Hey Nazar, MAZEPA'S_GAMBIT

This gets SotF Link onto your PC from scratch. It takes about five minutes, and you only do it once. After that, your app takes every new version straight from mine.

  1. Save both files from Telegram

    I'll send you two files. You need both.

    • SotF-Link-Setup-0.2.4.exe is the app. It's about 90 MB.
    • The .sotflink file is your invite. It holds the secret key that connects your app to mine, so don't share it with anyone.

    Telegram Desktop saves files to Downloads\Telegram Desktop.

  2. Run the installer

    Double-click SotF-Link-Setup-0.2.4.exe.

    Windows will probably show a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen, because I didn't pay for a code signing certificate. Click More info, then Run anyway.

    There are no buttons to click through. It installs in a few seconds, puts a SotF Link shortcut on your desktop and opens the app.

  3. Open the invite

    Right after installing, the app doesn't know about me yet and acts like a host. It shows an "Invite your friend" section and may complain about a connection problem. Ignore that.

    Double-click the .sotflink file. The app restarts as my friend. If double-clicking doesn't work, open Advanced settings, click Open invite file and pick it.

    Now the window should say Connected to donymak. If I'm not online yet, it says "Waiting for donymak" and connects on its own once I start my app.

  4. Set your name

    Open Advanced settings. Your name starts out as your Windows user name. Change it to whatever you want me to see before your messages.

  5. Put the overlay where you want it

    My messages show up as a small caption box over the game. The box can only sit on top of the game in Borderless or Windowed mode, so switch the display mode in the game's settings if it runs fullscreen. Start the game, then click Move it on the real screen in the SotF Link window, or press Ctrl+Shift+O in game. Drag the box where you like and press Enter. The game keeps working the whole time.

  6. Talk to me

    In game, press F8, say your thing, and press F8 again to send it. You can also type in the SotF Link window. There's an experimental hands-free mode there too. With it, you just talk and each sentence goes out when you pause.

Updates after this

Whenever I install a newer version, your app downloads it from me and installs it. You'll notice a yellow note in the SotF Link window, something like "Downloading update 0.2.5 from donymak… 45%". In the game overlay it says "Downloading update" and then "Installing update, SotF Link restarts in a moment".

The app closes, comes back 5 to 10 seconds later on the new version and reconnects to me. Captions stop for up to half a minute during that, so I'll try not to update mid-fight. Your app copies your settings to a backup folder before every update.

If you'd rather pick the moment yourself, open Advanced settings and turn off Update automatically from the host. You'll get an Install update button instead. That button also appears if an automatic update fails three times in a row.

If something goes wrong