Outer Wilds Archipelago Randomizer

An Outer Wilds mod for the Archipelago multi-game randomizer system.

Status

Feature Complete / Maintenance Mode (since October 2024).

All features I wanted to implement have been shipped, including a full in-game tracker, alternate spawns, DLC integration, and multiple story mod integrations. It's been extensively playtested, and all known bugs with the randomizer itself have been fixed (the remaining problems are all believed to be base game bugs, especially the infamous "end-of-loop crash").

I will now be moving on to other projects as my primary focus, but I still intend to be responsive to any bug reports, PRs opened here, or inquiries about contributing to this randomizer.

Contact

For questions, feedback, or discussion related to the randomizer, please visit the "Outer Wilds" thread in the Archipelago Discord server, or message me (ixrec) directly on Discord.

What is an "Archipelago Randomizer", and why would I want one?

Let's say I'm playing Outer Wilds, and my friend is playing Ocarina of Time. When I translate some Nomai text in the High Energy Lab, I find my friend's Hookshot, allowing them to reach several OoT chests they couldn't before. In one of those chests they find my Signalscope, allowing me to scan all the signals in the OW solar system. I scan Chert's Drum signal, and find my friend's Ocarina. This continues until we both find enough of our items to finish our games.

In essence, a multi-game randomizer system like Archipelago allows a group of friends to each bring whatever games they want (if they have an Archipelago mod) and smush them all together into one big cooperative multiplayer experience.

Some people have even made Youtube videos of their randomizer playthroughs. Of the ones I've seen, Quothe's and Skurry's are the best at demonstrating what a typical Outer Wilds randomizer playthrough is like (without the "multi-game" aspect of Archipelago):

What This Mod Changes

Randomizers in the Archipelago sense—which are sometimes called "Metroidvania-style" or "progression-based" randomizers—rely on the base game having several progression-blocking items you must find in order to complete the game. In Outer Wilds progression is usually blocked by player knowledge, so to make a good randomizer we take away some of your starting equipment (Translator, Scout, Signalscope, etc), and turn much of that player knowledge into items (using warp platforms now requires a "Nomai Warp Codes" item, using the special GD tornado now requires a "Tornado Aerodynamic Adjustments" item, etc). These "items" are then placed at randomly selected "locations" while ensuring the game can still be completed. Most of the locations in this randomizer are revealing facts in the Ship Log, finding notes/recorders/fuel tanks left by other Hearthians, and scanning each signal source.

As shown below, complete lists and descriptions of all the items and locations in the randomizer can be found in-game in the ship log. Or in randomizer terms: we added an "in-game tracker" to the ship log. We strongly recommend using this tracker on your first randomizer playthrough to learn what you're supposed to be doing.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Make sure you have Outer Wilds installed
• Install the Outer Wilds Mod Manager
• Install the core Archipelago tools (at least version 0.5.0, but preferably the latest version) from Archipelago's Github Releases page. On that page, scroll down to the "Assets" section for the release you want, click on the appropriate installer for your system to start downloading it (for most Windows users, that will be the file called Setup.Archipelago.X.Y.Z.exe), then run it.
• Go to the Releases page of this repository and look at the latest release. There should be three files: A .zip, an .apworld and a .yaml. Download the .apworld and the .yaml.

Archipelago tools setup

• Go to your Archipelago installation folder. Typically that will be C:\ProgramData\Archipelago.
• Put the Outer.Wilds.yaml file in Archipelago\Players. You may leave the .yaml unchanged to play on default settings, or use your favorite text editor to read and change the settings in it.
• Double click on the outer_wilds.apworld file. Archipelago should display a popup saying it installed the apworld. Optionally, you can double-check that there's now an outer_wilds.apworld file in Archipelago\custom_worlds\.

I've never used Archipelago before. How do I generate a multiworld?

Let's create a randomized "multiworld" with only a single Outer Wilds world in it.

• Make sure Outer.Wilds.yaml is the only file in Archipelago\Players (subfolders here are fine).
• Double-click on Archipelago\ArchipelagoGenerate.exe. You should see a console window appear and then disappear after a few seconds.
• In Archipelago\output\ there should now be a file with a name like AP_95887452552422108902.zip.
• Open https://archipelago.gg/uploads in your favorite web browser, and upload the output .zip you just generated. Click "Create New Room".
• The room page should give you a hostname and port number to connect to, e.g. "archipelago.gg:12345".

For a more complex multiworld, you'd put one .yaml file in the \Players folder for each world you want to generate. You can have multiple worlds of the same game (each with different options), as well as several different games, as long as each .yaml file has a unique player/slot name. It also doesn't matter who plays which game; it's common for one human player to play more than one game in a multiworld.

Modding and Running Outer Wilds

• In the Outer Wilds Mod Manager, click on "Get Mods", search for "Archipelago Randomizer", and once you see this mod listed, click the install button to the right of it (if you were wondering about the .zip file we didn't download earlier, that's what the Mod Manager is installing).
• (Optional: Other Mods) Some other mods that I personally like to play with, and that this randomizer is compatible with, include: "Clock" (exactly what it sounds like), "Cheat and Debug Menu" (for its fast-forward button), and "Suit Log" (access the ship log from your suit).
• Now click the big green Run Game button. Note that you must launch Outer Wilds through the Mod Manager in order for the mods to be applied; launching from Steam won't work.
• Once you're at the main menu of Outer Wilds itself, make sure your current profile / save file is one you're fine with overwriting. If you aren't sure: click Switch Profile to see a menu with all of your existing profiles, as well as the option to create a brand new profile. Return to the main menu when you're sure you're on the profile you want.
• Now click "New Random Expedition", and you will be asked for connection info such as the hostname and port number. Unless you edited Outer.Wilds.yaml (or used multiple .yamls), your slot/player name will be "Hearthian1". And by default, archipelago.gg rooms have no password.

