The Lone Gunmen QuakeBOT (Larva) or TLGBot is an extension of the TMBot that provides a helper for singleplayer and multiplayer.
The first version of the TLGBot was released as the file "tlgbot.zip".
It was probably released on August 27th 1996.
This date is listed as the release date in a later release, version 1.2a.
Title : The Lone Gunmen QuakeBOT - Larva
Filename : tlgbot.zip
Version : 1.2a
Date : 96/27/8
-- tlgbot.txt
It is also the date of an announcement by one of the authors, James 'Jaymz' Cullen.
Just a note to let all those people out there that The Lone Gunmen have
updated their page yet again. We now have our files section online, and
have our first add-on publicly available from our page: Larva, our
QuakeBOT mascot. So check out the page of one of the first original
clans, and perhaps the only clan that offers NO rules, regulations, or
anything. The leaderless clan: The Lone Gunmen
The Lone Gunmen:
http://www2.eis.net.au/~lcullen/tlg/index.html
-- THE LONE GUNMEN PAGE UPDATED, rec.games.computer.quake.announce, James 'Jaymz' Cullen, 27 Aug 1996.
The announcement suggest that this was the first version of the bot, which we will designate v1.0, and that it was probably not released on cdrom.com, but instead on the authors personal homepage.
The homepage is for a quake clan called "The Lone Gunman", named for the group in the X-files (a 1990s TV show).
Welcome to The Brand new World Wide Web site, from the first and foremost Australian Clan, The Lone Gunmen. Who are The Lone Gunmen? We are one of the first original founding members of the mighty Quake Clans. From here, you can find information on our history and future, review our wins and losses, and learn how YOU become a member of this rapidly growing Quake clan.
-- The Lone Gunman Homepage (archived January 31 1997).
This homepage was archived in 1997, although the bot files were not captured. The 1997 archived version of the site lists the last public release of the bot with links on the same server, not cdrom.com.
Larva - The Lone Gunmen QuakeBOT v1.2a
Larva is our QuakeBOT. Although not too bright, Larva is quite a deadly opponent. Usable in single-play, co-op and deathmatch, Larva helps to eradicate your enemies. He is armed with a rocket launcher, and a high-powered nailgun which he likes to use 'for close encounters'. Click here for more info.
-- The Lone Gunman Homepage Files Page (archived January 31 1997).
A copy of this earlier version of the bot cannot be located.
A final release of the TLGBot was distributed wit the same filename as the first version, "tlgbot.zip".
It contained a readme (tlgbot.txt), a batch file for running the mod (tlgbot.bat) and a subdirectory (tlgbot/) with the mod files including a pack file for the mod (pak0.pak) a script file to be executed when the game starts up (quake.rc).
792024 4 Sep 1996 PAK0.PAK
1198 4 Sep 1996 QUAKE.RC
63 4 Sep 1996 TLGBOT.BAT
8009 3 Sep 1996 TLGBOT.TXT
The PAK file contains a model for the bot as well as custom sounds and the compiled game code.
progs.dat
progs/larvabot.mdl
sound/qbot/death1.wav
sound/qbot/idle1.wav
sound/qbot/idle2.wav
sound/qbot/idle3.wav
sound/qbot/pain1.wav
sound/qbot/pain2.wav
sound/qbot/shot1.wav
sound/qbot/shot2.wav
sound/qbot/shot3.wav
sound/qbot/sight1.wav
sound/qbot/sight2.wav
sound/qbot/sight3.wav
tlg.txt
The readme lists the release date as the 27th of August 1996, the date of the first release, suggesting that the same readme file was used and not fully updated.
The release is designated version 1.2a.
This may suggest that there was a 1.1 and perhaps 1.2 version before this and they may have been publicly released. No evidence can be found on the authors homepage or on Usenet.
The FTP timestamp was September 3rd 1996 and is taken as the public release date.
tlgbot.txt 03-Sep-96 12:40 7k
tlgbot.zip 03-Sep-96 12:45 366k
-- http://www.cdrom.com/pub/idgames2/quakec/bots/ (archived December 25 1996)
Files in the archive are time stamped as the 3rd and 4th of September, which matches the FTP timestamp if we consider the Australian timezone where the archive was created and the US timezone of the cdrom.com FTP site in California.
These dates also match the Usenet post announcing the bot and posting the complete readme on September 4th.
The readme file does list both the authors homepage and cdrom.com as a source to download the bot, highlighting that this release was distributed using the popular quake archive. This information was in the Usenet announcement, but not in the text file distributed in the zip file.
This modification is available from the following places:
The Lone Gunmen homepage:
http://www2.eis.net.au/~lcullen/tlg/index.html
ftp.cdrom.com's /.5/idgames2/newstuff or /.5/idgames2/quakec/bots
directory.
