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Getting Started

This guide walks you through your first time launching Waldo, connecting to a scenario server, and getting to the point where something is happening.

What you need

  • Waldo installed and running
  • A Plantangenet scenario runner accessible on your network (or running locally on the same machine)

If you do not have a runner, ask whoever set up your environment for the server address, or see the runner documentation for how to start one locally.

The Server Browser

When Waldo launches, the first thing you see is the Server Browser. It has three parts:

The connection strip runs across the top and shows your current connection state. When you first open Waldo, it will say "Not connected" with a gray left border.

The server list shows servers Waldo knows about. If a runner is broadcasting on your local network, it may appear automatically under "On This Network" with a green or gray dot. A green dot means Waldo can reach it; gray means it was detected but may not be responding.

The Add Server form at the bottom lets you enter an address manually. Type a label (anything you like) and the server URL — usually something like http://localhost:7320 or http://192.168.1.x:7321 — and click Add.

Connecting

Once you can see a server entry, click Connect next to it. The connection strip will cycle through states:

  • Connecting (yellow border) — Waldo is reaching out
  • Connected (green border) — you have a live connection
  • Realm loading — the scenario is still starting up; wait a moment

When the strip reads something like:

Connected → kurzz | Realm: kurzz | Realm ready: serving traffic.

you are in. The scenario name in the strip tells you which world this runner is hosting.

If the connection fails, check that the URL is correct and that the runner process is actually running. The status strip will show a reason if it fails.

What happens at connect time

As soon as you connect, Waldo does two things simultaneously:

  1. Opens an event stream from the runner. This is the live channel — all the things that happen in the scenario (music steps, character movements, quest updates) arrive here as a continuous feed.

  2. Takes a snapshot via a quick query to the runner's GraphQL endpoint. This hydrates your local state immediately so you see the current world rather than a blank screen waiting for events to trickle in.

You do not need to do anything to trigger this. It happens automatically.

What you will see next

After connecting, the Party panel becomes active. This is where you can see groups of players (parties) that are already in the scenario, join one, or create your own.

From there, the next step depends on which scenario you connected to:

  • For Kurzz (jazz), read the Kurzz guide — it walks you through joining a session and making your first contribution.
  • For Solace (exploration), the Party panel and map panels are your main tools.
  • For Downbeat (entrance/zine), the zine panel opens automatically and the entrance experience unfolds.

If nothing seems to be happening

Scenarios run on a simulation clock, not on your input. The world is moving whether or not you are interacting with it. If you connect and nothing looks active:

  • Check the connection strip — is the realm lifecycle "ready"?
  • Check the Party panel — are there any parties? If not, create one.
  • Check whether an activity has been started for your party. In Kurzz, you need a party and an active jazz session for the music panels to populate.

If you want to inspect what the runner actually knows about, use the GraphQL Console — press `Ctrl+`` to open it and run one of the preset queries to see parties, locations, and venues.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Action
`Ctrl+`` Open / close the GraphQL Console (power user / debug tool)