How to Install Space Exploration 0.7 on a Factorio 2.0 Server

For a new Space Exploration server, run Factorio 2.0 with the Space Exploration 0.7.x branch, install the mod and its required dependencies on the server, create a save, start it with --start-server, and make UDP port 34197 reachable. Every player must use the same Factorio build and exactly the same mod versions. The steps below cover an in-game installation, a manual headless installation, save migration from 0.6, networking, synchronization, and recovery from the errors that most often prevent a connection.

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Use the correct Factorio and Space Exploration versions

Version selection is the first decision because Space Exploration saves are tied to the Factorio branch they were created on. The current Space Exploration project guidance targets the 0.7.x series to Factorio 2.0. Space Exploration 0.6.x and earlier target Factorio versions below 2.0.

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Do not mix a 0.6 mod set with Factorio 2.0, or a 0.7 mod set with a pre-2.0 server. If the server and a player’s game disagree, Factorio can report a mod or game-version mismatch before the player enters the map.

Install Factorio on the server machine

Choose a normal or headless installation

A graphical installation is useful when the same computer will create maps and administer the game. A dedicated server normally uses Factorio’s headless executable, which has no graphics, starts directly into the supplied save, autosaves, and pauses while nobody is connected unless you disable that behavior with no-auto-pause.

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Steam installs Factorio through the Steam client. A purchase from factorio.com can be downloaded from the official Factorio site. The official installation documentation also covers stable, experimental, and archived versions. Select the branch that matches the Space Exploration release you intend to run before installing mods; changing the game branch later can invalidate the server’s mod set or save.

Record the exact build

Write down the Factorio version shown by the server and by each client. “Factorio 2.0” is the required major branch for Space Exploration 0.7.x, but all players still need the same exact game version, not merely the same major number. The server’s startup log and the game’s main menu identify the installed build.

Install Space Exploration and its dependencies

Preferred method: the in-game Mods section

The in-game Mod Portal is the least error-prone method because Factorio downloads, installs, updates, and enables the selected mod. Perform this on the machine that will run the server, and repeat the process on a client only if that client will not accept multiplayer synchronization.

1. Start Factorio and open Mods from the main menu.
2. Open the Mod Portal and search for Space Exploration.
3. Select the release from the 0.7.x branch that is compatible with your Factorio 2.0 build.
4. Choose Install. When Factorio lists required dependencies, allow all of them to download.
5. Return to the installed-mod list and confirm that Space Exploration and every required dependency are enabled.
6. Restart Factorio if the game requests a restart before creating or loading a save.

Installing through the Mod Portal also reduces the chance of missing a library or selecting a dependency version from the wrong Factorio branch. Space Exploration’s project page describes the overhaul as challenging and very long, and recommends starting with its official or recommended mod set plus only the quality-of-life additions you genuinely need.

Manual method: copy ZIP files into the user-data mods directory

Manual installation is useful on a headless machine that has no graphical session or on a server whose files are managed separately. Download the Space Exploration archive and each required dependency from the Factorio Mod Portal using versions compatible with Factorio 2.0 and Space Exploration 0.7.x.

1. Locate the Factorio user-data directory on the server. Its mods subdirectory is the destination for mod archives.
2. Copy every required mod archive into that mods directory.
3. Keep each archive as a ZIP file. Do not unzip the files and do not place an extra directory layer around them.
4. Start Factorio and open the Mods list to verify that Space Exploration and all dependencies are detected.
5. Enable the complete set and restart if Factorio asks you to do so.

The server and clients may have the archives stored in different physical directories, but the enabled mod names, versions, and checksums must match. If a dependency error appears, compare the server’s mods directory with the list shown in the in-game Mod Portal rather than adding unrelated libraries at random.

Create a save for a dedicated server

A dedicated server cannot start a new map implicitly from --start-server; it needs a save file first. From the Factorio installation directory, create one with:

./bin/x64/factorio --create ./saves/space-exploration.zip

This command creates a save at ./saves/space-exploration.zip. The filename is only an example, but the path you use later must point to the same file. Create the save after the Space Exploration mod set is installed and enabled so the map is initialized with the intended mods.

