Bots work perfectly on de_dust2, then you add a custom map and they spawn, stand still, and never move. This is not a broken bot install — it is missing navigation data. CS 1.6 bots do not path from raw geometry; they follow a pre-built waypoint or graph file for each map, and stock maps ship one while custom maps rarely do. This explains the dependency and how to generate the file the bots need.
1. Confirm it is a navigation problem
Look at the console when the map loads with bots present. A missing graph announces itself — with YaPB you will see a message to the effect of no graph file for this map, and the bots idle at spawn or wander a step and stop. If bots move normally on official maps but freeze only on customs, navigation data is the cause every time. A full install walkthrough is in installing YaPB bots.
2. Understand the file the bots need
YaPB reads a per-map graph file named after the map:
addons/yapb/data/graph/de_custommap.graph
Older bots (POD-bot and relatives) used .pwf waypoint files in their own data folder, and YaPB can import those, but its native format is .graph. One file per map, matched to the exact map name. No file, no navigation.
3. Let YaPB fetch or auto-generate it
YaPB can pull an existing graph for a known map from its online database on first load, if the server has outbound internet. When that succeeds, the map simply starts working. When it does not — a brand-new or private map nobody has graphed — you generate one yourself. Enter the graph editor from the console as an admin:
yb graph on
YaPB can auto-complete a graph by analysing the map; start the analyzer and let it walk the geometry, then save. On many builds the flow is to enable the editor, run the auto-add/analyze option from the graph menu, and write the result:
yb graph save
That writes <mapname>.graph into the graph folder. From then on bots navigate the map.
4. Place the file correctly
If someone hands you a ready-made graph, drop it in the graph directory with the exact map filename:
cp de_custommap.graph addons/yapb/data/graph/
The name before .graph must match the .bsp map name character for character, and on Linux the case must match too. A file named for the wrong map, or in the wrong folder, is the same as no file — the bots stand still.
5. Reload the map
Graph files are read at map load. After generating or copying one, change to that map so YaPB picks it up:
changelevel de_custommap
6. Distribute the graph with the map
Once you have a good graph, keep it with the map so it never goes missing again. When you add a custom map to your rotation, treat its .graph file as part of the map package — store it alongside the .bsp in your own records, and copy it into addons/yapb/data/graph/ whenever you deploy the map to another server. This matters most if you run several boxes: a map that navigates on one server and freezes bots on another almost always means the graph was copied to one and forgotten on the other. The graph does not need to go on your FastDL mirror — it is server-side navigation data, not something clients download — it only needs to be present in the bot's data folder on every server that runs the map. A short deploy checklist that pairs each custom .bsp with its graph saves you regenerating waypoints from scratch every time.
Common errors
- Bots idle at spawn, "no graph" in console — no graph file for the map. Generate or download one.
- Graph exists but bots still freeze — filename or folder wrong. It must be
data/graph/<exactmapname>.graph, case-matched on Linux. - Auto-download never happens — the server has no outbound internet, or the map is unknown to the database. Build the graph manually.
- Bots move but path badly — the graph is sparse or auto-generated roughly; edit it in
yb graph onand add connections in tricky areas. - Bots do nothing on every map — that is not a graph issue; the bot plugin itself is not loading. Recheck the install.
Verification
Load the custom map with a couple of bots added, and watch: they should leave spawn and move toward objectives within a few seconds. Open the console and confirm there is no "no graph" message. If the bots navigate the map — taking routes, planting, rotating — the graph is valid and in the right place. If they still stall, confirm the graph filename matches the map and lives in addons/yapb/data/graph/.
