STEAM: How To Run A Dedicated Factorio Server AND Play On The Same PC!

EDIT: --THE BLACK SCREEN AT 4:05--
Read on to discover what takes place during this missing time...
Okay first off I will never be using this video editor again.
What I am talking about the moment when the screen goes completely black at 4:05 is the
"config-path=__PATH__executable__/../../config" (your config path). This is at the top of the config-path.cfg file, which can be opened using Notepad++ (your rich text editor program). What you need to do is replace it with your config folder location. Completing this will tell our server where the config folder is.
So if we go back to our file explorer and right click on the "config" folder and then click on properties, we can copy the path of that folder and paste it in the code above to tell our server where the config folder is located. You will have a different path depending on where you created your "Factorio Server" folder, but the end result should look something like this: "config-path=D:\Users\McKey\Desktop\Factorio Server\config". All you have to do is keep the "config-path=" part, and then add the location of your config folder (as well as the folder itself).
Here I show how to start, setup, and run a dedicated Factorio server. I also show how you can play Factorio on the same computer via Steam. At the end of the video, I show a few troubleshooting issues you may have such as misspelled file paths, or the need to port forward.
This is an easy tutorial. I asked someone with very little computer knowledge if she would be able to start a server using this video and she felt she could. Simply follow step-by-step and listen to what I am saying during the video. Your paths (C: drive, D: drive, your folder and file locations, etc.) will positively not be the same as mine.
Each situation is different. You may have to change additional IP settings, or mess with your firewall. This serves as a great starting point for getting your Factorio server up and running.
I want to deeply apologize for the quality of this video. One huge issue I've had through teaching myself how to do this and researching and learning and trial and error over and over... A lack of information, fuzzy information, or incomplete information is all that seemed to be out there. It was so frustrating that I decided to create a video so that no one would ever have to go through that again. Instead I've added to the fuzzy information out there by creating a video you literally can't watch. I greatly apologize for this, but listen to my beautiful voice and you shall be rewarded. Furthermore, simply comment or message me if you have issues and I will do my best to help.
Troubleshooting:
Skip to 11:17 or 12:53 for possible solutions to the error "Unexpected character at..."
Skip to 12:15 if your server launches for a split second, then closes.
Skip to 14:04 for help setting up a static IP for the server to run on.
Here are a few super awesome reference pages I used to help me achieve this process:
forums.factori...
forums.factori...
wiki.factorio....
steamcommunity...

[@thomasputko1080]

excellent. I followed your aadvice and after few bumps and 3h it is up and running. Thank you very much.

[@aaroncarr1348]

you are a chad of a man. posted 2 and a half years ago, still so helpful lmao

[@jabb50]

Awesome. Thank you very much for a idiot guide how to do it. Managed to set up my own server and play with friends. TIP: I could not connect to my own server via the internet. I had to connect to my server (On same PC) via LAN. My friends could access it via internet.

[@omarortiz4939]

thank you -From peter

[@BaliAgha]

Couldn't establish network communication with server.

[@Blindretard]

I found this obscene but possible fix:
forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=7710
Otherwise, people are suggesting port forwarding as a fix. The last post on that forum has info on port forwarding.

[@Tommi_s]

u cant have multiple instances running?

[@Blindretard]

Correct. You can't have multiple instances using the same files.
When the game is launched from Steam, it uses the games folder located in C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\factorio and the factorio folder located in %appdata%.
The server only uses the files from the server folder.

[@Tommi_s]

@@Blindretard yea i fixed it just make new locations for the server files

[@vilmospalik1480]

will this make the game less laggy?

[@mizzmatrix]

With some troubleshooting (i.e. putting the path to the savefile in like this: "path\to\savefile.zip") and help from a friend with port forwarding, it totally worked!