Installing the Bot Warfare Mod on IW4x

Installing the Bot Warfare Mod on IW4x

Bot Warfare is a GSC mod by ineedbots that adds fully functional AI bots to IW4x multiplayer. Bots support all game modes, navigate maps using waypoint data, and can be tuned for difficulty and count. It's the standard way to fill an IW4x server with AI opponents when player counts are low.

What Bot Warfare Does

• Adds AI-controlled bot players to any game mode (TDM, Dom, S&D, CTF, etc.)
• Automatically fills empty player slots up to your configured count
• Bots navigate maps using pre-built waypoint data (included in the mod)
• Configurable difficulty (easy, medium, hard, impossible)
• Optional mixed mode: fill empty slots with bots only when human count is low
• In-game control menu accessible from the pause/tab screen

Downloading Bot Warfare

Go to the official repository: https://github.com/ineedbots/iw4_bot_warfare

Click Releases and download the latest release ZIP. It should contain a mp_bots/ folder with the following structure:

mp_bots/
└── z_svr_bots.iwd

Some versions include additional files like z_bots_waypoints.iwd or script files. Keep everything that comes in the release.

Installation

1. In your server folder, create the mods/ directory if it doesn't exist.

2. Copy the entire mp_bots/ folder into mods/:

   MW2ServerFolder/mods/mp_bots/z_svr_bots.iwd
   

3. Edit your DedicatedServer.bat (or Linux start.sh) to add +set fs_game "mods/mp_bots":

   Windows (DedicatedServer.bat):

   @echo off
   iw4x.exe -dedicated +set fs_game "mods/mp_bots" +set sv_lanonly "0" +set net_port "28960" +exec server.cfg +set party_enable "0" +map_rotate
   pause
   

   Linux (start.sh):

   #!/bin/bash
   export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine_mw2
   export WINEDEBUG=fixme-all
   cd ~/mw2server
   wine iw4x.exe -dedicated \
     +set fs_game "mods/mp_bots" \
     +set sv_lanonly "0" \
     +set net_port "28960" \
     +exec server.cfg \
     +set party_enable "0" \
     +map_rotate
   

4. Restart the server.

Configuring Bot Behavior via server.cfg

Add these Bot Warfare cvars to your userraw/server.cfg:

// ─── Bot Warfare Configuration ─────────────────────────────────────────────

// Target total player count (bots + humans) to maintain
// Set to your sv_maxclients value to always have a full server
set bots_manage_fill "18"

// Fill mode:
// 0 = always maintain bots_manage_fill total players (add bots regardless of humans)
// 1 = only add bots when there are fewer humans than bots_manage_fill
// 2 = never add bots automatically (manual control only)
set bots_manage_fill_mode "1"

// Bot difficulty: 0 = easy, 1 = medium, 2 = hard, 3 = impossible
set bots_difficulty "1"

// Team balancing for bots
// 0 = bots split evenly between teams
// 1 = bots fill whichever team needs more players
set bots_team "0"

// Bot name prefix (optional — bots show up as "BOT PlayerName")
// set bots_prefix "BOT"

// How many bots per team maximum in each round (useful for S&D)
set bots_manage_fill_spec "0"

Difficulty Settings Detail

For a fun public server experience, 1 (medium) is a good starting point. If you're using bots to fill an otherwise human-populated server, 2 (hard) keeps things competitive.

In-Game Bot Control Menu

While connected to the server, press ~ (tilde) to open the IW4x console and type:

bots_manage_fill 12
bots_difficulty 2

Alternatively, Bot Warfare adds a menu to the tab/scoreboard screen when fs_game is active. The exact menu location depends on the Bot Warfare version — check the mod's README for control instructions.

Game Mode-Specific Notes

Team Deathmatch / Domination

Bots work best in these modes. They capture objectives in Dom and play standard TDM aggressively. Set bots_manage_fill to your desired server population.

Search & Destroy

Bots support S&D but their behavior is less sophisticated — they plant and defuse but don't coordinate flanks. Set bots_manage_fill_mode "1" so bots only fill when humans aren't available.

set bots_manage_fill "10"
set bots_manage_fill_mode "1"

Capture the Flag / King of the Hill

Bot support exists but is more limited. Bots will attempt objectives but results are mixed. These modes are better with human players.

Verifying Bots are Working

After starting the server with fs_game "mods/mp_bots" set:

1. Connect to the server with the IW4x client.
2. Bots should join within a few seconds of the match starting. Their names appear in the scoreboard.
3. In the server console, you'll see messages like [BOT] BotName connected.

If no bots appear:

• Verify fs_game is correctly set to "mods/mp_bots" (not mods/mp_bots without quotes, and not a different path).
• Check that mods/mp_bots/z_svr_bots.iwd exists.
• Check bots_manage_fill is set to a value greater than 0.
• Verify the log for any GSC compilation errors on startup.

Running Bot Warfare Without fs_game

Some newer Bot Warfare builds support running as a userraw/scripts/ script (without requiring fs_game). Check the latest release notes on the GitHub page. If a scripts-only version is available, copy the .gsc files to userraw/scripts/ and omit the fs_game parameter — this makes it easier to combine with other mods.

Related

• Installing Mods on Your IW4x Dedicated Server
• IW4x server.cfg Complete Configuration Guide
• Host an IW4x (MW2) server with DustBowl.Games