To start a computer-controlled player, all you need is the standard dopewars
binary. Run it as
dopewars -c
and it will attempt to connect to the server and port specified in the
configuration files (or the local host, if none
is specified). Alternatively, you can specify server and port with suitable
command line options. Since an AI player
takes its game settings from the server it connects to, no other options in
the configuration files will take effect, with the exception of the
AITurnPause option, which sets the
pause in seconds between turns.
Once started and connected to the server, the AI player will choose a suitable name for itself and start playing. It will continue to play until its game finishes - i.e. it is killed or runs out of time - at which point the program will finish and drop you back to the command prompt. The program will display information to let you know what the AI player is doing within the game as it goes. Note that the program will pause for five seconds (or whatever you have set AITurnPause to be) before jetting to a new location - this is to simulate the time it takes a human player to choose which drugs to buy and to press all the requisite keys; it also gives other players a fighting chance of spotting the computer sitting still in any one location for a few seconds!
If a computer player is attacked by the cops or another player, it will defend itself if it can, and attempt to run if necessary. During normal play it will also attempt to "blend in" with the other players by hurling rather pathetic insults at them... you are free to edit the code of the AI player to give these insults a little more "punch", or email them to me (preferably without actually directing the insults themselves at me!) and I'll add them to the next dopewars release.