PracticeBot | Advanced PvP Training Bot v1.8.5

Improvements

• Added editable placeholder labels in messages.yml.
• Dynamic GUI/status values can now be translated, such as enabled/disabled, allowed/blocked, active/inactive, and similar labels.
• Existing message/config files now receive the new options automatically.

Fixes

• Fixed Mace Bot GUI items always adding default descriptions/lore even after being edited.
• Added missing mace-bot-despawned message.
• Improved despawn messages so every bot type uses the correct message.

Added

• Added a new Mace PvP Bot mode.
• Added Mace bot spawning through /spawnbot mace and the bot selection GUI.
• Added practicebot.spawn.mace permission.
• Added Mace bot support to templates.
• Added Mace bot API support and settings snapshots.
• Added PlaceholderAPI support for Mace bots:

- %practicebot_mace_bots%
- %practicebot_player_bot_type% now returns MACE for Mace bots.

Mace Bot Features

• Full Netherite armor with Protection IV.
• Feather Falling IV boots.
• Sharpness V sword and axe.
• Density V + Wind Burst I mace.
• Breach IV mace.
• Elytra-based aerial combat.
• Wind Charge takeoffs.
• Ender Pearl + Wind Charge aerial resets.
• Controlled Elytra dive attacks.
• Ground Wind Charge pop attacks.
• Breach swap ground attacks.
• Axe disable into Mace stun slam.
• Shield defense logic.
• Golden apple and splash potion support.
• Strength II and Speed II buff handling.
• Configurable Mace skill, aggression, aim success, stun slam success, breach swap success, pearl + wind success, landing chance, Elytra Unbreaking, and combat toggles.

Improved

• Added a dedicated Mace PvP settings GUI.
• Added Mace template configuration support.
• Added Mace bot inventory support with Elytra configuration.
• Improved Mace bot target prediction and dive accuracy.
• Improved Mace bot Elytra physics and recovery behavior.
• Improved Wind Charge cooldown handling.
• Improved Mace hit validation so entities/hitboxes can properly block attacks.
• Improved external knockback handling while the Mace bot is airborne.
• Improved performance for large Mace bot fights by reducing expensive pathfinding refreshes.

Fixed

• Fixed normal bots not working correctly in autobot mode.
• Fixed CPvP and normal bots continuing to fight creative/spectator targets.
• Fixed Mace bot attacking through entity hitboxes.
• Fixed Mace bot double-using Wind Charges too quickly.
• Fixed several Mace bot edge cases with Elytra landing, recovery, and dive commits.
• Fixed API version metadata for the new release.

Notes
- This is a BETA release because the new Mace PvP bot contains a large amount of advanced combat logic.

Added

• Added real shield durability system with vanilla shield durability value: 336.
• Added automatic shield reset after durability break.
• Added config option to enable/disable automatic shield reset.
• Added config option to change shield reset delay.
• Added template-specific shield reset settings.
• Added template dummy axe shield stun duration setting.
• Added Unbreaking III shield toggle.
• Added Unbreakable shield toggle.
• Added separate shield durability settings for normal bots and template bots.

Improved

• Improved normal bot shield behavior during PvP.
• Bot now starts using the shield only when close enough to the target.
• Bot no longer spams shield while chasing from far away.
• Shield movement slowdown now only applies while the bot is actually using the shield.
• Improved shield behavior with follow mode, random walk, retreat, and PvP movement.
• Improved defensive behavior so the bot can stop holding shield forever and try to fight back.
• Improved S-tap, W-tap, retreat, and strafe movement speeds to feel more realistic.
• Improved critical hit logic so the bot only jumps when it is actually going to crit.

Fixed

• Fixed shield slowdown staying active after the bot stopped blocking.
• Fixed bot moving too slowly while chasing after lowering shield.
• Fixed shield not slowing the bot correctly during some retreat/blocking states.
• Fixed W-tap incorrectly changing bot movement speed.
• Fixed strafe speed affecting S-tap, retreat, and general movement.
• Fixed template dummy shield reset behavior after shield durability break.
• Fixed first shield break after dummy spawn resetting incorrectly.
• Fixed frozen dummy mode interfering with shield functionality.
• Fixed shield durability break disabling shield modes correctly.
• Fixed shield auto reset re-enabling both hold shield and use shield after the configured delay.
• Fixed Unbreakable shield so it prevents durability break but still allows axe shield stun behavior.

New configs:

config.yml:

shield:
durability-break-reset:
enabled: true
delay-seconds: 5.0

Click to expand...

bot_templates.yml:

settings:
shield-reset:
enabled: true
delay-seconds: 5.0
axe-stun-seconds: 5.0

Click to expand...

