Force bots to spawn on an empty server?

[recklessmckoy]

I'm pretty new to this, I'm playing around with a server for a school project. I like to monitor from the remote server admin what is happening but I'm constantly restarting the server. I don't want to have to join the server manually every time I restart it to make it populate with bots. So is there a command or some way to edit the UnrealTournament.ini file so that the bots will spawn without a player having to join first? If possible, I'd prefer to do this without a mutator.

Any help is appreciated, cheers.

[sektor2111]

There is a MinPlayers variable in config file, but exist a small problem. Bots are not coming in game until some player fires the start by its presence in Net play. If player enters the game, after that net pause Game starts and Bots are loaded, If none player is coming, server will not spawn any Bot - simply UT doesn't run empty because it is not intended to do that - as I know so far even is decreasing tick-rate (not sure if is a bug or it's on purpose for saving whatever CPU resources) if server runs empty if there is not loaded any timer/tick-fix.

Given tickrate falling in an empty server, probably Bot will be bugged and server has chances to get stuck - I have witnessed such thing. In other way can be used as first measure a timerfix tool and a server-actor for loading Bots, this is not enough because game has to be started - the start comes with player, or using a different way, by changing some value in run-time without any relation with INI. I have a replacement for ActorCLP which I'm using. It can be configurable to start matches or not. If match is started, player entered later can see already game in action, Bots will load stats from User.ini with their "skills". I did that actor starter for testing purposes - I had my problems with A.I. so I went to a server stress for figuring if exist or not a server damage done by A.I. If NO player is there, occurrences happening when player simply leaves a match with Bots when he/she cannot manage a fight with Bots and is chickening out, or when player got tired of dominating, or whatever reason.

[recklessmckoy]

Seems like bots will only spawn in a match that is already in progress. Is there maybe an admin command that can force start a match?

[sektor2111]

I must do some research here in order to answer at this question... Wait a bit, please...

EDIT:
By screwing bool values with console without to call properly function StartMatch some nasty things might occur. But... If I'll write a small server actor then you can use console for triggering a match start from outside, without to be in game. So to speak I don't know if is possible to call some function from UScript VIA console without internal help - you need a sort of "trojan horse" able to respond at a ConsoleCommand by executing script when it will receive your call.