Your go-to space for troubleshooting and guidance while exploring the Preface: Undiscovered World tech demo.
- Technical Support FAQ: Find answers to common technical issues and solutions.
- User Guide: A Guide for the Perplexed: Learn how to engage with Preface and contribute to its development
- Change Log: Change log and archive for Preface patch notes, including known issues with the build.
- How to Report a Bug: Step-by-step instructions for submitting clear and helpful bug reports.
- Discord: Join the PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions Discord to connect with other users, share feedback, and talk with the dev team.
- Website: Visit our official site for more about PREFACE and the Melba engine.
- Steam: Find Preface on Steam.
- Wiki: Check out the community wiki.
- Preface Privacy Notice: Information relating to Preface-related data collection and other related topics.
Thank you for supporting Preface!
Below, you'll find solutions to common technical problems with Preface: Undiscovered World. If your issue isn’t resolved here, we encourage you to report it through our Community Bug Submission page.
Before troubleshooting, please ensure your system meets the minimum specifications for Preface. Running the game on unsupported hardware may result in performance issues or the inability to play.
Minimum Requirements
- Processor: 6-core/12-thread CPU with AVX2 support - AMD Ryzen 5 3600 / Intel i5 10500.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM.
- Graphics: GPU with Sampler Feedback and Mesh Shaders - AMD RX 6600 / NVIDIA RTX 2060.
- Storage: 10 GB available space.
Recommended Requirements
- Processor: 8-core/16-thread CPU. E.g.: Intel i7 10700, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, or equivalent.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM.
- Graphics: GPU with 8GB VRAM - AMD RX 6800 XT / NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti.
- Storage: 10 GB available space.
If your system does not meet the minimum requirements, we recommend upgrading your hardware to ensure optimal performance.
- Close the game and its launcher. End any leftover processes in Task Manager.
- Download the current Microsoft VC++ Redistributable (64-bit): https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe
- Use the 32-bit link only if you’re on 32-bit Windows: https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x86.exe
- Run the installer. Click Yes → I agree → Install (or Repair).
- Restart your PC.
- Launch the game. The error should be gone.
If issues persist
- Install pending Windows updates and reboot.
- Ensure your antivirus didn’t quarantine the installer or game files.
- Send us a screenshot of the exact error and what you’ve tried so far.
We're using the latest technological advancements, so updated drivers are a must. Outdated drivers can cause performance issues or crashes in Preface. Please ensure your graphics drivers are up to date.
Note: We're not kidding, if you have 10 fps on supported hardware then there's a high chance that a driver update will help you.
For NVIDIA
- Open GeForce Experience or download it from the NVIDIA website.
- Go to the Drivers tab.
- Click Check for Updates and install the latest driver.
For AMD
- Open AMD Radeon Software or download it from the AMD website.
- Select Check for Updates.
- Download and install the latest driver.
After updating, restart your system and try running Preface again.
If you’re experiencing crashes, performance drops, or other technical issues, resetting the game to its default configuration may resolve the problem. PREFACE includes a batch file tool to make this process simple.
Steps to Reset the Game
- Navigate to the folder where PREFACE is installed (see below).
- Locate the file named
reset_preface.bat. - Double-click the
reset_preface.batfile. - This will restore the game to its default settings.
- Restart the game and check if the issue is resolved.
Note: If the batch file does not resolve the issue, ensure you are running it with administrative privileges and try again.
- Changelog and Known Issues: Check our Changelog for updates and known issues, to see if your issue is already being tracked and get updates on its status.
- Community Bug Submission: If you’re encountering a bug that’s not listed, report it via our Community Bug Submission page.
- Peer-to-Peer Troubleshooting on Discord: Join our Discord server to connect with other players for peer-to-peer troubleshooting. You may also get the chance to interact with the development team, though please note that as a small studio, we do not offer personalized support.
- User Guide: A Guide for the Perplexed: For guidance on how to engage with Preface as a user, to help you navigate and enjoy the world and community of Preface.
