Sunday, March 26, 2017

Good News

Yes I'm still here and yes I'm still working on bots for CoD4. It is basically Bot Warfare by ineedbots with a number of important changes. ineedbots did a good job with his mod for CoD4, good enough that I want to use it as a baseline for RSE in CoD4. So it must be said this will simply be a modified version of Bot Warfare at least for the first few versions. ineedbots deserves recognition for his work. It will slowly become its own thing as each new version is released. At a certain point it will probably be indistinguishable from the baseline (as was the case with RSE for MW2 with v1 through v10 made by tinkie101, but completely rewritten by v33 with no lines of code in common with v10 aside from the A* search algorithm).

I'm almost done with the first version for CoD4. However, due to having a hectic schedule with a lot on my plate, I'm going to need more time before it is ready to be released. Also do not expect it to be anything revolutionary. The goal is to provide the most polished bots for CoD4. Features that make it into the full release are those that maintain a polished presentation (good performance with no bugs or obvious problems that break immersion). The first version will be basic, so features such as the bot menu will be added in later versions.

Expect the first version to be released sometime in May.
(I know its awhile. But hey, any news is good news right?)

In the meantime, check out Bot Warfare by ineedbots:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/bot-warfare

We've shared a lot of ideas over the years for MW2 so I guess you could say we are indirect collaborators that work on separate projects.

45 comments:

  1. Hope RSE gets updated as well for MW2; the bots are really stuttery and they're really slow at moving.

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    1. that is an exaggeration. but yes some of the timing delays were made long to improve performance. the side effect is sometimes they stop moving for a split second when a new movement calculation needs to be made, but they are not "really slow" and when they are moving they move at the same speed as human players. and of course human players stop moving sometimes so i'm not sure it would be realistic to have them always moving. regardless it can be improved and i will work on it more in MW2.

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    2. Ok, looking forward to it and you could say it's an exaggeration, but when the game is SnD and you're all by yourself half-way in the map, taking about 10-20 seconds for them to catch up, it's not the best experience, especially on SnD, where there is a timer and a bomb.

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    3. you're right. for SnD i think i made them stop moving as a deliberate decision because i found rounds ended very quickly due to fast encounters (real humans value their lives more than bots!). having them stop simulates camping behavior. regardless of the exact reason for adding this, it permeates every mode and i realized later it was a mistake. in fact i plan on removing wait states that are not tied to objectives and reducing wait states for objectives (FFA and TDM will probably still have them because there is no objective, but i will reduce them). its actually very boring to watch especially in SnD and ultimately just slows down the pace of the game. i think it does add something to the dynamics of a match (particularly to help bots get good killstreaks) but it detracts from the experience in modes where you literally sit there watching a bot do nothing. so that change alone will make things better especially in SnD.

      the timer to slow down calculations for performance only causes a brief pause in movement that is a fraction of a second. yes bots traverse the map slower because of this but its a small difference overall and as a result you are able to add more bots to the match with the same performance. i should be able to tweak this as well, but i can't remove it because it is vital for making a 6 vs 6 run at a stable 60 FPS on the console (PS3). i might compromise by speeding up calculations and allowing for a few framerate drops. some of this stuff is just tweaking to get the best balance of performance and functionality.

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    4. Ok. I remember you saying as well about spectator mode breaks the bots I think (on SnD, it's hard to spectate, because you have to kill yourself every match sadly).

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  2. Do you know if you'll ever try to update the Black Ops Combat Training mod?

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    1. Probably not. if the BGamer client is updated i'll consider going back to update the mod.

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    2. Apparently SKIDROW's BO1 game doesn't work on Windows 10, do you know if they're working on it?

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    3. YOU MAY TRY THE FILES POSTED HeRE AS IT MAY UPDATE YOUR SKIDroW BO SINCE THaT IS WAY TO OUTDATED....oops sorry for the caps.

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    4. Where exactly is it posted when you type, "Here"?

