Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first person shooter PC game types (FPS), is a roBOTic computer controlled entity that simulates an online or LAN multiplayer human deathmatch, team deathmatch opponent or a cooperative human player. Computer game bots work via artificial intelligence routines pre-programmed to suit the game map, game rules, game type and other parameters unique to each game.
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Usage
Bots can help a PC gamer to learn the gameplay environment, the game rules and practice his shooting accuracy and skills before he will be able to be online to compete with other real human players in a multiplayer environment. Some PC gamers prefer to play exclusively with bots rather than real human opponents – especially in the case of some PC gamers who have slow dial-up internet connection and thus unable to play online. In that aspect, bots also help to lengthen and expand the interest in the game.
Some single-player games were released initially with multiplayer components and bots were only created or added later on by fans and enthusiasts.
Bots are usually written in C or C++ as stand-alone, completely independent applications or plug-ins or just dynamic link libraries (dll) for an existing game engine.
Bot types
Bots can be either static or dynamic:
Static bots are designed to just follow some pre-made waypoints or pathnodes of the levels or maps already been processed for them. These bots need to have a waypoint file unique to each map or a pathnode system embedded in the map before you can use them. For example, Quake 3 Arena bots use AAS (area awareness system) file or counter-strike bots use a .wpt (waypoint) file to run around the map. Unreal Tournament's series bots use embedded pathnode system in the map to navigate.
Dynamic bots, on the other hand, dynamically learn the levels and maps as they play, Sturmbots for Day of Defeat for example. Some bots are designed using both static and dynamic styles.
Some well-known bots
- StormTrooper Bot for Quake 3 Arena.
- Rune bot for Rune.
- Tactical Ops bot.
- jum bot, botman's bot for Half-Life.
- POD bot or the official bot by TurtleRock Studios for Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source.
- Wolfbot for Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
- Elite Force bot for Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force II.
- SturmBOT and ShrikeBot for Day of Defeat (DoD).
Some authors also write some applications with which you can create your own bot or modify the bots behavior, skills and other characteristics such as Bot Studio for Quake 3 Arena.
Console bots
Bots are not only found in FPS PC games, they are also featured in several console games.
Role-playing game bots
Some bots are designed to help a player advance levels of repetitive skills in role-playing games. However, the use of such bots are often against the rules on MMORPGs.
See Also
Non-player character (npc)
External links
- Randar's Bot Page: A Comprehensive Study Of PC Games Bots
- How Intelligent is a Game Bot, Anyway? by Chris Moyer