How to Add Bots in TF2

Team Fortress 2 has been around for more than a decade. The game is free to play, and many still enjoy it with their friends. However, now and then, you don’t have enough players on a server and would like the game to be a bit more fun by adding bots.

Adding bots in Team Fortress 2 (TF2) can enhance your gameplay experience, allowing you to practice strategies or enjoy the game offline. This guide explains how to add, customize, and control bots effectively in TF2.

How to add bots to a TF2 private server?

If you want to add bots to a TF2 server, you can use one of the available bot commands in your Console. There are two main ways to add bots to your TF2 private server:

1. Using the Developer Console

This method allows you to manually add bots in-game using commands. Here’s how:

1. Launch Team Fortress 2.
2. Navigate to Options > Advanced.
3. Check Enable Developer Console (~).
4. Press the ~ key to open the console.
5. Use the following commands:
   • tf_bot_add <number>: This adds <number> of random class bots to the server.
   • tf_bot_add <number> <team> <class>This lets you customize the number, team (red or blu), and class of the bots you add. You can optionally add a difficulty level at the end (easy, normal, hard, expert).

2. Setting a Bot Quota

This method allows you to automatically fill empty slots with bots up to a certain number. Here’s how:

• Open your server configuration file (usually server.cfg).
• Add the line tf_bot_quota <number> where <number> is the desired maximum number of bots.
• (Optional) Add the line tf_bot_auto_vacate "1". This will make bots automatically leave the server when a human player tries to join.

Related: Best Interp Settings TF2 – Explained Guide

Additional Tips

• Not all maps support bots. You can find a list of compatible maps online.
• The maximum number of bots you can add is limited by your server’s maximum player count.
• Remember to enable cheats (sv_cheats 1) if you need to perform advanced bot setup tasks (use with caution).

For more advanced configuration options and troubleshooting, consult online resources and communities dedicated to TF2 server management.

How to add bots in TF2 rocket jumping?

Adding bots to tr_rocket_shooting (or any other map) follows the same general process as adding bots to a private server, but there can be some specific quirks with this particular map. Here’s what you need to know:

• Enabling Server Commands: By default, tr_rocket_shooting might restrict certain server commands. You might need to add the line sv_allow_point_servercommand always to your server configuration file (server.cfg) or type it directly in the console to enable commands needed for adding bots.
• Adding Bots: Once server commands are allowed, use the commands explained in the previous FAQ answer (“Adding Bots to Your TF2 Private Server”). Remember, tf_bot_add <number> for basic bot addition or the more specific tf_bot_add <number> <team> <class> for customization.

How to add sniper bots in TF2

You can add sniper bots to your TF2 server using the same general methods as regular bots. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Using the tf_bot_add Command:
  This is the primary method for adding bots. In the developer console (usually or ~), type the following command: tf_bot_add <number> <team> sniper
  • Replace <number> with the desired number of sniper bots.
  • Replace <team> with either “red” or “blue” depending on which team you want the sniper bots to be on.
• Adding Difficulty (Optional):
  You can optionally specify a difficulty level for the sniper bots by adding it to the end of the command. Valid options are “easy,” “normal,” “hard,” or “expert.” Here’s an example for easy-difficulty sniper bots: tf_bot_add <number> <team> sniper easy

List of Bot Commands in TF2

TF2 offers you around a dozen different bot commands that you can utilize to add bots to your server.

Command	Description

tf_bot_add [count] [class] [team]

Adds a specified number of bots with class and team. Example: tf_bot_add 3 scout red adds 3 Scout bots to the RED team.

tf_bot_kick [name/all]

Removes a specific bot by name or all bots. Example: tf_bot_kick all removes all bots from the server.

tf_bot_difficulty [0-3]

Sets bot difficulty level (0 = Easy, 1 = Normal, 2 = Hard, 3 = Expert).

tf_bot_quota [number]

Limits the total number of bots in the game. Example: tf_bot_quota 6 sets a limit of 6 bots.

tf_bot_force_class [class]

Forces bots to play as a specific class. Example: tf_bot_force_class pyro makes all bots play as Pyro.

bot_command [name] [action]

Issues a specific command to an individual bot. Example: bot_command bot01 taunt makes bot01 perform a taunt.

tf_bot_melee_only

Forces bots to use only melee weapons. Useful for melee-only practice.

tf_bot_join_after_player [0/1]

Controls whether bots join only after a player connects (1 to enable, 0 to disable).

tf_bot_keep_class_after_death [0/1]

Determines if bots keep the same class after respawn (1 to enable, 0 to disable).

tf_bot_nav_generate

Generates a new navigation mesh for custom maps. Essential if bots are not moving correctly.

tf_bot_debug

Enables bot behavior debugging for advanced analysis of their actions.

sv_cheats [0/1]

Activates cheats required for some advanced bot commands. Example: sv_cheats 1 enables cheats.

nav_edit 1

Enables navigation mesh editing mode for path adjustments.

nav_generate

Regenerates the navigation mesh if bots aren’t working properly.

bot_zombie 1

Makes bots idle without moving or attacking (useful for aim practice).

