SWGBotController

PowerShell bot launcher for SWGEmu Pre-CU LAN servers. Launches multiple SWGEmu clients simultaneously with per-bot auto-login, arranged in a grid layout.

How It Works

SWGEmu normally blocks multiple instances via a Windows named mutex (SwgClientInstanceRunning). The fix is a single line in the game config:

[SwgClient]
allowMultipleInstances=1

Critical: This must be in [SwgClient], not [ClientGame]. Source confirmed in ClientMain.cpp: ConfigFile::getKeyBool("SwgClient", "allowMultipleInstances", false)

The launcher uses user.cfg as a per-launch override file. It writes each bot's credentials before launching, waits for the process to read the config, then overwrites for the next bot. After all bots are launched, user.cfg is deleted so normal play is unaffected.

Usage

# Launch all 15 bots (bots.json)
.\launch_bots.ps1

# Launch 2-bot test config
.\launch_bots.ps1 -ConfigFile bots_test.json

# Launch a single bot manually (e.g. after crash)
$swgDir = "F:\mmo emulators\SWGEmu\StarWarsGalaxies"
$cfg = "[SwgClient]`r`nallowMultipleInstances=1`r`n`r`n[ClientGame]`r`nloginClientID=bot_doctor`r`nloginClientPassword=botpass1`r`nautoConnectToLoginServer=1`r`n`r`n[ClientGraphics]`r`nscreenWidth=1024`r`nscreenHeight=768`r`nwindowed=1`r`n"
[System.IO.File]::WriteAllText("$swgDir\user.cfg", $cfg, [System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII)
Start-Process "$swgDir\SWGEmu.exe" -WorkingDirectory $swgDir
Start-Sleep 8
Remove-Item "$swgDir\user.cfg"

Config Format

{
  "swgDir": "F:\\path\\to\\StarWarsGalaxies",
  "startupDelaySec": 6,
  "layout": {
    "columns": 2,
    "windowWidth": 640,
    "windowHeight": 480
  },
  "bots": [
    { "username": "bot_doctor",     "password": "botpass1" },
    { "username": "bot_entertainer","password": "botpass2" }
  ]
}

Field	Description
swgDir	Path to the SWGEmu game client directory
startupDelaySec	Seconds to wait between launches for config to be read (6–8s)
layout.columns	Number of columns in the window grid
layout.windowWidth/Height	Size of each bot window in pixels

Window size notes

• 640x480 — minimum usable; travel terminal UI gets clipped
• 1024x768 — comfortable for interacting with in-game UIs
• 480x270 — use for 15-bot full grid (4 columns), minimized-only bots

Server Setup (SWGEmu Pre-CU Docker)

Docker container

docker start swgemu-core3
docker exec -it swgemu-core3 bash

Starting the server

service mariadb start
sleep 8
cd /home/swgemu/workspace/Core3/MMOCoreORB/build/unix/src
./core3

MariaDB runs inside the container. Always start it before core3 or you'll get "Can't connect to server on 127.0.0.1".

Creating bot accounts (MySQL)

INSERT INTO accounts (username, password, admin_level) VALUES ('bot_doctor', SHA1('botpass1'), 0);
INSERT INTO accounts (username, password, admin_level) VALUES ('bot_entertainer', SHA1('botpass2'), 0);

Admin accounts

Set admin_level = 15 for your main account to get full admin at login:

UPDATE accounts SET admin_level = 15 WHERE username = 'hissash';

Note: Admin skills (admin_general_admin_02, admin_base) are only applied at character creation, not login. They are granted via PlayerCreationManager.cpp when accountPermissionLevel > 0. For a newly created character to receive admin, the account must already have admin_level = 15 before character creation.

freeGodMode — all new chars get admin

In bin/scripts/managers/player_creation_manager.lua:

freeGodMode = 1          -- was 0; grants full admin to every new character
startingCash = 100000
startingBank = 1000000

Key admin commands (in-game chat)

Command	Effect
/teleportTarget <name>	Pull named player to you
/teleportTo <name>	Teleport yourself to named player
/waypoint <x> <y>	Set navigation waypoint

Bot Characters

Account	Character	Professions
bot_entertainer	Siri Toni	Master Dancer, Master Entertainer, Master Image Designer
bot_doctor	Dibe Smeasa	Master Combat Medic, Master Doctor, Master Medic, Master Bio-Engineer, Master Creature Handler

Yavin IV Travel Points

If a character gets stranded on Yavin IV (e.g. via the Dark Jedi quest teleport), the two usable departure shuttles are:

Location	X	Y	Notes
Mining Outpost	-267	4896	Closest to Dark Jedi Enclave (~7000 units)
Labor Outpost	-6921	-5726	Farther option

Imperial Outpost has incomingTravelAllowed = 0 — you cannot depart from there.

Set a waypoint: /waypoint -267 4896

Known Limitations

• No programmatic keyboard input: SWG uses DirectInput, not the Windows message queue. PostMessage, SendInput, SendKeys, and AutoHotkey WM_CHAR all fail for in-game text. Commands must be typed manually.
• Travel terminal UI requires ≥1024px width: The 640×480 bot default clips the terminal. Resize the window before buying tickets.
• Admin skills require a fresh character: updatePermissionLevel is not called on login for existing characters. See SelectCharacterCallback.h / PlayerCreationManager.cpp.

Phase 2 (Planned)

Automated command input via a separate SKSE/DirectInput injection mechanism or server-side Lua command scheduling.