Bots – characters in a game who are not playable but behave almost like real players. They are controlled, have artificial intelligence, can walk, shoot, and act on the map. Thanks to their presence, you can play offline in order to properly warm up before the real game. Many novice players are interested in how to make bots in CS2. We will devote today’s article to this topic.
The Capabilities of Bots, Their Advantages and Disadvantages
Using bots offline will allow you to practice shooting to improve your skills. They will also be useful in the theoretical placement of opponents at bomb placement points. With the ability to add bots, you can install as many players as you need to get a real experience. Also, “pseudo-players” on the server allow you to create and play out fun scenarios that will make the process of gaining experience more diverse.
So, you need to know how to make bots in CS2 in order to:
Train in shooting. This can be implemented not only on simple, but also on specialized maps. Bots will be used as targets.
Practice throwing grenades. You will be able to test the effects of incendiary and fragmentation grenades and flashbangs on these characters.
Using bots, you can learn all the basics of the shooter.
Such characters have several disadvantages. They are as follows:
Initial level of difficulty. You will not meet serious opponents with bots, since they take quite a long time to aim by the standards of the game, and also do not know how to throw grenades correctly.
As you begin to gain experience, you will not be interested in playing against such characters.
Bots in CS2 are programmed in such a way that you can surpass them in any situation. That is, even when switching to a hard counter mode, they will not particularly resist.
Despite the shortcomings, such an opportunity in the game is not at all superfluous for beginners who need to gain experience. That is why it will be useful for them to know how to make bots in CS2.
Ways to Add or Remove Non-Playable Characters in Counter-Strike 2
In Counter-Strike 2 you can not only enable bots, but also adjust their difficulty level. When you start the game in several modes (standard, training, competition, deathmatch), bots are added to CS2 automatically. If necessary, they can be removed and then returned.
Experienced players usually tend to remove these characters, as they help block shots in private games. This can be done using a number of commands:
bot_kick. This command will immediately remove all characters from the map. This can be used even without cheat mode.
bot_kill. All bots will be killed for one round. Please note that they will respawn again in a later round. To use this command, activate cheat mode using sv_cheats 1 (to disable it, enter sv_cheats 0).
Before entering commands, make sure that your console is turned on. This can be done easily: click “Settings” in the upper left corner, select the “Game” tab, and set “Yes” next to the line “Enable Developer Console.”
If you need to return bots to CS2, enter bot_add. This may be necessary if teams have unequal numbers of players. The added bot will automatically join the team with fewer players. To add a bot to a specific side, use the following:
bot_add_ct – add one bot for CT (Counter-Terrorists);
bot_add_t – add one bot for T (Terrorists).
To disable automatic team balancing, use:
mp_limitteams 0 – removes the player limit per team;
mp_autoteambalance 0 – disables automatic team balancing.
You can restrict bots in CS2 to specific weapon types:
- bot_snipers_only – only sniper rifles allowed;
- bot_knives_only – only knives allowed;
- bot_pistols_only – only pistols allowed.
Other weapon commands:
- bot_all_weapons – all weapons allowed;
- bot_allow_sub_machine_guns – SMGs allowed;
- bot_allow_grenades – grenades allowed;
- bot_allow_snipers – sniper rifles allowed;
- bot_allow_rifles – rifles allowed;
- bot_allow_pistols – pistols allowed.
Training commands include:
- bot_controllable – allows players to control bots;
- bot_chatter [off, radio, minimal, normal] – controls bot chatter;
- bot_difficulty [0-3] – sets bot difficulty;
- bot_dont_shoot – prevents bots from shooting;
- bot_place – places a bot at the player’s crosshair.
How to Change the Difficulty of Bots in CS2?
To change bot difficulty in CS2, use the console command bot_difficulty. Available values:
- bot_difficulty 0 – harmless bots;
- bot_difficulty 1 – easy;
- bot_difficulty 2 – medium;
- bot_difficulty 3 – hard;
- bot_difficulty 4 – expert.
Note: difficulty must be set before starting a map. It cannot be changed mid-game.
Additional commands to manage difficulty:
- bot_autodifficulty_threshold_high [value from -20 to 20] – increases difficulty if player performs well.
- bot_autodifficulty_threshold_low [value from -20 to 20] – decreases difficulty if player struggles.
To manually add bots of different levels after bot_kick, use:
- bot_add easy
- bot_add_ct normal
- bot_add_t hard
- bot_add expert
Managing the Actions of Bots in Counter-Strike 2
Use the following commands with sv_cheats 1 enabled:
- bot_place – spawn bot at your crosshair;
- bind i bot_place – bind the spawn command to key “i”;
- unbind i – remove the bind;
- bot_stop 1 – freeze bots; bot_stop 0 – unfreeze;
- bot_mimic 1 – bots repeat your actions;
- mp_free_armor 0 – disables free armor for all.
Other Popular Commands for Controlling Bots in CS2
- bot_show_battlefront 1 – show bot trajectory;
- bot_zombie 1 – freeze all bots; bot_zombie 0 – unfreeze;
- bot_dont_shoot 1 – bots don’t shoot; bot_dont_shoot 0 – resume shooting;
- bot_mimic_yaw_offset 0 – disable yaw mimicry;
- bot_crouch 1 – force bots to crouch;
- mp_free_armor 2 – give bots Kevlar + helmets;
- mp_free_armor 1 – give bots Kevlar only;
- bot_quota_mode fill; bot_stop 1 – fill empty slots with bots;
- bot_gods – make bots immortal;
- bot_defer_to_human_goals [0/1] – set behavior mode.
How to Play Against Bots in CS2 With a Friend?
Download the free Radmin VPN. Both you and your friend must install it to create a virtual LAN.
One player creates a network with a name and password. Others join via the “Connect to network” option.
The host launches CS2 and creates a match in training or any map mode.
Friends connect to the host by right-clicking the host's name in Radmin VPN and choosing “Copy IPv4 address.” Paste it into the CS2 console to connect.
If you know the console commands associated with bot actions and use them skillfully, such features will benefit your gaming experience.