How to Install Project Viewpoint on a Project Zomboid Server

How to Install Project Viewpoint on a Project Zomboid Server

Project Viewpoint is a community mod that renders Project Zomboid in 3D and lets you play in first or third person. It supports multiplayer, so you can run it on your own server and play with friends.

Setting it up has two parts:

1. The server owner adds two mods to the server config. This takes about three minutes and is done once.
2. Every player installs the ZombieBuddy Java loader on their own PC. This is also done once, and no server can do it for them.

Project Viewpoint is a Java mod, made neither by Lobby Maker nor by The Indie Stone. The Indie Stone does not officially support Java mods: they run with full access to your computer, so only install ones you trust. On the server itself no Java code from the mod runs — it is client-only.

What you need

Game version. Viewpoint works only on the game versions its author lists on the Workshop page — at the time of writing, Build 42.21, the current Stable version. The server and every player must run the same version.

Part 1 — the server (owner)

Make a backup first (Backups tab).

1. Open your server in the panel (My game servers → Server Panel).
2. If the server has never been started, start it once and wait until it is up, so the config file gets created.
3. Stop the server from the Console tab. Project Zomboid rewrites its config when it shuts down, so changes made while it runs are lost.
4. Open the config file: Mods tab → Open config file, or Files tab → .cache/Server/ → the .ini file named after your Server Name from the Startup tab.
5. Find the WorkshopItems= and Mods= lines and change them to:

WorkshopItems=3619862853;3809306528
Mods=\ZombieBuddy;\Viewpoint

6. Click Save Content, then Start the server from the Console tab.

The first start takes longer: the server downloads both mods from the Steam Workshop before it loads the world. When the console shows that the server has started, it is ready.

Rules that matter:

• Every Mod ID starts with a backslash \ — the Build 42 format.
• \ZombieBuddy comes before \Viewpoint — Viewpoint needs it.
• Already have other mods? Add the new entries to the existing lines, separated by ;, instead of replacing them:

WorkshopItems=1234567890;3619862853;3809306528
Mods=\ExampleMod;\ZombieBuddy;\Viewpoint

Optional: 3D models

To add the 3D model pack, append it after Viewpoint on both lines:

WorkshopItems=3619862853;3809306528;3810302175
Mods=\ZombieBuddy;\Viewpoint;\PZVoxelStudioViewpoint

The pack is large (about 535 MB), so the next start takes a few minutes longer and the server needs the disk space. Every player downloads it too, and the author recommends at least 4 GB of RAM for the game.

Part 2 — every player (once per PC)

1. Use the Stable game version

In Steam, right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → Game Versions & Betas and make sure no beta branch (for example Pre-Release) is selected. Your game must have the same version as the server.

2. Subscribe to the mods

Open ZombieBuddy and Project Viewpoint on the Steam Workshop and click Subscribe on both. The game would download them when you join the server, but ZombieBuddy's files have to be on your PC before you start the game.

3. Install the ZombieBuddy Java loader

Windows — automatic (recommended):

1. Download ZombieBuddyInstaller.exe from the ZombieBuddy releases on GitHub.
2. Run it and choose Install or update ZombieBuddy.
3. Choose Both as the launch mode.
4. Check the list of changes and confirm. If it asks you to close Steam, do so.

Windows — manual:

1. Copy ZombieBuddy.jar and zbNative.dll from C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\108600\3619862853\mods\ZombieBuddy\libs\ to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ProjectZomboid\.
2. In Steam, right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → Launch Options and enter:

-agentlib:zbNative --

Linux:

1. Copy ZombieBuddy.jar from ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/3619862853/mods/ZombieBuddy/libs/ to ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/ProjectZomboid/projectzomboid/.
2. Set the launch options in Steam to:

-javaagent:ZombieBuddy.jar --

macOS:

1. Copy ZombieBuddy.jar from the same libs/ folder of the Workshop item to ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/ProjectZomboid/Project Zomboid.app/Contents/Java/.
2. Set the launch options in Steam to:

-javaagent:ZombieBuddy.jar --

The -- at the end of the launch options is required. Without it ZombieBuddy does not start.

4. Start the game and approve Viewpoint

When ZombieBuddy finds a Java mod it has not seen before, it shows a window with the mod name and its SHA-256 fingerprint. Click Yes for Viewpoint and choose to remember the decision. The same window appears again after every Viewpoint update.

5. Join the server

Join your server as usual. Once you are in the world:

If the game runs slowly, open the settings with Delete and pick the Vanilla preset — it is the lightest one.

Game updates

Viewpoint supports only the game versions its author has tested. When Project Zomboid gets a new update, it can stop working until the author releases a new version of the mod.

• Your Lobby Maker server installs game updates on restart, and players' games update through Steam. Before an update reaches the Stable branch, The Indie Stone usually tests it on the Pre-Release branch for at least a week.
• After a game update, check the Viewpoint Workshop page for the supported version. If the mod is not updated yet, players can still join and play with the normal view (see below), or you can remove Viewpoint from both lines until the update arrives.

Common problems

The server started, but the mods are not there. Check the Mods= line: the Mod IDs must match exactly, including capital letters, and \ZombieBuddy must come before \Viewpoint. Also make sure the server was stopped while you edited the file.

"Workshop item version is different than server's" when joining. One of the mods was updated after your server downloaded it. Restart the server, and the player should restart the game.

Nothing happens when a player presses O. ZombieBuddy is not running on that player's PC: the jar is in the wrong folder, the launch options are missing, or the -- at the end is missing. If they clicked No in the approval window by mistake, they can hold Shift while the game loads to see the window again.

The game asks again whether to load Viewpoint. The mod was updated and its file changed. Check that it is still Project Viewpoint and click Yes.

The mod stopped working after a game update. The new game version is not supported yet. See Game updates above.

Frequently asked questions

Can friends without ZombieBuddy join? Yes. They download the mods like everyone else, but without the Java loader Viewpoint does not start, so they play with the normal top-down view.

Does Viewpoint work with other mods? According to its author, most Workshop mods work with it. Add them as described in How to install mods on a Project Zomboid server.

Does the server need more RAM for Viewpoint? No. It renders on the players' PCs, and the server only hands out the mod files. The optional 3D model pack mostly needs disk space.

Don't have a server yet? Rent a Project Zomboid server on Lobby Maker — it is ready in about a minute, and you can add Project Viewpoint right away.