Having the ability to "Include" other types files with a single directive in the main types.xml would be a quality of life enhancement for modders and server admins.

I have to agree with 'sanguine00' ... any items being added in by MODs should be managed in a separate file (e.g. modtypes.xml). This way, DayZ could push types.xml updates to every server every day ... but the external modtypes.xlm would never be touched. This file would only be modified by server administrators that are adding/removing MODs.

@Geez ... I understand that for vehicles that are NOT currently active, ready to be used in the game, you would want them to despawn immediately after being spawned in. However, for known good vehicles, the value should be set to something more reasonable (e.g. 30 days).

For example, the 'OffroadHatchback' is currently set for 3 seconds? Why? And if it is being set/managed elsewhere then can you tell me where that is so I can manage that as well?

In T144641#1952883, @digiacomtech wrote:

@Geez ... I understand that for vehicles that are NOT currently active, ready to be used in the game, you would want them to despawn immediately after being spawned in. However, for known good vehicles, the value should be set to something more reasonable (e.g. 30 days).

For example, the 'OffroadHatchback' is currently set for 3 seconds? Why? And if it is being set/managed elsewhere then can you tell me where that is so I can manage that as well?

As I have mentioned, the 3 second despawn timer affects only vehicles that are spawned through other means than as a dynamic event.

Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... Not trying to be difficult ... just trying to understand.

So, if the game is spawning in a vehicle then it's lifespan is being set by DayZ code whenever it is spawned.

If however, I use the Trader mod to buy a vehicle (dynamic event?) then the lifespan of that vehicle is set IAW whatever the value is within types.xml?

Hello digiacomtech.
That is indeed correct.
Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... If this is the case then the types.xml file you push out whenever servers are updated needs to be updated with an appropriate value for all active vehicles and other objects ... vs. the 3 second lifespans that are in there now ... which is the whole point oh my post.

Hello digiacomtech.
Is there any specific reason why would you want the lifespan for non dynamic event vehicles longer than three seconds? (As the vehicles are supposed to be spawned as dynamic events and dynamic event vehicles are not affected by the three second lifetime but rather by the lifetime that is set up in economy for them). Or is the problem in something else?
Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... It may be that I'm misunderstanding some of the dynamics here ... how lifespans are being set/controlled for vehicles DayZ spawns in vs. how lifespans are being set/controlled for vehicles MODs are spawning in (like Trader & Zomberry). As I tried to ask in a previous post ... perhaps there are differences in the way DayZ spawn vehicles vs. the way MODs like Trader or Zomberry spawn vehicles ... perhaps the Mods are just doing it wrong, missing some key setting assignment.

The ongoing problem I've been having on my server was vehicles de-spawnig within minutes of being purchased at a Trader sites or us spawning one in via Zomberry ... which aooears to have been corrected by upping their lifespans in types.xml. This is why I'm asking for those values to be adjusted ... along with a adding a seperate modstypes.xml to solve server update issues.

Assuming the code that is managing lifespans is available within DayZ Tools I might be able to trace through it and figure this out by myself ... but so far I haven't been able to find anything on this which is why I'm here.

Lastly, I do greatly appreciate you taking the time to better explain these details to me so I can better manage my server and develop new MODs for DayZ.

Hello digiacomtech.
There are two ways to adjust the lifespan of the vehicles spawned by mods (that are not spawned as dynamic events), ether you have to change their lifespan in types.xml manually (and unfortunately will have to rewrite it every time that a new update is out.) Or use the following method in the mod when creating the vehicle - proto native void SetLifetime( float fLifeTime );.
Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... Thank you for that code snippet! I'll make sure that I use it whenever my mods spawn things in (i.e. Airdrop). I'll also reach to the ZomBerry mod developer to ensure he is doing the same ;)

Can I assume that this function only affects the single spawned item (e.g. the one offroadharchback I jsut spawned in) ... or does it affect every item of the same type on the server (e.g. every offroadharchback) ?

Again ... THANK YOU!! This is exactly the type of information we need!

Hello again.

