c86032f43b
Convert PlayerBots tables to InnoDB (disable strict mode during
conversion)
# Pull Request
### This change converts the PlayerBots-related tables from MyISAM to
InnoDB.
**Why this is beneficial (even without fixing a specific bug):**
- Crash safety & data integrity: InnoDB is transactional and uses redo
logs; it provides automatic crash recovery, unlike MyISAM which can
require manual repairs after unclean shutdowns.
- Row-level locking: InnoDB reduces write contention and improves
concurrency under bot-heavy workloads compared to MyISAM’s table-level
locks.
- Consistent reads: InnoDB supports MVCC, enabling stable reads while
writes are happening—useful for mixed read/write access patterns.
- Operational robustness: Better behavior under backup/restore and
replication scenarios; fewer “table marked as crashed” style issues.
Strict mode handling:
The migration toggles innodb_strict_mode off only for the session to
prevent the conversion from failing on edge-case legacy definitions,
then re-enables it immediately after.
---
## How to Test the Changes
- Step-by-step instructions to test the change
Run the SQL script in the Playerbot database.
- Any required setup (e.g. multiple players, bots, specific
configuration)
No
- Expected behavior and how to verify it
All tables should now have been converted from InnoDB to MyISAM.
This script should return nothing:
```
SELECT
t.TABLE_SCHEMA AS db_name,
t.TABLE_NAME AS table_name,
t.ENGINE AS storage_engine
FROM information_schema.TABLES t
WHERE t.TABLE_SCHEMA = DATABASE()
-- With phpMyAdmin, use the following and insert your database name, e.g., “acore_playerbots.”
-- WHERE t.TABLE_SCHEMA = 'YOUR_PLAYERBOT_DB'
AND t.TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'
AND t.ENGINE = 'MyISAM'
ORDER BY t.TABLE_NAME;
```
## Complexity & Impact
- Does this change add new decision branches?
- [x] No
- [ ] Yes (**explain below**)
- Does this change increase per-bot or per-tick processing?
- [x] No
- [ ] Yes (**describe and justify impact**)
- Could this logic scale poorly under load?
- [x] No
- [ ] Yes (**explain why**)
---
## Defaults & Configuration
- Does this change modify default bot behavior?
- [x] No
- [ ] Yes (**explain why**)
---
## AI Assistance
- Was AI assistance (e.g. ChatGPT or similar tools) used while working
on this change?
- [x] No
- [ ] Yes (**explain below**)
---
## Final Checklist
- [x] Stability is not compromised
- [x] Performance impact is understood, tested, and acceptable
- [ ] Documentation updated if needed
- [x] I tested this script on a server with 2000 bots for 6 days
(running 24/h) and had no issues with it.
---
## Notes for Reviewers
Anything that significantly improves realism at the cost of stability or
performance should be carefully discussed
before merging.
Playerbots Module
mod-playerbots is an AzerothCore module that adds player-like bots to a server. The project is based off IKE3's Playerbots.
Features include:
- The ability to log in alt characters as bots, allowing players to interact with their other characters, form parties, level up, and more
- Random bots that wander through the world, complete quests, and otherwise behave like players, simulating the MMO experience
- Bots capable of running most raids and battlegrounds
- Highly configurable settings to define how bots behave
- Excellent performance, even when running thousands of bots
We also have a Discord server where you can discuss the project, ask questions, and get involved in the community!
Installation
Supported platforms are Ubuntu, Windows, and macOS. Other Linux distributions may work, but may not receive support.
All mod-playerbots installations require a custom branch of AzerothCore: mod-playerbots/azerothcore-wotlk/tree/Playerbot. This branch allows the mod-playerbots module to build and function. Updates from the upstream are implemented regularly to this branch. Instructions for installing this required branch and this module are provided below.
Cloning the Repositories
To install both the required branch of AzerothCore and the mod-playerbots module from source, run the following:
git clone https://github.com/mod-playerbots/azerothcore-wotlk.git --branch=Playerbot
cd azerothcore-wotlk/modules
git clone https://github.com/mod-playerbots/mod-playerbots.git --branch=master
For more information, refer to the AzerothCore Installation Guide and Installing a Module pages.
Docker Installation
Docker installations are considered experimental (unofficial with limited support), and previous Docker experience is recommended. To install mod-playerbots on Docker, first clone the required branch of AzerothCore and this module:
git clone https://github.com/mod-playerbots/azerothcore-wotlk.git --branch=Playerbot
cd azerothcore-wotlk/modules
git clone https://github.com/mod-playerbots/mod-playerbots.git --branch=master
Afterwards, create a docker-compose.override.yml file in the azerothcore-wotlk directory. This override file allows for mounting the modules directory to the ac-worldserver service which is required for it to run. Put the following inside and save:
services:
ac-worldserver:
volumes:
- ./modules:/azerothcore/modules:ro
Additionally, this override file can be used to set custom configuration settings for ac-worldserver and any modules you install as environment variables:
services:
ac-worldserver:
environment:
AC_RATE_XP_KILL: "1"
AC_AI_PLAYERBOT_RANDOM_BOT_AUTOLOGIN: "1"
volumes:
- ./modules:/azerothcore/modules:ro
For example, to double the experience gain rate per kill, take the setting Rate.XP.Kill = 1 from woldserver.conf, convert it to an environment variable, and change it to the desired setting in the override file to get AC_RATE_XP_KILL: "2". If you wanted to disable random bots from logging in automatically, take the AiPlayerbot.RandomBotAutologin = 1 setting from playerbots.conf and do the same to get AC_AI_PLAYERBOT_RANDOM_BOT_AUTOLOGIN: "0". For more information on how to configure Azerothcore, Playerbots, and other module settings as environment variables in Docker Compose, see the "Configuring AzerothCore in Containers" section in the Install With Docker guide.
Before building, consider setting the database password. One way to do this is to create a .env file in the root azerothcore-wotlk directory using the template. This file also allows you to set the user and group Docker uses for the services in case you run into any permissions issues, which are the most common cause for Docker installation problems.
Use docker compose up -d --build to build and run the server. For more information, including how to create an account and taking backups, refer to the Install With Docker page.
Documentation
The Playerbots Wiki contains an extensive overview of AddOns, commands, raids with programmed bot strategies, and recommended performance configurations. Please note that documentation may be incomplete or out-of-date in some sections, and contributions are welcome.
Bots are controlled via chat commands. For larger bot groups, this can be cumbersome. Because of this, community members have developed client AddOns to allow controlling bots through the in-game UI. We recommend you check out their projects listed in the AddOns and Submodules page.
Contributing
This project is still under development. We encourage anyone to make contributions, anything from pull requests to reporting issues. If you encounter any errors or experience crashes, we encourage you report them as GitHub issues. Your valuable feedback will help us improve this project collaboratively.
If you make coding contributions, mod-playerbots complies with the C++ Code Standards established by AzerothCore. Each Pull Request must include all test scenarios the author performed, along with their results, to demonstrate that the changes were properly verified.
We recommend joining the Discord server to make your contributions to the project easier, as a lot of active support is carried out through this server.
Please click on the "⭐" button to stay up to date and help us gain more visibility on GitHub!
Acknowledgements
mod-playerbots is based on ZhengPeiRu21/mod-playerbots and celguar/mangosbot-bots. We extend our gratitude to @ZhengPeiRu21 and @celguar for their continued efforts in maintaining the module.
Also, a thank you to the many contributors who've helped build this project: