A game that's so easy, it plays itself!
Intended to integrate with Archipelago to help people practice by themselves in a realistic(ish) setting.
Grab the latest release from https://github.com/airbreather/Autopelago/releases. It's just a single zipped-up executable file: put it somewhere, run it, wait for an annoyingly long startup (sorry), and you're off to the races.
There are the usual Archipelago parameters, plus a couple more described below in the "How this works" section. For host/port, you can either fill the separate text boxes or paste the complete host:port format into the "Host" box.
Of course, you need to use an Archipelago server that supports this game (probably via an apworld) to actually get this going. Instructions for that are outside the scope of this document for now.
The application is created using .NET 8.0. Unlike what you may have seen elsewhere, Linux and Windows users DO NOT NEED to install a .NET runtime or .NET SDK to run the published application.
Linux: you do need to install these very common packages, most or all of which many people will already have anyway. File a bug if I'm missing something.
Windows (10+): the .exe file should work as-is without you doing anything special. Feel free to file a bug if you can't see a screen with "Host" and "Port" boxes.
Anything else: If you have the .NET SDK 8.0, then you should be able to clone this source code repository, go to src/Autopelago, and then dotnet run -c Release. macOS in particular should have the easiest time with this (I just don't know how to properly publish something user-friendly that will work, and I especially don't feel like paying Apple any money for the privilege to do so), and it looks like there's a native port for FreeBSD (lang/dotnet) that will probably work there too. For everyone else, you probably knew what you were getting into.
Once connected, the "player" (represented by a rat icon) will autonomously move across the game world, sending location checks along the way. Its own items that it receives will be more-or-less what you expect:
The player acts on a "step interval": at each interval (determined by a random roll between the min and max each time), the player will advance the game little bit more and then wait for the next interval to pass. For the most part, the player just moves around the map making attempts at each location it reaches. These attempts get easier the more "rats" that the player has received, but locations further along the path will be harder to compensate.
In addition to the inputs needed for all Archipelago playthroughs, the menu also lets you configure the min and max values for the step interval so that the player will move at whatever pace makes sense in your multiworld.
| Bar Label | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
NOM (> 0) |
Well Fed | The next time it acts, the player gets a little bit more done |
NOM (< 0) |
Upset Tummy | The next time it acts, the player gets a little bit less done |
LCK (> 0) |
Lucky | The next attempt at a location check will automatically succeed |
LCK (< 0) |
Unlucky | The next attempt at a location check will be quite a bit harder |
NRG (> 0) |
Energized | The player's next movement is free |
NRG (< 0) |
Sluggish | The player's next movement costs twice as much as usual |
STY |
Stylish | The next attempt at a location check will be quite a bit easier |
DIS |
Distracted | The next time it goes to act, the player will get absolutely nothing done |
STT |
Startled | The next time it goes to act, the player will move a little bit closer to the start of the map |
CNF |
Confident | The next negative effect that the player would receive is ignored |
| (none) | Smart | The player will start moving towards a location with a "progression"-tier item |
| (none) | Conspiratorial | The player will start moving towards a location with a "trap"-tier item |