cfgEffectArea.json

Purpose

cfgEffectArea.json defines contaminated areas on the map — the toxic gas zones players must use NBC gear to survive. Each area has a position, radius, height, particle effects, and player visual effects. The file also contains a list of safe positions outside contaminated zones.

Console Path

dayzxb_missions/dayzOffline.<mapname>/cfgEffectArea.json    (Xbox)
dayzps_missions/dayzOffline.<mapname>/cfgEffectArea.json    (PlayStation)

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Full Block Structure (Vanilla)

{
  "Areas": [
    {
      "AreaName": "Ship-Bow",
      "Type": "ContaminatedArea_Static",
      "TriggerType": "ContaminatedTrigger",
      "Data": {
        "Pos": [13917, 0, 11178],
        "Radius": 75,
        "PosHeight": 20,
        "NegHeight": 3,
        "InnerPartDist": 80,
        "OuterOffset": 30,
        "ParticleName": "graphics/particles/contaminated_area_gas_bigass"
      },
      "PlayerData": {
        "AroundPartName": "graphics/particles/contaminated_area_gas_around",
        "TinyPartName": "graphics/particles/contaminated_area_gas_around_tiny",
        "PPERequesterType": "PPERequester_ContaminatedAreaTint"
      }
    }
  ],

  "SafePositions": [
    [434, 13624],
    [360, 10986]
  ]
}

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Field-by-Field Reference

Areas (array)

Array of contaminated area definitions. Each entry is one contaminated zone.

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Per-Area Fields

AreaName

Type: String
Unique identifier for this contaminated area. Used in logs and admin tools.

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Type

Type: String
The contamination area class type.

Value	Meaning
ContaminatedArea_Static	Permanent, fixed-position contaminated zone
ContaminatedArea_Dynamic	Dynamically placed contaminated zone (event-driven)

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TriggerType

Type: String
The trigger class used to detect player entry/exit.

ContaminatedTrigger is the standard value for all contaminated areas.

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Data object

The physical geometry and visual configuration of the zone.

Pos

Type: Array of 3 numbers [X, Y, Z]
World center position of the contaminated area. Y is typically 0 — terrain height is used automatically.

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Radius

Type: Integer (meters)
Horizontal radius of the contaminated zone circle.

Vanilla examples:

• Ship zones: 60–100m
• Pavlovo military zones: 60–100m

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PosHeight

Type: Integer (meters)
How far above the terrain the contamination zone extends. Covers upward into buildings and hills.

---

NegHeight

Type: Integer (meters)
How far below the terrain surface the zone extends downward. Prevents players from hiding underground to escape the gas.

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InnerPartDist

Type: Integer (meters)
Distance from center at which the inner gas particle effect starts. The particle effect is rendered within this radius of center.

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OuterOffset

Type: Integer (meters)
Offset distance for the outer boundary of particle rendering. Controls the visual fade zone at the edge of the contaminated area.

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ParticleName

Type: String
Path to the particle effect file used for the gas cloud visual.

Standard values:

• "graphics/particles/contaminated_area_gas_bigass" — large gas cloud for the main zone
• "graphics/particles/contaminated_area_gas_around" — smaller surrounding particle effect

---

PlayerData object

Controls the visual effects applied to the player while inside the contaminated zone.

AroundPartName

Type: String
Particle effect played around the player while in the zone.

TinyPartName

Type: String
Smaller particle variant for tight spaces or lighter effect contexts.

PPERequesterType

Type: String
Post-processing effect applied to the player’s screen while in the zone.

"PPERequester_ContaminatedAreaTint" is the standard screen tint effect for contaminated areas.

---

SafePositions (array)

A list of world X/Z coordinate pairs that are guaranteed to be outside any contaminated zone. Used by the engine as spawn fallback positions for newly spawned players to prevent them spawning inside a contaminated area.

"SafePositions": [
  [434, 13624],
  [360, 10986],
  [1412, 13505]
]

Each entry is [X, Z]. These positions should cover all areas of the map that players might reasonably spawn at.

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Vanilla Contaminated Zones on Chernarus

The default Chernarus configuration has contaminated zones at:

• The ship (Rify/wreck offshore) — 4 overlapping zones covering bow, center, stern, and east
• Pavlovo military base — 6 zones covering uphill, buildings, and downhill sections

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What Console Admins Typically Adjust

1. Radius — increase to make a zone larger, decrease to tighten it.
2. Pos — move a zone to a different map position.
3. Adding new areas — define additional contaminated zones at new locations.
4. PosHeight — increase to cover taller structures within the zone.
5. SafePositions — add more safe spawn positions if you’ve added new zones that might block default spawns.

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Result
JSON syntax error	File rejected entirely, vanilla contaminated zones may revert or zones fail to load
Pos coordinates wrong	Zone appears at wrong location
No SafePositions entries	Players may spawn inside contaminated zones
InnerPartDist larger than Radius	Particle effect extends beyond the actual zone boundary
Forgetting PlayerData block	Zone works but player has no screen visual effects while inside