Before you start
This guide uses Tavern's current Windows dedicated-server route. Modded worlds and platform combinations still need their own compatibility and friend-connect checks.
Match game and server versions, choose whether this is a fresh world, and preserve any existing save before transfer. The developer's server documentation separates launch parameters from per-world sandbox settings; keep those roles distinct.
Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC. Keep it on, awake, and connected while friends play, with enough memory left for Windows and your own game.
New to Tavern? Apply for the alpha. If you already have a server, keep a separate backup before linking or importing it.
Set up with Tavern
Choose the server and world names
Choose Abiotic Factor and Install a new server. Set the visible server name and world-save name carefully. Tavern uses the world identity to select the save, so changing it later can select another world.
Set access and a player limit
Review the player limit and separate administrator/player passwords. Start with a small group while checking the machine's capacity. Share only the player password with ordinary members of your team.
Review the sandbox
Review the exposed difficulty, hardcore, loot, power, and day/night controls in setup or Game Config. Keep a fresh world's rules simple for the first join test, then change them deliberately with a backup available.
Finish the review and choose Create server. When setup is complete, start it and follow any instructions Tavern shows. Join yourself, then ask a friend to try the connection your group will use.
Bring your friends
Find the exact server name
In Abiotic Factor, choose Join a Server and search the exact server name. Follow the current in-game flow and developer guidance if the game also offers a join-code route; this Tavern guide uses the declared LAN/direct path.
Check both connection ports
Tavern uses separate UDP ports for gameplay and server discovery, usually 7777 and 27015. Follow the values and network checklist shown for your server. This setup offers local or direct internet joining.
Changing local ports
For custom ports, stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. Edit its local ports, save, update any router or tunnel mappings, then start the server and use the updated address. Tavern keeps game-required adjacent ports together and checks for conflicts. These controls require a Tavern build with the Ports section.
Share the connection details from the right server in Tavern. For friends outside your home, test with someone on another network; joining from the host PC alone is not enough.
Make it your world
Server settings and world rules
Set the server name and passwords in Tavern. Sandbox choices apply to the selected world. Use Settings > Game Config to review them before restarting.
Changes deserve a review
Hardcore and difficulty choices change your group's experience. Explain the change to the group, preserve the current world, and follow Tavern's stop/restart instructions when applying it.
Protect your progress
An Abiotic Factor world contains more than a world name. Keep the complete stopped world folder, including WorldSave.sav and associated player/settings files, when reviewing an import. Use Tavern's world inspection and retain the source instead of copying an isolated file over the active save.
In Backups, choose Create backup for this server. Wait for Activity to report completion and check that the backup appears in the list. Do this before updates, imports, or major changes.
Restoring replaces the current world data, so keep a copy of your latest progress first. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for shutdown before turning the PC off.
If something gets stuck
Nobody can find the server
Check the exact visible name, installed versions, and game/query routes. Search only after the server has finished starting. A successful local startup does not establish outside-network reachability.
A different world starts
Review the world-save name and selected import before creating anything new. Stop the server and retain the old folder while checking the selected save.
Do I need to leave my game open?
The dedicated server runs separately from your game client. The host PC, server, and selected connection route need to remain available while friends play.
Sources & testing status
Checked against Tavern's app source and the publisher resources below. Game support is in beta; your installed alpha may differ. This review did not include a new gameplay, restore, or outside-network join test.
- Deep Field server documentation: quickstart
- Deep Field server documentation: launch parameters
- Deep Field server documentation: save migration
The game's documentation may include features Tavern does not yet offer. Use the options available in your version of the app.