Install

• Hydra itself:
  • (might need) .NET 10
  • download hydra from releases
  • run project (play button top right)
• Add UT support (circle tracker):
  • make sure you have the ap launcher installed
  • grab universal tracker and place it in your custom worlds folder
  • make sure that in hydra Settings -> Main Settings that your archipelago directory is set
  • Hydra should auto download/update the HydraUTBridge.apworld when needed

Support me and hydra's development on Patreon

Features

• Connections
  • Save Multiworld address, ports, passwords and change b/t them at will
    • Contains slot name overrides
    • Contains slot password overrides
    • Caches current/max check counts
    • Caches hints
    • Caches item received history
    • Supports multiple DeathLink groups
    • Switching multiworlds will log out of all connected slots
  • Can delete/edit/set/clear the cache of a multiworld
  • Save Slot names to be used across worlds
    • Saves slot name
    • Can set a slot name override for a multiworld
    • Can set a slot password for a multiworld
    • Can set a game portrait image
    • Can set a list of programs that can ran on connect (very untested)
      • WARNING: if connection gets dropped it will close the games attached to it
      • WARNING: some applications might not close if hydra crashes
      • {{slot}} => slot name
      • {{add}} => address
      • {{port}} => port
      • {{pass}} => password
      • {{ap}} => path to ap
      • if {{mw}} is at the front then the process will only close when you disconnect all slots from the multiworld
      • if {{hydra}} is at the front then the process will only close when hydra closes
      • this runs using C#'s Process
      • ex: {{ap}}/ArchipelagoLauncherDebug.exe "Universal Tracker" -- --name {{slot}} --connect {{add}}:{{port}}
        • (UT is special as it accepts a slot name, by default AP doesn't)
      • ex: {{ap}}/ArchipelagoLauncherDebug.exe "other client" -- --connect {{add}}:{{port}} --password {{pass}}
      • ex: {{ap}}/ArchipelagoLauncher "Universal Tracker" archipelago://{{slot}}:{{pass}}@{{add}}:{{port}}
      • for more info, in the terminal launch ArchipelagoLauncherDebug.exe with -h or --h
  • Change the scale of the slot name text and portrait
  • Can have up to 7 slots connected at a time
    • The first Client that connects is designated as the 'Leader' client
    • Can change the leader client
  • On connection, slots are separated based on if the slot name appears in the multiworld or not
• Clients
  • Text Client
    • Messages are separated into different categories (all, chat, item, hint, server)
    • Any specific category can be popped out into a popup window (top right)
    • Settings for showing specific kinds of items in the item log (removes anything not matching)
    • Send messages (messages are sent from the current 'Leader' client)
    • Emote menu to view and write emotes by clicking on them
    • Can Click on any message to copy it, hint messages take the hint copy message format
    • Can change how some messages get displayed in the settings -> text client
• Hint Table
  • Can sort hints based on multiple columns
  • Sort order is saved
  • Can view cached hints from other slots (can change: all/logged in slots/'leader' only slot)
  • Can Change visibility settings for specific kinds of hints (found/priority/unspecified/no priority/avoid)
  • Can Hide/Show specific hints
  • Can copy a hint into your clipboard with a click of a button
  • Can change how a hint gets copied in the settings -> hints
• Utilities
  • Item Filter
    • Clicking on an item (almost anywhere) or the Add Filter button in the settings -> Item Filter opens up a popup to add an item filter
    • If an item was clicked, it will autofill the information
    • Can show/hide items filtered from the Item Log in the text client
    • Can show/hide items filtered from the Hint Table
    • Can mark an item as special
      • Special Items are treated higher than progression items and can have their own colors
  • Circle Tracker
    • Uses Universal Tracker to display locations in order based on the order of items received for any connected slot
    • Has Next Progression support (calculates after all the circles are done)
    • Disclaimer: this is NOT a sphere tracker
    • Displays any hinted items next to the location
    • Moves priority hinted locations to the top of a circle
    • Displays what the new item received for each circle
    • Ability to show/hide circles that have no locations
    • Ability to show/hode circles beyond the first one that has locations
    • Can have multiple circle trackers opened with multiple slots
    • Any slot's tracker can be popped out into a popup window (top right)
  • Map Tracker
    • Ability to render checks on a map
    • Ability to map entrances
    • Has auto tabbing support
    • For more, advanced info visit the Map Tracker/Maker Section
  • Displays inventory (view an item to see who sent you those items)
  • Has sorting and some filtering capabilities
  • Can view the history of all items received (based on the order you received them)
  • View all items in your game, clicking on one gives you a hint prompt
  • View all missing locations in your game, click on one gives you a hint location prompt
• Players
  • Can view every player in the multiworld as well as their status (connected/not connected/goaled)
  • Can display check counts when !status is used (there is a button that does !status for you)
  • Displays a fading + when a slot checks a location
  • Hovering hover a name will show their game
  • Add a hydra specific Alias
  • Add a copy specific Alias that only appears when copying a message
  • Can change how the above aliases behave when copying
• Misc Settings/Features
  • Ability to change the default font
    • Accepted formats: *.ttf, *.ttc, *.otf, *.otc, *.woff, *.woff2, *.pfb, *.pfm
  • Change Color Themes
  • Import/Export Color themes from/to clipboard
  • Set Background image and alpha (transparency/opacity)
    • Accepted formats: *.png, *.jpg, *.bmp, *.exr, *.jpeg, *.tga, *.svg, *.svgz
  • Change some Font Sizes
  • Discord Rich Presence
• Autoupdater
  • Requires internet (duh)
  • Might be buggy/unstable
  • If there are new updates, it will print to the console