-- The Lone Gunmen QuakeBOT 1.2a, rec.games.computer.quake.announce, James 'Jaymz' Cullen, 4 Sept 1996.
The bot extends the TMBot. And like the TMBot, the authors are two brothers, James Cullen aka "Jaymz", the programmer, and Chris Cullen aka "Incubus", both members of "The Lone Gunmen" quake clan.
Jaymz and Incubus are from The Lone Gunmen, amongst the very first Quake clans to be created. The Lone Gunmen intend to create all-new add-ons for Quake, AND dominate the Quake Clan scene.
-- tlgbot.txt
They refer to the bot as "Larva", the mascot off their clan, although the file and directory names suggest a name using the acronym for their clan, that is TLGBot.
Yet another variation of TMBot, it gives you our mascot bot 'Larva'.
-- tlgbot.txt
The source code was not included in the release and may be lost to time, given a comment on an archived version of the clans website:
... The Source Code for the Larva Bot was lost in transit and is unavailable.
-- The Lone Gunman Homepage Files Page (archived January 31 1997).
Like the TMBot, TLGBot is a helper bot for use in singleplayer and multiplayer, rather than a deathmatch opponent like modern bots. It can also be used in automatic or manual control modes.
Unlike the TMBot, TLGBot has a modified model file and skin and uses ether the rocket for long distance attacks or nails for close distance attacks.
Instead of that pissy little enforcer laser, he is armed with a rocket launcher for long distance foes, and a nailgun that he likes to use up close (he's smart enough to know that a rocket up close HURTS!).
-- tlgbot.txt
The quake.rc script provided with the mod binds a number of commands for manually controlling the bot and echos information about the bot to the console when the game starts.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Using Larva - TLG QuakeBOT v1.2a
Written by Micheal and Tim Polucha
Heavily Modified by Jaymz of TLG
TmBOT Code by Micheal & Tim Polucha
Larva's texture - The Lone Gunmen
Sounds taken from the Movie Aliens
Extra weapons code and Deathmatch
enhancements by Jaymz
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-- quake.rc
The readme has some details that the mod included a help system in a prior version, which was removed for the final public release as it caused problems. This may have simply provided bot usage information in the console or on the screen at the beginning of a game.
Help file has been removed, due to some problems it caused on some systems. (Don't ask me why, the probs went away after the help was removed. It was an unneeded feature anyway...)
-- tlgbot.txt
Playing the bot has a very similar experience to the TMBot.
The model for the bot is the enforcer model, although a modified skin that has white colorization on the uniform, red eyes and red blood splotches.
The bot is solid and can be shot and killed by the player, likely conformation that the TMBot v1.1 code was used as the basis for the bot.
The Lone Gunmen clan were responsible for many more quake mods.
Another member named 'Vengence' and released many mods for Quake and later other games.
There were no further releases of the TLGBot, likely because the source code was lost, although another bot-like mod was released referred to as 'place bot'. It allowed players to be placed into position for the benefit of taking choreographed screenshots within the game.
Vengence wrote this patch allows you to place players whereever you want for screen shots. You can walk through the placed players that you placed, but ones that anyone else places. The placebots can be hurt with any of the projectile weapons, even gibbed.
-- The Lone Gunman Homepage (archived 14 April 2000).
This was released as placebot.zip and pbot_src.zip for the source code. Although, technically not a bot, these files did end up in the cdrom.com/pub/idgames2/quakec/bots/ directory of the Quake Archive.
It was placed in that directory because a bot was used to achieve the desired result.
Source code is availiable for those who want it. The code's nothing
special, basically it is just a bot that can't move or shoot. Perfect
for those lamers who need to practise gibbing players.. :)
-- placebot.txt
An updated version of the placebot was created and released as place2.zip in early February 1997 which was also added to the Quake Archive, where it remained as part of the modern representation of the archive.
place2.txt 08-Feb-97 19:32 3k
place2.zip 08-Feb-97 19:35 283k
-- http://www.cdrom.com/pub/idgames2/quakec/bots/ (archived June 9th 1997)
- TLGBot v1.0, tlgbot.zip, August 27 1996.
- TLGBot v1.2a, tlgbot.zip, September 03 1996.
- The Lone Gunman Homepage (archived January 31 1997).
- The Lone Gunman Homepage Files Page (archived January 31 1997).
- THE LONE GUNMEN PAGE UPDATED, rec.games.computer.quake.announce, James 'Jaymz' Cullen, 27 Aug 1996.
- http://www.cdrom.com/pub/idgames2/quakec/bots/ (archived December 25 1996)
- The Lone Gunmen QuakeBOT 1.2a, rec.games.computer.quake.announce, James 'Jaymz' Cullen, 4 Sept 1996.
- The Lone Gunman Homepage (archived 14 April 2000).
- http://www.cdrom.com/pub/idgames2/quakec/bots/ (archived June 9th 1997)