Run options

The run options are the Archipelago options of your seed. They decide how long the run is, how hard it is, what ends it, and what the checks pay.

Each option has three names, for the three places you can set it:

  • the label in the launcher's Settings,
  • the key in the YAML player file, for the Archipelago app,
  • the variable in .env, for Docker.

Set them before you generate the seed. The seed keeps them. A change made later does nothing until you start a new run.

The launcher's Check Run Selection button is on the Missions page. It tells you whether the missions you picked hold enough checks for the items of the run. The Archipelago generator repeats that check and has the final say.

The run

Launcher page: Player options.

Launcher YAML .env Default What it decides
Easiest tier difficulty_pool MVM_DIFFICULTY intermediate The easiest tier the run draws from. Harder tiers are always in.
Missions used mission_count MVM_MISSION_COUNT 8 How many missions the run draws, up to the size of the pool.
Goal goal MVM_GOAL final_boss What ends the run.
Missionsanity share missionsanity_percentage MVM_MISSIONSANITY_PERCENTAGE 80 The share of missions the Missionsanity goal asks for.
Death Link death_link MVM_DEATH_LINK off Share deaths with the multiworld.
Weapon slots per class class_weapon_slots MVM_CLASS_WEAPON_SLOTS off Each class earns its own slots.
Mission modifiers mission_modifiers MVM_MISSION_MODIFIERS off Give each mission a fixed set of modifiers.
Minimum modifiers minimum_mission_modifiers MVM_MINIMUM_MISSION_MODIFIERS 1 Fewest modifiers per mission.
Maximum modifiers maximum_mission_modifiers MVM_MAXIMUM_MISSION_MODIFIERS 2 Most modifiers per mission, up to 3.

Easiest tier

The run draws from this tier and every tier above it.

Value Missions in the pool The team starts with
normal all 29 Valve missions 1 class, 1 weapon slot
intermediate 25 2 classes, 1 weapon slot
advanced 17 3 classes, 2 weapon slots
expert 4 4 classes, 3 weapon slots
haunted 1, Caliginous Caper 5 classes, 3 weapon slots

The starting kit follows the tier of the easiest mission the run drew.

Do not pick haunted for a real run. It is one mission of 666 robots, and it holds too few checks for the items of a run. The launcher does not offer it.

Missions used

Most Valve missions have six or seven waves. Eight missions is about 50 waves, which is one evening for a team that knows the mode.

If you ask for more missions than the pool holds, you get the whole pool. The generator draws more missions than you asked for when the run needs more checks, and it says so in its log.

Goal

  • final_boss marks the hardest mission the run drew. Clear it to win.
  • missionsanity asks for a share of the missions, in any order. Missionsanity share is that share, rounded up. The default of 80 on eight missions means seven missions.

The Final Boss goal ignores the Missionsanity share.

Off by default. With it on:

  • a lost wave kills every other DeathLink player in the multiworld;
  • a death from another DeathLink player kills everybody on RED, bots included.

Expect a harder run. A wave can be lost to somebody else's mistake.

Weapon slots per class

  • off: one Progressive Weapon Slot item for everybody, three copies. The default.
  • progressive: each class has its own item, two copies. Its first slot comes free with the class. Each class opens its slots in its own order.
  • any_order: each slot of each class is a named item, found in any order.

Both other values put eighteen items in the pool where there were three. A short run does not always have the checks to hold them. Generation says so.

Mission modifiers

With this on, the seed gives every mission a fixed combination of modifiers: changes to the map, the robots, the players or the waves. A mission keeps the same combination when you replay it. Minimum and Maximum bound how many modifiers a mission gets.

More checks

Launcher page: Player options. All off by default.

