Dystopia MUD

A copy of the Dystopia MUD codebase updated to compile with current GCC versions. All original documentation, readmes, and licenses are included untouched in the doc/ folder.

Building & Running

cd src
make clean && make
./startup &   # starts on port 8000

Requires the build-essential package.

---

Bot System

The bot system simulates autonomous player characters on the server. Bots are full player characters — they use the standard command interpreter, accumulate experience, train stats, equip gear, pursue class upgrades, and interact with real players via chat. They are not NPCs.

Population Management

Bots are managed from txt/bots.txt (roster up to 128) with 20–50 online at any time. Each bot has a lifespan tier that determines how long it plays before retiring:

Tier	Count	Lifespan
Permanent	14	Never retire
Long	14	~1 week playtime
Medium	28	~3 days playtime
Short	42	~4 hours playtime

Sessions last 1–4 hours with 1–8 hour gaps between logins. New bots generate names from class-specific syllable pools.

Personality Traits

Each bot rolls randomized traits on creation (0–100 scale):

• Chattiness — frequency of unprompted chat messages
• Aggression — likelihood of initiating PvP hunts
• Explorer — roaming tendency vs. staying in grinding zones

AI States

The bot AI (src/bot_ai.c) runs a timer-driven state machine:

State	Description
BOT_IDLE	Standing, social chat, observing
BOT_EXPLORING	Navigating the world
BOT_GRINDING	Killing mobs for experience
BOT_TRAINING	Spending primal on stats/skills
BOT_PVP_HUNT	Seeking a player target
BOT_PVP_FIGHT	Active PvP combat
BOT_SHOPPING	Buying/selling at shops
BOT_RESTING	Recovering HP/mana
BOT_LOGGING_OUT	Farewell sequence before disconnect
BOT_PVP_FLEE	Fleeing from a hunter

Grinding Zones

Bots progress through six difficulty tiers based on max HP:

Tier	Max HP	Zones
1	< 3,500	Mud School, Smurf Village, Daycare
2	< 20,000	Sewer, Shire, Mega City
3	< 30,000	Moria, Thalos, Galaxy
4	< 50,000	Canyon, Plains, Air
5	< 100,000	Disney, Weed Fields, Drow Underdark
6	100,000+	Jobo Hell, Jobo Heaven

Each zone is a pre-recorded navigation and combat sequence. A scatter pattern on arrival prevents bot congestion.

Equipment System

src/bot_gear.c manages gear automatically each tick:

1. Ensure the bot is standing
2. Extract junk/looted items
3. Fill empty slots with newbiepack gear
4. Replace newbiepack with class-crafted gear once primal is earned
5. Sweep for uncovered slots

Each class has a dedicated vnum range (e.g., Vampire 33040–33055, Monk 33020–33032).

PvP System

Each bot tracks:

• Grudge list (up to 16) — players who attacked this bot, with attack counts
• Blacklist (up to 16) — hunt targets that failed this session (skipped)
• Nemesis — the player with the most attacks against this bot
• Chase mode — ignores health gates when pursuing a fleeing target

Global PvP modes are admin-controlled:

Mode	Behavior
PEACE	All bot combat disabled
NORMAL	Individual aggression logic
WAR	All bots hunt relentlessly

Chat System

src/bot_chat.c handles:

• Triggered responses to greetings, farewells, "how are you", "what class are you", etc.
• Tell handling for private messages
• Unprompted chat on idle timers, frequency controlled by the chattiness trait

Training & Class Upgrades

Bots train toward HP/mana/move targets (50k/35k/35k) and pursue class upgrades once they have sufficient quest points (40k) and PK score (1000). Base classes upgrade to advanced classes:

Base	Advanced
Vampire	Undead Knight
Monk	Angel
Ninja	Samurai
Demon	Tanarri
Drow	Droid
Werewolf	Shapeshifter
Mage	Lich

Class AI Framework

Each class can implement up to five vtable hooks in src/bot_ai_<class>.c:

typedef struct {
    bool (*should_train)   (CHAR_DATA *ch);  // can afford next training tier?
    bool (*do_train)       (CHAR_DATA *ch);  // execute one training step
    bool (*buff_check)     (CHAR_DATA *ch);  // apply missing passive buffs
    void (*combat_action)  (CHAR_DATA *ch);  // pick one offensive ability
    bool (*between_fights) (CHAR_DATA *ch);  // setup between kills (stances, etc.)
} BOT_CLASS_AI;

Each hook issues at most one command per tick. NULL hooks are no-ops. Currently implemented classes: Vampire (all 5 hooks), Demon, Ninja, Monk, and others at varying levels of completeness.

Resilience Features

• Stuck detection — ring buffer of last 10 commands; triggers zone change if a loop is detected
• Decap recovery — auto-recall and call all after decapitation
• Blind recovery — cures blindness after recall
• Limb loss tracking — calls for gear recovery when limbs are lost

Admin Commands

Command	Effect
botwar	Switch all bots to WAR mode
botnormal	Return bots to NORMAL mode
botpeace	Switch all bots to PEACE mode

Requires Immortal rank or the BOT_OVERSEER role.

Configuration

Key feature flags in src/bot.h:

BOT_DEBUG                  // verbose logging
BOT_UPGRADES_ENABLED       // enable class upgrade pursuit
BOT_DISABLE_SOCIAL_AGGRO   // prevent NPC chain-aggro during grinding
BOT_MIN_ONLINE / BOT_MAX_ONLINE   // population bounds (default 20–50)
MAX_BOT_ROSTER             // roster capacity (default 128)

Source Files

File	Description
src/bot.h	Master header: structs, constants, function declarations
src/bot_mgr.c	Population manager, login/logout cycles, roster persistence
src/bot_ai.c	Generic state machine dispatcher
src/bot_chat.c	Chat trigger and unprompted dialogue system
src/bot_gear.c	Equipment management
src/bot_ai_<class>.c	Per-class AI vtable implementations (15 files)

Full class references and the framework guide for adding new class AI are in doc/bot_ai/.