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Bot Service

The Meepow Bot Service is responsible for managing Dota 2 lobbies by interacting with the Steam and Dota 2 APIs. It automates tasks such as creating lobbies, assigning players, and monitoring lobby status. The bot service can be run locally or deployed using Docker for scalability and ease of use.

Features​

  • Lobby Management: Automates the creation and configuration of Dota 2 lobbies.
  • Player Assignment: Invites players to the lobby and assigns them to teams.
  • Integration with Redis: Stores and retrieves lobby data for seamless operation.
  • Scalability: Can be deployed on multiple cloud platforms using Docker.

Running the Bot Locally​

Prerequisites:

  1. Ensure Redis is running and accessible.
  2. Configure the config.yaml file with the necessary settings, including Redis URI and bot credentials.

Steps to Run

  1. Build the Project
    Build the Meepow binary:
make build
  1. Start the Bot
    Run the bot service with the following command:
go run main.go start bot -l development

Alternatively, use the Makefile target:

make run/bot
  1. Environment Variables
    Pass the MEEPOW_REFERENCE_ID environment variable to specify the lobby ID the bot should manage:
MEEPOW_REFERENCE_ID=12345 go run main.go start bot -l development

Running the Bot with Docker​

Prerequisites

  1. Install Docker on your machine.
  2. Ensure Redis is running and accessible.
  3. Configure the config.yaml file with the necessary settings.

Steps to Run

  1. Build the Docker Image
    Build the Docker image for the bot service:
make docker/build
  1. Run the Docker Container
    Start the bot service in a Docker container:
docker run -e MEEPOW_REFERENCE_ID=12345 -e MEEPOW_ADAPTERS_REDIS_URI="redis://localhost:6379" meepow

Replace 12345 with the desired lobby ID and ensure the Redis URI matches your setup.

  1. Additional Environment Variables
    You can pass additional environment variables to the container using the MEEPOW_ prefix. For example:
docker run -e MEEPOW_REFERENCE_ID=12345 -e MEEPOW_BOT_USERNAME="bot_user" -e MEEPOW_BOT_PASSWORD="bot_password" meepow

Configuration​

The bot service relies on the config.yaml file for its configuration. Key settings include:

  • Redis URI: adapters.redis.uri
  • Bot Credentials: bot.username and bot.password
  • Lobby Settings: lobby.maxPlayers

Logs and Monitoring

The bot service uses the Zap Logger for structured logging. Logs include detailed information about lobby creation, player assignments, and errors. You can configure the log level using the -l flag (development or production).

Example Workflow​

  1. Send a request to the /new-lobby API endpoint to create a new lobby.
  2. The bot service will automatically start and manage the lobby using the provided reference_id.
  3. Monitor the bot's logs to track its progress and ensure the lobby is running as expected.

By running the Meepow Bot Service, you can automate and streamline the management of Dota 2 lobbies, making it easier to host tournaments and custom games.