How to pre-generate the map of your Project Zomboid server

Pre-generation makes the game build every part of the map now, instead of when someone first walks there, so exploring later is smoother. Start it with Start pre-generation on the card Pre-generate the whole map, below the map on the Live map page. It takes hours, uses all the server's CPU, and nobody can play until it ends, so run it when nobody is on.

Before you start

The card shows what it will cost on your server:

• Time: about how long, on how many CPU.
• Disk: about how much space the finished map needs. The panel refuses to start when your server has less free space.
• CPU: "all of it, the whole time".

And three notes: "Every player is disconnected and nobody can join until it ends.", "The console, the Live map and player actions wait until it ends." and "Numbers are for the default map. Map mods add more."

Start it

1. Make sure nobody is online and the server is running and has finished starting.
2. Open Live map in the left menu and scroll to Pre-generate the whole map.
3. Click Start pre-generation. The window Close the server and pre-generate the map? says how long nobody can play and that you can stop it any time from the power buttons. Confirm.

The panel will not start it while players are on ("run it when nobody is playing"), while the server is still starting or not answering, while an area reset runs, or when the disk is too small. The card says which.

Follow the progress

The card says Generating. The game reports its progress every five minutes, so right after the start the card says "Started. The game reports its progress every five minutes." Then it shows "About N% done" and the time left. The bar moves at the game's pace between reports.

When it has finished, the card says Done and that all chunks of the map are generated.

Stop it early

Stop the server from the power buttons. The game can take a while to react while it generates: use Kill if it has not stopped after a minute. What is made so far is kept. Start the server again afterwards so players can join.

After such a stop, the card may show the full-map estimate again instead of where it stopped. The parts already made stay in the world.

Who can use it

Starting it needs console access and the permission to stop the server.

Good to know

• Pre-generation fills the save with the whole map, so backups of the world get bigger too.
• If the server lags when players explore new areas, this helps. For other causes of lag: Why is my Project Zomboid server lagging.
• More about the page: How to use the Live map of your Project Zomboid server.