The Bots Get Back to Business

A Hotfix With Somewhere to Be

v1.0.0-alpha.2 is the bot-logic hotfix. The opponents have a better reason to move, a better chance of reaching their destination, and less enthusiasm for getting stuck on the way.

Fresh footsteps and other audible enemies now trigger pursuit immediately. Continuously refreshed sounds had been falling out of chase selection, while prediction was using a 60 Hz clock for a server running at 125 Hz. Heard enemies behind a bot can also prompt a line-of-sight check and engagement; walls and reaction delays still apply.

Duel bots prefer reachable upper-floor control, patrol timed items and hold their height against opponents below. Blocked routes back away and replan, with a watchdog to recover from movement that keeps being issued without actually getting anywhere.

Running, crouchslides and strafe jumps have more purpose. Skilled opponents can attempt a slide-to-ledge boosted jump after collision simulation checks the landing. Random patrol jumps and automatic wall hops are gone, and dodge jumps have a cooldown.

Automatic bot invitations choose at least Hard. A Duel bot leading by more than two frags gets a small, fixed reaction delay that disappears when the lead narrows; its aim accuracy stays the same.

It is a focused repair between the first 1.0 alpha and the broader work of alpha 3. The next stretch of the road reaches beyond the opponents.