Abiotic Factor Server Settings Reference

Complete sandbox settings reference for your Abiotic Factor dedicated server — difficulty, enemies, survival, world, building, and player options.

Abiotic Factor sandbox settings (difficulty, enemies, survival, etc.) are configured when creating a new world. On dedicated servers, common settings can be adjusted via the Startup tab.

Startup tab with Abiotic Factor variables

Server Config Files

The actual config files on the server are:

GameUserSettings.ini

Settings.ini

Admin.ini

File Manager showing server structure

GameUserSettings.ini

Located at AbioticFactor/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini. Contains crossplay settings:

GameUserSettings.ini in editor

[/Script/AbioticFactor.AbioticGameUserSettings]
CrossplaySetting=PartialCrossplay

Admin.ini

Located at AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Admin.ini. Contains moderators and ban list:

[Moderators]
Moderator=76561198275961123
Moderator=76561198159459332

[BannedPlayers]
BannedPlayer=ExampleBanID1

How Sandbox Settings Work

Sandbox settings (difficulty, enemies, survival rates, etc.) are set at world creation and stored inside the world save data. There is no auto-generated SandboxSettings.ini file.

Change Settings on an Existing World (-SandboxIniPath)

To override sandbox settings without wiping your world, use the -SandboxIniPath launch parameter:

Create a SandboxSettings.ini file

In Files, create a new file in the server root called SandboxSettings.ini. Add only the settings you want to override:

[SandboxSettings]
EnemySpawnRate=0.7
EnemyHealthMultiplier=0.75
EnemyPlayerDamageMultiplier=0.5
HungerSpeedMultiplier=0.5
PlayerXPGainMultiplier=2.0
DeathPenalties=0

Add the launch parameter

In the Startup tab, add to the extra startup parameters:

-SandboxIniPath=../../SandboxSettings.ini

The path is relative to the Saved/ folder. Adjust based on where you placed the file.

Restart the server

Settings in the file override what's stored in the save. The world is preserved.

This is the preferred method for changing settings on established servers without losing progress.

Start Fresh with New Settings

To create a new world with different sandbox settings, see Start a New World.

Difficulty & Hardcore

Setting	Default	Values	Description
`GameDifficulty`	`1`	1=Normal, 2=Hard, 3=Apocalyptic	How many enemies, their aggression, and combat reaction speed
`HardcoreMode`	`False`	True/False	One life only — forces Apocalyptic difficulty
`AllowIronMode`	`True`	True/False	Requires HardcoreMode=True

Enemy Settings

Setting	Default	Range	Description
`EnemySpawnRate`	`1.0`	0.5–3.0	How frequently enemies respawn
`EnemyHealthMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.75–3.0	Enemy health multiplier
`EnemyPlayerDamageMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.25–3.0	How much damage enemies deal to players
`EnemyDeployableDamageMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.1–5.0	How much damage enemies deal to structures
`DetectionSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.1–3.0	How fast enemies detect players
`EnemyAccuracy`	`2`	0–4	0=Pathetic, 1=Low, 2=Default, 3=High, 4=Precise

Player Survival

Setting	Default	Range	Description
`HungerSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How fast hunger increases (0=disabled)
`ThirstSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How fast thirst increases
`FatigueSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How fast fatigue increases
`ContinenceSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How fast the toilet need drains
`DamageToAlliesMultiplier`	`0.5`	0.0–3.0	Friendly fire damage (0=disabled)
`PlayerXPGainMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–3.0	XP gain speed
`BonusPerkPoints`	`0`	-20 to 50	Additional perk points on top of job points

Death & Respawn

Setting	Default	Description
`DeathPenalties`	`1`	See Death Penalty Options for all 6 levels
`DurabilityLossOnDeathMultiplier`	`0.1`	How much durability items lose on death (0.0–1.0)
`ShowDeathMessages`	`True`	Notify players when someone dies
`HostAccessPlayerCorpses`	`True`	Host can access death bags

Items & Inventory

Setting	Default	Range	Description
`ItemStackSizeMultiplier`	`1.0`	1.0–30.0	How many items fit per inventory slot
`ItemWeightMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–5.0	How heavy items are (0=weightless)
`ItemDurabilityMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.1–10.0	How long items last before breaking
`BaseInventorySize`	`12`	0–42	Inventory slots without a backpack
`StorageByTag`	`True`	True/False	Restrict containers by item type

World & Environment

Setting	Default	Values	Description
`LootRespawnEnabled`	`False`	True/False	Resources spontaneously respawn
`PowerSocketsOffAtNight`	`True`	True/False	Facility power off at night
`DayNightCycleState`	`0`	0=Normal, 1=Always Day, 2=Always Night	Day/night cycle mode
`DayNightCycleSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.1–3.0	How fast the day/night cycle runs
`WeatherFrequency`	`3`	1=Never, 2=Infrequent, 3=Normal, 4=Frequent, 5=Daily	Weather event frequency
`FoodSpoilSpeedMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How fast food spoils
`RefrigerationEffectivenessMultiplier`	`1.0`	0.0–2.0	How effective refrigeration is
`SinkRefillRate`	`1.0`	0–10.0	How fast sinks refill
`TaintedSinkWater`	`False`	True/False	Sink water becomes tainted
`RadiationDealsDamage`	`False`	True/False	Radiation actively damages health
`InvisibleRadiation`	`False`	True/False	Hide radiation screen effects (requires Geiger Counter)

Building & Structures

Setting	Default	Values	Description
`StructuralSupportLimit`	`5`	0=unlimited	How many structures can be stacked
`BridgeSupports`	`2`	0=None, 1=One, 2=Two	Bridge support requirements
`PlayerFurnitureDestruction`	`False`	True/False	Furniture destroyed at 0 durability
`HomeWorlds`	`True`	True/False	Allow Home Worlds

Features & Quality of Life

Setting	Default	Description
`AllowRecipeSharing`	`True`	Share item recipes with other players
`AllowPagers`	`True`	Enable pager use
`AllowTransmog`	`True`	Allow armor transmogrification
`DisableResearchMinigame`	`False`	Skip research minigames — unlock recipes instantly
`AllowCharacterReset`	`True`	Allow job/skill/trait respec
`FirstTimeStartingWeapon`	`0`	0=None, 1=Shiv, 2=Desk Leg, 3=Kitchen Knife, 4=Starter Baton, 5=Pipe Club, 6=Random

Popular Configurations

Casual PvE

[SandboxSettings]
GameDifficulty=1
EnemySpawnRate=0.7
EnemyPlayerDamageMultiplier=0.5
HungerSpeedMultiplier=0.5
ThirstSpeedMultiplier=0.5
DeathPenalties=0
PlayerXPGainMultiplier=2.0
ItemStackSizeMultiplier=3.0

Hard Survival

[SandboxSettings]
GameDifficulty=3
EnemySpawnRate=2.0
EnemyHealthMultiplier=1.5
HungerSpeedMultiplier=1.5
ThirstSpeedMultiplier=1.5
DeathPenalties=4
RadiationDealsDamage=True

💡 Tip: Each world has its own SandboxSettings.ini, so you can run different settings on different worlds by changing -WorldSaveName.

Abiotic Factor Server Settings Reference

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