• Added configurable human-like totem pop behaviour.
• Normal and Crystal PvP bots now have separate totem refill timing options.
• Bots can briefly pause after popping a totem and refill offhand after a configurable delay.
• Added safer defaults: Normal refill 800ms, CPvP refill 500ms.
• Feature remains enabled by default for compatibility.
  
  you can find them in config.yml:
  
  
• Code:

  totem-pop-behaviour:
  # Normal PvP bots.
  normal:
  # If enabled, the bot briefly stops after popping a totem,
  # as if opening inventory to move a fresh totem into offhand.
  enabled: true
  
  # How long the bot pauses AI/movement after a totem pop.
  freeze-duration-ms: 1000
  
  # How long the bot has no totem in offhand before refilling it.
  refill-delay-ms: 800
  
  # Crystal PvP bots.
  cpvp:
  # Same behaviour, configured separately for CPvP balance.
  enabled: true
  freeze-duration-ms: 1000
  refill-delay-ms: 500

• Fixed Few Bugs
• Added configurable Select Bot Type GUI via gui/spawn_selection.yml.
• Added Select Bot Type support to /pbadmin egui.
• Spawn selection layout can now be edited like other GUI layouts.
• Updated spawn selection clicks to use configured GUI actions.
• Removed obsolete editor_item.yml from plugin resources.
• Added cleanup for old gui/editor_item.yml files in existing plugin folders.

PracticeBot v1.6.2 - High-Load CPvP Optimization

• Major CPvP performance optimization pass for servers running large bot counts.
• Optimized Citizens navigation pressure by reducing expensive retarget/path recalculation work under high bot load.
• Added adaptive high-load CPvP budgets so expensive crystal, anchor, and navigation checks are spread across ticks instead of spiking all bots at once.
• Added manual high-load chase behavior where safe, reducing reliance on Citizens A* pathfinding during close/visible combat.
• Fixed a high-load combat starvation issue where bots could stop using sword attacks when anchor mode was enabled.
• Fixed anchor reliability under heavy load so bots continue placing, charging, and detonating anchors during large stress tests.
• Optimized anchor planning with center-out candidate scanning, smaller high-load scan budgets, and critical close-anchor scheduling.
• Improved tablist hiding enforcement for PracticeBot NPCs through Citizens playerlist metadata and spawn/join refresh handling.
• Preserved existing CPvP combat mechanics, sword behavior, anchoring behavior, crystal pressure, and public API compatibility.
• No public API method changes. Addons do not need code changes; the API artifact version is aligned to 1.6.2 only for release consistency.

Spark-Tested Improvement
Based on the supplied Spark profiles:

• Before optimization: 127 bots averaged about 8.78 TPS.
• Latest same-bot test: 127 bots averaged about 20.00 TPS.
• Before optimization: 256 bots averaged about 4.52 TPS.
• Latest stress test: 256 bots averaged about 16.43 TPS.
• At 127 bots, raw TPS improved by about 127.8%, from 8.78 TPS to 20.00 TPS.
• At 256 bots, raw TPS improved by about 263.5%, from 4.52 TPS to 16.43 TPS.
• In the larger comparison, bot count increased by about 101.6%, from 127 bots to 256 bots, while TPS still improved by about 87.1%, from 8.78 TPS to 16.43 TPS.
• Effective tick time improved from about 113.9ms/tick to about 60.9ms/tick, around 46.5% lower.
• Normalized bot-tick throughput improved from about 1,115 bot-ticks/sec to about 4,206 bot-ticks/sec, around 3.77x higher.

The latest 256-bot test also confirmed that sword attacks and anchor usage continue working under load.

PracticeBot v1.6 — Combat Expansion Update

This update expands PracticeBot with new integration options, new bot behavior, improved PvP mechanics, and cleaner admin tools.


Added

• Developer API Support — PracticeBot now includes public API support for developers who want to integrate bots into custom plugins, arenas, queues, scoreboards, or other server systems.
• Bot vs Bot Fighting — bots can now fight other PracticeBot bots, making it possible to create bot battles, testing arenas, and automated PvP demonstrations.
• Dummy Bot Type — added a new dummy bot type for simple training, testing, and non-combat practice use cases.
• Crystal PvP Anchoring — CPvP mechanics now include respawn anchor support for more advanced PvP practice.
• Crystal PvP Block Breaking — CPvP bots can now use block-breaking behavior in supported situations.

Improved

• Updated Crystal PvP Mechanics — improved CPvP behavior with better support for advanced combat situations.
• Updated Normal Bot Combat — improved normal PvP combat mechanics for more realistic and consistent practice.
• Updated EGUI System — cleaned up the editable GUI system and removed item editing from EGUI for a simpler and safer editing workflow.
• Improved Bot Behavior Handling — better mode handling between Normal PvP, Crystal PvP, Dummy, and bot-vs-bot scenarios.

Fixed

• Fixed several bugs reported from previous versions.
• Improved overall stability of bot behavior.
• Fixed smaller issues related to combat handling and configuration behavior.

Documentation
The documentation has been updated with new information about commands, permissions, configuration, templates, PlaceholderAPI, and the new Developer API.

Open PracticeBot Documentation

Update Changelog

Changed Target Binding: NONE behavior. Bots set to NONE now attack the nearest player automatically. If the current target dies, the bot will switch to the next nearest player. If another player hits the bot, it will retarget that player.
Added a new Kill Mode setting. This works similarly to Death Mode, but it applies when the bot kills its target:

RESPAWN: the bot respawns after killing the target
REMOVE: the bot despawns after killing the target
NONE: the bot stays alive and continues fighting

Important:
To use the new feature, delete template_editor_main.yml so the plugin can regenerate it, or manually add this section:

Code:

kill_mode:
  slot: 29
  material: BARRIER
  name: "&4&lKill Mode"
  lore:
    - "&7Current: &f{kill_mode}"
    - ""
    - "&eClick to cycle"