Randar's Bot Page: The Bot Reviews

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Reaper Bot: (Final Version .81) The Reaper is THE CLASSIC BOT by which all other Bots are judged! It is considered by many to be simply the best Bot for Quake. The Reaper Bot has advanced AI and supports skins and teamplay. Unfortunately the author, Steve Polge, never finished the Reaper. However, several Bot programmers have decompiled the Reaper and have made their own versions of Polge's creation. There are now quite a few clones of the Reaper Bot which make significant improvements. (Yes, the Reaper Bot has its faults and failings. But, in spite of its problems it will always be regarded as the King of Bots.)

Quake Bot: (Final Version 1.1) Probably one of the cleanest Reaper Improvements available. If you play the Reaper, you MUST play the Quake Bot! This Bot, as do most of the Reaper Clones, fixes various problems with the original Reaper (including the famous Reaper Cheat where the Bot picks up weapons it is not even near) and improves the general physics of the Bot. Some of the sounds in this Reaper modification have been changed, and the Lightning Gun has also been tweaked. (It should be noted that this Bot was also known as the War Bot, but its last version was the Quake Bot.)

Estep Bot: (Final Version 2.0) This is the latest Reaper Improvement—very, very well done. Estep Bot comes from Spain and has now been translated into an English version. This Bot actually has more improvements than the Quake Bot. Estep Bot also includes skins, bot-talk, weapons modifications, power runes, a grappling hook, and more.

Other Reaper Clones include the: Eliminator Bot (Final Version 2.0b7) Another basic Reaper Improvement—well done. (This Bot should not be confused with the other Bot with the same name. The other Eliminator Bot is a static Bot that can only play on special levels that have been processed for it.) ReaperFX Bot (Final Version 3.0) This Reaper improvement includes additional Bot, game and deathmatch modifications. Drastic Reaper (Final Version Beta 3) This Reaper improvement also makes some basic changes to the Bot and adds new weapons.

Omicron Bot: (Final Version 1.02) If there is any Bot that surpasses the Reaper it is the Omicron Bot. This is simply an excellent Bot! Omicron has some of the most advanced AI of any Bot for Quake and it even knows how to rocket-jump. This Bot also has over twenty skins, supports teamplay and has a ton of sophisticated settings and features. Mr. Elusive, the author of Omicron, has now released the final version, and as an added bonus it can now play the Rocket Arena MOD. There is just one word for Omicron—FANTASTIC! This is certainly the best overall Bot for Quake.

Frog Bot: (Final Version 0.13) The author, Robert Field, has begun what appears to already be a finalist in the Quake Bot Wars. The Frog Bot is a Static Bot that can only play levels that have been processed for it; but it plays them extremely well because of its unique player physics model. The unique player physics means that this Bot looks, acts and plays more like a real player than any other Bot. The current release of the Frog has several choices for deathmatch, teamplay and it even has powerup and rune options— an excellent addition to an already excellent Bot. The next release or two should have more playable levels. When this happens, and the Frog can play a bunch of levels, the rating will surely go up! This Bot is definitely worth watching.

Cronos Bot: (Final Version 1.07) This Bot, by Cronos, has come a long way from its earliest days. Though a latecomer into the Quake Bot world, this Bot proves itself a worthy deathmatching opponent. The Cronos Bot comes with its own set of five great maps designed by Parboil. Cronos also plays Rocket Arena. This Bot is very well done and plays a good solid game.

Frik Bot: (Final Version .09) The Frik Bot, by Frika C, is a very special Bot. Not only is the Frik Bot one tough deathmatch opponent with aggressive, in-your-face tendencies, this Bot has been ported over to a ton of MODS, most of which have never had Bot support before! This Bot can play the Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity levels—the Mission Packs for Quake. Frik can also play PainKeep, Zerstorer, HolyWars, Final Arena, Deathmatch Essentials, and Per Quake Weapons MOD. But, that is not all, the Frik Bot is also a vital part of several other projects for Quake. In a word, Wow!

Zeus Bot: (Final Version 2.05) This is basically the only other Bot that is even in the same league as the Reaper, the Omicron and the Frog Bot. The author, Jonathan Wright, has done an excellent job. This deathmatch Bot has advanced AI, multiskin support, teamplay, and can even be used as a "helper" Bot. Like Omicron, it too has numerous settings and features.

The Tutor Bots: The Tutor Bot was a special project done by Coffee at the AI Cafe. Basically, as the name implies, the Tutor Bot is a tutorial Bot to help others learn how to program Bots for Quake. There are quite a few Bots that fall into the catagory of "Tutor Bots" that are based upon Coffee's Bot: Square, ELF, Squirt, Dj, Paddy, Koolio, and others. (A few Bots and Bot projects even got started after being "inspired" by Coffee's Tutor Bot!) While none of these Bots can yet be described as "Killer Bots" they provide a platform for new MOD makers that will insure that Quake Bot project lives on. Coffee has done a wonderful thing in giving the Quake Community the Tutor Bot. Quake lives on, in part because of his contribution to the world of Quake. Thanks Coffee!

