Botman server manager official support thread

[SylenThunder]

6 hours ago, kokuojeiku said:

Seeing some servers claiming 18.4 Stable, not seeing any info about 7dtd being stable on 18.4, anyone else...?

Like your server Bad Player...any reason it's stable? or...?

18.4 is the current stable version of the game client.  Information on it is literally posted in the News and Announcements forum section right here.

Not sure what this has to do with Botman though.

[Smegzor]

On 5/4/2020 at 9:04 PM, linewalker said:

it is really interesting the number of features that get added to this bot after they were created and developed for other tools by other modders, and there is never any credit given to the original authors

these features are stolen straight from CPM, and where is the thanks to Prisma for making this so you could rip it?

 

no instead you would rather get the pimps to discredit him just because he made it harder for you to steal his code

 

you sir are an insult to the modding community

Not a single line of code was stolen nor was his dll reverse engineered.  Prisma started off with a large number of features that exist because I suggested them to Coppi who originally created what became CPM.

 

I would have continued supporting Prisma and would have paid for features but he ripped his work out of the hands of the community at large not just mine, slapped a completely restrictive license on his work, obfusticated his dll and has been quite hostile ever since.  I tried to mend relationships with him a few times but he wasn't having it.

 

At the end of the day MANY features have been lifted from the bot.  I expect and support that.  So a few ideas were reproduced, they are ideas and not copyrightable.  The owner of the copyrights to this game is The Pimps.  ALL of us are able to do what we do because they permit it.  I have given back to the community many times over the years and have a few bug fixes officially included in the game.  I am sorry that you are disappointed. 

 

You are forgiven.

 

I felt the need to add this.  We are a community not a contest. 

 

Oh sorry I missed the bit about the Pimps attacking Prisma because my eyes were rolling at that point over the other stuff. I had nothing to do with Alloc posting what he did in Prisma's support thread. He did that entirely on his own without my knowledge. Thanks for giving me credit for it though

 

Almost forgot.  I would like to draw your attention to this page  https://botman.nz/thanks

It used to thank Prisma but I removed him after his first blow up.

 

Another point, only the vehicle feature could be argued to have been done by Prisma first.  The others were done by Stompy much earlier and also others before him.  Those features have been around for years in various mods.  Who copied who again?

Edited May 18, 2020 by Smegzor (see edit history)

[Highope]

On 5/4/2020 at 5:04 AM, linewalker said:

it is really interesting the number of features that get added to this bot after they were created and developed for other tools by other modders, and there is never any credit given to the original authors

these features are stolen straight from CPM, and where is the thanks to Prisma for making this so you could rip it?

 

no instead you would rather get the pimps to discredit him just because he made it harder for you to steal his code

 

you sir are an insult to the modding community

The botman mod is made from coppi, wit the help of stompy and ragnarock we were able to maintain it and add many more new things to it from bc mod and new stuff we created. It's available for download on smegs site + mine for anyone to use and it's not encrypted.  Alot of things added or fixed to it were requests by server owners to help better manage their servers cause we nice that way. several recent features were the direct result of many people requesting them who formerly used CPM/CSMM so we were nice to add those as well not copied botman is maintained by us used by all who wish to use it.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Highope (see edit history)

[deadbolt]

Botman rocks!

[xglossy]

you are right, survivor, this is not a contest.

regards

[Smegzor]

Hi guys!

 

I have been working long and hard over the last several weeks on improvements to the bot and new features.  I have more new features planned over the next couple of weeks but I have to wait for Prisma to do them first apparently.  Nah they are happening anyway I'm just slow 😛

[kokuojeiku]

Maybe drink some coffee then...?   

[kokuojeiku]

On 5/10/2020 at 4:53 AM, SylenThunder said:

 

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by kokuojeiku (see edit history)

[kokuojeiku]

thanks

Edited May 22, 2020 by kokuojeiku (see edit history)

[SylenThunder]

2 hours ago, kokuojeiku said:

And Sylen, your link doesn't really direct to a direct mention of A18.4 being stable...thanks for the effort though....

Not sure what you're smoking. The title of the thread is literally Announcement: A18.4 b4 stable

That last word there...... stable

[Smegzor]

There is an update to the Botman mod.  Nothing major in this one, just the ability for the bot to read the mod's config settings so I can actually find out what the current settings are.

 

Botman mod with BC mod and Alloc's mod included

 

Botman mod with Alloc's mod included

 

Botman mod only

 

[Smegzor]

Hi again!

 

In the next day or two I will be releasing the next bot update to the a18 code branch.  It is currently on the a18test branch and has been running on several servers large and small for a while.  I have been releasing a lot of small updates to it recently and while I wouldn't say its perfect, it is stable enough that it is ready for everyone to use.

