How to Upload an Advanced Generation World to 7 Days to Die

Last modified on Nov 17, 2023 in 7 Days To Die

By Nathan Young

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Overview

Hosting a 7 Days To Die server introduces many features, with one of them being the ability to upload worlds. This process allows owners to share their singleplayer maps with other players. Alternatively, users can create advanced worlds to play with friends. However, the steps needed to generate, upload, and configure the map on your server are complicated. Compared to normal worlds, advanced ones take more time to prepare due to the game’s design. Once everything is completed, you’ll be able to enjoy custom maps for an exciting zombie adventure. Keeping this in mind, we’ll simplify the process for getting an advanced world on your 7 Days To Die server in this Apex Hosting guide.
 

Creating Advanced Worlds

Before uploading an advanced world into your 7 Days to Die server, you need to create one. If you already have these kinds of maps, then continue to the Preparing Files section. Alternatively, review this guide if you’re looking to upload a normal, existing world into the server. Otherwise, follow the instructions down below to get started with generating an advanced world.

1. Startup 7 Days to Die on Steam and click New Game.
   
2. Proceed to enter anything you want in the Game Name field, then make note of it for later.
3. Continue to change Game World to New Random World.
4. Afterward, set the World Generation Seed and World Size values to what you want.
   
5. Copy the world seed and size values, then click the Advanced Generation button.
6. Paste them in their respective field and customize the other settings to your liking.
   
7. When everything is done, press Generate World at the bottom and wait for it to load.
8. Once this finishes, click Back and copy the Generated World Name field.
9. Next, switch the Game World option to the one you copied and enter the corresponding Game Name value.
   
10. With these fields correctly set up, continue to press Start to confirm the generation.

Make sure to copy the following information for later use: Generated World Name, World Generation Seed, World Size, and Game Name. These will be used for preparing the files and configuring your server, making them a requirement

Preparing Files

After generating an advanced world, it’s time to prepare the files so they’re ready to be on the server. However, an external zipping program is required for the preparation, such as WinRAR or 7zip. Once you have that installed, follow the instructions for your operating system to successfully do this process.
 

Windows

1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard and enter %appdata%\7DaysToDie\ in the text box.
   
2. Click OK and open the Saves directory, then compress your “Generated World Name” folder into a ZIP file from your program.
3. Next, return to the main 7DaysToDie area and open GeneratedWorlds to compress the same “Generated World Name” folder.
   
4. Afterward, you should have two identical ZIP files in the GeneratedWorlds and Saves folders.

MacOS

1. Press Command + Shift + G on your keyboard and enter ~/Library/Application Support/7DaysToDie in the text box.
   
2. Locate and enter in the Saves directory, then compress your “Generated World Name” folder into a zip file.
3. Do this for your GeneratedWorlds directory, which should have the same folder name to compress again.
4. Once it’s finished, you’ll have two zip files with identical names in different locations.

Uploading to Server

1. Download an external FTP Program, such as FileZilla or CyberDuck, to upload files on the server.
2. Once installed, open it and login with your account details.
   
3. Navigate towards the correct Server Profile directory, which should reveal your 7 Days to Die server files.
4. Locate and enter the Saves folder, then drag the zipped “Generated World Name” file into this area.
   
5. Do the same process for the GeneratedWorlds directory, with its respective zip.
   Note: If this doesn’t exist for you, then create it since this file location is required.
6. Wait for all these files to finish uploading, then confirm their separate locations.

Configuring World Settings

1. Head towards your Apex server panel, then click FTP File Access near the top left.
   
2. Login with your password and enter in the Saves folder.
3. While inside of that, check mark the “Generated World Name” folder and press Unzip at the top.
   
4. Proceed to Submit the changes, then do the same for the GeneratedWorlds directory.
5. Afterward, navigate to the serverconfig_apex.xml file from the main server files.
   
6. Click Edit to the right of this and locate the GameWorld setting.
7. Change its value to your “Generated World Name”, which is the same name from the files you zipped.
8. Next, set the WorldGenSeed and WorldGenSize to their respective values you copied down before.
9. Once this is done, change GameName to your “Game Name” value.
   
10. When everything is completed, press Save at the top and Restart the server.

Common Issues

Inverse Host Lookup Failed
This is the most common problem, as it happens when the server is unable to load the advanced generated world. It can be from a wide range of reasons, from losing world files during the uploading process to entering the incorrect values in the settings. Double-check the following information in your serverconfig_apex.xml file: “GameWorld”, “GameName”, “WorldGenSeed”, and “WorldGenSize” These values should be the exact same ones you used to create it in-game. If this appears to be correct, then see if the zipped files were correctly uploaded. These will have the same zip file names, but each are different since they originated from the Saves and GeneratedWorlds directories. Ensure they are in the right server profile and location in the FTP panel to load the world. If the situation persists, then delete the XML file and redo the configuration. These solutions will likely resolve any inverse host problem.
 
Missing GeneratedWorlds Folder
Another popular issue is missing the “GeneratedWorlds” directory in your server files. If this happens, then log into the FTP File Access area and press New Folder in the top left corner. Create one called “.local” and continue making more that follows the /.local/share/7DaysToDie/GeneratedWorlds directory. In other words, you’ll need to create multiple folders within the first one you created that reaches “GeneratedWorlds”. This will allow the server to pull from this location to load the world.
 
World Isn’t Mine
In situations where the world isn’t the same one you generated in singleplayer, then the configuration file could have been reset or remained unedited. Change the config settings accordingly that align with your world options, but it might be possible your uploads failed. In other words, during the uploading process some files weren’t transferred to the server. Redoing the upload using an external FTP program is highly suggested, as these worlds tend to be large. Once the settings and files are confirmed, this scenario should be resolved.
 

Useful Links

How to Upload an Existing World on 7 Days to Die
Installing 7 Days to Die Mods on a Server
How to Become an Admin on a 7 Days to Die Server