messages.xml

Purpose

messages.xml controls automated text broadcasts that appear in server chat. These are the server tips, rules reminders, Discord links, and restart countdown warnings that players see periodically while playing.

Console Path

dayzxb_missions/dayzOffline.<mapname>/db/messages.xml    (Xbox)
dayzps_missions/dayzOffline.<mapname>/db/messages.xml    (PlayStation)

Full Block Structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<messages>

  <!-- Recurring welcome message -->
  <message>
    <delay>0</delay>
    <repeat>15</repeat>
    <onconnect>1</onconnect>
    <text>Welcome to #name — Boosted Loot | Active Admins</text>
  </message>

  <!-- Recurring Discord line -->
  <message>
    <delay>0</delay>
    <repeat>30</repeat>
    <onconnect>1</onconnect>
    <text>Join our Discord: discord.gg/yourlink</text>
  </message>

  <!-- Recurring rules reminder -->
  <message>
    <delay>5</delay>
    <repeat>60</repeat>
    <onconnect>0</onconnect>
    <text>No cheating. No harassment. Respect all players.</text>
  </message>

  <!-- Restart countdown warning -->
  <message>
    <delay>0</delay>
    <deadline>10</deadline>
    <onconnect>0</onconnect>
    <text>Server restart in #tmin minutes. Find cover!</text>
  </message>

</messages>

Field-by-Field Reference

`<message>`

One message rule. Each rule is independent. A file can have as many rules as needed.

`<delay>`

Type: Integer (minutes)
How many minutes after server start (or after the previous message in some implementations) before this rule begins evaluating.

0 — rule starts evaluating immediately at server start
5 — rule waits 5 minutes before first evaluation

Use delay to stagger messages so they don’t all fire at the same time when the server starts.

`<repeat>`

Type: Integer (minutes)
How often this message repeats, in minutes.

15 — message appears every 15 minutes
30 — message appears every 30 minutes
0 — message fires once and does not repeat

Note: repeat and deadline should not be used on the same <message> block. Use one or the other.

`<deadline>`

Type: Integer (minutes)
Used for countdown-style messages — typically restart warnings. The message fires at this many minutes before a scheduled restart/shutdown.

#tmin in the text is replaced with the remaining minutes, counting down.

<deadline>10</deadline>
<text>Server restart in #tmin minutes.</text>

This message fires when 10 minutes remain, showing “Server restart in 10 minutes”, then again at 9, 8, etc., down to 0.

Note: deadline is used independently of repeat. Do not use both in the same message block.

`<onconnect>`

Type: Integer (0 or 1) or boolean
Whether this message is shown to a player immediately when they connect to the server, in addition to its normal schedule.

1 — message appears in chat immediately when a player joins (good for welcome and rules messages)
0 — message only fires on its normal schedule, not on connect

`<shutdown>`

Type: Integer (0 or 1) or boolean
Used with <deadline> to trigger a server shutdown when the countdown reaches zero. Rarely used in normal console operations since Nitrado manages restarts on its own schedule.

`<text>`

The message string shown in game chat.

Token substitutions:

Token	What it becomes
`#name`	The server’s hostname as configured in Nitrado settings
`#tmin`	Remaining minutes (used with `<deadline>`)
`#port`	The server’s connection port

XML character escaping: If your message contains any of these characters, they must be escaped:

Character	Escaped form
`&`	`&`
`<`	`<`
`>`	`>`

Character limit: Keep messages short. Long messages truncate in the in-game chat window.

What Console Admins Typically Adjust

<text> — update server name, Discord link, rules text
<repeat> — tune how often messages appear (avoid spam)
<onconnect> — add for messages that should greet new joiners
Adding/removing <message> blocks — add a new broadcast, remove one you no longer want

Practical Structure for Clean Server Messaging

welcome line       → repeat 10-20, onconnect 1
Discord line       → repeat 20-30, onconnect 1
rules reminder     → repeat 30-60, onconnect 0
restart warning    → deadline 10-15, onconnect 0

Safe Edit Pattern

Stagger delay values across recurring messages so they don’t fire simultaneously.
Stagger repeat intervals so they don’t land on the same minute every cycle.
Keep repeat intervals at 15 minutes minimum — lower than that becomes chat spam.
Change one message at a time and rejoin to verify.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Result
`repeat` set very low (1–5 minutes) on multiple messages	Chat spam, players mute server messages
Using both `repeat` and `deadline` on same block	Undefined behavior
`#name` used but hostname not set in Nitrado settings	Token shows placeholder or blank
Special characters (`&`, `<`) unescaped in text	File parse error, messages may not load
Long text strings	Text truncates mid-sentence in game chat