Use custom map generation or map settings when needed

If your group has prepared map-generation or map-settings JSON files, pass them during map creation using Factorio’s documented command-line options. Keep those JSON files with the server configuration so a later administrator can reproduce the setup. A save created without custom JSON can still be used; the files are optional, not a Space Exploration dependency.

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Back up before experimentation

Space Exploration is an experimental, long-form overhaul. Its project page currently describes 29 science packs, an average completion time of about 500 hours, more than 50 hours to reach space, and over 600 places to visit. Make a copy of the newly created ZIP and establish a routine for copying later autosaves before changing the mod list. A mod change that is harmless in a short test can make a long-running save unusable.

Start the headless server

Once the save exists, launch it with:

./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/space-exploration.zip

The process loads the supplied save and listens for multiplayer connections. Keep the terminal or service log available during the first launch; dependency, permission, port, and save-path errors are easiest to diagnose from the startup output.

Apply server settings

You can supply a server-settings JSON file with the --server-settings option:

./bin/x64/factorio --start-server ./saves/space-exploration.zip --server-settings ./data/server-settings.json

Use the settings file for the server name, visibility, password, administrative options, and other documented server controls. Keep the path correct for the directory from which you launch Factorio; a relative path that works in a terminal may fail when the same command is run by a service manager with a different working directory.

Understand headless behavior

• No graphics: the dedicated process does not open the normal game window.
• Direct save loading: --start-server opens the save named on the command line.
• Autosaves: Factorio writes autosaves according to the server configuration.
• Pause while empty: the server pauses with no connected players unless you enable no-auto-pause.

If the server appears to launch and then exits immediately, first verify that the save path exists and that the account running Factorio can read the save, the mods directory, and the data directory. The --start-server option requires a save path; it is not a map-creation command.

Open the network path: UDP 34197

Factorio uses UDP for its multiplayer traffic and defaults to port 34197. Players outside the server’s local network need that UDP port forwarded from the router to the server’s local IP address and permitted through the host firewall.

1. Give the server a stable local address, either with a static configuration or a DHCP reservation.
2. Create a router port-forwarding rule for UDP 34197 to that address.
3. Add an inbound firewall rule allowing UDP 34197 on the server machine.
4. Check the server settings and launch arguments for a changed port. If you changed the port, forward and permit that value instead of 34197.
5. Have a player connect using the server’s public address and the configured port, while a player on the same LAN tests the local address separately.

A successful local connection with a failed remote connection usually points to forwarding, firewall, carrier-grade NAT, or an incorrect public address rather than a mod installation problem. A failed local connection indicates that the server process, local firewall, save, or configured port needs attention first.

Make every client match the server

Factorio multiplayer requires an exact match for the game version and the complete mod set. That includes Space Exploration, every dependency, and any optional mod enabled on the server. “The same mod” is not sufficient when the archive versions differ.

Use multiplayer mod synchronization

1. Start Factorio on the client with the same Factorio build as the server.
2. Join the server from the multiplayer browser or by entering its address and port.
3. When Factorio offers multiplayer mod synchronization, accept it.
4. Allow the game to download and enable the exact server versions.
5. Restart the client if prompted, then join again.

Synchronization is the preferred way to make a new player’s mod directory match the server. It does not remove the need for the server itself to have a complete, valid mod set; the server must load Space Exploration and its dependencies before clients can download the matching set.

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When synchronization is unavailable or fails

Compare the server’s enabled-mod list with the client’s list. Remove stale copies of Space Exploration or dependencies, reinstall the versions required by the server, and restart Factorio. Do not “fix” a mismatch by disabling a dependency on only one side. Both sides must end with the same versions and checksums.

Keep the first mod list conservative

Space Exploration’s project guidance warns that compatibility with other mods is low and characterizes the overhaul as experimental. For a first server, use Space Exploration’s official or recommended dependencies and add only quality-of-life mods the group cannot do without. Every additional overhaul increases the number of interactions that can break a save or produce a startup error.