In T144641#1958980, @digiacomtech wrote:

@Geez ... Thank you for that code snippet! I'll make sure that I use it whenever my mods spawn things in (i.e. Airdrop). I'll also reach to the ZomBerry mod developer to ensure he is doing the same ;)

Can I assume that this function only affects the single spawned item (e.g. the one offroadharchback I jsut spawned in) ... or does it affect every item of the same type on the server (e.g. every offroadharchback) ?

Again ... THANK YOU!! This is exactly the type of information we need!

This function affects only the single spawned item.

Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... The new function worked perfectly for my mod, thank you. However, still wondering if there are any plans to update the types.xml file to fix the issues posted herein?

@Geez ... I'm still seeing allot of other server owners having issues with vehicles despawning after only a few minutes ... even after they have upped their lifespans to 3888000 (45 days) within TYPES.xml and deleted the associated BIN file.

As this is still an issue, then where else in the DayZ code would this limited lifespan be coming from? Perhaps when DayZ spawns vehicles in it is being set correctly ... but when mods spawn vehicles in it is being done incorrectly and/or it is not applying the default/correct lifespan from the correct resource file.

Again, there are issues & error within this file that remain to be resolved ...

• Separating mod provided items into their own file that will not be overwritten when BI updates the servers.
• Correcting weapon assembly issues (MP5).
• Correcting lifespans on valid operational vehicles.

Can you assure me that these issues are being looked at and/or are slated for correction in the next/future updates?

Is there a way for us 3rd party developers & DayZ supporters to assist with development? I for one, and I'm sure others as well, wouldn't mind providing BI with our updates/corrections as long as we were confident they would be reviewed and incorporated.

In T144641#1973400, @digiacomtech wrote:

@Geez ... I'm still seeing allot of other server owners having issues with vehicles despawning after only a few minutes ... even after they have upped their lifespans to 3888000 (45 days) within TYPES.xml and deleted the associated BIN file.

As this is still an issue, then where else in the DayZ code would this limited lifespan be coming from? Perhaps when DayZ spawns vehicles in it is being set correctly ... but when mods spawn vehicles in it is being done incorrectly and/or it is not applying the default/correct lifespan from the correct resource file.

Again, there are issues & error within this file that remain to be resolved ...

• Separating mod provided items into their own file that will not be overwritten when BI updates the servers.
• Correcting weapon assembly issues (MP5).
• Correcting lifespans on valid operational vehicles.
  
  Can you assure me that these issues are being looked at and/or are slated for correction in the next/future updates?
  
  Is there a way for us 3rd party developers & DayZ supporters to assist with development? I for one, and I'm sure others as well, wouldn't mind providing BI with our updates/corrections as long as we were confident they would be reviewed and incorporated.

Hello digiacomtech.
Regarding to the attachment slot of MP5. That is set up correctly and works as intended.
As for the issues with vehicles, are you certain that the vehicle despawning is not related to the issues with server restarts moving / changing orientation of the vehicles, destroying and despawning them?
Regards,
Geez

@Geez ... As for the MP5K (line 1790 in cfgspawnabletypes.xml)

	<attachments chance="0.10">
		<item name="MP5_Compensator" chance="1.00" />
	</attachments>
	<attachments chance="0.05">
		<item name="PistolSuppressor" chance="1.00" />
	</attachments>

Should be something like this ...

	<attachments chance="0.07">
		<item name="MP5_Compensator" chance="0.67" />
		<item name="PistolSuppressor" chance="0.33" />
	</attachments>

As I recall you can't have BOTH attached at the same time, it's either one or the other :)

As for the spawning of vehicles ... All I can say is that I've set the lifespans to 45 days (converted to seconds of course) on my server and though that has resolved most of the issues de-spawning still occurs.

This is occurring intermittently over restarts (it was there and pristine before the restart but gone after), while players were driving and the server restarts (they check back down the road where they came from looking for the vehicle but can't find it sometimes). It appears to be occurring mostly on vehicles spawned in by either the Trader or ZomBerry mods. My assumption is that, when mods like this spawn vehicles in without using the new SetLifespan() function the vehicle's lifespan is taken from the Types.xml file.