Abiotic Factor News

Playtest 2 Has Ended

[h2]Greetings, esteemed colleagues![/h2]

We want to thank everyone who helped to make our first public playtest a huge success! Over 60,000 scientists gave it their all! Thank you for playing the alpha playtest of Abiotic Factor. We saw a lot of awesome bases and followed tons of streamers on their adventures through the GATE Cascade Research Facility.

[h2]We Want Your Feedback![/h2]

If you have not yet left playtest feedback you can do so by filling out this form:
Playtester Feedback Form

Also check out this form to help us improve accessibility options in the game:
Accessibility Feedback Form

The forms will be open until January 7th PST.

[h2]Couldn't Make It?[/h2]

If you missed the playtest (or didn't get enough) - don't fret. There will be more opportunities to get your hands on the game before the launch.

[h2]Stay Up To Date With Our Newsletter![/h2]

Subscribe to our Newsletter to be the first to hear about future playtest dates!

[h2]Join the Discord![/h2]

[h3]Get ready for some serious science in 2024![/h3]

Playtest Closing Soon!

Greetings, scientists!

As of this posting there are 48 hours left to go in this playtest! As of January 1st, 12:00 PM PST the playtest app will no longer be available to launch so make sure you get in all the inventing and exploring you want to before it goes offline!

Be sure to check this time zone breakdown below to know when exactly things will be shut down in your area:

PDT: Monday, 1 Jan. @ 12:00 PM
MST: Monday, 1 Jan. @ 1:00 PM
CST: Monday, 1 Jan. @ 2:00 PM
EST: Monday, 1 Jan. @ 3:00 PM
GMT: Monday 1 Jan. @ 8:00 PM
NZDT: Tuesday, 2 Jan. @ 9:00 AM

Thank you so much for checking out the playtest, providing bug reports, gameplay suggestions and helping us make Abiotic Factor the best it can be!

Remember to also wishlist the game and follow us on twitter and youtube!

Half-Life reimagined as a new multiplayer survival game, playable now

Black Mesa is a dangerous place. Collapsing walkways, exploding pipes, laser beams burning through the walls. And that's not to mention the headcrabs, barnacles, and special forces soldiers all trying to chew you up and spit you out. Gordon Freeman is protected by the good old HEV suit, but what about the unfortunate science team? We've all seen them, dangling off ladders and getting caught by the HECU satchel charges. The Half-Life scientists remain some of the most iconic NPCs in all of PC gaming. Now, a new multiplayer survival game essentially casts you as the Black Mesa research team, trapped underground, caught between invading aliens and hostile military clean-up crews. With shades of The Forest and Lethal Company, it's available to play on Steam right now.

Read the rest of the story...

I urge you to playtest Abiotic Factor, a survival game about scientists trapped in a vast underground black site

So you're a scientist who works in one of those science-fictional giant underground research facilities—your Black Mesa, SCP Foundation, The Loop, what have you—and the day arrives where the big science catastrophe goes down and everyone's dying left and right and there's a horrible cascade of alternate dimensions and weird aliens pouring in. That's the setup for Abiotic Factor, an upcoming solo to six-player survival game that you can playtest for free, right now, via Steam...
Read more.

Guide for Abiotic Factor Playtest #2

Greetings esteemed colleagues! We are so excited for you to play Abiotic Factor!
This guide contains everything you need to know about the playtest whether you're new or returning. Let's delve in, shall we?

Below you will find some helpful information, such as:

Playtest dates and times
How to access the playtest
What's in the playtest
How to report a bug or crash
Where to submit feedback
Where to find our FAQ
A few new player tips
Changes since the last Playtest

[h2]How Long is the Playtest?[/h2]

The playtest is open from the 12th of December 12:00 PM PST to the 1st of January 12:00 PM PST.

Here is a time zone breakdown:

PST: Tuesday, 12 December at 12:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 12:00 PM
MST: Tuesday, 12 December at 1:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 1:00 PM
CST: Tuesday, 12 December at 2:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 2:00 PM
EST: Tuesday, 12 December at 3:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 3:00 PM
GST: Tuesday, 12 December at 8:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 8:00 PM
NZDT: Wednesday, 13 December at 9:00 AM through Tuesday, 2nd January at 9:00 AM

[h2]How to Launch the Playtest[/h2]

To begin your work in the GATE Cascade Research Facility, you’ll need to request access by clicking the ‘Request Access’ button on the Abiotic Factor Steam store page.

Once access is granted you’ll see Abiotic Factor in your Steam library. Select 'Abiotic Factor Playtest', download it, and you’re good to go!

[h2]What's Included in the Playtest[/h2]

This playtest opens up an early section of the GATE Cascade Research Facility for exploration and gameplay, as well as the Tutorial. We've given you just a taste of the depths that you will be able to explore upon release!

Abiotic Factor is a large, open world game and this is just a small section of it, but contains a huge range of key gameplay and functionality, as well as a lot of new features, polish and improvements for anyone who may have participated in previous playtests. We’re super excited for you to jump in!

For those who want to 100% the playtest (so to speak) you can keep playing and making discoveries and unlocking more recipes/skills even after you complete the last available objective for this test.

[h2]How to Report Bugs, Crashes and Give Suggestions[/h2]

We want to hear from you! Listed below are different guides and master threads dedicated to anything you’d like to ask or share with us.

[h2]Can I Stream it or Make Videos?[/h2]

Yes, go right ahead!

[h2]New Player Tips[/h2]

As a scientist arriving at the Gate Cascade Research Facility just as a mysterious catastrophe unfolds, you’re trapped far underground with no hope of rescue. Find ways to survive, explore, unlock and - eventually - escape your increasingly lethal workplace with your team.

Pager!
Your pager can be accessed in the emote radial wheel. A nifty device which lets you briefly ping your location to your fellow scientists in the case that you become lost in the cubicles.

Holster your items!

You can holster your weapon and shield by pressing H on keyboard.

Control rebinds!

Keyboards, mice and controllers can all be rebound in the settings menu at any time.

[h2]Changes since the last Playtest[/h2]

For our returning testers, we’ve got quite a few new things in store for you! We'll list a few of them below, but the rest are for you to discover!

Proximity chat! That’s right we heard your pleas and it is here! Your distant screams will be music to your teammates ears.
By popular demand you can now boil tainted water to produce clean water! You’ll lose a bit to the steam but it could be an essential task when you’re in a pinch.
Many traits have had bug fixes or were not fully functional. You may notice a larger impact from Traits this time around.
We've added Summer Intern, for people who want a blank slate job - no extra skills!

[h2]Join Our Discord[/h2]

To chat with fellow playtesters, find servers full of new friends, make jokes, share videos or screenshots, and everything else - join our Discord!