Features Request

[Former user]

I am requesting the following features to be implemented as soon as possible (into the next earliest build, again if possible):

A. When a player enters a battle ground they can spawn bots.

• Bots can either be pre-programmed or be programmable with a routine suitable the current battleground. (So you don't have to babysit them)

B. Bots can be qued into the Dungeon Finder system.

C. Inventory window or table that allows you to set the armor and weapons an npc bot of type X-class has on default. That or a way to change all stats manually (health, mana, armor rating, etc....)

D. Possibly a way to merge existing AI from NPCbots to Playerbots.

[trickerer]

Yeah, sounds like hell of a humble request.
So let me give you some explanation first (because you seem to not know much of these bots nor trinity):

1. Npbots are Creatures, that means they, unlike players, do not use real equipment and do not need any inventory (basically), thay only have modelid stored in creature_template table for basic appearance and model(s) for weapon(s) stored in creature_equip_template table. These values come from DBC. So no equipment = no stats from items.
2. All npcbots' stats are mostly depend on your character's stats. This is simple: npcbot stats = base classlevel stats + big bonus from your stats. I guess most stats (except ofc spellpower/attack power) are pretty much balanced.
3. Npcbots' castable spells are taken (mostly) from players, but most effect other than damage are not handled for creatures (even most simple like clearcasting), so they are handled separately in AI (hackish way).
4. Npcbots' passive abilities are a total hack I made, abusing stacking passive spells and players' passive talents.
5. Npcbots are can be invited in group, but this is also made with a hack.
6. Npcbots are made as minions with combat AI (+some misc abilities like custom movement, mages conjuring comsumables etc.), so this is all I worked on all the time. Even with this little functionality comes with 30 thousand lines .patch file.
7. Playerbots are under development. By now they only have standard follow movement, they can attack, self rez, casting is also mostly implemented yet unused (except shaman, which can only cast lightning shield on self and windfury on own items).

Now let's see:

A. You cannot summon new npcbots in BGs because it can cause even more disbalance if teams are not even (cuz of 2.). I also had a request to make a config parameter which will allow to restict using npcbots in certain map types (including BGs).

Also neither playerbots nor npcbots never had BG- or even PVP rotations. Alas, I can't test BG with npcbots (have noone to test them), so this comes later.

B. Creating a hook for playerbots to queue them in DFinder is not a big problem. But playerbots are barely useable and DFinder itself is not yet finished. I'll consider it.

C. Again, as I tried to explain in (1), creatures have no inventory. Making a fake inventory for creature will take an additional table in DB (or a few of them). To make an interface (window) to manipulate items within such inventory I need to write a lua script (client addon) which I am not good at. I also prefer to not add/modify anything at client side. Just imagine every player need to download an addon to use some npcbots you added to your server. Currently npcbots' stats are handled with (2). The only way to change npcbot's stats ingame is to set a maintank flag on him (check readme for bot mod commands).
Well, of cource I've been thinking of this too, and I can say this is not impossible atm. The problem is that player can have up to 39 npcbots (as absolute raid size limit) and if player will need to gather items not just for himself, but also for, let's say 4, npcbots, this such gameplay can be a real pain, and npcbots will be more annoying (dying all of the time) than useful. Also I don't want to abandon old stats system. Maybe they can be merged someway, with some ideas like making npcbots automatically receive some items on levelup under some condition, but this is also can be applied to player-type bots (yes, playerbots are not the only player-type bots I keep in mind for future). Since I am the only one who cares about npcbots, they most likely will be abandoned when I will switch to player-type bots.
If such system will be implemented for npcbots, it will be done only for future conversion for some kind of playerbots.

D. This is the only way I can add the AI for playerbots (I mean combat AI as this is the only AI npcbots have), previous class AI was just horrible. But this is a real work, and will take quite a while, and, of course it cannot come in single commit lol. No need to mention that I need to also write base playerbot AI which is the main part of whole playerbots project.

