Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Randomizer Setup Guide

Required Software

• Sonic Adventure 2: Battle from: Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Steam Store Page
  • The Battle DLC is required if you choose to add Chao Karate locations to the randomizer
• SA Mod Manager from: SA Mod Manager GitHub Releases Page
• .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0 from: .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0 Download Page
• Archipelago Mod for Sonic Adventure 2: Battle from: Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Archipelago Randomizer Mod Releases Page

Optional Software

• Sonic Adventure 2 Tracker
  • PopTracker from: PopTracker Releases Page
  • Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Archipelago PopTracker pack from: SA2B AP Tracker Releases Page
• Quality of life mods
  • SA2 Volume Controls from: [SA2 Volume Controls Release Page] (https://gamebanana.com/mods/381193)
• Sonic Adventure DX from: Sonic Adventure DX Steam Store Page
  • For setting up the SADX Music option (See Additional Options for instructions).

Installation Procedures (Windows)

1. Install Sonic Adventure 2: Battle from Steam.

2. Launch the game at least once without mods.

3. Install SA Mod Manager as per its instructions.

4. Unpack the Archipelago Mod into the /mods directory in the folder into which you installed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, so that /mods/SA2B_Archipelago is a valid path.

5. In the SA2B_Archipelago folder, run the CopyAPCppDLL.bat script (a window will very quickly pop up and go away).

6. Launch the SAModManager.exe and make sure the SA2B_Archipelago mod is listed and enabled.

Installation Procedures (Linux and Steam Deck)

1. Install Sonic Adventure 2: Battle from Steam.

2. Launch the game at least once without mods.

3. Create both a /mods directory and a /SAManager directory in the folder into which you installed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

4. Unpack the Archipelago Mod into this folder, so that /mods/SA2B_Archipelago is a valid path.

5. In the SA2B_Archipelago folder, copy the APCpp.dll file and paste it in the Sonic Adventure 2 install folder (where sonic2app.exe is).

6. Install SA Mod Manager as per its instructions. Specifically, extract SAModManager.exe file to the folder that Sonic Adventure 2: Battle is installed to. To launch it, add SAModManager.exe as a non-Steam game. In the properties on Steam for SA Mod Manager, set it to use Proton as the compatibility tool.

7. Run SAModManager.exe from Steam once. It should produce an error popup saying you need .NET Desktop Runtime and ask you if you'd like to download it. Say yes and it will download through your browser.

8. Install protontricks, on the Steam Deck this can be done via the Discover store, on other distros instructions vary, see its github page.

9. Right click the .NET Desktop Runtime exe that was downloaded in step 6, and assuming protontricks was installed correctly, the option to "Open with Protontricks Launcher" should be available. Click that, and in the popup window that opens, select SAModManager.exe. Follow the prompts after this to install the .NET Desktop Runtime for SAModManager. Once it is done, you should be able to successfully launch SAModManager to steam.

10. Launch SAModManager.exe from Steam and make sure the SA2B_Archipelago mod is listed and enabled.

Note: Ensure that you launch Sonic Adventure 2 from Steam directly on Linux, rather than launching using the Save & Play button in SA Mod Manager.

Joining a MultiWorld Game

1. Before launching the game, run the SAModManager.exe, select the SA2B_Archipelago mod, and hit the Configure Mod button.

2. For the Server IP field under AP Settings, enter the address of the server, such as archipelago.gg:38281, your server host should be able to tell you this.

3. For the PlayerName field under AP Settings, enter your "name" field from the yaml, or website config.

4. For the Password field under AP Settings, enter the server password if one exists, otherwise leave blank.

5. Click The Save button then hit Save & Play to launch the game. On Linux, launch Sonic Adventure 2 from Steam directly rather than using Save & Play.

6. Create a new save to connect to the MultiWorld game. A "Connected to Archipelago" message will appear if you sucessfully connect. If you close the game during play, you can reconnect to the MultiWorld game by selecting the same save file slot.

