Below are some potential issues a Scientist may encounter, the solutions to them, as well as some troubleshooting methods.

If the suggested solution nor the any of the General Troubleshooting Methods resolve the problem, please submit a bug report to us via the Issue Reporter Form[form.jotform.com].

We will occasionally update or add new information as needed.

---

Solution: This is a false positive - the game is safe, it's just a quirk of Unreal Engine games from time to time. To fix this you may need to validate your Steam files, reinstall the game, or both. Be sure to whitelist ABF prior to attempting to launch the game again.

Solution:

1. Right click on Abiotic Factor in your Steam library
   
2. Hover over 'Manage', then click 'Browse local files'
   
3. Follow this file path: AbioticFactor -> Content -> Movies
   
4. Delete the 'ABF_SplashScreens.mp4' file
   
5. Run Abiotic Factor to see if that fixes it

NOTE: If this does not solve the issue, verify your game files to restore the video file

We're investigating why some scientists are running into a launch problem regarding Visual C++ Runtime, but one workaround that seems to work for people in the meantime is this:
Solution:

1. Go to your Control Panel in Windows
   
2. Go to Uninstall (Programs and Features)
   
3. Locate "Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x64)"
   
4. Click "Repair" and let it do its thing.
   
5. Locate "Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x86)
   
6. Click "Repair" and let it do its thing.

Solution A:

1. Ensure that your computer meets the minimum recommended system requirements (which can be found on Abiotic Factor’s Steam store page).
   
2. If your computer meets the minimum recommended system requirements, choose the Play Abiotic Factor (DX11 for Lower-End PCs) Launch Option when starting the game.
   
3. Try the General Troubleshooting Methods listed at the bottom of this post.

Solution B:

• If you have any third-party mods installed (such as those found at NexusMods) please make sure you uninstall them and see if the game launches properly.
  
• You may want to clear your files and reinstall the game, as we do not know what methods were used to install these mods as we don't currently have official means of supporting mods.

Solution:

1. Open Steam Settings
   
2. Click 'In Game'
   
3. Scroll down to the 'More' section
   
4. Set the 'Server browser pings/minute' to 'Automatic (5000)'
   
5. Try again to host or join a game
   
6. If you still can't, lower this value

We're aware there is an issue where some scientists are having trouble joining servers and receiving a kick message on join. We believe this is caused by a large influx of network traffic when joining and we're investigating a fix for this issue.
In the meantime, to work around this, we recommend trying the following:

• Reset VOIP in the Escape Menu when possible / make sure players are not using VOIP as someone joins
  
• Have the host leave the current area or area where the joining player is spawning in (travel to a different sector or less "busy" area)
  
• Have someone else host the world save
  
• Have the host start a new world save, join that, and then exit and start your previous save and try joining then

There are potentially several other workarounds but these have worked for some people. Thanks for your patience while we investigate this issue.

Solution A:

1. Right-click Abiotic Factor in your Steam library, and click on 'Properties'
   
2. In the text field under 'Launch Options', add -disablegameanalytics
   
3. Close the 'Properties' window and launch Abiotic Factor

Solution B:

1. Open your File Explorer
   
2. Type %localappdata%/AbioticFactor/Saved/ in the address bar and press Enter
   
3. You should see a file named 'ga_log.txt.' If you do not, follow the steps below under 'How To Show Hidden Files', then continue with one or both of the following Options.
   
4. (Option 1) Right-click on the file named 'ga_log.txt' and select 'Properties'. At the bottom of the window that appeared under 'Attributes', uncheck the 'Hidden' checkbox. Click 'Apply', then 'OK'.
   
5. (Option 2) If Option 1 did not work, delete the file named 'ga_log.txt' instead.

How To Show Hidden Files:

1. Open your Start menu
   
2. Type 'File Explorer Options', then click on the system app
   
3. Under the 'View' tab in the 'Advanced settings' section, locate the text that says 'Show hidden files, folders, and drives'. This can be found under 'Files and Folders' -> 'Hidden files and folders'.
   
4. Click the circle next to the 'Show hidden files, folders, and drives' text to select the setting
   
5. Click 'Apply', then 'OK'.

Solution C:

1. Open your Start menu
   
2. Type 'Windows Security' and click on the system app
   
3. Click on 'Virus & threat protection'
   
4. Click 'Manage settings'
   
5. Scroll down to 'Exclusions'
   
6. Click 'Add or remove exclusions'
   
7. Click 'Add an exclusion'
   
8. Select 'Folder'
   
9. Type in %localappdata%/AbioticFactor into the address bar and press Enter
   
10. With the AbioticFactor folder in the 'Folder' field, click 'Select Folder'

Solution D:

1. Open your Start menu
   
2. Type 'Windows Security' and click on the system app
   
3. Click on 'Virus & threat protection'
   
4. Click 'Manage settings'
   
5. Scroll down to 'Controlled folder access'
   
6. Click 'Manage Controlled folder access'
   
7. Toggle the 'Controlled folder access' to On (if not already)
   
8. Click 'Allow an app through Controlled folder access'
   
9. Click 'Add an allowed app', then 'Browse all apps'
   
10. Find the AbioticFactor.exe through Program Files -> Steam -> steamapps -> common -> AbioticFactor
    
11. Select AbioticFactor.exe, then click 'Open'

---

• Verify integrity of game files (guide here)
  
• Ensure your GPU drivers are up to date
  
• Choose the Play Abiotic Factor (DX11 for Lower-End PCs) Launch Option when starting the game
  
• Lower your graphic settings
  
• Installing the game on an SSD (if you have one)
  
• Restarting your computer
  
• Restarting Steam