Project Zomboid Discord Bot for Server Management

This bot is written for people to easily manage their Project Zomboid server using Discord. Please check the Installation and Bot Configuration section. Also, this bot doesn't support multiple Discord servers and only works on the Windows operating system. Be sure to have .NET Framework 4.7.2 installed on the machine.

There are no plans for new features, but the bot is actively maintained.

Contents

• Features
• Installation
  • Creating the Discord Bot
  • Installing the Bot Files
  • Writing the Discord Bot Token Into File
    • Warning
• Bot Configuration
• Bot Commands
  • Public Channel
  • Command Channel
• Localization

Features

• Automated server restart schedule with in-game and Discord warning. (Warnings are announced when 1 hour, 30 min, 15 min, 5 min, and 1 min are left until server restart. Restart interval can be configured with bot commands.)
• Automated server restart when a mod (workshop item) update has been detected.
• Executing server commands through bot commands. (For example, saving the server, kicking a player, teleporting a player, starting/stopping rain, making admin, and so on. The full list will be at the bottom and will be listed under available commands.)
• Perk Parser with a cache system. (Bot automatically parses the last perk log file that holds the player skills when they log in to the server. This can be used to aid players that died to a bug, but they can't remember their skills. As stated before, the server logs the player skills only when they log into the server. If a player levels up a skill after connecting to the server, it won't appear in the log unless the player logs into the server afterwards again.) When the command for the perk parser is invoked, the bot will parse the file and save its contents in memory until the cache (in minutes) expires. This is to increase efficiency, as the bot will not have to parse the same file each time. In a situation where fresh data is needed, the !reset_perk_cache command can be used to reset the cache.
• Auto server start if the server quits. This feature is useful if combined with mods that quit the server for whatever reason. For example, if you are using a mod that checks mod updates and, when detected, quits the server. With this feature enabled, you won't need to manually run the server.
• !get_ram_cpu command for checking the current RAM and CPU usage of the machine.
• !backup_server command for backing up the server easily.
• Localization system! You can check available localizations using the !localization command. See the Localization section about how to translate the bot. Note: It is not possible to translate commands and their descriptions at the moment. It might change in the future, though.

Installation

Creating the Discord Bot

1. Go to the Applications section of the Discord developer portal. (Be sure to log in first.)
2. Click the New Application button on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Enter your bot's name in the pop-up, then click the create button. You will be redirected to your application's (bot's) page. On that page, you can update your bot's name and description and even load an image as an avatar.
4. Navigate to the Bot section from the left menu. Then click the Add Bot button. Then confirm the pop-up. You will be redirected to your bot page.
5. Click the Reset Token button. Then confirm the pop-up. This will create a new token for your bot. Copy the displayed token and save it in a file. You won't be able to view your bot token unless you reset it again. Also, do not share this token with anyone. It's basically the password of your bot. If you share it with someone else, they will have full control over your bot.
6. Navigate to the OAuth2 section from the left menu and select the URL generator from the dropdown. Check the bot from the Scopes section and scroll down to the Bot Permissions.
7. Check the options shown below and copy the generated URL.
8. Open the copied link on your browser. On the page, select the server that you want the bot to work in. (You must be an admin on the server; otherwise, the server won't show up, but you can always send the link to an admin, which they can authorize the bot.) Click the Continue button and then the Authorise button. Complete the captcha if it pops up. Now the bot has joined your server, but it's not running yet.
   

Installing the Bot Files

To complete this step and the next step, you must have remote access to your Windows machine.

1. Navigate to releases and pick a binary version. I would suggest picking the latest version, as it would consist of new features and bug fixes.
2. Download the zip archive.
3. Extract the contents in the archive to the Project Zomboid Dedicated Server folder. Your directory after extraction will look like the image below.
   
4. Rename the bat file you were using to start the server as server.bat. For example, if you were using StartServer64.bat, rename it as server.bat.

Writing the Discord Bot Token Into File

1. Create an empty text file in the directory and name it bot_token.txt and open it.
2. Paste the bot token that you saved while creating the Discord bot to the first line. (It will look like the picture below.)
3. Save the file and close it.

Now all you need to do is run PZServerDiscordBot.exe. If you did set up everything correctly, the program will automatically run the Discord bot in the background and will show the Project Zomboid Server in the console. (Bot may not send the warning messages about the configuration if your Discord server's last created channel is not accessible by the bot. You can just type configuration commands regardless.)

