ArtifactOfParallel

An artifact that splits a stage's chests, Shrines of Chance, multishops and similar loot between players. Each player only sees and opens their own; anything that drops out is shared. Added together, everyone's share is about what the stage would have in a normal multiplayer run.

Everyone in the lobby needs this mod, with the same version.

How it works

• At the start of each stage, the game places loot as usual. The artifact then hands each private object to one player, so everyone gets roughly the same total value. Objects that would push someone well over their share are removed.
• Stage-placed objects (like the legendary chest on Abyssal Depths) are copied once per player when that fits the budget; otherwise they stay shared.
• Rusted Key lockboxes, Encrusted Key caches and Shipping Request Form chests belong to the player whose item spawned them.
• If a player dies or disconnects, their unopened objects become shared until they come back (revive, reconnect, or take over a Remote Operation drone).
• A Remote Operation drone can open its player's own private objects.
• Drifter can't grab, throw or Tinker another player's private objects.
• Printers, scrappers, drones, Void Seed contents and everything else stay shared.
• With one player the artifact does nothing.

Config (kaitorque.ArtifactOfParallel.cfg)

The host's settings apply, read at the start of each stage. With Risk Of Options installed, they can be changed in game.

Console commands (for testing)

• parallel_test_chests (host): spawns one small chest per player in front of you.
• parallel_debug: lists private objects on your game and their owners in the BepInEx log.

Compatibility

Other artifacts and loot mods: Parallel has only been tested on its own and with Artifact of Potential. Other artifacts or mods that change chests, shrines or shops, or how a stage spawns them (for example Sacrifice, Command, Delusion, or mods that add their own chests), haven't been tested with it. They may break the split: objects staying shared, a player getting too much or too little, or someone seeing another player's object. If you hit a problem, try without them first, and report it with your log.

• Highlight and minimap mods may show other players' private objects on the host. Mod authors can use ArtifactOfParallel.ParallelApi to check what the local player can see.
• Players joining mid-stage (DropinMultiplayer) get a share from the next stage.

Known issues

• On the host, ambient sounds of other players' hidden objects may still play.
• Pinging where another player's object is shows the ping marker (but not the object).

Changelog

1.0.1

• Fixed: on clients, a stage-placed chest that was copied per player (like the Large Chest on top of the ruins in Verdant Falls) left its original model behind. Clients saw an extra closed chest that nobody could open.
• Fixed: those per-player copies cost more than vanilla because the difficulty scaling was applied twice.

1.0.0

First full release.

• Fixed: adaptive chests are actually private now. 0.1.2 used a wrong asset key, so they stayed shared.
• README: added a compatibility note that other artifacts and loot mods haven't been tested with Parallel and may break the split.
• Removed the base-game Heretic + Remote Operation fix added in 0.1.2. This mod no longer changes base-game behaviour outside the artifact.

0.1.2

• Adaptive chests are now private (under the Chests setting); they were missing from the list and stayed shared.
• Fixed a base-game hang: a player with all four Heretic items (e.g. joining as Heretic with DropinMultiplayer) on a Remote Operation drone doubled a list on their character with every item picked up, until the host froze and crashed.

0.1.1

• Fixed: on the host, a chest, lunar pod or lockbox that went back to its owner (after they revived or took over a Remote Operation drone) stayed visible to others but couldn't be opened. Their models live outside the object and weren't hidden again.
• Debug logging: each stage lists everything the director spawned by type (shared and private, also with the artifact off for comparison), and which objects each player received or were removed.

0.1.0

First test version.

• Artifact of Parallel: splits chests, equipment barrels, lunar pods, void cradles, Shrines of Chance and multishops between players. Each player only sees and opens their own, and drops are shared.
• The split keeps each stage's total loot value about the same as vanilla multiplayer, and is seeded by the run so it's repeatable.
• Stage-placed objects are copied per player when they fit the budget, otherwise left shared.
• Rusted Key, Encrusted Key and Shipping Request Form boxes belong to the item's holder.
• A dead or disconnected player's unopened objects become shared, and go back to them on revival, reconnect or Remote Operation.
• Remote Operation drones can open their player's own objects; Drifter can't grab or Tinker other players' objects.
• On the host, other players' objects are fully hidden (models, lights, price labels, ping outlines).
• Per-category config, with an optional Risk Of Options page.
• ParallelApi for other mods (highlight or minimap mods) to check what the local player can see.
• Debug logging and the parallel_test_chests / parallel_debug console commands.