Optional: Light and Shadows

Guide · Optional

An experimental graphics option that gives Project Zomboid realistic lighting and shadows. It is completely optional, client-side only, and switching it on or off is a one-line change to your Steam launch options.

Experimental

This is still being tested. If the game misbehaves with it on, remove the option again — see step 4. Nothing you do here affects other players.

What it looks like

• 
  Low sun: trees, lamp posts and players all throw long shadows down the street.
• 
  Trees, props and players all cast shadows in daylight.
• 
  Street lamps light the park and cast their own shadows after dark.
• 
  At night, light sources throw their own shadows.

Screenshots by fireqt and moodlenoodlepoodle.

1. Set up the custom client loader

The shadows are part of our custom client loader, so the option does nothing without it.

1. Open your Launch Options: Steam Library → right-click Project Zomboid → Properties… → General.
2. Look for -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true.
3. Already there? Carry on to step 2.
4. Not there? Set the loader up first in How to connect, step 2, then come back.

Where the Launch Options box lives.

2. Add the shadows option

1. In the same Launch Options box, add this directly after -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true:

-Ddusk.experimental.shadowz=true

1. Close the Properties window to save it.

Your whole line then looks like this on Windows:

-Xms4G -Xmx8G -agentpath:../../workshop/content/108600/3794884561/mods/dusk/bootstrap/agentlib.dll=dusk-bootstrap.jar -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true -Ddusk.experimental.shadowz=true --

On Linux it is the same option, added to the Linux line from How to connect.

Keep the order

-Ddusk.experimental.shadowz=true goes after the loader options and before the closing --. Anything after -- is ignored.

3. Launch the game

Start Project Zomboid and join as usual — see How to connect, step 5. Shadows are on from the moment the game loads; there is nothing to enable in the options menu.

4. Turning it off again

Delete -Ddusk.experimental.shadowz=true from your Launch Options and launch again. The rest of the loader keeps working, so you keep the bug fixes and the FPS gain.

Tell us what you think

It is experimental and we would like your opinion on it.

1. Screenshots and first impressions: post them in our Discord.
2. Something broken with it on? Turn it off (step 4) and open a ticket.

See also

How to connectSet up the custom client loader in step 2.

Performance TipsMods and settings that gain you FPS.

Getting helpOpen a ticket if something goes wrong.