Help With Bots

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">HELP!</div> Ok, I found where to get WB Bots (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=76903)
, and I can get RCBots (http://rcbot.houstondod.com/), but I DONT" know where to get Metamod (or find out if I have it) from!

Can someone help me? Sorry to soudn like an uber nub, but... when it comes to bots.. I am... heh <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

Revren · July 2003

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

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2003

Yeah, I got it, but I dont' know HOW to install it... d@mnit! I HATE NOT KNOWING HOW TO USE SOMETHING!

It said somethign about adminmod installing it for me... I got adminmod after I got metamod, and then re-did metamod, but I dont' know if adminmod was installed right... god, I jsut dont' know anymore... HELP!

Can someone give me step by step instructions?

Cheeseh · July 2003

- download the metamod.dll file only
- make a folder called "addons" in NS folder
- go into the new "addons" folder you made and create a new folder in there called "metamod"
- again go into the new folder, this time the "metamod" folder you made and create a new folder in there called "dlls"
- extract the dll file from the metamod zip file into this folder
- go up one level into the metamod folder, create a file with notepad called "plugins.ini"
- put the line below in the plugins.ini file:

win32 addons/whichbot/dlls/whichbot.dll

then save it.

- go into your NS folder and open up the "liblist.gam" file with notepad.
- edit the line which starts with "gamedll" and change that whole line to:
gamedll "addons/metamod/dlls/metamod.dll"

- Read whichbot faq on how to get both bots to work <a href='http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc.php?docid=16096&group_id=76903' target='_blank'>http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc....&group_id=76903</a>

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

smokingwreckage · July 2003

The whichbot FAQ seems to refer to install without metamod. It mentions metamod in a brief aside and there is an inference that metamod makes things easier, but it's all pretty mysterious <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

What am I missing? How obvious is it? Can you help me with step by step instructions? (Using small words? In a big font? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'> )

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2003

Yeah, basically do what smokingwreckage said. Small words (medium large works for me too) in big font. SImple sentences (don't wanna use my brain, cause it's summer after all <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>) and tell me step-by-step where to go! I HATE NOT KNOWING EVERYTHING! I am a computer wiz, yet I cannot install metamod... LOL @ MYSELF!

clamatius · July 2003

Either do what Cheeseh said, or...

1) download whichbot-metamod.zip from <a href='http://whichbot.com' target='_blank'>whichbot.com</a>.

2) follow the installation instructions in INSTALL.txt inside the zip file.

If you followed the instructions correctly, metamod should now be installed (whichbot requires metamod to run).

How to find out whether you have metamod installed: at the half-life console, type "meta list". If metamod is installed, that should show you a list of the metamod plugins that are currently running.

If you don't know how to get to the half-life console. take a look at <a href='http://www.planethalflife.com/help/tips/enabling_console.shtm' target='_blank'>this link</a> for some instructions.

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2003

Ok, I have determined that something IS wrong. I installed metamod (to the best of my limited ability), yet meta list brings up nothing in the console...

Jean_Luc_Picard · July 2003

Ok... can someone give me step by step instructions on how to do this starting from the installation of Natural Selection? (I am going to backup all my maps and re-install NS according to how YOU did it, as it seems to work for you)

I'm not kidding, I really need to know what to do from that far back, all the way up to having the bots work properly... I've tried all you guys said, and I can't even get a LAN game to start (it doesn't show any NS maps even! Just the HL maps...)

Squidget · July 2003

I wrote this up for a LAN party, it's mostly complete:

NS General Notes (NS v1.0, as of June 13):

Install order:
1) install HL
2) install HL 1.1.1.0 patch
3) install NS 1.0
4) install NS DS patch 1.0
5) install NS DS patch 1.04
6) install Whichbot (below)
7) install RCBot (below)
9) create shortcut icons (below)

Whichbot:
(Use the metamod version, which installs metamod.)
1) Copy the WB files into the NS dir (so it is ns\addons)
2) Edit the ns\liblist.gam file so it says: gamedll "addons\metamod\dlls\metamod.dll"

RCBot:
Do not use the auto installer. Manually install.
1) Extract the zip to a temp directory.
2) delete liblist.gam (we must preserve the current liblist.gam file)
3) copy all remaining files into ns dir.

Creating shortcut icons:
To use RCBot, shortcuts must be created for both listen servers and dedicated servers, depending on which you use. All shortcuts must have this appended:

+localinfo mm_gamedll dlls/rcbot.dll

Do NOT use the standard desktop icon created during install, it is often broken. Copy the shortcuts from the start menu.

Activating mods:
type at the server console:
wb add
...to add Whichbots.

type at the server console:
bot "allow_player <playername>"
...to give a player control over RCBots. To activate the bot control menu, the player must use the "botmenu" console command. If they have installed RCBot locally, this will be bound to the minus key.

