Bots For Server..are There Any?

shadowfax1 · June 2004

Hi, I was wondering what the best bot program was for NS?

Thanks for your time

A

ThinG · June 2004

Can't tell you which is the best, but I can provide you with the three main bots that are out there according to my knowledge:

<a href='http://www.hivemind.zor.org/' target='_blank'>Hivemind bot</a>

<a href='http://sourceforge.net/projects/whichbot/' target='_blank'>Whichbot</a>

<a href='http://rcbot.bots-united.com/' target='_blank'>RCbot</a>

Depot · June 2004

Bots will be bots, but I recommend Whichbots for their superior AI.

billcat · June 2004

IMHO:

wb: only bots really being developed worth a darn IMHO. newer versions are giving players a run for their money on a tactical basis, CO maps are great but the gorge building on NS maps needs some help. Great waypoint support via sandman[sa]. Negatives are that they are only alien and they are very dependant on a good wpt file. ns_veil and ns_tanith are worth playing and the bots will give it a good run. Works great out of the box and supports metamod well. Has open source code and great CVS support via sourceforge.

rcbot: seems ok for other mods, so so for ns. config files hard to figure out, spread all over the place rather than a single file. will do both alien and marine however, which is nice. author has dropped and then restarted support, indicating possible lack of support in the future. Works well with wb and supports metamod well. Lacks open source code.

hivemind: everyone who's even been able to get this working indicates issues with it, mostly relating to it's lack of correctly implemented support for metamod and issues getting bots out of the hive. good luck finding good documentation, so far this project appears to be leaching off the wb and rcbot bboards, lacking in any real development and heavy on hype. sandman reports that the bots wander around and don't do too much other than drop some OCs and get lost trying to make it out of the hive. Doesn't work well with metamod or other bots as far as anyone can figure out. Lacks open source code.

Again, all of this is IMHO. I'd suggest WB, I love the whichbot, development is responsive to changes and the project is open source.

shadowfax1 · June 2004

Thanks, I am now using WB and it's just what I need however it keeps crashing. The server will just freeze and go down. Any Ideas or are there any forums I could get help on this?

I'm using NS 3 beta 4a dedicated steam server - Windows and amx mod....

Kind Regards

A

Depot · June 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (shadowfax1 @ Jun 30 2004, 10:15 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Thanks, I am now using WB and it's just what I need however it keeps crashing. The server will just freeze and go down. Any Ideas or are there any forums I could get help on this?

I'm using NS 3 beta 4a dedicated steam server - Windows and amx mod....

Kind Regards

A  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Your details were sketchy, but first off ensure you're using the latest version of Metamod, 1.17.1

AdminMod has the ability to protect against server crashes when bots are used, but I am uncertain if AMX offers that.

billcat · June 2004

I'm using 3.0b4a under HLDS and I have zero problems with stability due to WB. Are you sure you aren't having an issue with the crash exploit that's currently pegged on the modns.org bboards? They have a fix under the metamod forum there. Also, as kwikloader suggested try the latest metamodX and AmxX which is actually being updated for steam updates and under active dev. Both of these are a bit of work to setup but work great after that.

I'd question if wb is actually causing the server to freeze and go down. You need to do some more troubleshooting with -debug and checking the logs to see what's going on when the server is going south. If you haven't already get the latest version of wb and disable the new "/wb status" say command in the whichbot.txt file, as people have reported some issues with that area of code.

Gl.

shadowfax1 · June 2004

Thanks Billcat, I am new to amx, I am a adminmod man really (HLDS DM server). Anyway it seems to work fine without Whichbot running, so I will try this big fix if I can find it . What are metamodX and AmxX? Is the a better version of amx? or an addon?

Thanks in advance

Andy

shadowfax1 · June 2004

....Also do you have a link to metamodX and AmxX?

Thanks

A

billcat · June 2004

www.google.com

ok:

amxx
<a href='http://www.amxmodx.org/downloads.php' target='_blank'>http://www.amxmodx.org/downloads.php</a>

metamodx
<a href='http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=24195&package_id=119653' target='_blank'>http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.p...ckage_id=119653</a>

have fun, be sure to read the dox.. if any of it breaks post on their forums <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' />

shadowfax1 · June 2004

Thanks, I can find that fix on the modns.org site, what topic is it located under?

Also do you recommend amx x over amx then?

Thanks

A

billcat · June 2004

link to the exploit fix:
<a href='http://www.modns.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=639' target='_blank'>http://www.modns.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=639</a>

ModChaosControl · August 2004

Billcat-

Why don't you actually bother to try the HiveMind v3.2 bot (metamod) and then speak of it? Your massive disrespect irritates me. Also, "leetching off the wb forums"? I have my own forums.

sawce · August 2004

He's criticizing your work. Without criticism, you would never improve.