Launcher YAML .env What it adds
Australium Medal on clear medal_on_clear MVM_MEDAL_ON_CLEAR A medal item of your own on every mission clear. The goal then counts medals. Costs the multiworld one check per mission.
Victory caches victory_caches MVM_VICTORY_CACHES A mission clear pays checks by tier: 1 at normal, 2 at intermediate, 3 at advanced, 5 at expert and haunted.
Milestone checks milestone_checks MVM_MILESTONE_CHECKS Fifteen checks for running totals over the run: robots, giants and tanks destroyed, in any mission.
Giantsanity giantsanity MVM_GIANTSANITY A check for every giant of every wave. Empire Escalation alone holds 82.
Tanksanity tanksanity MVM_TANKSANITY A check for every tank of every wave.

Use these when the run is short on checks, or when your team wants more to find. Victory caches add checks without adding missions.

Australium Medal on clear fixes one problem. When another player finishes and releases their items, you can receive a mission clear before you played the mission. With a medal on each clear, the goal counts the medals you hold, and nobody can hand you one.

The missions

Launcher page: Missions.

Launcher YAML .env Default What it decides
The mission list, with a box per mission excluded_missions MVM_EXCLUDED_MISSIONS none excluded Missions the run never draws.
Community missions community_missions MVM_COMMUNITY_MISSIONS on Whether the run draws community missions at all.
Start mission start_mission MVM_START_MISSION random The mission the run starts on.
Start class start_class MVM_START_CLASS random One of the classes the run starts with.
The server mods list server_mods SRCDS_MODS none Mods the server loads. The run draws a mission that needs a mod only when the mod is on.

Excluded missions

Untick a mission in the launcher, or name it in the YAML or .env by its file name. mvm_ghost_town_666 keeps out Caliginous Caper, one wave of 666 robots that takes an hour on its own.

Start mission and start class

random leaves both to the seed. The run then starts on the easiest mission it drew, with random classes.

Name a mission, and the run always draws it and starts there. Name a class, and the run always starts with it. The tier of the start mission still decides how many classes the run starts with.

Do not name the hardest mission of the run as the start with the Final Boss goal. Clearing it wins on the spot, so generation stops.

Community missions

Community missions come from asset packs that you download in the launcher, on the Missions page. Once a pack is on disk, its missions appear in the list. See the community content guide.

Some community missions need a server mod. The one mod so far is SigMod (sigsegv-mvm). On the Missions page each mod has three answers:

Answer What the server does
off Never loads the mod. Its missions leave the pool.
only when a mission needs it Loads it while the pool holds a mission that names it. The default.
always, on every mission Loads it on every map.

The native launcher installs the mod when it is needed. Docker's server image already includes it; save the selection and recreate the containers to apply it. Turning it off leaves the files in place, so turning it back on costs no download.

On Windows the row reads SigMod (unstable). Linux and Docker use the mod's own release, which players run every day. Windows has no such release, so it downloads this project's port instead. That port crashed one player's server. Leave it on only when a mission needs it unless you test it. To play the missions that need it today, run the server on Linux, in Docker, or under WSL.

In .env the answer is SRCDS_MOD_LOADING, and Docker reads it as on or off: the image cannot tell which missions the pool holds.

Rewards

Launcher page: Rewards. These options decide what fills the checks left after the classes, the slots and the tickets.

