Updated 12 October 2026
globals.xml in the mission's db folder holds the server-wide economy values: how many infected and animals there can be, how loot respawns, when bodies and ruined items are cleaned up, and how long players wait when they log in and out.
Each line is a <var> with a name, a type and a value. type="0" values are whole numbers, type="1" values are decimals, and times are in seconds. The free globals.xml Editor shows all of them with these explanations.
Infected and animals
- ZombieMaxCount: most infected alive on the map at once.
- AnimalMaxCount: most animals alive on the map at once.
- ZoneSpawnDist: infected and animal zones within this many metres of a player are active.
Loot
- InitialSpawn: percent of loot spawned on a fresh start, with empty storage.
- RestartSpawn: percent of loot respawned at a restart.
- SpawnInitial: items spawned per pass while the map first fills up.
- RespawnAttempt, RespawnLimit, RespawnTypes: loot respawn tuning: attempts per item, most items of one type per cycle and most item types per cycle.
- LootSpawnAvoidance: loot does not spawn within this many metres of a player.
- LootProxyPlacement: 1 places loot on shelves and other spots in buildings.
- LootDamageMin / LootDamageMax: the least and most damage spawned loot can have, from 0 (pristine) to 1 (ruined).
Cleanup
- CleanupLifetimeDefault: cleanup time in seconds for items without a lifetime of their own.
- CleanupLifetimeDeadPlayer, CleanupLifetimeDeadInfected, CleanupLifetimeDeadAnimal: seconds before bodies and carcasses are removed.
- CleanupLifetimeRuined: seconds before ruined items are removed.
- CleanupLifetimeLimit: most items the cleanup handles in one pass.
- CleanupAvoidance: items within this many metres of a player are not cleaned up.
Joining, leaving and base flags
- TimeLogin / TimeLogout: seconds a player waits when logging in and out.
- TimePenalty: extra login wait in seconds, added as a penalty.
- TimeHopping: login wait in seconds for players who switch servers.
- FlagRefreshFrequency: seconds between refreshes from a raised territory flag, which keep a base from despawning.
- FlagRefreshMaxDuration: the longest a flag keeps a base alive without being raised again, in seconds.
World
- FoodDecay: 1 makes food rot over time.
- WorldWetTempUpdate: 1 makes world wetness and temperature change over time.
- IdleModeCountdown: seconds after the last player leaves before the economy goes idle.
- IdleModeStartup: 1 starts the economy idle until someone joins.
Change a value, keep its type (no decimals in a type="0" line), upload the file and restart. Very high infected or animal caps cost server performance, so raise them in steps.