What if I want to run a pre-release version for testing, or downgrade to an older version of this mod (so I can finish a longer async)?

Click here to show instructions

To use a pre-release version:

• In the Mod Manager, go to the "Get Mods" section (not "Installed Mods")
• Search for "Archipelago Randomizer", click the 3 dots icon next to this mod, and select the "Use Prerelease ..." option

To downgrade to an older version, you'll need to install a Ixrec.ArchipelagoRandomizer.zip manually. This repo's Releases page has all the mod .zips for past releases (and the current release .zip, which is what the Mod Manager normally downloads for you).

• In the Mod Manager, click the 3 dots icon at the top of the window, and select the "Install From" option
• In this popup, make sure the "Install From" mode on top is set to "URL"
• Go to this repo's Releases page and copy the link address to one of the Ixrec.ArchipelagoRandomizer.zip files from a previous release. For example, the 0.1.1 .zip link would be "https://github.com/Ixrec/OuterWildsArchipelagoRandomizer/releases/download/v0.1.1/Ixrec.ArchipelagoRandomizer.zip".
• Back in the Mod Manager popup, paste this link into the "URL" entry below, and click Install.

Either way, the Mod Manager should immediately display the version number of the mod version you installed. Be careful not to click the Fix Issues button until you want to go back to the latest stable mod version.

Tracker Support

In-Game Ship Log Tracker

If you've never played the Outer Wilds Archipelago Randomizer before, this is the tracker you want to focus on. It comes "for free" with the randomizer mod, uses the familiar ship log interface, contains detailed descriptions of every single item and location, and even displays the randomizer's "logic" for which items you need to access each location.

Universal Tracker

If you're not familiar with Universal Tracker, get the latest tracker.apworld file here, then read this pinned Discord message for a general introduction. For more details see UT's Discord thread and its other pins.

Compared to the In-Game Tracker, the main advantage of Universal Tracker is that it runs outside of and separate from Outer Wilds. This lets you place UT on another monitor while playing, or leave UT running all day in the background so you can quickly check if you're still "in BK mode" without launching Outer Wilds itself.

Items-only PopTracker Pack

Finally, there's a PopTracker pack for Outer Wilds items. If you're not familiar with PopTracker itself, you can find it here.

Again, this pack is just items. No locations, maps, or logic. But since PopTracker is also a separate program from OW itself, and Universal Tracker shows locations, you may find this useful too.

Mod Compatibility

Outer Wilds story mods whose content has been fully integrated into this randomizer:

• Astral Codec
• Forgotten Castaways
• Fret's Quest
• Hearth's Neighbor
• Hearth's Neighbor 2: Magistarium
• The Outsider

Outer Wilds quality of life/tooling/etc mods that this randomizer goes out of its way to support:

• Suit Log: All of the ship log's "in-game tracker" content is available in the Suit Log too.

Outer Wilds quality of life/tooling/etc mods that are known to work without issue:

• Clock
• Cheat and Debug Menu
• Unity Explorer
• Light Bramble (thanks Rever for testing this), although it makes the "Silent Running Mode" item pointless
• Time Saver (thanks Jade for testing this)

Outer Wilds mods that have been tried, but are known to have issues (this information might not be kept up to date, as I don't/can't test these myself):

• NomaiVR (thanks Snout for testing this): Mostly works. Trying to grab the Translator or Signalscope before donning the suit will softlock, but this is fine once you're in the suit. The in-game console does not work reliably, so using the AP Text Client instead is recommended.
• Quantum Space Buddies: Awkward but can probably be made to work. I believe you would have to use one of the "... Random Expedition" main menu buttons to connect to your AP server, immediately quit back to the main menu, then use either of QSB's main menu buttons to load the game with multiplayer. Please tell us if you can test this properly.

Contributing Features, Bugfixes, More Story Mods, etc

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Credits

• Direct feature contributions include:
  • aXu-AP: Echo Hike mod / Threader integration
  • GameWyrm: this mod's in-game console, early versions of the in-game tracker, the banner art image, and the "Quality of Life" mod settings
  • hanophora: Suit Log integration
  • magic.exe: the items-only PopTracker pack
  • msyverw: Forgotten Castaways integration
  • MYoshua64: Ice Physics, HUD Corruption, Map Disable, Suit Puncture and Supernova Trap items
  • RS-Mind: Forgotten Castaways integration and Randomize Stranger Codes mod setting
  • t-rbernard: Death Link Roulette mod settings
  • thestrangepie: shuffle_spacesuit: true / "suitless" logic
• dgarroDC, hopop201, ScipioWright and Zannick for smaller direct contributions (bug fixes, typo fixes, spoiler-proofing, etc)
• clubby789, dgarroDC, GameWyrm, glitchewski, JohnCorby, nebula, Trifid, viovayo, xen and others from the "Outer Wilds Modding" Discord server for help learning how to mod Unity games in general and Outer Wilds in particular, and creating the other OW mods that this randomizer relies on or is often played with
• Amada, Axxroy, DCBomB, Groot, Hopop, Onemario, qwint, Rever, Scipio, Snow, and others in the "Archipelago" Discord server for feedback, discussion and encouragement
• Nicopopxd for creating the Outer Wilds "Manual" for Archipelago
• Flitter for talking me into trying out Archipelago randomizers in the first place
• All the Archipelago contributors who made that great multi-randomizer system
• Everyone at Mobius who made this great game

No relation to the OW story mod called "Archipelago"