Note
If you have never run the Project Zomboid server before, please run it once without using the bot. Because when you run the Project Zomboid server for the first time, it will ask you to set up an admin account. You can't send any key presses to the console if you run the server through the Discord bot's exe file.

Warning

If the bot doesn't respond to any commands, that could mean two things:

• The bot doesn't have permission to see the channel. Be sure that the bot has full access to the channel, which also includes permission to send messages. After confirming the bot has full access but still won't respond, see the next bullet point.
• The bot has a missing intents configuration. Please head to the Discord developer portal (which is the place you created and set up your bot), select your bot, click on the Bot tab on the left menu, and be sure that all bot intentions are enabled under the Privileged Gateway Intents section.

Bot Configuration

This bot uses 3 different channels to operate. The first channel is the public channel, where users can interact with the bot. The second channel is the command channel, which must be set to be only visible to server admins. This channel is used for executing server management and bot configuration commands. The third channel is the log channel. There aren't any commands to execute in this channel, and it's set for the bot to announce stuff. After the bot launches for the first time (or not configured), it will ask you to configure the mentioned three channels using the !set_command_channel, !set_log_channel and !set_public_channel commands. Those commands are very easy to use. Just reply to any channel with the tag of the channel you want the bot to be configured in. For example: !set_public_channel #bot-public

Bot Commands

The !help command can be used in any of the configured 3 channels, which the bot will respond to with the available command list for that channel.

Public Channel

• !bot_info Displays information about this bot. (!bot_info)
• !server_status Gets the server status. (!server_status)
• !restart_time Gets the next automated restart time. (!restart_time)
• !game_date Gets the current in-game date. (!game_date)

Command Channel

Bot Commands:

• !set_command_channel Sets the channel for the bot to work in. (!set_command_channel [channel tag])
  
• !set_log_channel Sets the channel for the bot to work in. (!set_log_channel [channel tag])
  
• !set_public_channel Sets the channel for the bot to work in. (!set_public_channel [channel tag])
  
• !get_settings Gets the bot settings. (!get_settings)
  
• !get_schedules Gets the remaining times until schedules are executed. (!get_schedules)
  
• !get_ram_cpu Gets the total RAM and CPU usage of the machine. (!get_ram_cpu)
  
• !set_restart_schedule_type Set the server's restart schedule type. (!set_restart_schedule_type ["interval"|"time"])
  
• !set_restart_time Set the server's restart time(s). The time format is "HH:mm" (using 24-hour time). The server restart schedule type must be "time". (!set_restart_time [times separated by space])
  
• !set_restart_interval Set the server's restart schedule interval. The restart schedule type must be "interval". (in minutes!) (!set_restart_interval [interval in minutes])
  
• !set_mod_update_check_interval Set the workshop mod update check schedule interval. (in minutes!) (!set_mod_update_check_interval [interval in minutes])
  
• !set_mod_update_restart_timer Sets the restart timer for the server when a mod update is detected. (in minutes!) (!set_mod_update_restart_timer [timer in minutes])
  
• !toggle_non_public_mod_logging The bot will print out non-public mods to the log channel if enabled. (!toggle_non_public_mod_logging)
  
• !set_perk_cache_duration Set the perk cache duration. (in minutes!) (!set_perk_cache_duration [duration in minutes])
  
• !reset_perk_cache Reset the perk cache. (!reset_perk_cache)
  
• !toggle_server_auto_start Enables/Disables the server auto-start feature if the server is not running. (!toggle_server_auto_start)
  
• !backup_server Creates a backup of the server. Backup files can be found in the "server_backup" folder in the directory where the bot is launched. (!backup_server)
  
• !localization Get/change the current localization. (!localization [(optional) new localization name])
  

Server Commands:

• !server_cmd Allows you to send inputs to the server console. (!server_cmd [text])
  
• !server_msg Broadcasts a message to all players in the server. (!server_msg "[message]")
  
• !start_server Starts the server. (!start_server)
  
• !stop_server Saves and stops the server. (!stop_server)
  
• !restart_server Restarts the server. (!restart_server)
  
• !initiate_restart Initiates a restart. (!initiate_restart [minutes until restart])
  
