Merge pull request #52 from DustinHendrickson/Dustin/DocUpdated

Clarifying how Dynamic Scaling and player weight works

README.md

@@ -79,12 +79,13 @@ BotLevelBrackets.LiteDebugMode               | Enables lite debug logging for th
 BotLevelBrackets.CheckFrequency              | Frequency (in seconds) at which the bot level distribution check is performed.                                                  | 300     | Positive Integer
 BotLevelBrackets.CheckFlaggedFrequency       | Frequency (in seconds) at which the bot level reset is performed for flagged bots that initially failed safety checks.             | 15      | Positive Integer
 BotLevelBrackets.FlaggedProcessLimit         | Maximum number of flagged bots to process per pending level change step.                                                           | 5       | Positive Integer
-BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.UseDynamicDistribution      | Enables dynamic recalculation of bot distribution percentages based on non-bot player counts per bracket.                        | 0       | 0 (off) / 1 (on)
-BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.RealPlayerWeight            | Multiplier applied to each real player's contribution (active only if dynamic distribution is enabled).                          | 1.0     | Floating point number
+BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.UseDynamicDistribution | Enables dynamic bot distribution: when on, brackets with more real players get a higher share of bots, based on the weight below. | 0 | 0 (off) / 1 (on)
+BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.RealPlayerWeight | Controls how much bots "follow" real player activity when dynamic distribution is enabled. 0.0 = bots always spread evenly; 1.0 = mild effect; higher values = more bots go where players are, but the effect is scaled. | 1.0 | ≥ 0.0 (float)
 BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.SyncFactions      | Enables synchronized brackets and weighting between Alliance and Horde factions when Dynamic Distribution is also enabled.                        | 0       | 0 (off) / 1 (on)
 BotLevelBrackets.IgnoreFriendListed           | Ignores bots that are on real players' friend lists from any bracket calculations.                                              | 1       | 0 (off) / 1 (on)
 BotLevelBrackets.IgnoreGuildBotsWithRealPlayers | Excludes bots in a guild with at least one real (non-bot) player online from adjustments.                                       | 1       | 0 (disabled) / 1 (enabled)
 BotLevelBrackets.NumRanges                     | Number of level brackets used for bot distribution. Both factions must have the same number defined.                             | 9       | Positive Integer
+BotLevelBrackets.ExcludeNames                  | Comma-separated list of case insensitive bot names to exclude from all bracket checks.                                                            |         | String
 
 **IMPORTANT:** If you extend the number of brackets beyond the default 9, you must update both your `mod_player_bot_level_brackets.conf` file and the accompanying `mod_player_bot_level_brackets.conf.dist` file to include configuration lines for the additional ranges (e.g. Range10, Range11, etc.), ensuring that the sum of the Pct values remains 100.
 

conf/mod_player_bot_level_brackets.conf.dist

@@ -57,6 +57,11 @@ BotLevelBrackets.IgnoreGuildBotsWithRealPlayers = 1
 #                      Valid values: 0 (off) / 1 (on)
 BotLevelBrackets.IgnoreFriendListed = 1
 
+# BotLevelBrackets.ExcludeNames
+#     Description: Comma-separated list of case insensitive bot names to exclude from all bracket checks.
+#     Default:     ""
+BotLevelBrackets.ExcludeNames =
+
 #
 #    BotLevelBrackets.NumRanges
 #        Description: The number of level brackets used for bot distribution.
@@ -77,12 +82,24 @@ BotLevelBrackets.NumRanges = 9
 #                     Valid values: 0 (off) / 1 (on)
 BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.UseDynamicDistribution = 0
 
-#
 #    BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.RealPlayerWeight
-#        Description: A multiplier applied to each real player's contribution in their level bracket.
-#                     When combined with inverse scaling by total player count, a higher value significantly boosts the effective weight
-#                     of a real player when few are online.
-#        Default:     1.0
+#        Description: This setting controls how much extra weight is given to brackets (level ranges) that contain real (non-bot) players, when dynamic distribution is enabled.
+#                     The higher you set this value, the more bots will move to the same level brackets where real players are found, but the effect is *gentle*, not extreme.
+#                     A value of 0.0 means bots always distribute evenly across all brackets, regardless of where players are. The default value of 1.0 gives a mild, balanced effect.
+#                     Raising this to 3.0, 5.0, or higher will make bots concentrate more in brackets with real players.
+#                     The value is a multiplier (not a percent): 0.0 = no extra effect, 1.0 = default, 3.0 = stronger, 5.0 = strong but not extreme.
+#                     Experiment based on your total bot count and real player counts to find a good number for your server.
+#                     If you want a large congestion of bots in your level bracket for solo play I recommend 10-15 for RealPlayerWeight.
+#        What to expect:
+#          - With 1.0 (default): If 6/10 real players are in one bracket, that bracket gets about 12.77% of bots. All-empty brackets get about 10.69% each.
+#          - With 3.0: Same scenario: bracket gets about 15.73% of bots. All-empty brackets: 9.93% each.
+#          - With 5.0: Bracket with 6/10 real players gets 18.31%. All-empty brackets: 9.28% each.
+#          - If all real players are in one bracket and weight is 5.0, that bracket gets about 21.56% of bots (others: 9.80% each).
+#          - With 0.0: Every bracket always gets the same number of bots (e.g., 11.11% each for 9 brackets).
+#        Formula (per bracket):
+#          bracket_weight = 1.0 + (RealPlayerWeight × (1 / TotalRealPlayers) × log(1 + RealPlayersInBracket))
+#          All bracket weights are normalized to total 100%.
+#        Default:      1.0
 BotLevelBrackets.Dynamic.RealPlayerWeight = 1.0
 