Furthermore, if I remember correctly, about the time he had originally posted this (over a month ago), wasn't the metamod support for hivemind "beta"? Sorry if I cannot get an accurate time for this release, your website is, erm... not resolving.

Seraph1 · August 2004

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (shadowfax1 @ Jun 30 2004, 12:21 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ....Also do you have a link to metamodX and AmxX?

Thanks

A  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Get metamod 1.17.1

<a href='http://www.metamod.org/' target='_blank'>http://www.metamod.org/</a>

billcat · August 2004

Ok, so to update my assessment of hivemind:

-no support currently for nsclassic. <-- "hello bevis!"... NS is about NS classic. Without NS classic you may as well play DMC. With only support for co this may as well be a converted CS podbot. (Yes, I'm aware that support for classic is a planned feature in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that it's missing currently and this is a massive lack.)

-no linux support. well, for me this is the show stopper. any code that only runs in wintel land is no good for the major amt of server operators I know of. I downloaded the code fully intending to give it a fair shake, given that all I'd heard of it so far was 2nd hand from other wb users. Downloaded the code, found only .dll files.

-lack of open source. I don't like running stuff on my server that I can't read thru the code on. Furthermore I like being able to type stuff into google to see if the code has been ganked from someplace else. This is the major reason you find so many people contributing to projects like amxx, modns.org and whichbot. The code is open, people can see what's going on and contribute.

In response to some of these items I'm sure I'll hear "This is happening in development" which is nice and all but please don't be comparing hivemind bot to the other existing bots(with far more advanced feature sets even tho they are in beta) and then bitching back at people when they dare to note major lacking parts of your code.

Understand me here, this is all my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't like what I think of the hivemind code you are free to change it(the code), or ignore me all together. In any case, please stop interpeting my statements of fact(as I see the hivemind bot today) as 'massive disrespect' and redirect that energy into coding. So far all I've seen is massive hype surrounding the hivemind bot and you(modchaos) being over sensitive to anyone questioning missing features in hivemind.

Bottom line: no linux support, no open source, no support for ns classic.

BillCatzVirus · August 2004

billcat = l33t <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Seraph1 · August 2004

Not to discourage you from getting bots or anything, but personally I wouldn't get bots for my server. Out of the experience I've had, bots tempt people to leave and kept making my server crash ( it was win32, maybe linux version is less faulty )

But decide for yourself

TheDestroyer · August 2004

Yea, I too we're never big on bots, except when I feel like target practice.

On the Hivemind bots...

I tried these out, and I don't really like them. Don't be too offended, I don't like all bots, except MAYBE the TS bots...they are so so.

Hivemind bots like to jump, don't they. I kinda like that, because it helps my accuracy (like I said, target practice). Heh, jumpy fatties are fun. ^_^

I don't like how they do not react to warning, like me shooting them. I was chasing this one bot, shooting at the bouncy mofo, and he never turned around to retaliate. Need some work on that. He also never did anything about an attacked hive. That needs some work.

I don't like how I couldn't add another bot using hive_add after i added the first one. That, however, could be the p.o.s. that I am on right now, composing this post.

I like how they attack. They are just the way I would: in your face, and your dead. GJ on that! I also realized, when fatty hunting, that this could be because the bot can't detect enemies at a distance(?).

I dont think I saw the bot anywhere but the ground (as skulk).

They do like to wander. While writing this post, the bot had still not attacked my CC, even though I was idle and hiding.

The bots are fun. I like up close and personal. GJ so far. Social lives arn't important for gamers! Hit the code! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' />
Thats just my report on HM. I think I'll dl the another bot program, and try them out. I'll get my report done, shortly.

*edit* I have a demo of me and a Hivemind bot. Fun stuff. Good times. Gorge...pr0n...?

ModChaosControl · August 2004

Billcat

|| Linux
I do not own a linux machine, but want to make a version of the HiveMind AI for linux.

|| Open Source
The source is not open ATM because alot of unnesesary comments and random crap from the HPB_Bot source hasnt been removed. Once I tidy up the source, I will release it. I was planning to anyway.

|| NS Classic.
You are just contradicting yourself. As you yourself said, it is being planned for the future, exept for the fact that it will be in THE NEXT VERSION !!!!!!!!!!!

I have spoken. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tsa.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tsa.gif' />

cracker_jackmac · August 2004

If you need a linux server to compile on I would gladly give you a shell. Many people can vouche for my trust worthiness as can the devs of NS. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /> So in that respect drop me a PM or email if you need linux to test on and/or help with the linux "converstion". Its usually only little things that keep the linux version from going out.

ModChaosControl · August 2004

I will PM you as soon as i get my MSVC back....

Bots For Server..are There Any?

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