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Archipelago Setup Guide
This guide is intended to provide an overview of how to install, set up, and run the Archipelago multiworld software. This guide should take about 5 minutes to read.
Installing the Archipelago software
The most recent public release of Archipelago can be found here. Run the exe file, and after accepting the license agreement you will be prompted on which components you would like to install.
The generator allows you to generate multiworld games on your computer. The ROM setups are required if anyone in the game that you generate wants to play any of those games as they are needed to generate the relevant patch files.
The server will allow you to host the multiworld on your machine. Hosting on your machine requires forwarding the port you are hosting on. The default port for Archipelago is 38281. If you are unsure how to do this there are plenty of other guides on the internet that will be more suited to your hardware.
The Clients are what are used to connect your game to the multiworld. If the
game/games you plan to play are available here go ahead and install these as well. If the game you choose to play is supported by Archipelago but not listed in the installation check the setup guide for that game. Installing a client for a ROM based game requires you to have a legally obtained ROM for that game as well.
Generating a game
What is a YAML?
YAML is the file format which Archipelago uses in order to configure a player's world. It allows you to dictate which game you will be playing as well as the settings you would like for that game.
YAML is a format very similar to JSON however it is made to be more human-readable. If you are ever unsure of the validity of your YAML file you may check the file by uploading it to the check page on the Archipelago website. Check page: https://archipelago.gg/mysterycheck
Creating a YAML
YAML files may be generated on the Archipelago website by visiting the games page and clicking the "Settings Page" link under any game. Clicking "Export Settings" in a game's settings page will download the YAML to your system. Games page: https://archipelago.gg/games
In a multiworld there must be one YAML per world. Any number of players can play on each world using either the game's native coop system or using Archipelago's coop support. Each world will hold one slot in the multiworld and will have a slot name and, if the relevant game requires it, files to associate it with that multiworld.
If multiple people plan to play in one world cooperatively then they will only need one YAML for their coop world. If each player is planning on playing their own game then they will each need a YAML.
Gather All Player YAMLs
All players that wish to play in the generated multiworld must have a YAML file which contains the settings that they wish to play with.
Typically, a single participant of the multiworld will gather the YAML files from all other players. After getting the YAML files of each participant for your multiworld game they can be compressed into a ZIP folder to then be uploaded to the multiworld generator page. Multiworld generator page: https://archipelago.gg/generate
Rolling a YAML Locally
It is possible to roll the multiworld locally, using a local Archipelago installation. This is done by entering the installation directory of the Archipelago installation and placing each YAML file in the Players folder. If the folder does not exist then it can be created manually.
After filling the Players folder the ArchipelagoGenerate.exe program should be run in order to generate a multiworld. The output of this process is placed in the output folder. The output wll be a .archipelago file which can be subsequently uploaded to the Archipelago host game page. Archipelago host game page: https://archipelago.gg/uploads
The .AP file may be run locally in order to host the multiworld on the local machine. This is done by running ArchipelagoServer.exe and pointing the resulting file selection prompt to the .archipelago file that was generated.
Changing local host settings for generation
Sometimes there are various settings that you may want to change before rolling a seed such as enabling race mode, auto-forfeit, plando support, or setting a password.
All of these settings plus other options are able to be changed by modifying the host.yaml file in the Archipelago installation folder. The settings chosen here are baked into the .archipelago file that gets output with the other files after generation so if rolling locally ensure this file is edited to your liking before rolling the seed.