Make sure everyone is joining the same game
Confirm the installed game version, branch, server version, and required mods. A matching map name is not enough when a mod changes roads or buildings. Keep a record of the enabled mods and their order for the server you are using.
Before changing a long-running world, make a backup with the server stopped and follow the current official instructions for your hosting setup. A backup is useful only if you know which files it contains and how to restore it.
Discuss the rules that change planning
- Zombie population, movement, respawn, and migration settings affect whether a cleared route stays quiet.
- Water and electricity shutoff affect what a new player needs on arrival.
- Loot rarity and respawn rules affect whether regular supply circuits remain useful.
- Transmission, mortality, sleep, and PvP settings change risk and recovery.
- Safehouse claims, permissions, and server rules determine what players can protect or share.
Agree on a rally point and a fallback
Share a coordinate link for a meeting point that everyone can recognize. Choose a second location before leaving on a group trip, and agree on what to do if someone disconnects, dies, or cannot reach the vehicle.
Divide useful jobs without requiring a single player to solve every emergency. Keep common tools and first-aid supplies in known places. Tell the group before making noise near the base or moving a vehicle that others expect to find there.
Before the first group haul, settle three details: which checkpoint means the group has regrouped, who keeps the vehicle available, and whether the missing player should wait or travel to the fallback. Put the fallback in the same exported plan as the destination. After an import, each player has a local copy; later edits are not synchronized.
Share plans deliberately
Atlas markers and notebooks are local to each browser. They are not a live server feed. Share a map link or an exported plan intentionally, and keep personal notes out of a link you intend to post publicly.
Review routes after a patch or mod update, especially when terrain changes. Do not assume an old screenshot, marked safe building, or remembered basement matches the current world. Read official update notes before changing branches or upgrading a valuable save.