Outer Wilds: Archipelago

One of my favourite games just got a randomizer! I’ve written about Archipelago before with The Witness, but it’s basically a randomizer tool that shuffles progression around both your game, and the games of anyone you’re playing with, meaning that the game slowly opens up as people check more places and get more items.

“Wait, this game has no items, it’s entirely knowledge based, how would this work?”

It has items now. And a lot of location checks require those items.

It has to be said, if you’ve not played Outer Wilds yet, go play it yesterday. It’s a stunning once in a lifetime experience, and the more you know about the game, the less fun it’ll be when you play it. The game is about exploration and learning, so make sure you are able to have that experience without any spoilers going in.


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So anyway, what does Archipelago do to Outer Wilds?

It locks away your equipment, and deals it out slowly, opening up more of the solar system as you go.

For vanilla start runs, you’ll get given vanilla launch codes, and generally your suit is unlocked by default too (no suitless unless you explicitly enable it.)

For non-vanilla start runs, your launch codes get shuffled into the item pool, meaning that you’re relying on your starting planet’s checks, and maybe Nomai warp towers (if you find the Nomai Warp Codes item that allows you to use them.)

Most of the puzzles in the game are replaced by item checks and button prompts, instead of inate knowledge. For example you don’t need to solve the ATP puzzle to access the core, you just need the Nomai Warp Codes and then to press interract on the platform. And while the randomiser expects you to at least know your way around the game, such as how to deal with Dark Bramble, and how to work with quantum objects, you’ll find yourself unable to use them at first.

Dark Bramble access requires the Silent Running item, which muffles your ship, otherwise it’ll be as if you are on full engines all the time. The Quantum Moon requires Suit Lights Reconfiguration, a Quantum Fluctuations Lens, and the Shrine Door Codes.

Accessing checks related to the Signalscope requires you to both unlock the Signalscope, and the frequency channel associated with what you want to scan.

The Archipelago Randomizer mod (not to be confused with the Archipelago Story mod) includes a tracker in the ship log, and there is currently a PR open on the mod’s GitHub that would integrate the tracker into the SuitLog mod too. This tracker tells you what specific objectives are checks (such as TH: Recieve Translator, or BH: Enter Hanging City), whether you can access them, and if not, why not (for example BH: Southern Observatory Back (Wall) requires Item: Translator.)

Archipelago hints are also available. Talking to one of the Hearthian explorers will tell you two checks on their planet that has either a progression or helpful item (one tells you what the item is, the other does not.) If there are only one or zero helpful items on their planet, they’ll tell you that it’s the only thing there, and all the other checks are filler items.

One thing to get used to by the way, you’ll start by default with 50% oxygen (3.25 mins), 50% fuel (50 seconds), and 50% boost (0.5 seconds), but there are 3 upgrades for each in the pool, that grant +50%, meaning that you can have up to 200% of each.

The goal of the randomizer mostly is to input the coordinates and warp to the Eye. The default settings require Song of Five, which just means reach the Eye, but you can also play Song of the Nomai, Song of the Strangers, Song of Six, or Song of Seven to require bringing extra people to the Eye with you. The run ends upon the warp animation, not completing the game. DLC only runs instead have the win condition Echoes of the Eye, which involve reaching the DLC credits.


To install the randomizer, get it through Outer Wilds Mod Manager: https://outerwildsmods.com/mod-manager/

Setup instructions can be found on the mod page. You’ll need Archipelago Launcher, and a template yaml and apworld definition file too.


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