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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I run the bot in Windows?A: After downloading the file, decompress it and run OGBot.exe Q: How do I run the bot in Linux?A: Download the source version. Under Linux, the libraries required by the bot are usually provided by the distributions in form of packages, so getting it to work is pretty straightforward. For example, under Ubuntu the following packages are required:
bsddb is also required, and some distros don't provide it by default. Note for Gentoo Linux: PyQt4 package is masked, so it can not to be installed by default. To do so, it has to be unmasked. Instructions here. Q: I have Commander mode. Will the bot still work?A: Yes. But you have to disable message grouping in folders in OGame options. Q: I have Officers. Will the bot still work?A: Yes. Q: I found some error in the bot, how do I report it?A: Go to the issues tab and see if someone has already reported it. If so, you can click the star near it to be notified of changes and comments. If not, open a new issue and then follow the instructions. DO NOT post feature request here. Instead see next question: Q: I have a feature request, could you implement it?A: You can comment it in the appropiate forum section. The author is a busy person though and only a few of them will likely be implemented. Q: How do I reset the bot?A: Delete the files in the directory files/botdata. Q: When my IP changes I get "Fatal error found, terminating. (...) Your session is not valid.A: Deactivate IP check in OGame options. Q: I get "Not enought technologies researched to run the bot". What do I need to research?A: Currently the bot requires Combustion drive level 1 and Impulse drive level 1 to run. Q: Will I get banned if I use this bot?A: Maybe. OGame admins are always finding new ways to detect it. If you want to minimize the probabilities of getting baned follow these advices:
Probabilities of getting banned greatly depend on how much effort put GAs (AFAIK GOs can't detect the bot) in finding people that uses the bot. In some universes people are running the bot day and night for months without being banned. On the other hand, in some polish universes people are getting banned just because they have a lot of activity, without having any real proof of bot usage. In the latter cases promising you don't use any bot and all that activity is just because you play a lot might get you unbanned. Q: I've heard this bot has a virus. Is it true?A: No. Someone uploaded a modified version of the bot in the forums, which had a virus or trojan. However the official version never had nor will have any. That's why the bot should always be downloaded only from this page. Q: Can I choose which browser does the "Launch web browser" button use?A: You have to set the BROWSER environment variable to the command of the browser you want to use. A list of possible values and further instructions can be found here: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-webbrowser.html Q: How can I choose the language?A: You can't. A common confusion is that language files also translate the bot messages. This is not true. Bot messages and user interface are always in English. Language files are only to support different countries' OGames. The correct language file will automatically be selected after the bot connects to the server and detects its language. Q: My language is not supported. Can I contribute a translation?A: Sure. What you have to do is create a new translation file for your language and place it in the languages directory. You should use english.ini as a template, as there are further instructions in it. If it works send it to the author and it will probably be included in the next release. Not all languages are guaranteed to work thought. Q: How do I run the multi-platform (source) version of the bot in Windows?A: The easiest and recommended way to run the bot in Windows is to use the prepared version, but it is possible to use the source version. These are the steps:
After all that, execute runbot.bat and it should work. Q: Are there any 'hidden' configuration options?A: There are some command-line options:
Usage: runbot.sh [options]
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-c, --console Run in console mode'
-a, --autostart Auto start bot, no need to click Start button
-w WORKDIR, --workdir=WORKDIR
Specify working directory (useful to run various bots
at once). If not specified defaults to 'files'
-p PLUGIN, --plugin=PLUGIN
Run the specified plugin from the plugins folder, and
exit. Example: to run plugins/auto.py: runbot.sh -p auto
Q: How does the bot choose which planet to attack?A: It assigns a rentability (a number) to each planet and always attacks that with the most rentability. Since v2.1.2, the planet selection algorithm can be chosen in Advanced Options. Here is an extract from one issue's comments that explains the differences in the algorithms between OGBot versions 1 and 2. The v2 algorithm is indeed completly different from that of v1. v1's algorithm consisted simply in:
V2's algorithm, on the other hand, is completly different. It is designed to collect the maximum possible resources per hour by both minimizing the amount of neccesary espionages and by always attacking at the most rentable planet, understanding that as the attack that most resources is going to provide the player by unit of travel time. The algorithm is based on two ideas: - The mines of an inactive planet are never going to change troughout the time it remains inactive. This way, the planet can be spied only once to determine it's mine levels, and simulate the produced resources from that without the need of additional espionages. In case it gets to be the most rentable planet to attack, it will be spied again to assure it has not been attacked by other player in the meantime. - Second and most important: you get the same amount of resources by attacking a far planet with flight time of 2 hours and lots of resources, than by attacking two near planets with half of the resources each, but at a flight time of 1 hour. Additionally, those planets with fleet or defenses are re-spied every two days, just in case they have been destroyed, and every night the list of inactive planets is updated, and the new ones are spied. |
