive?

FAQs

How do I host a private server?

Edit the file servertest.ini

Change “Public=true” to “Public=false”. Then your friends will have to join via your WAN/Public IP Address.

How do I change or remove the server password?

Edit the file servertest.ini

Change “Password=Docker” to “Password=” or “Password=NewPassword”

What is my Account Name and Account Password?

You make these up when joining a server for the first time, they can be anything. Account Name is what your character's name will show up as in the server. Example:

Account Name = spxlabs

Account Password = unraidRules

My server isn’t appearing in the list of servers!

Make sure all the ports are forwarded correctly. The server may also not be appearing in the list if it has a password, there is a filter for this.

How do I change starting towns?

Edit the file servertest.ini

Map=Muldraugh, KY

• Riverside, KY
• Rosewood, KY
• West Point, KY

Where can I learn more about server settings?

https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Server_Settings

Where can I get additional support with the container?

Zombie crawl over here.