• Test a proposed addition on a copy of the save.
• Record the exact mod name and version before enabling it on the live server.
• Have all players leave the server before changing the mod set.
• Back up the save before adding, removing, or downgrading a mod.
• Keep the previous working mod archives so you can roll back.

Migrating a Space Exploration 0.6 save

A 0.6 save should not be opened directly by a Factorio 2.0 server running 0.7.x. The supported sequence described by the project is a two-stage migration:

1. Install Factorio 1.1 and the final 0.6.x Space Exploration release that supports that branch.
2. Load the save with the complete 0.6.x mod set.
3. Allow the migration to finish, then save the game under a new filename.
4. Make a separate backup of that resaved file.
5. Switch the server to Factorio 2.0 and the latest compatible Space Exploration 0.7.x branch.
6. Install the 0.7.x dependencies, then test the migrated copy before replacing the production save.

Keep the original 0.6 save untouched. If the migrated copy fails, you can return to the original 1.1 environment instead of trying to reverse an in-place conversion.

Troubleshoot the common installation failures

“Missing dependency” or dependency startup errors

• Install Space Exploration through the in-game Mod Portal and let Factorio fetch required dependencies.
• For a manual install, verify that every required ZIP is in the server’s user-data mods directory.
• Confirm that archives were not unzipped and that their versions belong to the same Factorio 2.0/Space Exploration 0.7.x branch.
• Restart Factorio after enabling the complete set.

Clients receive a mod mismatch

• Confirm the exact Factorio build on the server and client.
• Accept multiplayer mod synchronization.
• Compare every enabled mod and version, not just Space Exploration.
• Remove obsolete archives that can cause the client to select an older copy.

Players cannot connect

• Confirm the server process is still running and loaded the intended save.
• Check UDP 34197 in the router and host firewall, or check the replacement port if you changed it.
• Test from the LAN before testing from the internet.
• Verify that players are using the server’s current public address and port.

The server will not start

• Run the save-creation command first if no save exists.
• Check the spelling and relative location of ./saves/space-exploration.zip.
• Run the command from the Factorio installation directory or replace relative paths with correct absolute paths.
• Inspect the log for a missing dependency, a damaged archive, or a permission error.

A new mod breaks the save

Stop the server, restore the most recent working save and mod archives, and remove nonessential overhaul mods. Space Exploration’s stated compatibility is low, so return to its recommended set before attempting another addition. Never overwrite your only backup while testing a replacement mod list.

Self-hosted server or managed hosting?

Both approaches can run Space Exploration, but they move different responsibilities to you. Self-hosting gives direct control over the Factorio branch, mod archives, save files, and launch arguments. It also leaves networking, firewall rules, backups, process restarts, and monitoring to the administrator.

Choose self-hosting when you want complete file and version control and are comfortable maintaining the network path. Choose managed hosting when persistent availability and simpler restarts matter more than direct control. In either case, verify Space Exploration 0.7.x support, Factorio 2.0 compatibility, downloadable backups, and the ability to change the mod set before moving an established save.

First-launch checklist

• Factorio is on the exact 2.0 build selected for the server.
• Space Exploration is on the compatible 0.7.x release.
• All required dependencies are installed, enabled, and present on the server.
• A save was created with --create after the mod set was installed.
• The server starts that save with --start-server.
• The configured UDP port, default 34197, is allowed through the firewall and forwarded when remote players need access.
• Every player uses the exact game and mod versions, preferably through multiplayer synchronization.
• A backup exists before the group begins the long campaign or changes the mod list.

What to expect from the campaign

Space Exploration is not a short add-on that can be evaluated in one evening. The project page describes it as a challenging, very long overhaul, with a current statement of roughly 500 hours for average completion, more than 50 hours before reaching space, 29 science packs, and over 600 places to visit. Those figures are project-page statements rather than a guarantee for every play style or mod combination. They are useful when deciding whether to invest in disciplined backups, conservative mod selection, and a server that can remain available for a long campaign.

Once the version, dependency, save, and network checks pass, the installation is complete: the server owns the authoritative save and mod set, while each client joins with an exact synchronized copy of the required environment.

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