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Preparing for an Async (Install/Setup Guides)

To join us in our Archipelago games, you'll need a supported (or unsupported) game and the Archipelago client. This quick guide should help you get up and running. If you need help, feel free to ask!

Installing Archipelago

  • Grab the Archipelago software from GitHub. This may be required, depending on the game and how it connects to the randomiser.
    • Scroll to the bottom of the changelog of the GitHub page, and under 'Assets' grab the appropriate file for your system:
      • Setup.Archipelago.version.exe for Windows
      • Archipelago_version_linux-x86_64.tar.gz for Linux
    • Run the installer, or extract the files to a directory you will remember, depending on what you chose.

Configuring your Game

Selecting your Game

Select your game from one of the following lists:

Once you've found the game you want to play, you will need to 'install' it into your copy of Archipelago if it is not part of the 'core' package:

  • Find the game's .apworld download, usually in the GitHub repo's Releases page or linked directly.
  • To install it into Archipelago, you can do either of:
    • Drag the .apworld file into the Archipelago Launcher.
    • In the Archipelago Launcher, click 'Install APWorld', then navigate to the downloaded file.
    • Double-click the .apworld file to open the Archipelago Launcher and install it.

At this point you should also read the game's Setup Guide, to understand how to prepare the game itself to play the randomiser.

Configuring your Options

To configure any settings for your randomised game, you need to create a type of file called a YAML. A YAML file is a data file that is formatted in such a way that it is human-readable. When it comes to Archipelago, there are a few ways to do this:

  • If the game is part of the 'core' package, you can find it in the Supported Games page. Click the game you're playing, then click on the 'Options Page' link. Remember to Export Options when you're done!
  • If you have Archipelago 0.6.5 or newer, you can use the new Options Creator tool in the Launcher to configure your game's options. Remember to Export Options when you're done!
  • If you prefer, there's an alternate community-maintained options creator interface that supports many custom games. Remember to click the Save YAML button at the bottom when you're done!

Submitting your YAML

You don't strictly have to do this, but if your YAML causes seed generation to fail, it is up to the seed host (Splatsune) to fix it, which may mean your intended options may be modified in a way you did not intend in order to get the seed to generate.

To do so, copy your YAML file into the Players folder of your Archipelago installation, then click Generate in the Launcher.

Don't know/remember where your Archipelago install is? You can use the Browse Files action in the Launcher (under Misc) to open a file browser to its location!

If it generated successfully, you can now submit your game to the Async!

  • If you have not already, join the NDCAP Discord Server.
  • Upload your YAML file into the #game-submission channel before Saturday, 9PM Australian Eastern Time (11AM UTC, 7AM EDT, 4AM PDT).
    • Here's a handy tool to help you visualise the deadline time.

Playing Your Game

When an Archipelago game starts (shortly after the deadline time), all the files in #game-submission at the time will be used, and a link to the room will be posted in #seed-history and in the main #war-room thread.

  • The room address and port number
  • the names of the slots in the game,
  • links to the room page, which has up-to-date connection details, and downloads to any applicable files players need to play their game.

To connect to a game or start playing, refer to your game's setup guide. Generally, this involves one of the following methods, depending on the game:

  1. Connecting to the Archipelago server directly from within the game.
  2. Loading the game, and a interfacing client which connects the game and the server.
  3. In the case of console games needing an emulator, loading the game and either a specialised client or the BizHawk Client, and using the client to connect to the game and the server.

Notes in regard to console games

If your game requires the use of a patch file (console games, usually), you can use the patch by opening the Archipelago Launcher, clicking the 'Open Patch' button, and selecting the patch file you download from the room. This gives you a patched version of the game which will interface with Archipelago through one of its supported methods.

For information on how to create a backup (dump) of your owned games, take a look at dumping.guide, or search the internet for guides for your console.

Playing console games requires a legally-sourced, compatible copy of the game which we cannot help with, outside of the above guides. You don't need me to tell you that NDCAP does not support piracy in any fashion. Don't be an idiot!

Further information on Archipelago can be found by reading the Archipelago Setup Guides.

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