Where did the difficulty and blood moon settings go on my 7 Days to Die server?

Version 3.0 took 30 settings out of serverconfig.xml and folded them into one called SandboxCode. Difficulty, loot, XP, blood moons, day length and zombie speeds all live in that code now. You pick the options in the game, copy the code it gives you and paste it into your server’s config.

What moved

The V3.0 release notes list everything that went into the code. The ones people look for most are GameDifficulty, DayNightLength, DayLightLength, BloodMoonFrequency, BloodMoonRange, BloodMoonEnemyCount, LootAbundance, LootRespawnDays, XPMultiplier, DropOnDeath, AirDropFrequency and the zombie speed settings such as ZombieMove. If your file still has any of them, they no longer change anything.

The day and blood moon settings have new names in Sandbox Options: 24 Day Cycle, Daylight Length and Blood Moon Frequency. Our blood moon calculator shows how those three decide when the horde turns up, and makes the code for them.

Make a code

1. Start 7 Days to Die on your PC. Use the same game version as your server, because a code only means the same thing on the version it was made on.
2. Begin setting up a new game and open Sandbox Options.
3. Pick a preset and change what you like, or set everything yourself.
4. Copy the code the Sandbox Options screen shows you.

Friends can share codes too, so if someone in your group has already made one, that works just as well.

Only changing the day length, daylight or blood moon frequency? The blood moon calculator makes the code without the game. Paste in the code your server uses now and it changes just those three.

Put it on your server

1. Download a backup from your Game Panel first.
2. Open serverconfig.xml in your Game Panel’s file manager.
3. Find the SandboxCode line and swap the value for your code:

<property name="SandboxCode" value="PASTE-YOUR-CODE-HERE"/>

4. Save the file, then restart your server from the Game Panel.
5. Type getsandboxoptions in the live console to check what the server is now using.

The value the file ships with, AAAJABJACJADJARFBNC, is the old default Adventurer difficulty.

Coming from V2, or an older code

• V2 settings don’t convert. To carry on a V2.6 save in V3, set your old settings again in Sandbox Options and paste in the new code. The V3.0 notes say exactly that.
• V3.1 changed some options. It added new ones and split enemy and animal density and respawn into day and night settings. The Fun Pimps say to check older codes still work, because an invalid code can put some or all settings back to default.

What’s still in serverconfig.xml

The server’s own settings didn’t move. Change these in the file as before:

• the world: GameWorld, WorldGenSeed, WorldGenSize and GameName
• the player limit, ServerMaxPlayerCount
• the zombie cap, MaxSpawnedZombies
• view distance, ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance
• land claims, LandClaimCount and LandClaimSize
• who can hurt who, PlayerKillingMode
• Easy Anti-Cheat and crossplay, EACEnabled and ServerAllowCrossplay

A restart from the Game Panel picks up any change.