 

It contains a large number of bug fixes, and some new features.  The plan for the rest of May and into June is to release more new features much faster.  I have a large list of features to work on.  If I produce anything original, it wasn't intentional and I apologise. /jk  xD

 

If you would like to grab the bot update now you can do so by switching your bot to the a18test branch.  The only thing to be aware of is it migrates your donors to a dedicated donors table and because of that, moving back to the current a18 code branch will likely require fixing up your donors.

 

You can change the code branch via the web panel or via the ingame command /set update branch a18test, followed by the command /update code.  The bot will start off doing some maintenance tasks and will automatically restart itself 3 minutes later so just be patient and let it do its thing.

 

If you discover any issues please let me know asap.  Don't sit on them and tell me weeks later.  Unfortunately I am not psychic.  I slept through that class.

 

A lot of the time, problems can be fixed by restarting the bot.  You can use the panel or the ingame command /restart bot, or from irc just type restart bot.  Also make sure it is plugged in 😛

 

When I replace the a18 code branch I will force all bots on a18test to move to the a18 branch.  Also I will update the bot's github repo (finally) and publish a large changelog.  It could take a while to write that thing.  😮

Edited May 20, 2020 by Smegzor (see edit history)

[Smegzor]

The update is a little delayed as I have been sick over the weekend.  I'm mostly well again and trying to catch up.  I'm also having to do my day job stuff so I've lost the weekend :(  I'll probably need a couple of days to catch up but I'll get there.

[Smegzor]

The latest Botman mod (see link posted earlier) has a new anticheat feature.  To enable it you must have Botman mod version 1.9.4.5 and if you haven't already done so, the harmony.dll that you will find in the zip needs to be installed to 7daystodieserver_data/managed.  Without that the anticheat and other advanced features will not work.

 

Important!
Make a backup of the config.xml file in your Mods/Botman folder before updating the mod as it often forgets some settings, most noteably the bot's name.  With a backup you can easily restore any lost settings.  The next bot update will address this issue but for now its a thing.

 

Right now you need the bot to be on the a18test branch.  Soon that will be released to the main a18 branch so if you are not on the a18test branch now the anticheat command is not in the bot.

 

With all that sorted and the server restarted, tell the bot /enable anticheat

 

Testing the anticheat:

 

Important notes..

If you aren't able to add yourself back as admin easily or have someone else do it for you.. you might not want to test this.

The /test as player command doesn't allow you to test this feature.

 

To test that its working do the following..  join your server, enable dm but DO NOT enable god mode yet, then (assuming your name is joe) tell the bot /admin remove joe

Now that you are in-game and have dm enabled and aren't an admin, activate god mode.  All going to plan you should be banned within a few seconds.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Smegzor (see edit history)

[Smegzor]

Hi guys!

 

The release of the bot update to the main a18 code branch is super close.  I have just updated the a18test branch and will monitor bots already using it for at least several hours before I release it to the main branch.

[Smegzor]

A recent a18test update added a change where if the bot detected Server Tools, the bot would automatically switch from using /  for chat commands to using !  I should have added more code to that so it could be disabled.  On thinking it through I decided the best course was to revert the change and just let people discover that the bot can be told to use something other than / whenever it clashes with another manager or a mod such as Server Tools that has in-game commands of its own.

 

Sorry for any bother that change caused 😮

[Smegzor]

Hi guys!  I am releasing the update to the a18 code branch shortly.  I have just finished writing the changelog and have updated the bot's github repo

Here is the changelog..

 

Replaced the bot profile.  The main changes are some new buttons to control stuff such as hiding or displaying the telnet stream.  Its needed with this bot update but will work on older bots and older bot profiles will work still but won't be able to display the telnet stream without some code.

 

Donors records are now stored in a dedicated donors table rather than in the players table and the bot will automatically migrate that data out of the player records.  If you go back to an older version of the bot, you will 'lose' your donor records.  Technically they are still there, just no longer in the players table.

 

Command help on IRC now reports the command restrictions of each command, eg.  admin only, etc

 

The command /reset player {name}  is now /reset player record {name}

 

The bot's claim scanner has been replaced with a much better feature in the Botman mod that does the same job, but better.

 

The bot's lag check feature has been disabled as its not really needed anymore.  Instead the focus has been on more efficient use of commands and moving some features onto the Botman mod.

 

The base command cooldown now applies no matter how far from the base players are.  Previously it was ignored up to 200 metres away from the base.

The /make maze command has been improved.  It renders nicer and a bit tidier.  Also you can now create multi-level mazes or add a roof to your single level maze.

 

Here is the updated maze command help..

    /make maze (default maze 20 x 20)
    /make maze wall {block name} fill {air block} width {number} length {number} height {number} x {x coord} y {y coord} z {z coord}
    The bot also accepts wide, long, and tall instead of width, length, and height.
    The maze will generate with no roof.  If you want a roof add the word roof.
    If you want a multi-level maze add levels {number}. Note: it will include a floor.
    You will need to cut holes or make rooms yourself.
            