Launcher YAML .env Default What it decides
Mission tickets mission_ticket_importance MVM_MISSION_TICKET_IMPORTANCE progression Whether tickets gate missions.
Class unlocks class_unlock_importance MVM_CLASS_UNLOCK_IMPORTANCE progression Whether classes count for the tier requirements.
Weapon slots weapon_slot_importance MVM_WEAPON_SLOT_IMPORTANCE progression Whether slots count for the tier requirements.
Weapon buffs weapon_buff_importance MVM_WEAPON_BUFF_IMPORTANCE useful Whether harder tiers need some buffs.
Cash rewards cash_rewards MVM_CASH_REWARDS off Let spare checks pay cash.
Unlockable bot cards bot_cards MVM_BOT_CARDS off Put every distinct non-starting card on a spare check when the seed has room; cards never gate progress.
Starting card mode starting_bot_card_mode MVM_STARTING_BOT_CARD_MODE draw_random Random cards or one stock-loadout card for each class.
Random starting cards starting_bot_cards MVM_STARTING_BOT_CARDS 0 Distinct cards received at the start; ignored in stock-class mode.
Buff share weapon_buff_percentage MVM_WEAPON_BUFF_PERCENTAGE 75 With cash on, the share of spare checks that pay a buff.
Buff stack chance weapon_buff_stack_chance MVM_WEAPON_BUFF_STACK_CHANCE 25 Chance that a buff adds a level to one already in the seed.
Traps (%) trap_percentage MVM_TRAP_PERCENTAGE 1 The share of spare checks that hold a trap.
Grappling Hook server_settings MVM_SERVER_SETTINGS off Put the Grappling Hook in the pool.

Each card's rarity and form are separate seed rolls: Common / Elite / Legendary are 50% / 40% / 10%, and Human / RED robot / Giant are 50% / 40% / 10%. Only cards received by the room can be recruited in the admin UI. Test mode continues to offer the full collection.

Importance

progression means the generator can put the item behind a check you need it for. useful means the item never gates anything.

  • With tickets on useful, every mission of the run is open from the start.
  • With classes or slots on useful, the tiers ask for nothing.
  • With buffs on progression, harder tiers ask for some buffs.

Cash and buffs

With Cash rewards off, every spare check pays a weapon buff. With it on, Buff share decides the split, and the rest pays cash.

A Cash Bundle pays 200 credits to each player on RED. It is paid at the upgrade station, between waves, so a lost wave cannot take it back.

A weapon buff is a permanent bonus on one weapon family. Numeric buffs stack a level each time. On/off buffs never repeat.

Traps

A trap is an item with a bad effect. Another player finds it, and your team pays for it. The one trap so far is Trap: Team Jarate: ten seconds of Jarate for everybody on RED, during the next wave. A trap never takes back an unlock.

Balancing

Launcher page: Balancing. This is a server setting, not a seed option. It applies at the next map load.

Launcher .env Default What it decides
Robot health (%) SRCDS_BLU_HEALTH_PCT 100 A multiplier on the health of every robot, from 10 to 1000.

Lower it for a short team. See The bots on your team.

The room

Launcher page: Archipelago room.

Launcher .env Default What it decides
Room address AP_ROOM, or AP_HOST and AP_PORT none The line from the room page, like archipelago.gg:12345.
Room password AP_PASSWORD empty The password of the room, if you set one.
Slot name AP_SLOT_NAME tf2 The name of your server in the session. It has to match the name in the player file.
Test mode TF2AP_TEST_MODE off Play without a room. The launcher fakes a multiworld of one.
AP_TLS true Docker only. true for a room on archipelago.gg, false for a room hosted in the stack.

The game server

Launcher page: Game server.

Launcher .env Default What it decides
Server name SRCDS_HOSTNAME Mann vs Archipelago The name in the server browser.
Server password SRCDS_PW empty The password players type to join. Empty lets anybody with the address in.
Game port SRCDS_PORT 27015 The port players connect to, UDP and TCP.
Join address TF2AP_JOIN_HOST this machine The address shown on the Join line.
Admins by Steam id SRCDS_ADMIN_STEAMIDS empty Who can switch missions and bots from the chat. See Chat commands.
SRCDS_RCONPW none Docker only. The remote console password. The launcher picks one for you.
SRCDS_START_MISSION empty The mission the server loads at start. The launcher sets it from Start mission.
TF2AP_NEXT_MISSION_DELAY 30 Seconds between a mission clear and the next mission.
SRCDS_MAXPLAYERS 32 Do not lower it. TF2 refuses to host MvM with fewer slots.

The page Networking decides who can reach the server. See Invite your friends. The bots on your team.

Next: Create the session.

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