Why don't my spawned TF2 bots move?

Question

I know how to spawn bots with the command tf_bot_add, but when I spawn the bots, they just stand there. How do I get them moving?

Answer 1

Firstly: If the map has setup time, wait for it to end; bots like to stand around during setup time. If setup time's over and they're still not moving, that's an actual problem.

The most common problem here is a lack of navmeshes; bots only work on maps that have navmeshes. You can check to see if a map has a navmesh with sv_cheats 1 nav_edit 1; if you see a bunch of rectangles appear on the floor that's a navmesh. (Turn the display back off with nav_edit 0.) If the map lacks a navmesh, you can create a automatic one with nav_generate (also a cheats command).

If the mavmesh isn't the problem, then the gamemode probably is. Bots are only officially supported on KOTH, Attack/Defend CP, and Payload; they unofficially work on CTF, but otherwise don't work for other gamemodes even with a navmesh. There's nothing you can do in this case expect for just waiting for the gamemode to be supported.

Answer 2

On certain maps, bots can work, but on others they can't - like Payload race, CTF Doomsday, MVM and Arena. They will stand still in the spawn location for the reason that they don't have instructions on where to go.

To fix this, join any map (like ctf_2fort, for example). Type sv_cheats 1 in the console, then type nav_generate. As soon as you type this in, your game will lag for a bit, so you'll have to wait. This will make the bots work on most maps (except for Doomsday, MVM, Arena and Payload races), but on all others they'll go for the objective.