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The client key

Your game calls Simpl with a client key. It starts with ck_live_.
  • Never put a key in a file you commit to git.
  • Never use a server key (sk_live_...) in a game. The plugin refuses it with the error server_key_refused.

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Three ways to give the key

The plugin checks these in order. The first one that is not empty wins.
  1. The command line option -SimplClientKey=ck_live_...
  2. The environment variable SIMPL_CLIENT_KEY
  3. The ClientKey project setting
For your own testing, use the environment variable or the command line option. If you use the project setting, keep the key out of the files you commit. The plugin reads the key once, when your game starts. You can also set it later with SetClientKey. It returns false if the key is a server key.

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The player ID

Call InitializeSimpl once, with the ID of the player. This is your own ID for the player.
Rules for the ID:
  • It must not be empty.
  • It can be at most 128 characters.
  • It cannot have control characters.
The plugin never makes up an ID for you. It keeps the ID in memory only and writes no files. If you call InitializeSimpl with a different ID, the plugin leaves the open lobbies of the old ID. If you want to show names, put one in the player state. See Lobbies.

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The version tag

The version tag is the name of a server build. A build with that name must exist and be ready. The plugin takes the tag from:
  1. The VersionTag setting. If it is empty, then
  2. Project Settings > Description > Project Version.
The plugin reads it once, when your game starts. It adds the tag to the player state when a player creates or joins a lobby, and sends it when the host starts a match. Which tag Simpl uses depends on how the match starts:
  • Queue: Simpl uses the version_tag of the queue. It uses the tag in the host’s player state only if the queue is set to use the version from player state.
  • Start Match in a lobby with a queue: Simpl uses the version_tag of the queue. The tag the plugin sends is ignored.
  • Start Match in a lobby with no queue: Simpl uses the tag the plugin sends.
If no ready build has that name, the call fails, for example with NO_BUILD_FOR_VERSION. See Troubleshooting.

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Project settings

Open Project Settings > Plugins > Simpl Client. They are saved in Config/DefaultGame.ini.