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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTo change a Factorio headless server to a scenario, stop the server and start it again with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME. Put the scenario folder in the user data folder’s scenarios directory, or inside the named mod’s directory when using the MOD/NAME form. This option starts a fresh multiplayer game from the scenario; it does not resume an existing save.
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Docker deployments use the image’s scenario entrypoint instead. A scenario can also be converted into an ordinary save with /scenario2map.sh, after which the server is restarted with normal save-loading options.
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Factorio has separate command-line paths for starting from a scenario and continuing a saved game. The scenario command is:
--start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAMEIf you omit MOD/, Factorio searches the top-level scenarios directory in the user data folder. If you include a mod name, it searches for the scenario inside that mod. The name is the scenario directory name, not the name of a save file.
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To resume the most recently used save, use --start-server-load-latest instead. A save-oriented command cannot be used as a substitute for the scenario flag: one opens a map that already exists, while the other asks Factorio to create a multiplayer server from scenario scripts and assets.
Changing a scenario therefore requires a restart. Stop the running headless process cleanly, make the file changes, and launch a new process with the scenario option. There is no supported in-place switch that changes the scenario of a running server.
Before you restart: prepare the server
Stop the old process and preserve a rollback
Announce the maintenance window to players, stop the server using the normal method for your service or terminal session, and confirm that the process has exited. Keep a copy of the current save, server-settings file, map settings, and any scenario or mod files you are about to replace. A scenario start is a new game; a typo or missing dependency can leave you with a server that will not boot, so a rollback copy matters.
Confirm the scenario’s location and spelling
The directory must be under the Factorio user data folder’s scenarios directory unless the scenario belongs to a mod. Use the exact directory name in the command. On case-sensitive systems, capitalization matters. Do not point the flag at a compressed archive, a save file, or the scenario’s parent directory.
No universal absolute path for Linux and Windows is available. Factorio installations can use different user data locations depending on how the game was installed and how the service account was configured. Find the user data folder used by the same account that will run the headless process, then verify that its scenarios directory contains the scenario.
Check the version and required mods
Scenario behavior is tied to the Factorio version and to the mods that provide the scenario. Install the required mods for the server account, keep their versions compatible with the scenario, and make sure the server can read them before inviting players. If the scenario is supplied by a mod, use the [MOD/]NAME form and retain the mod’s directory structure.
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Start a scenario on Linux or Windows
1. Place the scenario
- Stop the server.
- Open the user data folder used by the headless server.
- Copy the scenario directory into
scenarios, or into the appropriate mod directory if it is mod-owned. - Record the directory name exactly; that is the value passed after
--start-server-load-scenario.
2. Build the launch command
A minimal launch has the scenario flag and the scenario name:
./factorio --start-server-load-scenario MyScenarioFor a scenario supplied by a mod, qualify the name:
./factorio --start-server-load-scenario MyMod/MyScenarioOn Windows, use the same Factorio option with the executable and path conventions used by your installation:
factorio.exe --start-server-load-scenario MyScenarioThe command starts a multiplayer server and loads the specified scenario. Keep the command in the service definition, batch file, or startup script that will be used after future reboots; otherwise a later restart may accidentally use a different mode.
3. Add server and map settings when needed
The scenario flag can be combined with the documented settings flags. A community scenario example uses this pattern:
./factorio --start-server-load-scenario FactorioScenarioMultiplayerSpawn --map-gen-settings your-map-gen-settings.json --map-settings your-map-settings.json --server-settings my-server-settings.json--server-settings controls multiplayer server behavior such as the configured name, visibility, and other server rules. --map-gen-settings supplies map-generation configuration, while --map-settings supplies simulation settings. Use files that are readable by the account running Factorio and check that their JSON is valid.
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Do not add --start-server <savefile> to a scenario command merely because an older recipe shows both options. A 0.14.8 bug report described a combination in which a specified save loaded but the scenario was not loaded into the server. That report is version-specific and old, but it is a reason to use one clear startup mode and to verify behavior on your installed version.
4. Verify the first boot
- Start the command in the foreground for the first test so startup errors remain visible.
- Read the log until Factorio reports that the server is ready.
- Connect with a test client and confirm the scenario’s expected starting state, objectives, and map.
- Only after the test succeeds, return the command to your normal service manager or detached session.
If the server starts an ordinary map instead of the scenario, stop it and inspect the effective command line. A wrapper script, service unit, or container entrypoint may be replacing the arguments you edited.
How map generation behaves when a scenario is loaded
Map settings are inputs, not guarantees
The command-line options --map-gen-settings, --map-gen-seed, and --map-settings are available for scenario launches. They can provide generation and simulation values, but a scenario may define its own setup or create a map in another way. Test the result rather than assuming that every setting file overrides scenario logic.
The fixed-map case: blueprint.dat
A scenario containing blueprint.dat can intentionally use the same map every time. If changing map-generation settings or the seed appears to have no effect, inspect the scenario directory for that file. Its presence explains a repeatable map; it is not evidence that the command-line option was mistyped.
Back up the original before removing or replacing any scenario file. Deleting a file changes the scenario itself and may make it incompatible with its scripts or documentation.
Docker: start directly from a scenario
The factoriotools/factorio image provides a scenario entrypoint. Instead of launching the image with its normal save-oriented startup, select /scenario.sh and pass the scenario name as the final argument. The exact volume and environment options depend on your existing deployment, but the essential shape is:
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docker run --entrypoint /scenario.sh factoriotools/factorio MyScenarioFor a mod-owned scenario, pass the qualified name in the same position:
docker run --entrypoint /scenario.sh factoriotools/factorio MyMod/MyScenarioThe scenario name must be the last argument consumed by that entrypoint. Keep the volume that contains the Factorio data and scenarios directory mounted at the location expected by your image configuration; otherwise the container will start successfully but report that the scenario cannot be found.