In fact the main problem here is that I didn't have much time for bots since beginning of 2013. This is a project of one man and I will still be busy for another 2 months since now.

I'll let this request stay open until then.

P.S. I hope you read it carefully :)

[Former user]

These are mostly things to make singleplayer more of a possibility. As it stands, singleplayer is about as fun as microwaving your hand. Sure, it seems fun for a few seconds, but that wears off shortly.

I'd also like to mention there is no need to be snarky. I realize what I am asking is almost impossible unless you focus solely on each one for an entire build. I am asking for them ASAP. So there's no need to act like I'm trying to in any way imply or otherwise force you to do any of this.

Alright then:

You cannot summon new npcbots in BGs because it can cause even more disbalance if teams are not even (cuz of 2.). I also had a request to make a config parameter which will allow to restict using npcbots in certain map types (including BGs).

Well actually you can. You just make one of those NPC bot handlers in the BG. It'll stay there forever too. I meant more like make one for each side that you can then create bots for each side. They'll fight until the BG is over and then disappear by being forced to disband. Most of these techniques are mostly implemented by the looks of it. All that really needs to happen is for you to make a way for the handler to create faction specific bots.

Also neither playerbots nor npcbots never had BG- or even PVP rotations. Alas, I can't test BG with npcbots (have noone to test them), so this comes later.

I was thinking of making some kind of PvP system. I just don't know where to start. Like I had mentioned in my previous thread, I am new to this. But it's not like I'm new to computer logic.

I was thinking something along the lines of the player can make a waypoint template for each BG. This can be saved a number of ways I'm sure but let's stick to the basic idea. They run around the BG and type something like ".create waypoint X" where "X" stands for a number. Then these can be controlled by faction by either only creating waypoints for the faction the player is or adding handling text like "A/H" at the end to signify this is a Horde or Alliance waypoint.

There really is no need to program in a spell/ability routine unless you have the time as the current routines are adequate.

And then other stuff. If you'd like to give me a crash course on the mechanics of it all, I could get started working on the PvP aspect. As it was always my favorite part of the game.

And for the record, let's assume I'm talking about NPCbots, as playerbots are kinda megastupid and aren't really worth the time until their finished.

Creating a hook for playerbots to queue them in DFinder is not a big problem. But playerbots are barely useable and DFinder itself is not yet finished. I'll consider it.

Do you know if there's a way to get rid of the limitation of needing a full group before dungeon finder will allow you to enter a dungeon? It would make all of this simpler.

The problem is that player can have up to 39 npcbots (as absolute raid size limit) and if player will need to gather items not just for himself, but also for, let's say 4, npcbots, this such gameplay can be a real pain

I'd like to respectfully disagree. You could either upload a character you already own's inventory as a template or use the GM command .additem [ITEM] QUANTITY

abandoned when I will switch to player-type bots.

Well to be fair a playerbot is at least 50% more flexible in terms of people who really want to control the stats of what plays with them.

That's all I've really got I suppose. These are all suggestions for when you have the time. A list of helpful recommendations that I'd like to see all in the system, at one point. But, again, to shove them all into one build is ludicrous unless all you've got is time on your hands, which you've made both sarcastically and seriously apparent.

[trickerer]

I'd also like to mention there is no need to be snarky

Well I wasn't really. I just got some crazy way to learn English.

Now about bots: this is not a good place for chatting. There is an official trinity IRC channel, you can always find me there.

Well to be fair a playerbot is at least 50% more flexible in terms of people who really want to control the stats of what plays with them.

Playerbots vs Npcbots looks like this:
npcbots: nothing player-related can be implemented properly, issues with everything not related to creatures. But you can find a workaround for everything (yes even for DF).
playerbots: no worarounds are needed, but if you got a problem with real player emulation, hope it will be ever fixable.

I even specially created a section for known npcbots' issues.

[trickerer]

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