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Playerbots Module

mod-playerbots is an AzerothCore module that adds player-like bots to a server. The project is based off IKE3's Playerbots and requires a custom branch of AzerothCore to compile and run: liyunfan1223/azerothcore-wotlk/tree/Playerbot.

Features include:

• The ability to log in alt characters as bots, allowing players to interact with their other characters, form parties, level up, and more;
• Random bots that wander through the world, complete quests, and otherwise behave like players, simulating the MMO experience;
• Bots capable of running most raids and battlegrounds;
• Highly configurable settings to define how bots behave;
• Excellent performance, even when running thousands of bots.

This project is still under development. If you encounter any errors or experience crashes, we kindly request that you report them as GitHub issues. Your valuable feedback will help us improve this project collaboratively.

mod-playerbots has a Discord server where you can discuss the project, ask questions, and get involved in the community!

Installation

Classic Installation

As noted above, mod-playerbots requires a custom branch of AzerothCore: liyunfan1223/azerothcore-wotlk/tree/Playerbot. To install the module, simply run:

git clone https://github.com/liyunfan1223/azerothcore-wotlk.git --branch=Playerbot
cd azerothcore-wotlk/modules
git clone https://github.com/liyunfan1223/mod-playerbots.git --branch=master

For more information, refer to the AzerothCore Installation Guide and Installing a Module pages.

Docker Installation

Docker installation is considered experimental. To install the module on a Docker installation, run:

git clone https://github.com/liyunfan1223/azerothcore-wotlk.git --branch=Playerbot
cd azerothcore-wotlk/modules
git clone https://github.com/liyunfan1223/mod-playerbots.git --branch=master

Afterwards, create a docker-compose.override.yml file in the azerothcore-wotlk directory. This override file allows for mounting the modules directory to the ac-worldserver service which is required for it to run. Put the following inside and save:

services:
  ac-worldserver:
    volumes:
      - ./modules:/azerothcore/modules:ro

Additionally, this override file can be used to set custom configuration settings for ac-worldserver and any modules you install as environment variables:

services:
  ac-worldserver:
    environment:
      AC_RATE_XP_KILL: "1"
      AC_AI_PLAYERBOT_RANDOM_BOT_AUTOLOGIN: "1"
    volumes:
      - ./modules:/azerothcore/modules:ro

For example, to double the experience gain rate per kill, take the setting Rate.XP.Kill = 1 from woldserver.conf, convert it to an environment variable, and change it to the desired setting in the override file to get AC_RATE_XP_KILL: "2". If you wanted to disable random bots from logging in automatically, take the AiPlayerbot.RandomBotAutologin = 1 setting from playerbots.conf and do the same to get AC_AI_PLAYERBOT_RANDOM_BOT_AUTOLOGIN: "0". For more information on how to configure Azerothcore, Playerbots, and other module settings as environment variables in Docker Compose, see the "Configuring AzerothCore in Containers" section in the Install With Docker guide.

Before building, consider setting the database password. One way to do this is to create a .env file in the root azerothcore-wotlk directory using the template. This file also allows you to set the user and group Docker uses for the services in case you run into any permissions issues, which are the most common cause for Docker installation problems.

Use docker compose up -d --build to build and run the server. For more information, including how to create an account and taking backups, refer to the Install With Docker page.

Documentation

The Playerbots Wiki contains an extensive overview of addons, commands, raids with programmed bot strategies, and recommended performance configurations. Please note that documentation may be incomplete or out-of-date in some sections. Contributions are welcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why aren't my bots casting spells? Please make sure that the necessary English DBC file (enUS) is present.
• What platforms are supported? We support Ubuntu, Windows, and macOS. Other Linux distros may work, but will not receive support.
• Why isn't my source compiling? Please ensure that you are compiling with the required custom branch of AzerothCore. Additionally, please check the build status of our CI. If the latest build is failing, rever to the last successful commit until we address the issue.

Addons

Typically, bots are controlled via chat commands. For larger bot groups, this can be unwieldy. As an alternative, community members have developed client Add-Ons to allow controlling bots through the in-game UI. We recommend you check out their projects:

• Multibot (by Macx-Lio), which includes English, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Russian, and Spanish support [note: active development is temporarily continuing on a fork in Macx-Lio's absence (https://github.com/Wishmaster117/MultiBot)]
• Unbot Addon (zh) (Chinese version by Liyunfan) [note: no longer under active development]
• Unbot Addon (en) (English version translated by @Revision) [note: no longer under active development]

Acknowledgements

mod-playerbots is is based off ZhengPeiRu21/mod-playerbots and celguar/mangosbot-bots. We extend our gratitude to @ZhengPeiRu21 and @celguar for the continued efforts in maintaining the module.

Also, a thank you to the many contributors who've helped build this project: