Playing online

Get the game with the launcher (AetheriaLauncher.exe): pick Stable (recommended) or Beta (newest, might break, its own saves) and press Play. It keeps the game up to date by itself.

Title screen → Play Online. Your farm lives on the server, so Poncho's program keeps running there. Mendwell, chat, friends, visits and mail are described in 6b.

Main server (the official one): Log in with Discord opens your browser once. After that, Continue as \<name\> for 30 days.
Another server: type its IP or address (port 8765 unless you add one, like 192.168.1.20:9000) and a name, then Connect. That's for a server someone else runs (./tools/godot.ps1 server starts one); those take a name instead of Discord. Once you've been there, Continue as \<name\> there appears.
Online, the game can't be paused or sped up, and saving is automatic. Esc → Disconnect to leave.
If the connection drops, the game reconnects by itself (your farm stays on screen meanwhile).

Found a bug? Press F8 (or Esc → Report a bug) and say what went wrong. The game attaches the version, where Poncho is and your recent messages, and sends it to the developers. In a solo game the report waits and is sent the next time you play online.

The Hall of Records

The leaderboards: click the gold Hall of Records board in Mendwell (next to the bank), pick it from Actions, or press Hall of Records on the notebook's records page. Boards for lines run, lines written, crops harvested, potatoes earned and Great Warden damage come in This week (since Monday 00:00 UTC) and All time; deepest ruin, Poncho's level and achievements are all-time only. You see the top 10 (click a name for their card) and your own place. Every Monday the top 3 of each weekly board become last week's champions: everyone's told, and they wear a gold name tag all week. Only online play counts, and a player whose card is private shows as "A private player". The same boards are on the wiki's Hall of Records page.

Player cards

Click another player's Poncho (in Mendwell, the Relay Commons or the Warden's Arena), their name in chat, or Card next to a friend, and their card opens: Poncho in their paint, their name and title, level, how long they've played, what they're doing right now, six of their records (lines written, lines run, crops, glitches, deepest ruin, potatoes earned) and the achievements they show off. From there you can add them as a friend, visit their farm, trade, or report them.

Your own card is under My records in the notebook. Pick what it shows off with Show on my card on the Achievements page (up to 3; otherwise your best ones), and who may see it (everyone, friends or nobody) on the card itself. Cards show only what's in the game: never anything from your Discord account except the name you already play under.

Trading with other players

From Poncho level 5 you can trade with anyone in Mendwell, or with a friend wherever they are.

Ask: type /trade name, press Trade next to an online friend in the Friends panel, or in Mendwell open Actions → Trade with someone…. They get a bar at the top of the screen to accept.
The trade window: pick things from your bag and Add to my side (potatoes are just another item). Hover a part on their side to see every stat before you agree. Any change clears both Ready ticks, so nobody can swap something at the last second.
When you're both Ready, everything swaps at once and both of you are saved straight away. If either bag doesn't have room, nothing moves and you can make space.
Walking out of Mendwell (unless you're friends), logging off or Cancel trade ends it with nothing moved.
Story items stay with you: the Waystone Kit, Grandpa's Typing Manual and Mendwell Trophies.

While you're away

When you log off, Poncho doesn't stop.

Logged off on your farm: for up to 8 hours the server keeps the farm going and runs his program, both at half speed. Overheating, a full bag and errors work as usual (he just stops and waits).
Logged off anywhere else (the ruins, Mendwell, the Commons, the Arena): he heads home and rests, and your crops keep growing for the 8 hours.
Friends who visit see the farm live, with Poncho at work.
When you come back, a "While you were away" window says how long he worked, what he harvested, levels and notebook goals, why his program stopped (if it did), and what's waiting for you (mail, Trading Post sales, notes from visitors).
Playing solo: when you load your save, your crops catch up for the time the game was closed (up to 8 hours, at half speed). His program doesn't run while the game is closed.