BG Bot: (Final Version 2.0a) This was one of the very first Bots and it has a great skin. I have included it simply because it was the first Bot I ever played. (Hey, it's my page.)

Eraser Bot: (Final Version 1.01) The Eraser, by Ryan Feltrin, began its Bot-life as a static Bot (i.e., it could only play processed levels) and then was changed to become a dynamic Bot (i.e., it can now play any level). While it was making this transition many doubted that it could incorporate the best of both Bot-worlds; and yet, it has proved itself to be an excellent Bot. The Eraser plays best on maps that been specially processed for it, but it can learn to play most any map. Impressive! But what makes this Bot so outstanding is the use of a bot.cfg file that allows you to customize each Bot's "personality" (i.e., firing accuracy, aggressiveness, combat skills, etc.) for both deathmatch and teamplay. So far, the Eraser has perhaps the best combat AI of any Quake2 Bot, and it can handle water reasonably well. The Eraser now also plays Capture the Flag, and it uses the grapple—this is what teamplay is really all about!

3rd-Zigock Bot (3ZB): (Final Version 1.58) This Bot, by Ponpoko of Japan, is one of the best all around Bots for Quake2 that has yet been released. It is also one of the easiest Bots to use. In fact, in one-on-one (or a good free-for-all game), it is the champion! 3ZB has excellent roaming AI and is able to go practically everywhere on any level and get almost everything. It can handle water, lava and slime reasonably well. Now 3ZB does Capture the Flag and uses the grapple! This Bot has come into its own and is one of the top Bots around. Now Ponpoko has released a second edition, called 3ZBII (Final Version .97) that completely rebuilds this fine Bot.

CRBot: (Final Version 1.14) This Bot, by Mike Malakhov, is another very good Bot that also supports teamplay. CRBot, like the Eraser, has extensive configuration possibilities. There are ten skill settings to choose from, and one that allows the Bot to adapt to you! (With all of the skill settings, this Bot is simply fun to play anyway you want it, easy or hard.) CRBot also makes use of an in-game menu that makes managing the Bots easier. Nice touch! On basic deathmatch levels this Bot plays very, very well. And now CRBot does Capture the Flag. One special feature that CRBot has is the ability to put the tech power-ups (from CTF) into any deathmatch level. This adds another dimension to regular deathmatch play.

ACE Bot: (Final Version 008) The ACE Bot, by Steve Yeager, with only its second release, is already a major player in the Bot World. This superb Bot plays a little differently than the rest of the Bots due to its full client emulation (i.e., it plays like a real player), complex AI, and its ability to navigate difficult levels. The ACE also supports teamplay and Capture the Flag. This Bot even comes with built in commands to edit its own level pathing. Wow! This is one Bot to watch closely in future releases. It has the potential to be a top contender for the title "King of the Bots."

Gladiator Bot: (Final Version 0.96) Well, Mr. Elusive (of Omicron Bot fame) has done it again! The Gladiator is one impressive Bot. The Gladiator can do just about everything, and do it well. It has some of the best AI around and it plays DM, CTF, Teamplay, Rocket Arena, and is already being added to a MOD or two. The Gladiator can also play both Mission Packs for Quake2. This Bot is well on its way to beating the Eraser in the Bot wars, and that is saying quite a lot. Oh yes, one more thing, the Gladiator has some of the very best documentation around.

Ice Bot: (Final Version 1.0) The Ice Bot, by Jibe, is a worthy opponent. This fine Bot plays DM, CTF, and Teamplay, but, it really shines in CTF and in some ways surpasses the Eraser in this area. One of the nice things about this Bot is that it comes with its own Launcher called Icer, which makes it very easy to use. Excellent documentation.

Steve Polge, of Reaper Bot fame, is the genius behind the Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Unreal Tournament: 2003/2004 Bots. While the Unreal Bots are very good, the Unreal Tournament Bots are better and the Unreal Tournament: 2003/2004 Bots are the very best! These killer Bots have more customization options than most any Bot out there and Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Unreal Tournament: 2003/2004 are simply fantastic games. (It should also be noted that the Nerf Arena Blast Bots are based upon the Unreal Bots. They too are very good.) The Bots built into these games are the next generation in artificial intelligence. The Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Unreal Tournament: 2003/2004 Bots play a wide variety of game styles and have incredible MOD support in the gaming community. Bots have come a long way since the days of the mighty Reaper. The Unreal Tournament Bots are as good as they get. The Unreal Tournament: 2003/2004 Bots are even better!

As with Unreal Tournament, Quake III Arena gives us the next generation of Bots. Mr. Elusive (of Omicron and Gladiator fame) was called in by id to program the Bots for Quake III Arena. Once again Mr. Elusive has proven himself to be among the Bot programming greats. The Quake III Arena Bots in some ways rival those of Unreal Tournament. While perhaps not as fully developed as those of Unreal Tournament, the Quake III Arena Bots are a marvelous addition to the fantastic world of Quake.