Additional Options

Some additional settings related to the Archipelago messages in game can be adjusted in the SAModManager if you select Configure Mod on the SA2B_Archipelago mod. This settings will be under a General Settings tab.

• Message Display Count: This is the maximum number of Archipelago messages that can be displayed on screen at any given time.
• Message Display Duration: This dictates how long Archipelago messages are displayed on screen (in seconds).
• Message Font Size: The is the size of the font used to display the messages from Archipelago.

If you wish to use the SADX Music option of the Randomizer, you must own a copy of Sonic Adventure DX on Steam, and follow these steps:

1. Find the folder on your PC where Sonic Adventure DX is installed.

2. Enter the SoundData folder in the Sonic Adventure DX installation folder, and copy the bgm folder.

3. Paste the bgm folder into the ADX folder which exists within the gd_PC folder in your SA2B_Archipelago mod folder.

Troubleshooting

• "The following mods didn't load correctly: SA2B_Archipelago: DLL error - The specified module could not be found."

  • Make sure the APCpp.dll is in the same folder as the sonic2app.exe. (See Installation Procedures step 6)

• "sonic2app.exe - Entry Point Not Found"

  • Make sure the APCpp.dll is up to date. Follow Installation Procedures step 6 to update the dll.

• Game is running too fast (Like Sonic).

  • Limit framerate using the mod manager:
    1. Launch SAModManager.exe.
    2. Select the Game Config tab, then select the Patches subtab.
    3. Check the Lock framerate box under the Patches section.
    4. Press the Save button.
  • If using an NVidia graphics card:
    1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel.
    2. Select Manage 3D Settings under 3D settings on the left.
    3. Select the Program Settings tab in the main window.
    4. Click the Add button and select sonic2app.exe (or browse to the exe location), then click Add Selected Program.
    5. Under Specify the settings for this program:, find the Max Frame Rate feature and click the Setting column for that feature.
    6. Choose the On radial option and in the input box next to the slide enter a value of 60 (or 59 if 60 causes the game to crash).

• Controller input is not working.

  1. Run the Launcher.exe which should be in the same folder as the your Sonic Adventure 2: Battle install.
  2. Select the Player tab and reselect the controller for the player 1 input method.
  3. Click the Save settings and launch SONIC ADVENTURE 2 button. (Any mod manager settings will apply even if the game is launched this way rather than through the mod manager)

• Game crashes after display logos.

  • This may be caused by a high monitor refresh rate.
    • Change the monitor refresh rate to 60 Hz [Change display refresh rate on Windows] (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-your-display-refresh-rate-in-windows-c8ea729e-0678-015c-c415-f806f04aae5a)
  • This may also be fixed by setting Windows 7 compatibility mode on the sonic app:
    1. Right click on the sonic2app.exe and select Properties.
    2. Select the Compatibility tab.
    3. Check the Run this program in compatility mode for: box and select Windows 7 in the drop down.
    4. Click the Apply button.

• No resolution options in the Launcher.exe.

  • In the Graphics device dropdown, select the device and display you plan to run the game on. The Resolution dropdown should populate once a graphics device is selected.

• No music is playing in the game.

  • If you enabled an SADX Music option, then most likely the music data was not copied properly into the mod folder (See Additional Options for instructions).

• Mission 1 is missing a texture in the stage select UI.

  • Most likely another mod is conflicting and overwriting the texture pack. It is recommended to have the SA2B Archipelago mod load last in the mod manager.

• Minigame trap is un-winnable

  • If you are using the SA2 Input Controls mod, it conflicts with certain minigames such as the Input Sequence Trap and medium difficulty Fishing Trap. Disabling the SA2 Input Controls mod should resolve the issue.

Save File Safeguard (Advanced Option)

The mod contains a save file safeguard which associates a savefile to a specific Archipelago seed. By default, save files can only connect to Archipelago servers that match their seed. The safeguard can be disabled in the mod config.ini by setting IgnoreFileSafety to true. This is NOT recommended for the standard user as it will allow any save file to connect and send items to the Archipelago server.