Extra Info

• Portable Functionality
  • Rename HydraTextClient to HydraTextClient_Portable to enable
  • forces all save data to be same folder as the executable
  • disables custom assets loading
• Custom Assets image overrides
  • this feature allows you to override/add item images for a game's items
  • the format follows the same as Custom Assets does so hydra can be used to test them before merging
  • Hydra's format is less restrictive than Custom Assets, so be mindful
  • Format (hydra is non-case-sensitive, Custom Assets IS case-sensitive):
    • Game Name (folder)
      • in the folder you have images that have the item name
      • Custom Assets item formatting Game Name_Item Name
      • aliases.json, allows you to assign multiple items to 1 image (not required)
      • game name.png will act as a default image for all the game's items
  • There is a button to reload images in the settings
• Text Client: How Item Log and Hint Log filter deletes items
  • If an item/hint is blocked by your settings/filters they will not be added at all
  • If a setting/filter is updated, any messages in the text client will be hidden/reshown
  • If the message history is full the oldest hidden messages will be deleted first
    • If there are no hidden messages, the oldest message will then be deleted
• Game Portraits
  • Images saved to the game portrait directory (in settings -> theme)
  • Uses the name of the image as the portrait/game name
  • Need to click the reload button or reopen hydra for them to reload
• Emotes/Emojis
  • Images saved to the emote directory (in settings -> theme)
  • Uses the name of the image as the emote name
  • IMPORTANT: it is recommended to simplify your emote names (so everyone's can match to a degree)
    • foxsmile -> smile
    • foxpog -> pog
  • An emote is written as {{e;[emote name]}}
  • Emotes you do not have an image for are shown as [emote name]
• Message effects
  • {{e;[emote name]}} displays an emote (hovering over it will show the image in its full resolution)
  • {{player;[player slot]}} displays a reference to the player (hover effects included)
  • {{item;``[game name]``;``[item name]``}} displays a reference to an item, has support for Custom Assets
  • {{item;``[game name]``;``[item name]``;[item flag]}} like the above but adds on the item type
    • 0: Normal
    • 1: Progression
    • 2: Useful
    • 4: Trap
  • {{loc;[location id];[player slot]}} displays a location, location id is specific to the apworld
  • {{entrance;[entrance text]}} displays the text as an entrance
  • {{found}}/{{notfound}} displays hint found/not found text

Map Tracker/Maker

• For devs implementing auto tabbing
• For those who don't want to use the UI
  • The folder of the pack should be named the game's name as it appears in ap