Note: this page covers the Standalone version of DayZ; for information on the Mod, see Mod:Servers.
Although DayZ Standalone is only in alpha, thousands of servers already exist for players to use. DayZ servers are all connected to a central database called the 'Hive', which is responsible for remembering character data and allowing players to use their same survivor on different servers. Although not implemented in the alpha, items like vehicles and tents are not saved to the hive, and therefore not persistent across servers.
Server Naming Convention
There is a generally accepted naming format for servers. Formatting them this way makes it easier to digest information about the server's settings and location at a glance.
Current naming format:
- DayZ <City/State/Province> <Server Number> (<Difficulty/Settings/Other Info>) <DayZ Version Number> - hosted by <Server Host>
Breakdown:
- City/State Province - In the US, usually this will contain the city. In other locations, it may contain a country name or territory name.
- Server Number - This number is used to distinguish between other servers that may have nearly identical information. More often than not, the number is somewhere between 1 and 9999, and is randomly chosen.
- Difficulty/Settings/Other Info - Contains information regarding server settings. In the DayZ mod, there were difficulty levels implemented, and this was the place to put them. In the event that something similar is implemented for the Standalone, that kind of information should be placed here. Other pertinent info can also be listed here, but it's best to keep it short.
- DayZ Version Number - The build number for the version of DayZ that is running on the server. It's very important to update this number whenever a server does an update, because it helps players see which servers are running older versions of the game.
- Server Host - Servers which are hosted using 3rd party services are sometimes required to place the "hosted by Company X" tag at the end of the server title, mostly as a form of advertisement.
Example:
- DayZ US 293 (Public/Veteran, First Person, 24hr day cycle) v113772 - hosted by SuperServers