Abiotic Factor: How to Edit Server Configuration

Abiotic Factor's Sandbox Settings let you customize difficulty, world rules, enemy behavior, and player mechanics for your server. This guide covers how to find and edit your server's settings file, plus a full reference for what each setting does.

⚠️ Important Warning: Always make sure your server is completely stopped on your MintServers panel before editing configuration files. If you edit the file while the server is running, your changes may be overwritten when it shuts down!

Finding And Editing SandboxSettings.ini

Sandbox Settings are stored in a file inside your active world's save folder, not in a single server-wide settings file. Each world you create will have its own SandboxSettings.ini.

Log into your MintServers panel and click the Stop button to safely shut down your server.
Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
Browse to your world's save folder using the path below. Your world's folder name will match whatever you named your save when you created it:

    📁 AbioticFactor
            📁 Saved
                    📁 SaveGames
                            📁 Server
                                    📁 Worlds
                                            📁 (your world's save name)
                                                    📄 SandboxSettings.ini (Click to edit this file)

If SandboxSettings.ini does not already exist in that folder, create a new file and name it exactly SandboxSettings.ini.
Open the file in the text editor and make sure the very first line reads [SandboxSettings]. The file will not work without this header.
Add or edit settings below the header, one per line, using the format SettingName=Value. See the reference table below for the full list of options.
Click the Save Content button at the top right of the file editor.
Navigate back to the Console tab and click Start.

💡 Pro Tip: If your changes don't seem to take effect right away, try fully restarting the server rather than just reloading the world. Some Sandbox Settings are only read on startup.

Start Your Abiotic Factor ServerUnlimited RAM · Unlimited slots · From $9.99/month

Start My Server

Sandbox Settings Reference

Below is the full list of settings you can add to your SandboxSettings.ini file, grouped by category. Values shown are the game's defaults.

World Difficulty

Setting (Default)	What It Does
`GameDifficulty=1`	Overall difficulty: 1 = Normal, 2 = Hard, 3 = Apocalyptic. Higher values increase enemy presence, aggression, and reaction speed for everyone on the server.
`HardcoreMode=False`	Gives characters a single life and forces Apocalyptic difficulty. Dead scientists can spectate or quit; admins can choose to revive them.

World

Setting (Default)	What It Does
`LootRespawnEnabled=False`	Makes resources respawn around the facility over time. Good for public servers, but can unbalance resource gathering and cause item overlap.
`PowerSocketsOffAtNight=True`	Cuts power (including sockets) at night by default. Setting to False makes the game easier by removing the need for battery backups.
`DayNightCycleState=0`	0 = Normal cycle, 1 = Always Day, 2 = Always Night. Clock time still passes even if the visual transition is disabled.
`DayNightCycleSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	Speeds up or slows down clock time (range 0.1–3). Does not affect cooldowns or respawn timers.
`WeatherFrequency=3`	How often weather events can trigger: 1 = Never, 2 = Infrequent, 3 = Normal, 4 = Frequent, 5 = Daily.
`SinkRefillRate=1.0`	Controls how fast sinks refill with drinkable water (range 0–10). Set to 0 to disable sink refill entirely.
`FoodSpoilSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	Controls how quickly food spoils (range 0–2).
`RefrigerationEffectivenessMultiplier=1.0`	Controls how effective refrigeration is at slowing spoilage and preserving item temperature (range 0–2).
`StorageByTag=True`	When True, containers like refrigerators only accept matching item types. Set to False to remove that restriction.
`StructuralSupportLimit=5`	How much furniture/deployables can stack before hitting a support limit. Set to 0 to remove the limit (values much higher than 5 may cause issues).
`BridgeSupports=2`	How many supports a bridge needs: 0 = none required, 1 = one, 2 = two.
`HomeWorlds=True`	Allows access to Home World portal worlds (including DLC Home Worlds) for all scientists. Set to False to block access.
`TaintedSinkWater=False`	If True, water sources that would normally be clean are tainted instead, increasing difficulty.
`RadiationDealsDamage=False`	If True, radiation actively damages health, significantly increasing difficulty.