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  3. Definitely looking forward to the COD 4 bots. I have been playing with Ineedbots version since he released it. The latest update has some important fixes and the bots are pretty good now ! ( set them to hard and try a FFA game .... hehehe ) .There are a few things that need improving and I bet you will nail them ,Macporter ! ; ) .hi to all from Animamundi69 =D

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    1. hey Anima! glad to see you here. :)

      and thanks. if there is a particular problem you noticed that is not obvious feel free to let me know. i haven't played that many hours with Ineedbots version so i'm sure there are bugs i haven't noticed yet.

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  4. Hi Joe, I've been trying out a modtool black ops for mods, I know you have it if you could give me a copy.
    thanks friend.
    I expect an answer

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    1. hi, unfortunately the mod tools were deleted when i re-imaged my hard drive and the link that was provided in the comments section of this post no longer seems to work:
      https://rsebots.blogspot.com/2015/01/i-need-bo1-modding-tools.html

      NOT included are: main, redist, zone
      https://www.mediafire.com/folder/3t8qz94o5ylqw/bo1modtools

      it says the folder is set to private. i requested access but it might not become available again.

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    2. Mediafire deleted the content of the folder some time ago. I will try to put it online again.

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    3. Now mediafire folder is available again.

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    4. thank you sir! you are a mysterious vigilante, coming out of the shadows in time of need.

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  5. Not to appear as if i'm hurrying anything or something, but are there any plans in the future to input and improve bot clients for games such as Ghosts, WaW, MW3 etc?

    I know of PeZbots for WaW but let's face it, it has alot more bugs than the CoD4 version and isn't finished (thus you can port your own mod since the games operate similarly, just with tanks), MW3 has redacted but to be honest, it looks insanely phishy and dodgy and i'm wary of getting it.

    Ghosts also has inbuilt bots, but the major problem is the lack of bot progression; however i would reckon it's probably as simple as what has been done with the MW2 client (which is awesome btw) by confusing the game into thinking private matches are public matches, however I could be wrong considering i have no modding experience whatsoever.

    But, if there is a possibility that bot clients made (or confirmed to work) by you can actually be shared, will you pursue options of filling in the gaps of creating or sharing said clients for games, especially Ghosts, and a slightly more trustable version of Redacted for MW3?

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    1. I'm also perfectly content with the clients being disconnected from Steam like the MW2 version; so it wouldn't be a problem if the lack of a Steam overlay is an issue (I just love bots)

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    2. MW3 redacted doesn´t exist?

      I have no modding experience as well hahaha. I hope Plutonium (plutonium.pw) is the way to get a client for bot leveling. Bots in MW3 - would be so lovely.

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  6. Hey Macporter , I know you are busy with school and all but I have a small request, if you can of course . I would very much love to add some waypoints to the Ineedbots mod in order to try those bots on different maps like Favela , Highrise etc.... I would do it myself but unfortunately I can't as I don't have access to a PC now and my good Macbook pro ( with windows installed on bootcamp ) is temporarily broken and can't afford to fix it right now , I am using my roommate's old macbook with COD4 ( mac version ) installed which is good enough to run the game and allows for the use of mods. I am attaching the link for the Ineedbots mod ( the latest ) and all the extra Waypoints I have gathered ( feel free to use and share ,of course ). It is probably impossible to add all the extra waypoints to the existing ones ( space wise ) . when I did that for Pezbots I ended up making a couple of different IWD files and split the waypoints between them ( Of course I had to switch them inside the mod folder every time I wanted to play the different maps but that's the only way I know to male it work and I am far from knowledgeable in the matter ... hehehe. ANYWAYS , here is the link and everyone is welcome to it! One more note on the Ineedbots mod ( having played it quite a few hours ) . They tend to use last stand a bit too often and they release that last grenade before dying waaaay to often for my likings . Bots should also move a little quicker around the map and run more, in general . Still , pretty darn good bot to play against and kudos to Ineedbots for the work . With that said I wish wish you well and to all the good bot loving people on this blog ! http://www.mediafire.com/file/tm7eplm5eid23gy/Ineedbots_mod_extra__waypoints_.zip

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    1. hey anima, sorry i don't have time to help right now (not for the next month). if by mid-May you still need this done i could definitely help.