Good luck.

Squidget · July 2003

BTW, if you see HL maps, your shortcuts are probably toasted.

This bug usually has nothing to do with Bots, it's an HL problem. You'll also be able to access the Hazard Course from the main menu. The H.C. which will NOT be available if NS is running properly.

smokingwreckage · July 2003

Squidget: thanks for the detail and the note on the infamous shortcut bug. Cheers! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

smokingwreckage · July 2003

Another bot question: where does whichbot want to look for its waypoints? It's refusing to load (due to no waypoints) a bot for maps I know are waypointed. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

smokingwreckage · July 2003

Okay, I solved it: there's a line in the ns' file liblist.gam to support HPBot (identifiable by the comment above it) that refers to the incorrect .dll . It needs to be deleted for the waypoints to load.

Squidget · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (smokingwreckage @ Jul 10 2003, 06:36 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Okay, I solved it: there's a line in the ns' file liblist.gam to support HPBot (identifiable by the comment above it) that refers to the incorrect .dll . It needs to be deleted for the waypoints to load. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
I think that's covered in the WB install docs, too. I never had any such problem, anyway.

BTW, the directory is ns\addons\whichbot\data\. You should know it anyway, so you can install custom Waypoint files. Which I highly recommend you do, there are some very well done custom WP files out there.

I'll note that the "patches" section of whichbot has some nice ones. (<- self-plug for me, since the eclipse one is mine. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>)

<a href='http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=76903&atid=548624' target='_blank'>http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=7...903&atid=548624</a>

smokingwreckage · July 2003

d <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> b Squidget, you keep coming up with the goods. I'll go look for those WP's now. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this particular line was not referenced anywhere, but I may have just missed it, I'm no veteran with this kinda stuff. Whatever; deleting the line fixed the problem, and following your handy guide (above) to installing both bots, I soon got a game of WB VS RCB going. At 10 v 10 (only me human) my frame rate was eventually down around 5fps <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> . The latest version of RCB followed orders surprisingly well, and WB played aggressivley. It was fun.

So, if I were running a *dedicated* server for a LAN with some mates, and wanted to run 10 Whichbots on it, what kinda CPU and RAM would I need?

Also, forgive me if I'm being a total horse's bum, but WB files all show up as PowerPoint presentations on my dear old 'puter. Am I horribly messed up, or just confused??

Squidget · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (smokingwreckage @ Jul 11 2003, 05:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> d <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> b Squidget, you keep coming up with the goods. I'll go look for those WP's now. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this particular line was not referenced anywhere, but I may have just missed it, I'm no veteran with this kinda stuff. Whatever; deleting the line fixed the problem, and following your handy guide (above) to installing both bots, I soon got a game of WB VS RCB going. At 10 v 10 (only me human) my frame rate was eventually down around 5fps <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> . The latest version of RCB followed orders surprisingly well, and WB played aggressivley. It was fun.

So, if I were running a *dedicated* server for a LAN with some mates, and wanted to run 10 Whichbots on it, what kinda CPU and RAM would I need?

Also, forgive me if I'm being a total horse's bum, but WB files all show up as PowerPoint presentations on my dear old 'puter. Am I horribly messed up, or just confused??  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Hey, you are welcome. I'm glad to help.

Whenever I've ever ran lots of WBs, it's been on a listen server basis (LAN party, short on computers). I'm gonna guess that like a 1.6 Gig would do you easily, but you'll have to test it yourself. The bots don't seem terribly memory intensive, so 128MB would probably be fine for memory. Clamatius would be the guy to ask about this, post the Q over on his forums (www.whichbot.com). He's very responsive.

Apparently Powerpoint uses WPT as a recognized extension. It doesn't matter at all, since you never directly 'execute' WPT files. Just copy them to the right place, and HL does the rest.

Oh, and I would like to point this out. If you *do* use RCBOT, always set "bot_wait_for_orders 1" at the console. This makes the RCBots NOT run off all the time, but stand still. They'll only roam if you give them an order. They will still weld, build, and fight things in the immediate area, of course. I think this command is undocumented.

Hmm, I should bug Cheeseh to make this the default, since I see people complaining about this all the time. Hmm....

clamatius · July 2003

The only WhichBot files you'd ever want to edit yourself directly are the config files, which end with .pot and are really just text files. You can edit them in Windows by right-clicking, selecting "Open With" and picking Notepad (or your favorite text editor of choice).

The config files live in ns/addons/whichbot/conf.

smokingwreckage · July 2003

Powerpoint seemed to decide .pot was close enough to .ppt (the powerpoint extension AFAIK) and wants to open them; this confused my tiny brain as I naturally assumed that, as you said, they were text files. Thanks for clearing it up! Cheers to all, you've been excellent help and really friendly. Now to go make '98 change this association. I'll get it eventually.

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

Help With Bots

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