• !abort_restart Aborts an upcoming restart. Works both with the restart schedule and the manually initiated restart. (!abort_restart)
  
• !save_server Saves the current world. (!save_server)
  
• !perk_info Displays the perk information of the player. (!perk_info "[username]")
  
• !add_user Adds a new user to the whitelist. (!add_user "[username]" "[password]")
  
• !add_user_to_whitelist Adds a single user connected with a password to the whitelist. (!add_user_to_whitelist "[username]")
  
• !remove_user_from_white_list Removes a single user connected with a password to the whitelist. (!remove_user_from_whitelist "[username]")
  
• !ban_steamid Bans a Steam ID. (!ban_steamid [steam id])
  
• !unban_steamid Unbans a Steam ID. (!unban_steamid [steam id])
  
• !ban_user Bans a user. (!ban_user "[username]")
  
• !unban_user Unbans a user. (!unbanuser "[username]")
  
• !make_admin Gives admin rights to a user. (!make_admin "[username]")
  
• !remove_admin Removes admin rights from a user. (!remove_admin "[username]")
  
• !kick_user Kicks a user from the server. (!kick_user "[username]")
  
• !start_rain Starts rain on the server. (!startrain)
  
• !stop_rain Stops rain on the server. (!stoprain)
  
• !teleport Teleports a player. (!teleport "[username1]" "[username2]") | Username 1 will be teleported to Username 2.
  
• !add_item Gives an item to the player. (!add_item "[username]" "[module.item]")
  
• !add_xp Gives XP to a player. (!addxp "[username]" "[perk]" [xp])
  
• !chopper Places a helicopter event on a random player. (!chopper)
  
• !godmode Makes a player invincible. (!godmode "[username]")
  
• !invisible Makes a player invisible to zombies. (!invisible "[username]")
  
• !noclip Allows a player to pass through solid objects. (!noclip "[username]")
  
• !show_options Shows a list of current server options and values. (Printed to the server console.) (!show_options)
  
• !reload_options Reloads server options. (!reload_options)
  
• !change_option Changes a server option. (!change_option "[option]" "[newOption]")
  
• !add_workshop_mod Adds a workshop mod from the workshop mod url. (!add_workshop_mod [workshop mod urls with spaces in-between]) Check here before using this command if you have/had multiple servers on the same machine.
  
• !remove_workshop_mod Removes a workshop mod from the workshop mod url. (!remove_workshop_mod [workshop mod urls with spaces in-between])
  

Localization

You can find the default localization file in here. All you need to do is download it and translate all the words/sentences on the right side of ":" between two quote marks. The example below will illustrate how it should look after the translation.

Before translation:

{
  "gen_enab_up": "Enabled",
  "gen_disa_up": "Disabled",
  "gen_hours_text": "hour(s)",
  ...
  "warn_server_not_running": "Server is not running.",
  "warn_bot_conf_not_done": "Bot configuration haven't done yet.",
  ...
}

After translation:

{
  "gen_enab_up": "Aktif",
  "gen_disa_up": "Pasif",
  "gen_hours_text": "saat",
  ...
  "warn_server_not_running": "Server çalışmıyor.",
  "warn_bot_conf_not_done": "Bot ayarları henüz tamamlanmadı.",
  ...
}

Warning: There might be cases where you can see some weird expressions, like {log_file}, {current_version}, {state} etc. These are special expressions that will be replaced with related values before displaying the text. Do not translate these. However, you can move them freely in a sentence and match them with your own language's sentence structure.

Some examples of how some of the expressions will look after the related value replacement:

{day}/{month}/{year} -> 19/12/2022
{year}-{month}-{day} -> 2022-12-19

Bot Version: {version}  -> Bot Version: v1.8.0
Bot Version ({version}) -> Bot Version (v1.8.0)

Server auto start feature has been {state}.      -> Server auto start feature has been enabled.
Non-public mod logging feature has been {state}. -> Non-public mod logging feature has been disabled.

{hours} hours ago -> 10 hours ago
hours ago {hours} -> hours ago 10

After you have completed translating all words/sentences, please create an issue by selecting the Localization Submission template with the title Localization of <language here> and attaching the translated .json file in a zip archive. I will add it to available localizations. Also, when a new version of the bot is released, there might be new added text, so it is good to keep an eye on updates. If your current localization is missing the newly added text, the bot will use the default localization for these.