    Generate and build a random maze.  Someone must stay there until the maze completes or it will fail to spawn fully.
    Default values: wall steelBlock fill air width 20 length 20 height 3. It uses your current position for x, y and z if not given.
    Note: width and length are multiplied by 2.
    
The /who command displayed more info to admins and donors than it did for everyone else.  Now only admins get that extra info.

 

Added some new easter eggs somewhere in the code, and more silly code comments (don't judge me!) xD

 

Replaced the built-in telnet logger with my own code due to changes in how the official logger handles stuff. Also the bot now hides all telnet traffic from the main Mudlet window in an attempt to fix some performance issues and also to fix an issue with Mudlet running for extended periods in virtual desktops (a buffer overflow possibly).

The new Mudlet profile has a button to show/hide telnet traffic for debugging porpoises.

 

The bot's handling of the web API has been improved. It should work much better than previously.

 

The bot's log handling has been improved for some of the bigger logs. Others may get the same treatment later.

 

There is a new slots system to replace the old reserved slots system. Its not quite 100% working yet but the remaining issues should be easy fixes.  This

new system also forms the basis of a new online players list that is coming to the panel so you will be able to see a list of servers and who is playing on them.

 

The bot has better monitoring for when it is connected to the server and loses the connection.

 

With the new donors table, the donor expiry has been moved from when the player joins to a nightly event at midnight server time.  This way donors are properly expired when they are supposed to be.  Donors are now backed up along with other bot tables.

 

Added new database tables and fields and fixed some typos.

 

Cleaned up some of the language used in the daily lottery. No more potty mouth.

 

The bot no longer spams the server regularly to keep track of the server time.  Instead it reads it once then relies on an internal clock to track that. Occasionally telnet traffic will also update it.
 
The bot's reconnect logic (timer) has been cleaned up.

 

If the bot has been told to be quiet (less chatty) it won't announce itself when it joins the server either.

 

Added more panel support.

 

Removed a spammy message about removing claims from reset zones.

 

Tweaked logic in the bot's player joined code. Amoung other stuff it doesn't allow players to have 127.0.0.1 in their name to block a server attack.

 

Doge mode has been updated to strictly conform to doge mode as defined on the internet.

 

There is some new PVP commentary which might be COVID-19 related.

 

New commands:

 

/enable (or /disable) bot colours (default enabled)
If you want something else managing chat colours you can stop the bot replacing them by disabling that feature with this command.

 

/reset player profile {player name}
Make the server delete a player's profile.

 

/reset prefab {player name}
Reset a prefab where the player is standing.  If doing on yourself in-game you only need /reset prefab.

 

/enable (or /disable) anticheat
Enable or disable the anticheat feature in the Botman mod.  Default is disabled.

 

The anticheat feature requires that you have installed the 0harmony.dll in 7daystodieserver_data/managed (not in the Mods folder). Other advanced features such as resetting regions and prefabs also require that dll.
With anticheat enabled the Botman mod will report to telnet when it detects any player including admins enabling dm, god mode, spawning entities and more. It also keeps temporary records that are lost when the server shuts down.
You can view the report in the console with the console command bm-anticheat report.  The bot reads that report and also monitors for the live anticheat alerts.  If a player who is not an admin is detected using god mode etc they are immediately banned for 10 years.
The bot will ignore admins that are using /test as player so you can safely use that bot feature without getting banned the instant you fly.  You can test the anticheat feature by enabling dm then removing your admin status.  Just make sure you are able to restore your admin status independently of the bot before doing that.

 

There is a new daily hackers log file that is only created when a hacker is detected.  Anticheat bans are also recorded in the shared bots database where other bots can see it.  Currently they do not do anything with that information.

 

/set reset delay {days}
Sets the delay of days between resets. 0 for every reboot. This setting is for the Botman mod's region reset feature.

 

/set map colour FF0000 (red is the default colour)
Set the colour of reset regions on Alloc's web map. This setting is for the Botman mod's region reset feature.

 

/enable (or /disable) mapping
Enable or disable plotting reset regions on Alloc's web map. This setting is for the Botman mod's region reset feature for those who modify Alloc's map themselves and don't want the bot messing that up.

 

/set pvp temp ban {minutes} (this used to be hardcoded at 1 hour)
Set how long to temporarily ban a player after a pvp kill.
This is only used in PVE when there is no prison location.

 

/set p2p access {access level}
Restrict the /visit command to players at and above a bot access level.
Levels are 99 (everyone), 90 (everyone except new players), 10 (donors), 2 (mods), 1 (admins), 0 (owners).

 

New irc bot command 'map' that just gives you the url to your server's map.

