This guide covers common issues with Abiotic Factor dedicated servers on Legion Hosting, including server crashes, connection problems, desync and lag, save corruption, and version mismatches. For initial server setup and configuration, see Abiotic Factor Server Setup Guide.

Server Not Starting

If your server fails to start or immediately stops after pressing Start in GPanel, work through the following checks:

Check the Console Output

1. Go to the Console tab in GPanel.
2. Press Start and watch the console output carefully for error messages.
3. Look for lines containing Error, Fatal, or Failed. These will indicate what is preventing the server from starting.

Common Causes

Server Crashes

If your server crashes during gameplay (suddenly stops or becomes unresponsive), use the following steps to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Check Log Files

Server logs provide detailed information about what happened before the crash:

1. In GPanel, go to the Files tab.
2. Navigate to the log directory:

   AbioticFactor/Saved/Logs/

3. Open the most recent log file (usually named by date or AbioticFactorServer.log).
4. Scroll to the end of the file and look for error messages, stack traces, or crash dump references.

Common Crash Causes

• Memory exhaustion: If the server runs out of allocated RAM, it will crash. This is more common on servers with high player counts, large built bases, or long uptimes. Restart the server regularly (daily or every few days) to clear accumulated memory usage.
• Corrupted world data: If specific areas of the world cause consistent crashes when players enter them, the save data for that area may be corrupted. See the Save Corruption section for options.
• Extreme entity counts: Very large numbers of placed objects, items on the ground, or spawned enemies can overwhelm the server. Clean up unnecessary placed items and structures.
• Software bugs: Some crashes are caused by bugs in the game itself. Check the Abiotic Factor Steam community and patch notes for known issues. Keep your server updated to the latest version.

Reducing Crash Frequency

• Schedule regular server restarts (e.g., daily) to clear memory leaks.
• Reduce EnemySpawnRate in SandboxSettings.ini if entity counts are too high.
• Keep the server software up to date by restarting it regularly (updates are applied on startup).
• Encourage players to clean up unused deployables and dropped items.

Connection Issues

If players cannot connect to your server, work through these steps in order.

Server Not Appearing in Browser

1. Verify the server is running. Check the GPanel Console tab to confirm the server is online and fully loaded. A server that is still starting up will not appear in the browser.
2. Wait for Steam indexing. New servers or recently restarted servers may take 2-5 minutes to appear in the Steam master server list.
3. Check server name. Make sure your server name is set correctly in the GPanel Startup tab. Try searching for a partial match in the server browser.
4. Use direct connect. If the browser is not listing your server, connect directly using your IP and port. See How to Find Your Server IP and Port.

Connection Refused or Timeout

Players Disconnecting Randomly

• Check the server console for disconnect messages or errors that coincide with the disconnects.
• Have the affected player verify their game files in Steam (right-click game > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files).
• If multiple players are disconnecting at the same time, the server may be crashing. Check the crash section above.
• Unstable internet connections on the player's end can also cause random disconnects. Have them test their connection stability.

Desync and Lag

Desync occurs when the server and client get out of sync, causing objects or players to appear to teleport, rubber-band, or behave erratically. Lag manifests as delayed responses to player actions.

Server-Side Lag

If all players experience lag simultaneously, the issue is likely server-side:

• High entity count: Too many placed objects, dropped items, or spawned enemies can slow down the server tick rate. Clean up unnecessary items and consider reducing EnemySpawnRate.
• Memory pressure: Servers that have been running for extended periods may accumulate memory usage. Schedule regular restarts.
• World complexity: Very large, heavily-built bases strain server performance. Encourage players to consolidate builds and remove abandoned structures.

Client-Side Lag

If only one player experiences lag or desync:

• Have them check their internet connection speed and stability.
• Have them verify game files through Steam.
• Lower their in-game graphics settings to reduce client-side stuttering that can look like lag.
• If they are far from the server's physical location, some latency is expected. Players geographically closer to the server will have lower ping.

