Maps and worlds

The world is set by the GameWorld property of serverconfig.xml. You have three main options: the official Navezgane map, a world randomly generated (RWG) by the server, or a pregenerated map that you upload.

Quick comparison

Option	GameWorld value	Pros	Things to watch
Navezgane	Navezgane	Official hand-made map, fast startup	Always the same map
RWG	RWG	A unique world for each seed, nothing to upload	Long and RAM-hungry generation on first start
Pregenerated map	Exact name of the map folder	No generation on the server, a choice of polished maps	The map has to be uploaded

Navezgane

The official map by The Fun Pimps. Just set:

<property name="GameWorld" value="Navezgane" />

It is the lightest option to test a server or for a small group.

Random world generation (RWG)

With RWG, the server generates the world itself on first start from two parameters:

<property name="GameWorld" value="RWG" />
<property name="WorldGenSeed" value="MySeed" />
<property name="WorldGenSize" value="8192" />

• WorldGenSeed: any text. The same seed and size produce the same world.
• WorldGenSize: the width of the world in blocks, a multiple of 2048. Officially supported sizes depend on the game version (typically 6144 to 10240 on recent versions).

The generated world is stored in the GeneratedWorlds/ folder of the server's data (by default under .local/share/7DaysToDie/), with a name automatically derived from the seed. On later starts, it is simply loaded again.

RWG generation: time and RAM

Generating an RWG world can take from a few minutes to much longer depending on the size and the CPU, and causes a RAM usage spike well above that of a normal game. On a plan with little RAM, a 10k generation can fail: the server stops during generation, with no usable world.

Do not restart the server during generation: let the console run to the end.

Generating the map on your PC (recommended for large maps)

To avoid the RAM spike on the server, you can generate the world locally and then upload it as a pregenerated map:

1. In the game, use the world generator from the New Game menu with the same seed and size
2. The world is saved on your PC, on Windows in %APPDATA%\7DaysToDie\GeneratedWorlds\<WorldName>
3. Upload this folder to the server, as explained below

Pregenerated maps (8k, 16k, Nitrogen, KingGen…)

A pregenerated map (pregen) is a world that has already been generated, either by the community or with an external tool such as Nitrogen or KingGen, which offer more control than the in-game generator (towns, roads, biomes). 16k maps are huge: they need much more RAM and disk space than an 8k, and the game does not officially support them on every version.

Installing a custom map

1. Check that the map is compatible with your version of the game
2. Log in to your Game Panel: game.yorkhost.fr and stop the server
3. In the Files tab, place the map folder in Data/Worlds/ at the root of the server:

Data/Worlds/MyMap/
├── main.ttw
├── map_info.xml
├── dtm.raw
├── prefabs.xml
└── …

4. In serverconfig.xml, enter the exact folder name (case and spaces included):

<property name="GameWorld" value="MyMap" />

5. Change GameName to start a new save on this map
6. Start the server

Another possible location

Worlds in the GeneratedWorlds/ folder of the server's data are also detected. Data/Worlds/ has the advantage of being at the root and easy to find, but a game update or reinstall may touch this folder: always keep a copy of your map.

File size

A map weighs from a few hundred megabytes to several gigabytes. Use SFTP (credentials in Settings → SFTP Details) rather than the web upload, and check that no file is missing after the transfer.

Do players need to download the map?

No: the server sends the map data to players when they connect. The first connection to a large map can therefore take a little longer.

Which map size for which plan?

Size	Recommended use
6k (6144)	Small group, entry-level plan, fast RWG generation
8k (8192)	The right balance for most servers
10k (10240)	Community server, plan with plenty of RAM
16k	Only for the largest plans, preferably as a pregenerated map

For plan details, see Getting started or the 7 Days to Die server page.

Changing maps

Changing GameWorld (or the seed) creates a new world: progress on the previous map is not transferred. Remember to change GameName too, and keep the old save if you want to be able to go back. See Backups and world reset.