Maps For Bots A map may be great for human dm, but not so good for bots. Things that pose no problem for  human navigation can get a bot stuck. If I have checked out a map, I will post it here as bot-approved  or not  . Contents

2faced
Ctf8()2
Mechanical Pain
Nwxctf
Prwrctf1
Surge
Xmasdm98

2faced by Cyberdemon is a symetrical, fast-flowing map for CTF action. A lot of fun!

CTF8()2 is a big maze-like CTF map by Dru that has been converted for use with the CTF Bot. It's an interesting ctf map that is pretty spread                           out, yet the bots navigate it well.The layout is somewhat maze-like, but if you follow your teammate bot, he will lead you right to the blue flag.

Mechanical Pain by Rick Clark is a Doom2 conversion of his Unreal map of the same name, & has some beautiful textures. It is genuine Doombot-tested (says so right in the txt), & it is indeed very bot-friendly. The only door is to the exit, & of course we don't want those bots running for the exit.

NWXCTF is 3 maps from Dan Twomy's NowhereX dm pack that have been converted for CTF use. Map01 is actually map09 from NowhereX. It is very small for 4 players, & so the frag rate is quite insane. Map02 is actually map05 from NowhereX. This one gives you slightly more breathing room, & it's actually my favorite of the three. Map03 is actually map06 from NowhereX. This one is actually the roomiest of the bunch, but it still quite a fragfest. It's not extremely balanced due to the location of certain weapons & powerups, but haven't you seen Heartbreak Ridge? Adapt, soldier.

Prwrctf1 is Prower's contribution to the CTF scene. It's pretty good, though Prower indicates that the bots don't get the flags quickly enough. It's still fun, & making your getaway with the enemy flag while running backwards & shooting at your pursuers is quite a blast!

Surge is somewhat of a paradox. Extremely simple layouts (too simple sometimes, IMO) like you find in Horizon, but with that Gothic DM2 feel in the attention to detail. These maps are almost entirely based upon the tried-&-true square-with-crossovers layout, like what you see in GothicDM2 map01. In testimony to their small size & simple layouts, they were all cranked in a couple hours apiece. With a few exceptions, these maps are about total carnage for 2 players, not hide-& seek. BTW, do you like the face that Ricrob has on his rants page? Well, you'll be seeing a lot of it on just about every map in this wad. :-P Of course, I only care about how they handle bots, so here goes (NOTE: Doombot 2.21 was used in testing this pwad):

MAP01
The bot moves well, & doesn't get stuck.

MAP02
The bot gets stuck every time, like it was told to go stand in the corner--weird.

MAP03
The bot moves well, doesn't get stuck--& when it gets ahold of the bfg, look out. Lots of pillars by the alcoves get you hung up & cause rl suicides sometimes. Once you get the feel for it, I'm sure it's cake.

MAP04
The same corner sticking as in map02--too bad, because this is a nice looking level.

MAP05
The bot moves well, & uses plasma to good effect. Take him out with a shotgun.

MAP06
Hey, the bot jumps now! Oh, yeah, I have the beta w/ ctf support...sorry. The bot strafes against the walls in the narrow side passages & gets hung up. It stands a better chance fighting in the open area.

MAP07
The bot gets stuck every time at the foot of the stairs in the middle--forget this one.

MAP08
A good, point-blank, shotgun dance. The bot does well.

MAP09
Do you like to respawn facing a wall & get shot in the back before you can turn around? Then this map is for you. The bot does a great job of shooting you in the back again & again, & it does move well, I guess--I saw the wall mostly.

MAP10
Another good shotgun dance, with more elbow room. The bot does well.

MAP11
This map looks very cool, but it has doors over the respawns, which automatically makes this map a no-go for the non-door-opening Doombot.

MAP12
This one is a good chase, though the bot moves very predictably. A nice variety of weapons.

MAP13
The biggest map so far--lots of open space makes for some good chases, though this big map needs more than 2 players The bot is pretty predictable & easy to pick off in the open. The lack of crossover in the central tower seemed kind of frustrating, but overall well done.

MAP14
A big square room, the BFG is in the center. Other weapons in the corners. No cover. If it weren't for the lighting, which is very well done, I would guess that this level took about 2 minutes to make. The bot of course does well in a layout this simple.

MAP15
This is a good-looking level. The bot navigates it very well, jumping up onto ledges (oops--sorry) & such.

MAP16
This level looks good, but the bot quickly gets stuck on the pillars.

MAP17
This level looks good, but the bot quickly gets stuck at the foot of the stairs.

MAP18
This level looks good, but the bot occasionally gets stuck in the corners. But it can go a while without getting stuck, & this level has a good layout for more players.

MAP19
A square with a crossover, but replacing the interior walls with lava pits. The fiery lava is cool (heheh oxymoron), & the bot moves well, but the fighting gets routine pretty quickly.

MAP20
Pretty fast, & the bot loves to loop through those teleporters. I personally found the teleporters to be pretty disorienting until I went with the flow, ran through the loop, & keep firing. There's a rhythm to this one that is set to the beat of the teleporter metronome.

MAP21
This level was like shooting fish in a barrel. The bot will spawn, make a beeline to the waffle, & get stuck.

MAP22
Plasma o'plenty & fast action in this one. The bot moves well, & the locations of many of the respawns are pretty cool (quite hot actually).

MAP23
Beautiful, just beautiful. It's a fun level, with some realistic snow on the ground. The bot does just fine, & jumps over the fence quite ably (soon he will for you, too).

MAP24
Another shotgun dance, with a rl in the middle. The bot occasionally gets stuck against a pillar, but it does well otherwise. The layout looked good, but was a bit too simple for my tastes

MAP25
The bot moves well through this good-looking level, but it can't get at the BFG or the secrets, which detracts from this map for bot use.

MAP26
The classic square with a crossover--again. It works great, though.

MAP27
A bizarre combination of catwalks & ladders that will make you feel like a frog hopping over those walls. Not surprisingly, the bot gets stuck on the catwalks, but it hops over the ladders pretty well.

MAP28
Looks great, & the bot plays well. Unfortunately, the switch & lift guarantee that you will be the only one using the plasma gun.

MAP29
The classic square with a crossover, opened up a bit, with a few height changes. The bot does great.

MAP30
Another square with a crossover, but stretched out & made to look like sewer pipes. Looks quite good, & the bot does well.

MAP31
The best square with a crossover of this bunch IMO. The textures & lava are well done, & the bot plays it great.

MAP32
Looks great, but the pit & lifts really limit the bot to running around in the pit. Too bad.

XmasDM98 by Sir Robin initially got a choke rating when I tested it with the 2.21 Doombot (it got stuck in the moat), but with the 2.3 version, the bots handle this map better. This map has a nice wintery feel, especially if you use the snowman skin with it. This map can be found at Sir Robin's page.