VOIP-Related Desync

Some players report desync issues related to the in-game VOIP system:

• Try resetting VOIP from the Escape Menu in-game.
• If VOIP is causing consistent issues, players can disable it entirely in their game settings.

Save Corruption

Save corruption can occur if the server is force-killed without a clean shutdown, if the server crashes during a save operation, or in rare cases due to software bugs.

Symptoms of Corruption

• Server crashes when loading a specific world.
• Missing structures, items, or player progress after a restart.
• Consistent crashes when players enter specific areas of the map.
• Error messages referencing save data or world files in the console logs.

Recovery Options

1. Restore from backup: If you have a backup of the world save directory, stop the server, replace the corrupted world folder with the backup copy, and start the server. See the Server Setup Guide for backup instructions.
2. Start a new world: If no backup is available, you can rename the corrupted world folder and start the server to generate a new world. The old save data is preserved in the renamed folder in case a future update or tool can recover it.

Preventing Corruption

• Always use clean shutdowns. Use the Stop button in GPanel instead of Kill unless the server is completely unresponsive. The Stop command triggers a clean save before shutting down.
• Make regular backups. Download copies of your world save folder regularly via SFTP or the GPanel Files tab.
• Avoid editing save files manually. Do not modify save data files directly unless you know exactly what you are doing. Only edit configuration files like SandboxSettings.ini.

Version Mismatch

Abiotic Factor requires the client (game) and server to be running the same version. If there is a mismatch, players will be unable to connect.

Symptoms

• Players see a "version mismatch" or "incompatible version" error when attempting to join.
• The server appears in the browser but players cannot connect.
• Players who were previously able to connect are suddenly unable to after updating their game.

Fixing Version Mismatch

1. Update the server: Restart the server from GPanel. The server automatically checks for and applies updates from Steam on each start. If the server was already running when an update was released, it needs to be restarted to download the new version.
2. Update the client: Make sure all players have updated their game through Steam. Right-click Abiotic Factor in the Steam library, go to Properties > Updates, and ensure automatic updates are enabled.
3. Force a reinstall: If restarting the server does not update it, go to GPanel Settings and use the Reinstall Server option. This forces a fresh download of all server files.

Opting into Beta Branches

If you are running a beta or experimental branch of Abiotic Factor on the server, all connecting players must also opt into the same branch in Steam:

1. Right-click Abiotic Factor in Steam library.
2. Go to Properties > Betas.
3. Select the same branch the server is running (e.g., experimental or staging).
4. Wait for the game to update to the beta version.

Performance Optimization Tips

If your server is running but experiencing poor performance, try these optimizations:

• Schedule regular restarts: Restart the server once per day (or at minimum every 2-3 days) to clear accumulated memory usage and apply any pending updates.
• Reduce enemy spawn rates: Set EnemySpawnRate to 0.5 or 0.75 in SandboxSettings.ini if the server is struggling with entity counts.
• Clean up the world: Remove unused structures, deployables, and dropped items. Large numbers of world objects increase server processing load.
• Limit player count: If performance degrades with more players, reduce MAX_PLAYERS to a number the server can comfortably handle.
• Monitor the console: Watch for recurring warning messages in the GPanel console. Repeated warnings about tick rate, memory, or entity limits indicate performance bottlenecks.

General Troubleshooting Steps

If none of the above sections address your specific issue, try these general steps:

1. Check the console and logs for any error messages. The most recent log file in AbioticFactor/Saved/Logs/ often contains the answer.
2. Restart the server. Many transient issues are resolved by a clean restart.
3. Reinstall the server from GPanel Settings if the issue appeared after an update or if files may be corrupted.
4. Verify game files on the client side via Steam if the issue is player-specific.
5. Check the Abiotic Factor Steam Community for known issues and developer announcements about bugs or patches.

Related Articles

• Abiotic Factor Server Setup Guide
• How to Find Your Server IP and Port
• How to Upload Files via SFTP
• Getting Started with Your New Server

Need Help?

If you are still experiencing issues with your Abiotic Factor server after trying the steps above, please open a support ticket and our team will be happy to assist you.