1: tf_bot_add

This Team Fortress 2 bot command creates one or multiple AI bots. By default, the team they will join is random, as well as their class, name, and difficulty level. However, the player who uses the tf_bot_add command can give all of these parameters. The complete command looks like this:

tf_bot_add [count] [class] [team] [difficulty] [name] [noquota]

The first parameter specifies the number of bots that you want to spawn. By default, only one bot will be created.

The class parameter determines what type of specialization the bot will have: Engineer, Medic, Soldier, Sniper, etc.

The team parameter specifies the name of the team this bot will be assigned. This name can be either red or blue.

The difficulty parameter can have one of the following 4 values: easy, normal, hard, and expert. When you set the difficulty of your bots, make sure they’re neither boring nor annoyingly strong. This difficulty should be set relative to your skill level and objectives. For example, if you want to have fun as a Sniper, use normal bots.

The name parameter allows you to set the bot’s name. This will make it easier for you to know who the bots are in case you want to kick them later on or modify their attributes.

2: tf_bot_difficulty

This TF2 command allows you to set the difficulty level for all of your bots and takes just one parameter. The value of this parameter can be 0, 1, 2, or 3. These numbers correspond to the difficulty levels described above, 0 being easy and 3 being expert.

3: tf_bot_fire_weapon_allowed

This command gives you control over your bots’ ability to fire TF2 weapons. By default, it is set to 1, meaning bots can shoot at you. But if you don’t like that, set the value to 0.

4: tf_bot_force_class

If you utilize this command and give it one of the available class names (Demoman, Scout, Pyro, etc.), all of your bots will respawn having that class. You will rarely want to utilize tf_bot_force_class, but from time to time, it’s useful.

5: tf_bot_force_jump

If you’re training your sniper skills, utilizing this TF2 command will force all of the bots to jump continuously. This will make it harder for you to land headshots, which is probably what you want.

6: tf_bot_join_after_player

By default, the value of this command is set to 1, which means that bots do not enter the game until at least one player has joined. If you set it to 0, bots will join the game immediately after you add them, even if a team has no players.

7: tf_bot_keep_class_after_death

By default, bots will respawn each time as a different class. The idea here is to use this command with a value of 1 if you want your bots never to change their class. This is an excellent idea in many cases because it makes the game more predictable. The last thing you want is to have 4 doctors on your team and not enough firepower. 

8: tf_bot_kick

Like you can add bots to your TF2 server, you can also kick them. This Team Fortress 2 command allows you to kick either one bot, an entire team of bots, or even all of the bots. It all depends on the value of its parameter: bon_name, all, or team_name.

9: tf_bot_kill

If you want the bots to die artificially, tf_bot_kill will kill them instantly. Like tf_bot_kick, this command can kill one bot, all of the bots from a team, or all of the bots from the server.

10: tf_bot_melee_only

By default, bots can use every type of weapon available to them. But if you want your bots to be able to use just melee weapons, set the value to 1.

Related: Team Fortress 2 Weapons Pack

11: tf_bot_prefix_name_with_difficulty

By setting the parameter of this command to 1, the skill level of the bots will be appended to their name. This is a very useful command when utilizing bots of multiple skill levels.

12: tf_bot_quota

This command establishes how many bots should be added to the server for every human player that joins.

Using Bots in TF2 

Bots are computer-controlled players, and people use them for various reasons. They come in two varieties: Puppet bots and AI bots.

Puppet bots cannot be added to a TF2 server unless that server has cheats enabled. This can be done by opening the Console and typing in sv_cheats 1. Cheats should not be confused with cheating or hacking. They’re more like mods that can be applied to a given server.

Puppet bots can be utilized for testing strategies and training your aim. But they do not possess a sophisticated intelligence that can make them a real threat against solid human players.

AI bots are much more complex, and their level of skill can be set. Some bots are easy to deal with, while others have expert skills. There are also normal bots and hard bots. The stronger the bot, the better its reaction time, aim, and so on. For most human players, competing against expert bots is quite challenging.

Customizing Bot Behavior

Fine-tune the bots with advanced commands:

• Set Bot Difficulty:tf_bot_difficulty [0-3]
  • 0 = Easy
  • 1 = Normal
  • 2 = Hard
  • 3 = Expert
• Control Bot Movement:tf_bot_force_jump
• Assign Waypoints (for Navigation):

Troubleshooting Bot Issues

If bots aren’t behaving as expected, try these solutions:

• Check Navigation Mesh: Ensure the map supports bot navigation. Use:nav_generate
• Ensure Cheats Are Enabled: Some commands require cheats:sv_cheats 1
• Restart the Map: Reload the current map if bots freeze:changelevel [mapname]

Frequently Asked Questions