Enemy

Setting (Default)	What It Does
`EnemySpawnRate=1.0`	Controls how often enemies respawn (range 0.5–3). Lower values increase respawn timers.
`EnemyHealthMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies enemy health (range 0.75–3).
`EnemyPlayerDamageMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies how much damage enemies deal to players (range 0.25–3).
`EnemyDeployableDamageMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies how much damage enemies deal to deployables like base defenses (range 0.1–5).
`DetectionSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	Controls how quickly enemies detect players (range 0.1–3).
`EnemyAccuracy=2`	Average enemy accuracy: 0 = Pathetic, 1 = Low, 2 = Default, 3 = High, 4 = Precise.
`ApocalypticAbilities=False`	Lets enemies use their Apocalyptic-difficulty abilities even if that difficulty isn't active.
`MaximizeEnemySpawns=False`	Enables all enemy spawn points regardless of difficulty or player count.

Player

Setting (Default)	What It Does
`DamageToAlliesMultiplier=0.5`	Friendly fire multiplier (range 0–3). Set to 1.0 or higher to allow full player vs. player damage.
`HungerSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	How fast Hunger builds up (range 0–2).
`ThirstSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	How fast Thirst builds up (range 0–2).
`FatigueSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	How fast Fatigue builds up (range 0–2).
`ContinenceSpeedMultiplier=1.0`	How fast Continence drains, i.e. how often players need the toilet (range 0–2).
`BonusPerkPoints=0`	Extra perk points on top of what each Job grants. Negative values deduct points (range -20 to 50).
`PlayerXPGainMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies skill XP gain (range 0–3). Set to 0 to disable skill leveling entirely.
`ItemStackSizeMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies max stack size for stackable items (range 1–30).
`ItemWeightMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies inventory item weight (range 0–5).
`ItemDurabilityMultiplier=1.0`	Multiplies item durability (range 0.1–10).
`DurabilityLossOnDeathMultiplier=0.1`	How much durability equipped items lose on respawn (range 0–1).
`ShowDeathMessages=True`	Shows a message to everyone when a player dies.
`AllowRecipeSharing=True`	Lets players share unlocked recipes with each other.
`AllowPagers=True`	Lets players use Pagers to help locate each other.
`AllowTransmog=True`	Lets players change the appearance of their armor to look like other unlocked pieces.
`DisableResearchMinigame=False`	If True, skips the Research Minigame and unlocks recipes immediately.
`DeathPenalties=1`	What players lose on death: 0 = Keep All Items, 1 = Keep Equipped & Hotbar, 2 = Keep Hotbar Only, 3 = Keep Equipped Only, 4 = Lose Everything Including Hotbar, 5 = All Items Destroyed.
`FirstTimeStartingWeapon=0`	Starting weapon on a player's first spawn: 0 = None, 1 = Shiv, 2 = Desk Leg, 3 = Kitchen Knife, 4 = Starter Baton, 5 = Pipe Club, 6 = Random.
`HostAccessPlayerCorpses=True`	Lets the host access items in Death Bags dropped by other players.
`AllowCharacterReset=True`	Lets players reset their Job, Skills, and Traits later in the game.
`BaseInventorySize=12`	Default inventory size with no backpack equipped (range 0–42).
`PlayerFurnitureDestruction=False`	If True, player-built furniture is destroyed at zero durability instead of packaging up for rebuilding.
`AllowIronMode=True`	Requires Hardcore Mode. Unlocks the Iron Mode starting job for an even harder run (fewer perks, no health regen, no shared recipes).

Main

Setting (Default)	What It Does
`InvisibleRadiation=False`	If True, radiation shows no screen effect, so players must use Geiger Counters to detect it.

Other Server Settings

Your server's name, password, and player slots are managed separately from Sandbox Settings, directly through your MintServers panel rather than by editing a file. See our guide on Abiotic Factor server administration for details.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Config Issues

Settings not applying: Make sure the file starts with the [SandboxSettings] header on its own line, with no typos in the setting names.
Can't find the file: Each world has its own SandboxSettings.ini. Make sure you are looking inside the correct world's folder under Worlds, not the top-level Server folder.
Changes reverted after restart: This usually means the server wasn't fully stopped before editing. Always stop the server first, edit, then start it again.
Values seem ignored: Double check your value is within the allowed range for that setting. Out-of-range values may be ignored or reset to default.

Once your settings are saved and your server has restarted, your changes will be live for everyone on the server. If you run into any trouble getting your Sandbox Settings configured correctly, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly help you out.