Use a one-shot container for the first test
- Stop and remove the existing Factorio container, or stop it without deleting the persistent data volume.
- Run the image with
--entrypoint /scenario.shand the scenario name as the final argument. - Watch the container logs through scenario initialization and connect with a test client.
- Once confirmed, put the same entrypoint and argument into Compose, Kubernetes, or your normal container definition.
Do not confuse an image’s scenario entrypoint with the default entrypoint. The default startup usually expects a save or standard server configuration; selecting /scenario.sh is what requests a clean scenario start.
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Docker: convert a scenario into a normal save
If you want the scenario’s initial map to become a conventional save, use the image’s /scenario2map.sh entrypoint. Factorio runs once, creates the map from the scenario, and writes a saved map into the saves directory. After that one-shot conversion finishes, restart the image with your normal server options so it loads the generated save rather than rerunning the scenario.
- Stop the ordinary server container while preserving its persistent data volume.
- Run the image with
/scenario2map.shas the entrypoint and provide the scenario name and any arguments required by the image version. - Wait for the one-shot process to finish and confirm that a new save appears in the mounted saves directory.
- Start the regular Factorio container again with its standard save-loading configuration.
- Connect and verify that the resulting map contains the scenario’s expected starting content.
This workflow separates scenario initialization from ongoing administration. Once converted, future restarts load the save; changing the scenario later requires another conversion or a direct scenario launch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Another Docker image: environment-variable configuration
The community rfvgyhn/factorio image uses the environment variable FACTORIO_SCENARIO. Set it to [MOD/]NAME, for example:
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FACTORIO_SCENARIO=base/wave-defenseThis is image-specific configuration, not a universal Factorio command-line option. Follow that image’s volume, permissions, and startup conventions, and remove or change the variable when you want the container to load a normal save instead.
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| Use case | Native Linux or Windows | Docker |
|---|---|---|
| Start fresh from a scenario | --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME |
/scenario.sh entrypoint with the scenario name as the final argument |
| Scenario location | User data folder’s scenarios directory, or inside the named mod |
Same Factorio data must be available inside the mounted container volume |
| Continue an existing map | --start-server-load-latest or the normal save-start command |
Restart with the image’s standard save configuration |
| Turn a scenario into a save | Not described by the native command in the supplied documentation | Run the /scenario2map.sh entrypoint once, then load the generated save |
| Image-specific alternative | Not applicable | FACTORIO_SCENARIO=[MOD/]NAME on the rfvgyhn/factorio image |
Troubleshooting a failed scenario switch
Factorio says the scenario cannot be found
- Check that the scenario is a directory, not a ZIP file or save.
- Confirm it is under the user data folder used by the server account.
- Use the exact directory name, including capitalization.
- If it belongs to a mod, pass
ModName/ScenarioNameand verify that the mod is installed for the server. - In Docker, verify that the persistent data volume containing the scenario is mounted into the container that actually starts Factorio.
The server starts, but the old map appears
Inspect the service or container command and confirm that --start-server-load-scenario or the scenario entrypoint is really being used. A stale container definition, wrapper script, or restart policy can relaunch the old save command. In a scenario that contains blueprint.dat, seeing the same map after every fresh launch is expected.
Map-generation changes appear ignored
First check for blueprint.dat. Then confirm that the settings files are passed to the scenario launch, are readable, and are valid JSON. Finally, allow for scenario code that deliberately controls generation; command-line settings do not necessarily replace scenario logic.
Windows does not launch the scenario
A 1.1.0 forum report described --start-server-load-scenario failing on Windows while --start-server <savefile> worked. That is an old, version-specific report rather than proof of current behavior. Test the command with the Factorio version you run, capture the console output, and avoid treating a save launch as evidence that the scenario was loaded.
The scenario option behaves incorrectly when combined with a save option
An old 0.14.8 report described a case where the specified save loaded but the scenario did not. Use a single startup intent while diagnosing: either launch the scenario, or launch a save. Remove conflicting flags, test again, and then reintroduce only documented settings options such as --server-settings, --map-gen-settings, or --map-settings.
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Docker exits immediately
- Check the one-shot command’s logs;
/scenario2map.shis expected to exit after writing a save. - Confirm that the scenario name is the final argument for
/scenario.sh. - Verify write permission on the mounted saves and data directories.
- Make sure the regular server is not simultaneously locking or modifying the same persistent data.
A repeatable changeover checklist
- Choose whether you need a fresh scenario or an existing save. Use only one startup mode.
- Stop the current server and preserve a backup of its save and configuration.
- Place the scenario in the correct
scenarioslocation, or install its providing mod. - Write down the exact scenario name and, if needed, the
MOD/NAMEform. - Prepare the launch command with optional settings files only when they are required.
- For Docker, select
/scenario.sh; for conversion, select/scenario2map.sh. - Start in the foreground or inspect container logs until initialization completes.
- Join with a test client and verify the scenario, map behavior, and server settings.
- Promote the tested command to the normal service or container definition.
The reliable pattern is simple: install the scenario where Factorio can find it, stop the old process, and launch with --start-server-load-scenario [MOD/]NAME (or the equivalent Docker entrypoint). Use --start-server-load-latest only when the goal is to continue a save, and use /scenario2map.sh when a Docker scenario must become a persistent ordinary map.
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