Configure server messages, notifications, and announcements to communicate with your players. Control welcome messages, periodic broadcasts, and event notifications.
The messages.xml file defines how your server communicates with players through in-game notifications. It controls welcome messages (displayed when players join), periodic announcements (broadcast at regular intervals), event notifications (triggered by specific game events), and server rules (important information for players to follow).
Each <message> element defines a single message with its type, content, and timing parameters.
<messages>
<message type="welcome">
<text>Welcome to our DayZ server! Please read the rules.</text>
<delay>5</delay>
</message>
<message type="periodic">
<text>Join our Discord: discord.gg/example</text>
<interval>1800</interval>
</message>
</messages>Displayed once when a player connects to the server. Use these to greet players and share essential information like server rules or Discord links.
<message type="welcome">
<text>Welcome to our DayZ server!</text>
<delay>5</delay>
</message>Broadcast to all players at regular intervals. Useful for reminders about Discord, donation links, server events, or rule reminders.
<message type="periodic">
<text>Join our Discord server!</text>
<interval>1800</interval>
</message>Defines the message category and when it triggers. Valid values are "welcome" for join messages, "periodic" for timed broadcasts, and "event" for game event notifications. Each type has different timing behavior and display characteristics.
The actual message content displayed to players. Keep messages concise and readable. Supports basic formatting but avoid special characters that may not render correctly in-game. Maximum recommended length is around 200 characters for readability.
Time in seconds to wait before displaying a welcome message after player connection. Allows players to fully load into the game before seeing the message. Recommended values are 3-10 seconds to ensure the player is ready to read.
Time in seconds between periodic message broadcasts. Used only with "periodic" type messages. Common values: 900 (15 min), 1800 (30 min), 3600 (1 hour). Avoid intervals shorter than 10 minutes to prevent message spam and player annoyance.
Greet players with essential server information
<message type="welcome">
<text>Welcome! No KOS in safe zones. Check Discord for full rules.</text>
<delay>5</delay>
</message>Periodic community engagement broadcast
<message type="periodic">
<text>Join our Discord for events and support: discord.gg/yourserver</text>
<interval>3600</interval>
</message>Consider your player experience when configuring messages. A single well-crafted welcome message is more effective than multiple messages. For periodic broadcasts, rotate between different messages (rules, Discord, events) rather than repeating the same one. Test your messages on a staging server to ensure timing feels natural and doesn't interrupt gameplay at critical moments.