How to Change the Spawn Rate on Your Astroneer Server

Astroneer lets you and your crew explore alien planets, gather resources, and build your way across the solar system. If you want to adjust how frequently things like hazard plants or environmental elements appear in your world, tweaking your server's spawn settings is the way to do it. This guide walks you through making that change from the RiverHosting panel.

Before you start

• You need an active Astroneer server with RiverHosting.
• Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com before you begin.
• Make sure your server is stopped before changing configuration settings. Some changes only take effect on a fresh start.
• It is a good idea to create a backup before making changes. You can do this from the Backups tab in your server's left-hand menu.

1. Open your Astroneer server's configuration

Astroneer's spawn-related options are managed through the server configuration file. Since Astroneer uses the shared panel pages rather than a dedicated Server Config page with a visual editor for every setting, you will need to locate the configuration file in the File Manager and edit it directly. This is straightforward and does not require any Linux knowledge.

1. Log in to the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click on your Astroneer server to open its server page.
3. Click Files in the left-hand menu to open the File Manager.
4. Look for the server configuration file. For Astroneer dedicated servers, this is typically found inside a folder named Astro/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ and the file is called AstroServerSettings.ini.
5. Click the file name to open it in the built-in editor.

2. Adjust the spawn rate setting

Once the file is open in the editor, you can find and update the setting that controls how frequently flora and hazard elements spawn in your world.

1. Look for the line that contains FloraSpawnChance. This value controls how often flora and environmental hazards appear. It is expressed as a decimal number, where 1.0 is the default (100 percent), a lower value such as 0.5 reduces spawning, and a higher value such as 1.5 increases it.
2. Change the value to your preferred number. For example, to reduce spawning by half, set it to 0.5. To increase it, try 1.5 or higher.
3. If the line does not exist in the file, you can add it manually on a new line inside the correct section of the file.
4. Click Save to apply your changes.

3. Restart your server to apply the changes

Once you have saved the configuration file, you need to start your server again so the new settings take effect.

1. Click Console in the left-hand menu.
2. Click the Start button to bring your server back online.
3. Watch the console output to confirm the server starts without any errors.
4. Join your server and explore a new area to see the spawn rate change in effect.

Troubleshooting

• The setting seems to have no effect. Make sure you stopped the server before editing the file. If the server was running, it may have overwritten your change. Stop the server, re-edit the file, save it, and then start the server again.
• I cannot find the configuration file. Use the search function in the File Manager to look for AstroServerSettings.ini. If the file does not exist yet, you may need to start the server once so it generates the default configuration files, then stop it and edit them.
• The server crashes after my change. The value you entered may be invalid. Astroneer expects a decimal number such as 0.5 or 1.0. Make sure there are no extra spaces, typos, or text characters in the value. You can restore your previous configuration from the Backups tab if needed.
• Spawn rates look the same in places I have already visited. This is expected. Astroneer caches explored areas. Travel to a new planet or unexplored region to see the updated spawn rate in effect.

Need help?

If you are still having trouble with your Astroneer server's spawn settings or anything else on your server, the RiverHosting support team is here to help.