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PODBot 2.5 Review
23 August, 2001 - theFragile
The Counter-Strike, which is based upon Valve Software's Half-Life.
Introduction
I reviewed PODBot 2.0 around two months ago and it was a revolution in bot coding. The bots acted like real-life players. They achieved movement that was only dreamt about in a bot. But Count Floyd hasn't been wasting any time and has released the latest version, 2.5.
 
So what's new in this version? Well they're a few new features and a couple of bug fixes but nothing that really stands out. However, I didn't expect much from this release. Think about it, PODBot is a very polished bit of coding. It has a job to do and it does it very well.
You can download the bot by clicking here.
Gameplay
One of the great problems with software developers is that they seem to have a need to improve on their previous releases. This is all good and well but when the product nears perfection there is a temptation to add new (and sometimes un-needed) features. This tends to lead to 'bloatware' (Just look at Windows Media Player 7.1). Gladly, POBBot has not reached this stage but it is getting close. The bots act like real players, they jump over walls, hide behind creates, climb through vents, sniper and can even use grenades effectively. This is exactly what you want in a bot. There are also some fun features in PODBot, 'Jason mode' and the 'low gravity mode' which all add a sense of humor to a usually serious game. I just hope that Count Floyd continues to focus on improving the bot, fixing bugs that arise and doesn't stray too far from what is already an out-standing bot.
 
One feature that is introduced in this release is interactive bot chat. The bots chat to each other, complaining about players and 'aimbots'. But an innovative addition is that the bots use your name in their chat so it feels like they are real players, which all adds to the feel of the game.
After I installed PODBot (which is very easy due to the install program). I loaded up Counter-Strike and started a game in cs_dust. The first thing I noticed is how hard the bots were. I mean instant death! Now I admit, I'm no pro Counter-Strike player but I'm of medium skill. This was like being dropped into a Counter-Strike tournament in the final rounds. The bots sprinted around corners and had shot you in the face before you had even see them. So, there I was, in 'dead view' mode, floating around the map following the bots when I noticed one of the terrorists camping at the Counter-Terrorists spawn point. Nothing unusual there, but he couldn't see the enemy because of the wall.
 
Then something strange happened. As the Counter-Terrorist ran up the ramp, the terrorist saw him through the wall and began to shoot before he was in his sight! Were the bots using the wall hack? Or the OpenGL cheat? Well I started to read the bot files and discovered it was actually a feature of bot.
# shootthruwalls - This Variable specifies if Bots are allowed to
# shoot through Walls if they saw an enemy or if
# they heard someone on the other Side of a Wall
Now, the idea behind this feature is very good. It's used by players in game to kill enemies behind doors, etc. But it seems to give the bots an unfair advantage over us mere mortals. So I suggest that you turn this feature off. I would also advise you to lower the bot's skill so that you have at least some kind of chance against them.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a worthwhile update to an already great bot. If you haven't already downloaded the PODBot, then what the heck are you waiting for? Download it now, you will not regret it. If you already have PODBot 2.0 then I personally feel that version 2.5 is a worthy update. The added features are small but do add to the overall feel of the game.
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