// OPENBOX DOCS
Discovery
Find something to play with the curated Discovery views.
The Discovery button (top bar) curates your library into ready-to-play views so you never stare at an empty grid. It works entirely from local library data, no account or network required.
The views
| View | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Recently added | The newest imports |
| Never played | Games you have not launched yet |
| Continue playing | In-progress games you returned to recently |
| Highly rated | Top-rated games in your library |
| Short sessions | Games whose past sessions were short, good for a quick play |
| Random picks | A rotating set of surprise titles |
Each view lists up to 12 games and is regenerated as the library changes.
Explorer rail
The Explorer panel in the sidebar breaks your library down by metadata facets:
- Dimensions: Genre, Developer, Publisher, Platform, Progress state, and ESRB rating.
- Dynamic Counts: Shows how many games match each value (e.g.
Platformer (24),Capcom (12)). - Compound Filters: Clicking a facet immediately applies a scoped search query to your library view.
- REST API: Backed by
GET /api/explorer/facets?field=<field>, returning the top 40 sorted facets.
Related games and recommendations
When viewing any game's detail modal or pane, OpenBox dynamically computes the most relevant titles in your collection:
- Scoring Engine: Evaluates similarity weights across shared
series(+5),developer(+3),publisher(+2),genre(+2),collection(+2), andplatform(+1). - Reason Badges: Badges explain why each game was recommended (e.g. Same Series, Same Developer, Shared Genre).
- API Endpoint: Accessible via
GET /api/related/rich?id=<index>or?game_id=<stable_id>.
See also
- Library overview, browsing and filtering the full library
- API content and imports,
GET /api/discovery - API local administrator,
GET /api/explorer/facets - Sessions, saves, and backups, where play history comes from
What should I play? (Picker)
The "What should I play?" picker (replacing the old random "Surprise me" button) scores your library against your current constraints instead of picking blindly. Choose:
- Available time — only games that fit the session you have.
- Mood — action, chill, story, retro, or party.
- Familiarity — something new, or a favorite worth revisiting.
- Players — solo or couch-multiplayer options.
The top pick renders with an explanatory reason plus quick Launch, Details, and Again actions, and a "Just surprise me" fallback. Backed by POST /api/v2/library/pick (pkg/parity/parity_picker.py).
Constellation
Tools → Constellation opens a full-screen, pan/zoomable relationship graph of your library. Nodes are games; edges link shared series, developers, publishers, genres, platform family, and co-play history, so clusters reveal what your collection is really about. Clicking a node selects it in the library. Backed by GET /api/v2/library/constellation.