Download Rift

Play on k573.dev

1. Download desktop-client and rift.env into the same folder.
2. Start desktop-client. The first start downloads the game, which takes a while. Later starts only download what changed.
3. Click Sign in, or Create account if you have no k573.dev account yet. Your browser opens k573.dev. Sign in there, then switch back to the game.

It's the same account you play in the browser with.

Make a game

1. Download editor, game-server, desktop-client and rift-example-game.zip into the same folder.
2. Extract rift-example-game.zip in that folder. It holds a single folder, content, which is the example game. Your folder now looks like this:

   desktop-client
   editor
   game-server
   rift-example-game.zip
   content/

   Windows offers to extract into a new folder named rift-example-game. Remove that name from the path, so content lands next to editor.exe.
3. Start editor, click Open folder… and choose content.
4. Click ▸ Play to try the game. editor starts game-server and desktop-client for you, and you play as one of the game's test characters.

editor looks for game-server and desktop-client in its own folder, and they have to come from the same download as editor. Trying a game this way needs no account and no internet, and ignores rift.env.

Run your own server

Run game-server on your computer and connect desktop-client to it. It uses fake accounts: any name signs in, without a password. Start desktop-client several times to play as several players.

1. Download game-server, desktop-client, rift.env and rift-example-game.zip into the same folder, and extract rift-example-game.zip there, as in Make a game.
2. Open rift.env in a text editor, and change these five lines to:

   RIFT_CLIENT_GAME_SERVER_URL=http://127.0.0.1:9998
   RIFT_CLIENT_GAME_SERVER_WS_URL=ws://127.0.0.1:9999
   RIFT_CLIENT_AUTH=fake
   RIFT_GAME_SERVER_BIND=127.0.0.1
   RIFT_GAME_SERVER_AUTH=fake

3. Start game-server, and keep it running.
4. Start desktop-client, type any name, and click Sign in. The same name always signs in to the same character.

To run a game of your own instead of the example game, set RIFT_GAME_SERVER_CONTENT_DIR in rift.env to your game's folder.

Let others join

Everyone has to download from the same build as your game-server.

• On your home network, with fake accounts: in your rift.env, set RIFT_GAME_SERVER_BIND=0.0.0.0. Each player uses a rift.env like yours, with 127.0.0.1 changed to your computer's address.
• Over the internet, with k573.dev accounts: keep rift.env as downloaded, apart from RIFT_GAME_SERVER_CONTENT_DIR, and open ports 9998 and 9999 to the internet. Each player changes the first two lines of their rift.env to your address, such as http://203.0.113.5:9998 and ws://203.0.113.5:9999, and signs in with their k573.dev account.

rift.env

desktop-client and game-server read rift.env from their own folder. Each line sets one value, as NAME=value. Every value is required, unless it says optional. A relative path counts from the folder rift.env is in. An environment variable with the same name wins over the line in rift.env.

Read by desktop-client

RIFT_CLIENT_GAME_SERVER_URL

The HTTP address of the game-server to play on.

RIFT_CLIENT_GAME_SERVER_WS_URL

The WebSocket address of the same game-server.

RIFT_CLIENT_AUTH

oidc: sign in with a k573.dev account, in your browser. fake: sign in with any name.

RIFT_CLIENT_PROFILE_DIR

The folder where desktop-client keeps your preferences and the downloaded game.

RIFT_CLIENT_EXIT_ON_STDIN_EOF

true quits desktop-client when the program that started it closes its input, as editor does. Otherwise false.

RIFT_CLIENT_ACCESS_TOKEN optional

Signs in with this token and skips the sign-in screen, as editor does.

RIFT_CLIENT_PROBE optional

Only for automated tests.

Read by game-server

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_BIND

127.0.0.1: only your computer can connect. 0.0.0.0: any computer that can reach yours can connect.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_PORT

The port of the HTTP address.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_WS_PORT

The port of the WebSocket address.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_CONTENT_DIR

The game folder to run.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_AUTH

oidc: players sign in with k573.dev accounts. fake: players sign in with any name, so anyone can play as anyone. Use it only where you trust everyone who can connect.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_MAX_CLIENTS

The most players at once.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_PLAYER_SPAWN_TYPE

map: new players start where the game says. dist: new players start spread over every area, for load tests.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_PLAYER_IMMORTAL

true: players can't die, for testing. Otherwise false.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_DAILY_RESET_UTC_HOUR

The hour, 0 to 23 in UTC, when the game's daily limits reset.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_TEST_CHARACTERS

on: players can join as one of the game's test characters, as editor's ▸ Play does. Otherwise off.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_EXIT_ON_STDIN_EOF

true quits game-server when the program that started it closes its input, as editor does. Otherwise false.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_PYROSCOPE_ENABLED, RIFT_GAME_SERVER_PYROSCOPE_SAMPLE_HZ

Profiling for k573.dev's own servers. Keep false.

RIFT_GAME_SERVER_RNG_SEED optional

A number that makes the game's randomness play out the same on every run.

Read by both, for k573.dev accounts

Read only when RIFT_CLIENT_AUTH or RIFT_GAME_SERVER_AUTH is oidc. They point at k573.dev's sign-in service, so keep them as downloaded.

RIFT_AUTH_ISSUER

The address of the sign-in service.

RIFT_AUTH_AUDIENCE

The name the sign-in service knows Rift by.

RIFT_AUTH_JWKS_URI

Where game-server checks that a sign-in is genuine.

RIFT_AUTH_TOKEN_URI

Where desktop-client finishes a sign-in.

editor options

editor takes these options when you start it from a terminal:

editor [FOLDER] [--user-folder PATH] [--scene JSON] [--frame-log PATH]

FOLDER

Opens this game folder right away.

--user-folder PATH

Keeps editor's preferences and history in PATH, instead of in the rift-editor folder of your user data.

--scene JSON

Opens editor in a given state, for recordings and tests. --help lists the steps it takes.

--frame-log PATH

Writes the time of every frame to PATH.

--shapes

Prints the format of every kind of game content as JSON, then quits.

All three programs take --build-info, which prints the build they come from, then quits. Programs from different builds can't play together.