Archipelago vs Universal Pokémon Randomizer FVX

Archipelago randomizes supported games and connects them in a shared multiplayer experience. An item found in one player's game can be assigned to another player and sent over the internet. Sessions may be synchronous, with everyone playing at once, or asynchronous, with players connecting at their own pace. Supported games can also be generated as single-player experiences through the website or installed generator software. Website generation uses an uploaded YAML configuration or ZIP of configuration files and the current Archipelago release. To host a game, users can upload a locally generated ZIP or multidata file, then provide a tracker and patch files to players. Race games are made without spoiler logs and use protections that vary by game, such as ROM encryption or cheat-mode removal. The project lists included games and provides guides, including instructions for macOS clients; it directs players and developers to Discord for questions. Archipelago is free and open source, with Linux, macOS, web, and Windows support. Its supported-games page also points to guides for custom worlds and other games.

Universal Pokémon Randomizer FVX is a free, open-source desktop tool for changing data in vanilla core-series Pokémon games from Generations 1–7. It supports games for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS, with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! excluded. Options cover Pokémon traits, evolutions, starters, moves, trainer and wild Pokémon, items, and type effectiveness. FVX adds palette randomization and custom player graphics, with support varying by generation: palettes are fully supported in Generations 1–3, partly supported in 4–5, and unavailable in 6–7; custom player graphics are limited to Generations 1–3. A seed and settings string can reproduce a randomization, and logs can be disabled to prevent spoilers during races. Users must provide their own ROM files. ROM hacks are not officially supported. For 3DS games, files must be decrypted; randomized output can be saved as CXI or LayeredFS. If a game update is loaded, LayeredFS is the only output option. The tool runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.