#Player-Specific Desync / Chunk Loading Failure (Build 42.13.2 Dedicated MP)

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feral cedar
#

Host: Indifferent Broccoli (NA East) [32 player size]
Version: 42.13.2

Issue Summary
One specific player consistently experiences severe desync and chunk-loading failure on *only * my main server only. No other players are affected. No other servers affect the specific player.

Player Details
Location: Brazil
Server location: NA East
Initially suspected ping/routing, but testing does not support this.
Their ping on my server is between 120 and 160

Their PC Specs:
win 11 / CPU : ryzen 7 5700 / ram : 32gb / gpu : nvidia geforce rtx 4060 / ssd 500gb
high speed reliable internet as well.

Symptoms
• Player loads in normally.
• After ~2–3 minutes:
-World stops loading chunks
-Other players freeze for them
-Chat stops updating for them
• To others, the player appears mostly stationary.
• Issue becomes significantly worse while driving vehicles.
• Reconnecting temporarily resolves the issue, but it returns after several minutes.

Timeline
• Player had no issues early in Build 42.13.1
• Problem began shortly BEFORE 42.13.2, not a symptom of the update
• Persisted since

**Testing Performed
**

Servers:
• Main server (Indifferent Broccoli): issue occurs consistently
• Test server (DatHost), identical mods/config: no issue

Players:
• Over 10 regular players online consistently on the main server: no issues
• Only this player affected

Mods:
~20 mods total
Mostly QOL
Largest mod: Lifestyles: Hobbies
Mods on the server:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3629091802

Player tested on servers with:
same mods, as well as

  • no mods
  • more players
  • higher ping
    → issue does not occur elsewhere !

Character & Account
New character created → issue persists

Entirely new server account → issue persists

Additional Steps Weve Taken
• reinstall the game
• verify game file integrity,
• Clear their workshop mods folder and resubscribe to each,
• Increase Zomboid's minimum RAM from 3 to 6g
• updated Java
• Installed Optimized Texture Overhaul mod
• Countless Server-side optimizations

Behavior appears player-specific and server-specific. Feels like a persistent server-side data or serialization issue that gradually causes desync, especially during movement/vehicles.

**What we haven't tried: **

  • Having them play on a different steam account
  • Wiping the server and running it vanilla

I've made this as specific as possible because after 2 weeks of ripping my hair out I truly believe this is an unfixable issue. This post is a last resort., but thank you for your time!

///UPDATE///////

After more extended testing it turns out that it is happening on my test server to a lesser extent, which may make sense considering the lower player count and fresh world. More updates to come

gilded sorrel
#

Have you tried it on your test server but with the multiplayer bug fix mod uninstalled?

feral cedar
#

I did to no effect. After talking to this player it turns out I had several things wrong.

They did lag on my test server on a different host, just to a lesser extent. Also, they hadn't actually tried a Brazilian server yet. They played one today that was on 20 ping and did not experience the same issues.

SO that slightly goes against everything I thought I knew here. A bit of a miscommunication. That also means ping, or at the very least some kind of international or long distance routing issue is back on the table.

#

Your player is only Texas to Chicago but have them check their ping and play on some other servers to test.

If they're the only one, listen to your gut

quartz jay
#

The same experiences for one of my friends in our zomboid of 4.
Every single one of them lives in Singapore/Malaysia which geographically is about 80-110ms from my location. Since we first started playing in back in B41, one specific player has the same kind of problem with exclusively Project Zomboid.
We chalked it up to sht internet, which was true some days, as he'd be able to play one night and then not the other.

But country and net change and B42 later he is still having desync and packet loss problems to Zomboid only. Mods on/mods off make no diff.

After spending weeks of frustration, we unironically found that if he spam joins the server (RNG dice rolling) he will get a login that has no packet loss and he can play completely fine. Sometimes it takes 2 joins, sometimes 8. But eventually he will get 1 login that has zero issues for hours upon hours.

feral cedar
gilded sorrel
#

heres what mine was: I fixed it sigh so player finally clarified that the lag was only happening at main base. Okay, we fixed it, did 3 things. first we picked up all the shit he left all over the ground and put them in boxes. Less things to render always good. Then I kicked him out of the safehouse, that glitched so kicked him out of guild and then added back to guild and safehouse. Then, and this is so stupid but its probably what the cause was, I destroyed my composter. Thats right, the box that breaks down rotten food. Relogged after the last composter was destroyed and no problems.