Insane-Bot FAQ (1.3 Release)

OK, so what does Insane-Bot do?

Insane-Bot is designed as a portal-summoning and people-buffing bot.  It's designed to run either as a private buff-bot for select characters, or as an open service that anyone in game can access.  What your Insane-Bot does is entirely up to you.

How does it work?

The main interaction with the bot is thru /tells. For example -- sending the bot a /tell of "summon" could have the bot summon a portal, or a /tell of "dagger" to have the bot buff the character's dagger, coordination, and quickness. These commands are very configurable -- a configuration XML file allows the bot owner to fully control what commands are available, who has access to them, and which spells are cast or actions are performed.  Actions don't have to include casting spells -- the bot could be configured to make announcements, tell jokes -- just about anything you can imagine. 

How do you chose who gets buffs?

This is done thru security levels defined in the XML. When a character first sends an /tell to the bot for the first time they are identified and assigned a security level based on a series of rules. The bot will then react to people based on that level. This way you can configure your bot to buff your friends, vassals, or allegiance members with high level spells, while others get lower level spells. You can even ban individuals or entire allegiance groups from using the bot if desired.

Does Insane Bot play nice with other Decal plug-ins?

The current builds do not. Insane-Bot is a bully and in general wants to run by itself. Some plug-ins will coexist happily, and we're working to make it conflict less. 

What do I need to install and run Insane Bot?

Before installing Insane-Bot you will need to have the following on your system:

Decal 2.6.0.2 or later.

Windows Installer 2.0 (already included in Windows XP).
    Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows NT 4.0 and 2000
    Windows Installer 2.0 Redistributable for Windows 95, 98, and ME

Microsoft Windows Script 5.6 (already included in Windows XP).

All current Critical Updates from Windows Update.

To ensure that Insane-Bot runs correctly you should disable any other Decal plug-is you have installed. You should also disable the following filters in Decal: Echo Filter 2, Character Stats Filter, and World Object Filter. The Insane-Bot installation will install Imp Filter v2 and Kebas Character Filter and Spell Filter. 

I don't see anything on the Decal bar in AC. Where's the UI for Insane Bot?

At this point, all setup is done via the configuration XML and all interaction with the bot is via in-game commands. There will be a UI for Insane-Bot in future versions.

Why won't my bot do anything?

By default Insane-Bot is configured to start in stand-by mode. To start the bot running type /bot on in the chat window.  The following commands are always understood by the bot:

/bot on	Begin processing commands
/bot off	Stop processing commands (Note -- commands currently in the bot queue will be completed before /bot off takes effect. Once the bot has been turned off incoming /tell commands will still be queued for processing.  Any commands sent to the bot while in this paused state will be processed when the bot is turned back on with /bot on.
/bot stop	Same as /bot off, but also stops listening for incoming commands.
/bot clear	Clear the pending command queue.
/bot [command]	Run any command defined in the XML, e.g: "/bot primary" or /bot help.
/bot getid	Get the GUID of the currently targeted object or person
/bot gethexid	Get the Hex ID of the currently targeted object or person
/ibot unload	Forces the bot into an unloaded state.  All pending commands are lost, and any command currently is progress is halted.
/ibot load	Loads the XML configuration files. and put the bot into a ready state.  /bot on may be required to start command processing depending on your configuration.

When does Insane-Bot decide to recover mana and stamina?

The trigger points for stamina and mana recovery are set at 45% and 70%.  If the bot has less than 45% of its maximum mana it will start mana recovery (using Stamina to Mana spells) until it reaches 70% or more of its maximum mana.  If while recovering mana it drops below 45% of its maximim Stamina it will cast Revitalize spells to bring its stamina above 70% maximum. 

Can I recover mana using another method?

The current version of Insane-Bot doesn't support any other mana recovery methods other than Stamina to Mana. We are looking at adding other mana recovery methods in future releases.

Where can I get help?

The first place to look for help is the message boards at forums.insanity-inc.org.  If Mekle or Mazer are online they also provide support on irc.sorcery.net in #Insane-Bot.