Configure dynamic world events including helicopter crashes, contaminated zones, animal spawns, and custom events that bring your DayZ server to life.
The events.xml file controls all dynamic events on your server. Events are spawnable occurrences that appear and disappear based on configurable parameters. This includes helicopter crash sites with military loot, contaminated zones requiring NBC gear, animal spawns for hunting, and vehicle wrecks scattered across the map.
Each <event> element defines a unique event type with spawn parameters, timing, and positioning rules.
<event name="StaticHeliCrash">
<nominal>3</nominal>
<min>1</min>
<max>5</max>
<lifetime>1800</lifetime>
<restock>0</restock>
<saferadius>1000</saferadius>
<distanceradius>500</distanceradius>
<cleanupradius>200</cleanupradius>
<flags deletable="0" init_random="0" remove_damaged="1"/>
<position>fixed</position>
<limit>child</limit>
<active>1</active>
</event>The target number of this event type the server tries to maintain active at any time. The Central Economy will spawn new events when the count falls below this value.
The minimum and maximum bounds for this event type. The server will never spawn fewer than min or more than max instances, regardless of nominal settings.
How long in seconds the event persists before being cleaned up. For helicopter crashes, this determines how long the wreck and loot remain. Common values: 1800 (30 min), 3600 (1 hour).
Minimum delay in seconds before a new instance of this event can spawn after one ends. Set to 0 for immediate respawn eligibility, or higher values to create scarcity.
Minimum distance in meters between instances of this event type. Prevents events from spawning too close together. Higher values spread events across the map more evenly.
Minimum distance from players required for the event to spawn. Prevents events from appearing directly next to players. Set higher for surprise events, lower for ambient spawns.
The radius in meters around the event center that gets cleaned up when the event ends. All spawned objects within this area are removed. Should match or exceed the event's spawn area.
Master toggle for this event. Set to 1 to enable the event, 0 to completely disable it. Useful for temporarily disabling events without removing the configuration.
When set to 1, the server can delete this event during cleanup cycles. Set to 0 for persistent events that should only end naturally via lifetime expiration.
When set to 1, this event will spawn at random positions during server startup. Set to 0 for events that should only spawn at predefined locations from cfgeventspawns.xml.
When set to 1, damaged or ruined objects associated with this event are automatically removed. Helps keep the map clean from destroyed event remnants.
Determines spawn positioning: "fixed" uses predefined coordinates from cfgeventspawns.xml, "random" allows the event to spawn anywhere within valid terrain.
Controls spawn limit behavior: "child" counts only direct spawns, "parent" includes related events, "mixed" combines both counting methods for complex event chains.
When set to 1, this event creates a contaminated zone requiring NBC protection. Players without proper gear will take gas damage within the event radius.
High-tier military loot event with smoke effects
<event name="StaticHeliCrash">
<nominal>3</nominal>
<min>1</min>
<max>5</max>
<lifetime>1800</lifetime>
<restock>0</restock>
<saferadius>1000</saferadius>
<distanceradius>500</distanceradius>
<cleanupradius>200</cleanupradius>
<flags deletable="0" init_random="0" remove_damaged="1"/>
<position>fixed</position>
<limit>child</limit>
<active>1</active>
</event>Wildlife spawning for hunting and survival
<event name="AnimalWildBoar">
<nominal>8</nominal>
<min>5</min>
<max>12</max>
<lifetime>3600</lifetime>
<restock>1800</restock>
<saferadius>200</saferadius>
<distanceradius>100</distanceradius>
<cleanupradius>200</cleanupradius>
<flags deletable="1" init_random="1" remove_damaged="1"/>
<position>random</position>
<limit>child</limit>
<active>1</active>
</event>
Event spawn locations are defined in cfgeventspawns.xml when using position="fixed". For dynamic events, use higher restock times to prevent server performance issues. The distanceradius parameter is crucial for surprise events like helicopter crashes - set it high enough that players can't see the spawn happen.