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  7. I forgot to mention . If you know any way to open and modify IWD files on a Mac ( without having Widows installed .... ) could you kindly explain ?
    Thanks and keep up the good work !

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    1. yes just rename the file to .zip and double-click it. mac operating systems have the ability to unzip and zip files without any extra tools. though i would recommend getting an app called "The Unarchiver", it has support for most of the file types you would come across (i've used this app for years and it works very well).

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    2. Yes but when I put it back in the mod folder it won't be recognized with the extension .zip and I can't turn it back to iwd ( it will still name it IWD with extension .zip .... I did try this a while back I cause I wanted to add my own waypoint to pezbot iwd file and the mod ended up not opening.... Well... I guess I will borrow someones PC laptop ;)

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    3. no there is definitely a way to do it. i just tried it with some zipped file i had and it worked. go to Finder, open Preferences > Advanced, and make sure "Show all filename extensions" is selected.

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    4. Hmm.... Interesting! I will try that...Thanks !

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    5. Well.... It still doesn't work because the original iwd is an executable file ( with iwd extention.... ). ANYWAYS, that is hardly the problem now because after trying to open a custom map ( Favela ) unfortunately COD4 crashed to desktop. I can only assume that Ineedbots mod, doesn't work with custom maps....

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    6. Un the modo addnos iwi mal custom ,problems solution

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  8. I hope bots mod in codmw3 immediate release
    Nice work !!

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  9. Hi Macporterjoe,

    do you think there'd be any way a modder could add offline bots to Bf3? Or did EA make the vanilla copy foolproof against any such attempt?

    I've spent many happy hours on Bf2 with bots and have also been happy with the MW2 bots you kindly made for MW2, but would love to have a modern fps, with bots, with large-scale conquest. Do you think it's possible?

    Thanks,
    Mark

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    1. Hi Mark,

      I share your same desire. unfortunately the Frostbite engine has no modding tools available, and therefore poses as a big problem for every game that uses the engine. if a group manages to create a client that is independent of EA, there will be hope for modding BF3. but it doesn't look like that will happen any time soon.

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    2. Fair enough, thanks Mac and for your work with the other titles so far.

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  10. would it be possible for you to make rse for black ops 3 since they added modding tools for the steam workshop. i know that your busy with cod 4 rse and mw2 rse. not saying you have to do it right now. just would like to know if there is hope of a rse mod for one 2nd favorite call of duty

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    1. I've been wondering the same thing since they also have released server files

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  11. interested in working together? contact us on cod4x.me
    https://github.com/callofduty4x/CoD4x_Server/issues/151

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  12. Will your bot mod allow me to make my own AI paths for custom maps like in PeZBot?
    Looking forward to it, by the way.

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  13. Somehow my bots only use secondary weapons. Anyone know a quick fix for this?

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    1. did you select recriut difficulty. if so then thats why. in that difficulty they only use secondary weapons. try regular.

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  14. Hey there Macporter! Any news on the COD4 bots?
    Hope all is good with you and your studies!

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  15. We are in June.
    And he said there would be news on half of May.
    Where are you?

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  16. He is probably really busy with real life stuff you know the more important things for us to keep living. Just wait some more soon our RSE deve will soon tell something.

    As of now go get parabot 0.92.1 for adrenalin gamer mod.

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  17. For those of you who are using Ineedbots Bots mod , here is how to create waypoints on different maps .
    http://www.moddb.com/mods/bot-warfare/tutorials/creating-modifying-and-installation-of-waypoints

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  18. Hey Joe!

    https://plutonium.pw/

    You might wanna look into this. This will be an mw3 client, and i've read somewhere that it will have mod support and gsc support. If it is true, is it possible to add rse bots to mw3?

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    1. Hopefully! I don´t like playing on maps that were part of some older CoD games (like Vacant in MW2, though you can play it in CoD4), new guns are nice (well ACR is OP and it´s already included in vanilla so np), console for changing FOV and FPS limit, everything you need. But the perfomance has to be good. Though I see a problem. If the plutonium staff works on their own bots and Joe does that too, I don´t like to choose between two bot mods.

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