- Project Open Development Roadmap: Explore the Open Development Roadmap to learn about our plans for Preface and where the project is headed.
- Project launch community letter: Dive into our PREFACE Launch Community Letter for insights into the current state of the game and our development priorities.
Thank you for supporting PREFACE in Early Access. Your feedback is invaluable, and we’re excited to build this experience alongside our community.
Preface: Undiscovered World is an experimental tech demo created by PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions to showcase the potential of Melba, our machine-learning-powered world-generation engine. PREFACE is not a game in the traditional sense - it’s a work in progress, a tool for discovery, and a platform for collaboration between developers and users.
If you’ve loaded Preface and found yourself wondering, “Am I doing this right?” - don’t worry. You’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong. This guide is here to help you understand how to engage with the demo and contribute to our shared goal of exploring and improving this undiscovered world.
PREFACE isn’t just about exploring a digital landscape. It’s about testing the limits of our world-generation technology, Melba, which creates a seamless, Earth-scale world in real time using only your GPU. Learn more about the vision behind Preface in our launch article.
Because the world is procedurally generated by machine learning, even we as developers don’t know what’s out there. This is where you come in. By simply exploring, you help us understand how Preface performs across different devices. By interacting with the demo, you help us discover hidden gems, find artifacts of interest, and identify areas where the world feels most alive (or need improvement).
There are two primary ways to interact with PREFACE that make a meaningful impact:
PREFACE includes a Postcard Function that allows you to capture and label views from the generated world. These photos are automatically shared with our team, helping us evaluate:
- Which areas feel most compelling or realistic.
- What types of terrain or structures work well.
- The visual fidelity of different elements in the world.
To take a photo:
- Explore the terrain until you find a location that interests you.
- Use the Postcard Function to capture a snapshot.
- Optionally, add a label or rating to provide additional context. Each photo you take helps us improve the Melba engine and refine our techniques.
The Waypoint System lets you save points of interest as you explore. Whether it’s a particularly striking vista, an unusual terrain feature, or something you’re unsure of, marking these locations helps us understand what’s worth revisiting.
We use your waypoints to:
- Identify areas of the world that require further investigation.
- Analyze how users navigate and engage with the space.
- Collect data on features that resonate with players or need enhancement.
To set a waypoint:
- Find a location you want to mark.
- Use the in-game waypoint tool to save it.
- Continue exploring, or revisit your saved locations.
Even if you don’t take photos or set waypoints, simply downloading Preface on Steam, loading, and running it provides us with valuable telemetry. This data allows us to:
- Test PREFACE’s compatibility across a range of hardware configurations.
- Monitor performance metrics, such as frame rates and GPU utilization.
- Identify devices or setups where the demo struggles, helping us optimize the experience. So whether you spend hours exploring or just take a quick look around, your participation contributes to the development of Preface and Melba.
If you’re interested in learning more about Preface or connecting with others:
- Dive deeper into our process with our Open Development Roadmap and Launch Community Letter.
- Join the conversation on our Discord server to discuss your findings and hear from the dev team.
- Find our technical support page for more advice on troubleshooting and engaging with Preface.
Thank you for exploring with us!
Clear, detailed bug reports help us fix issues in Preface: Undiscovered World faster. Here’s how to submit a great report:
Before submitting, check the Known Issues to see if your bug has already been reported.
- Go to the Issues tab.
- Click "New Issue".
System Specs:
- OS (e.g., Windows 10, 64-bit)
- Processor (e.g., Intel i7 10700)
- GPU (e.g., NVIDIA RTX 2060)
- RAM (e.g., 16 GB)
- DirectX Version (e.g., Version 12)
Steps to Reproduce: List the actions that trigger the bug, e.g.:
- Launch the game.
- Save a waypoint on steep terrain.
What Happened:
- What you expected vs. what actually occurred.
- Include any error messages.
Supporting Files:
- Screenshots, videos, or logs (if available).
Click "Submit New Issue" and our team will review it.
Thank you for helping us improve Preface!