Fixed bugs: (probably not a complete list as bug fixing has been an ongoing process over months).

 

There was a bug that caused gimme to not work, constantly saying you were in a base no matter where in the map you are.  This was caused by the setting of a flag that could never be unset if a certain feature was disabled.

 

If you set a cost for locations and later changed the name of the bot's money, the bot did not allow anyone to teleport to locations with a cost.

 

Fixed some issues with the lobby and spawn locations.

 

Fixed a maths bug in the /bail command.  Math, not even once.

 

Fixed a bug where the bot would reboot the server twice (oops).

 

The /mend command is working again.  I mended it.

 

Fixed a bug in /visit map. I was visiting large areas outside of the map and as a result it took forever and would break sometimes.  I don't know what I am doing *mashes keyboard*

 

Fixed (well hopefully) some shop issues with validating items.  Also applies to zombies and other entities.

 

Fixed a bug where the bot was resetting the bot's name to Bot in the Botman config. If that happens to anyone's bot it should only ever mess up once due to adding a new table to store the Botman mod's config settings.

 

Fixed a bug with setting up teleports.

 

Fixed issues with refreshing the bot's record of who the admins are.

 

Fixed bug in irc bot command 'who'

 

Fixed bug in irc bot command 'donors'

 

Fixed inconsistency between the bot and the panel's handling of donor expiry dates.

 

Somehow some bots are missing inventory and tracking tables.  I have added code to check for and recreate any missing tables.

 

There are other changes to the code that are far less glamorous but were needed anyway and I've probably forgotten a few.  Its been a long time and a lot of coding since the last update.  Onwards to new features!

Edited June 3, 2020 by Smegzor (see edit history)

[Smegzor]

IT'S OUT!  I have updated the a18 code branch having first made a new a18stable branch so it is possible to revert this update.   I have also updated the 3 test branches so that any bots using those will automatically switch to the a18 code branch..  just in time for a19! xD

Edited June 3, 2020 by Smegzor (see edit history)

[Highope]

awesome work!

[Smegzor]

I have released an emergency update to the bot.  We are still investigating but on at least one server the anticheat was detecting a hacking incident which wasn't legit.  If you are aware of anyone getting banned by the new anticheat system in the last day or so please contact me so I can take a look at the ban.  It may be the same thing in which case the player should be unbanned.  In this bot update the bot now ignores that report and won't ban for it.

 

[Smegzor]

Hi guys!

 

Several people wanted the /visit command to work in pvp rules so I have updated the a18 branch with the new command /enable pvp visit

 

Enjoy

[Smegzor]

I have updated the github repo with fixes, changes and additions since the last big update.

 

Here's the changelog..

 

Fixed /stuck command so it works immediately and also only sends the player up a few blocks.
 

Added command /enable pvp visit.  Allows the /visit command in pvp rules. Normally visit is not allowed.
 

Fixed oops in function loadGimmePrizes.  It was mixed up with the shop table.  I had to allow for the stuff up when reloading the shop from backups too.  Fun times.
 

The nightly data purge that the bot does on old tracking data now includes the performance and events tables which are both rigged to keep only the last 90 days of data.
 

Fixed an issue with the persistent queue used by the bot for future dated commands so that commands wouldn't block other commands that were added later but were timed to run earlier.
 

Some other minor tweaks to the daily logging so that write permissions on the log folder or the complete absence of the log folder doesn't cause problems.

[Smegzor]

Just a warning, the hacking group that was very active a few months ago has surfaced again.  If you have the latest Botman mod and have installed the harmony dll that comes with it, you should enable the bot's anticheat feature  /enable anticheat.  So far every time I've had reports of these guys hitting servers that feature was not enabled.  Don't let your server be their next target.

 

[Smegzor]

Super stoked!  The anticheat feature finally caught and banned its first 2 hackers that weren't admins testing etc.  One did destroy bases first but only because that bot wasn't checking for admin items.  I'm rolling out an update today that changes the default action in the bad items list which includes admin tools from timeout to ban.  I will also have the update do a one time fix where it will change that bad item to ban if it is in the list.

 

[Edit]  3 now xD

Edited June 20, 2020 by Smegzor
Trump set me up to it. (see edit history)

[Smegzor]

More hackers have been caught by the anticheat system and just by recent fixes and changes to the bot's inventory scanner.  Here is one from today with all identifying details removed.

 

2020-06-22 00:18; ALERT! Unauthorised admin detected. Player ######## Steam: ##### Permission level: 1000 has opened an unauthorized locked sign.
2020-06-22 00:18; Day 140, 18:21 [BANNED] Player ##### ###### has been banned for 10 years hacking

 

The sign he was trying to alter was later checked and he was unable to alter the sign before being banned.  In testing the bot often bans within 2 seconds of the hack occuring.