 #

src/mod-player-bot-level-brackets.cpp

@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ static bool g_SyncFactions = false;
 // Array for character social list friends
 std::vector<int> g_SocialFriendsList;
 
+// Array for excluded bot names.
+static std::vector<std::string> g_ExcludeBotNames;
+
 // Array for real player guild IDs.
 std::unordered_set<uint32> g_RealPlayerGuildIds;
 
@@ -111,6 +114,17 @@ static void LoadBotLevelBracketsConfig()
     g_IgnoreFriendListed = sConfigMgr->GetOption<bool>("BotLevelBrackets.IgnoreFriendListed", true);
     g_FlaggedProcessLimit = sConfigMgr->GetOption<uint32>("BotLevelBrackets.FlaggedProcessLimit", 5);
 
+    std::string excludeNames = sConfigMgr->GetOption<std::string>("BotLevelBrackets.ExcludeNames", "");
+    g_ExcludeBotNames.clear();
+    std::istringstream f(excludeNames);
+    std::string s;
+    while (getline(f, s, ',')) {
+        s.erase(std::remove_if(s.begin(), s.end(), ::isspace), s.end());
+        if (!s.empty()) {
+            g_ExcludeBotNames.push_back(s);
+        }
+    }
+
     // Load the bot level restrictions.
     g_RandomBotMinLevel = static_cast<uint8>(sConfigMgr->GetOption<uint32>("AiPlayerbot.RandomBotMinLevel", 1));
     g_RandomBotMaxLevel = static_cast<uint8>(sConfigMgr->GetOption<uint32>("AiPlayerbot.RandomBotMaxLevel", 80));
@@ -737,6 +751,32 @@ static bool IsBotSafeForLevelReset(Player* bot)
     return true;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Checks if a given bot is in the exclusion list for bracket processing.
+ *
+ * This function determines whether the provided bot's name matches any entry in the global
+ * exclusion list `g_ExcludeBotNames`, which is populated from the BotLevelBrackets.ExcludeNames config.
+ * If a match is found, this bot will not be considered for any bracket checks or level resets.
+ *
+ * @param bot Pointer to the Player object representing the bot to check.
+ * @return true if the bot is excluded from bracket processing, false otherwise.
+ */
+static bool IsBotExcluded(Player* bot)
+{
+    if (!bot)
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+    const std::string& name = bot->GetName();
+    for (const auto& excluded : g_ExcludeBotNames)
+    {
+        if (excluded == name)
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
 
 /**
  * @brief Processes the pending level reset requests for player bots.
@@ -788,6 +828,12 @@ static void ProcessPendingLevelResets()
                 continue;
             }
 
+            if (IsBotExcluded(bot))
+            {
+                it = g_PendingLevelResets.erase(it);
+                continue;
+            }
+
             int targetRange = it->targetRange;
             if (g_IgnoreGuildBotsWithRealPlayers && BotInGuildWithRealPlayer(bot))
             {
@@ -831,6 +877,11 @@ static void ProcessPendingLevelResets()
  */
 static int GetOrFlagPlayerBracket(Player* player)
 {
+    if (IsPlayerBot(player) && IsBotExcluded(player))
+    {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     int rangeIndex = GetLevelRangeIndex(player->GetLevel(), player->GetTeamId());
     if (rangeIndex >= 0)
     {
@@ -1172,6 +1223,14 @@ public:
                 }
                 continue;
             }
+            if (IsBotExcluded(player))
+            {
+                if (g_BotDistFullDebugMode)
+                {
+                    LOG_INFO("server.loading", "[BotLevelBrackets] Skipping excluded bot '{}'.", player->GetName());
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
             if (g_IgnoreGuildBotsWithRealPlayers && BotInGuildWithRealPlayer(player))
             {
                 continue;