Archipelago integration for Void Stranger. By being here I assume you know everything about the game, if you haven't finished the game, then scram!

For generation: Drop the voidstranger.apworld file into your Archipelago\custom_worlds folder

For playing the game:

Navigate to the betas tab under properties for the game on steam and select the 'old_version_1.1.1' beta to go back to the previous version of the game.

Find the data.win file for Void Stranger at {YourSteamLibrary}\steamapps\common\Void Stranger, and patch it using either:

vsap.bdf (using https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/929/)

or

vsap.xdelta (using https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/598/)

install xdelta3 via your package manager (or distro specific tools) and use the command:

xdelta3 -d -s data.win vsap.xdelta data_patched.win

inside your game directory

or

install bsdiff via your package manager (or distro specific tools) and use the command:

bspatch data.win data_patched.win patch.bdfs

inside your game directory

and replace the existing data.win file with the patched one, still named data.win. It might also be wise to keep a copy of the original data.win file as a backup in case at any point you need to patch the game again (When the patch is updated with new content or a fix)

Finally, be sure to add gm-apclientpp.dll and ap_room_names.csv to the Void Stranger folder

If the game was patched successfully, you can open the AP menu by pushing F10 or binding a controller button to it. The AP menu has three pages, which can be navigated with left and right.

• Connection page

  This is the default page. Here you can input the connection details to connect to the AP server. Press Tab to move to the next field, Delete to clear the current field, and Enter to connect to AP. Your most recent connection will be saved.

• Mon Bank page

  Any locusts you receive from AP are sent here (if Locust-Sanity is turned on). Up/Down to navigate the options. You can withdraw and throw out locusts at will. Throwing out locusts DOES NOT deposit them back into the bank. Upon Atoning, your locust count resets as well as the amount withdrawn, but not the amount received. For rando balance reasons, you cannot withdraw if that would cause you to hold more than you've received.

• Tracker page

  This page keeps track of all the items you've received. Top row is brands, middle row is statues (only three are implemented), bottom row in order is: Void Memory, Seal of Lust, Void Wings, Mon Badge (Unimplemented), Void Sword, Seal of Sloth, Void Rod, Interface Manip Shortcuts will show up on the right hand side with the shortcut number and an image depicting it. The DIS Brand appears as a large DIS Badge between the three rows and the shortcuts, if you have it.

• Waypoints page

  This page allows you to set up to three simultanious waypoints and warp back to them at will. Waypoints restore your locust count to what it was when the waypoint was made. Waypoints can only be set on numbered branes.

• Debug page

  Shows several interal variables used for debugging. If something clearly wrong occurs with your AP connection, or some items seem to vanish from your inventory, please ping @Cavin856 with a screenshot of the debug page in the Void Stranger channel in the AP discord.

1. If your endless void rod was sent to you while you are "Waiting for VR Connection" (Don't have the regular Void Rod) you may need to reconnect to properly get the upgrade. Previously you would be unable to get it at all if it was sent to you while not connected in game, this issue should finally be resolved but please report if this is still happening.

2. The greed zone might not open properly the first time, it's unclear from the small amount of testing done. If you run into this issue then reconnecting should fix it.

3. There is a bug with how the game is recompiled by UMT that can cause crashes when a textbox displays with different dialogue sounds. I fixed all the ones needed to complete a run, but I'm sure there are other instances of this across the game. If you run into this please provide the crash message, so I can fix it.

If you run into an issue not on this list, try reconnecting to the AP server. Regardless of if this resolves the issue, report it either on the Void Stranger thread on the AP discord or open an issue with the details here on the repository.

Game Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk

The apworld assumes you play as Gray with the DIS ending as the only goal. Playing as Lillie will make certain locust chest locations uncheckable, and Cif cannot goal.

Items are not received if the player does not carry the void rod. An error message will display: "Waiting for VR Connection" until it is picked up. Then the game sends a sync message to the AP server and all items are received.

The Pause menu contains 2 new options replacing the close game option: Atone and End Run. The first acts as a portable atoner, letting you go back to B001 at any time. The second is used to go back to brand entry, mostly so players can quickly exit their current run. Going back to brand entry in the middle of an AP run is not recommended as you will lose your items.

By default, the following are randomized:

• Burdens
• Seals on the Endless Void Rod, with killing the traitors as locations
• The Endless Void Rod
• The ability to access the interface, with a location on the Egg in Gor's chamber since it hints about the interface. Make sure to have the Void Memory for that check.

The location and Item names are intentionally vague to minimize spoiling the game for other players, if you need to see what all the names mean you can check the item names here: https://github.com/CriminalPancake/void-stranger-ap/blob/main/voidstranger/Constants/ItemNames.py

and the location names here: https://github.com/CriminalPancake/void-stranger-ap/blob/main/voidstranger/Constants/LocationNames.py

There are options for the following:

• Randomizing normal chests. Adds locust idols to the pool, and they are managed by the Mon Bank. See "AP Menu" above.
• Adding the ability to use brands to the item pool, with the murals having locations. Without a Void Lord's Brand, you cannot progress beyond their domain. No shortcuts of any kind are considered in the logic with this enabled at the moment
• Making the Brand items progressive. Each one you have will grant the next brand in order.
• Disabling Smilers, Lovers and Killers until finding their respective items. Adds locations for talking to them with the void memory. Note that getting all of these items is required for go mode, and you may get stuck without them in the final area
• Adding ability to use shortcuts to the item pool, talking to Mon in each location gives checks
• Adding interface manipulation as a requirement for as many of the shortcuts as you want
• Adding the 15 chests (including the 3 before the final room) at the end Mon's Lair as locations. The item pool will have 15 "Greed Coins" added which lock the entrance until they are all collected. You can also add more Greed Coins to the pool, removing locusts from the pool to make room. This option only works with normal chests being randomized already.
• Skipping the long sequence of cutscenes before the final section of gameplay.
• Making the voiders covering the interface invisible, keeping important info visible in all rooms.

For now, the only goal is the DIS ending, goal is sent after completing the final gameplay section before the ending sequence.

1. Support for characters other than Gray, more on that in #2

2. More Goals, I'm thinking the normal ending for all three characters. Perhaps Bee's Stinky Hole would be a good short goal. Additionally, a MacGuffin oriented goal seems fitting. Carcass ending seems like a pretty bad goal in my opinion, requires exactly one item and its annoying to reach unless you play as Cif. We could also have a goal to beat all bosses.

3. Getting multiple endings to goal, something like "reach three endings" and then the player can choose which ones to reach.

4. Add an option for all kinds of shortcuts being accounted for in logic with brandsanity

5. MAYBE more locations, but many ideas I've seen (memento crystals mainly) have one big issue: there aren't any more items left to place in those locations. Perhaps I could let the player choose locust chests or memento crystals as locations, but not both. There are already way too many locust items in the pool as it is.

Notable ideas include:

• The 9 reachable chests in the Voided sequence
• Bottom of the white void

6. Gor cube as an alternate location instead of the normal kill

7. Possibly shuffling in new player dungeons and floors to remix things up?

ThatOneGuy - For making the Manual Void Stranger AP Implementation

@Rayze421 - For adding location groups to the apworld for plando support, testing, and brainstorming ideas.

@LeonarthCG - For helping a massive amount with the gamemaker net code side of things (and of course working on that library in the first place!).

@Cavin856 - Feature implementations & bug fixes.

@Eijebong - Rewrote and helped considerably with the pathfinding algorithm and debugging/fuzzing

@Mysteryem - Further help with bugfixes in the python code