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Running BOT MMORPG AI - Complete Guide

Windows 10/11 required. The desktop UI requires Rust and the Tauri CLI (cargo install tauri-cli).

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

make install-all

This installs:

  • Python dependencies (via uv)
  • Creates virtual environment
  • Installs all required packages

Note: A virtual environment (.venv/) is created automatically. You do NOT need to activate it manually - all make commands use it automatically.

2. Run the Application

Requires: Rust + Tauri CLI (for the desktop UI). If you only need the Python pipeline, skip to "Run Without Desktop UI" below.

make run

OR (same thing):

make dev

This will:

  • Start the Tauri development server
  • Launch the desktop application window
  • Automatically start the Python backend as a sidecar
  • Open the UI at tauri://localhost

Important: This is NOT a Node.js Project!

❌ Common Mistake

npm run dev  # ❌ This WILL NOT work!

Error you'll see:

npm error enoent Could not read package.json: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory

✅ Correct Way

make run  # ✅ This is the correct way!

Project Structure

BOT-MMORPG-AI/
├── tauri-ui/              # ← Frontend (Plain HTML/CSS/JavaScript)
│   ├── index.html         # Main UI
│   └── main.js            # JavaScript (ES modules)
│
├── backend/               # ← Python Backend
│   └── main_backend.py    # HTTP API server
│
├── src-tauri/             # ← Tauri (Rust) Desktop Framework
│   ├── src/main.rs        # Rust entry point
│   ├── tauri.conf.json    # Tauri configuration
│   └── Cargo.toml         # Rust dependencies
│
├── src/bot_mmorpg/        # ← Python Package
│   └── scripts/           # AI scripts (collect, train, play)
│
└── Makefile               # ← Commands for running the app

Architecture

This is a Tauri desktop application:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│     Tauri Desktop Window                   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  Frontend (tauri-ui/)                │  │
│  │  - Plain HTML/CSS/JavaScript         │  │
│  │  - No npm, no webpack, no build step │  │
│  │  - Direct ES modules                 │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│              │                              │
│              │ HTTP/JSON                    │
│              ↓                              │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  Backend (Python Sidecar)            │  │
│  │  - Starts automatically              │  │
│  │  - HTTP server on random port        │  │
│  │  - API endpoints for AI functions    │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Points:

  • ✅ Frontend uses plain HTML/JavaScript (no npm needed)
  • ✅ Backend starts automatically when app launches
  • ✅ Communication via HTTP/JSON on localhost
  • ✅ No build step for frontend (direct file serving)

Why No package.json?

This project deliberately avoids Node.js complexity:

Traditional Web Dev

npm install → webpack → babel → 1000 packages → build → dist/

This Project

Plain HTML/JS → Tauri → Done!

Benefits:

  • 🚀 No npm dependency hell
  • ⚡ No build time for frontend
  • 🎯 Simple, direct development
  • 📦 Smaller footprint

Running Different Components

Full Application (Recommended)

make run

Starts everything together.

Backend Only (Testing)

make run-backend

Runs just the Python backend server.

Python Scripts Directly

# Collect data
make collect-data

# Train model
make train-model

# Test model
make test-model

Development Workflow

1. Make Changes to UI

Edit files in tauri-ui/:

# Edit the HTML
vim tauri-ui/index.html

# Edit the JavaScript
vim tauri-ui/main.js

Changes are automatically reloaded when you save!

2. Make Changes to Backend

Edit backend/main_backend.py:

vim backend/main_backend.py

Then restart the app:

# Stop the app (Ctrl+C)
# Start again
make run

3. Make Changes to Python Scripts

Edit scripts in src/bot_mmorpg/scripts/:

vim src/bot_mmorpg/scripts/collect_data.py

Changes take effect on next run (no restart needed).

Prerequisites

Required

  1. Python 3.10+

    python --version

  2. Rust + Cargo (for Tauri)

    cargo --version

    If missing: https://rustup.rs/

  3. uv (Python package manager)

    make install-uv

Optional (Windows only)

  • Visual Studio Build Tools (for native Python packages)
  • NSIS (for installer builds)

Troubleshooting

"npm run dev" doesn't work

Problem: Wrong command for this project.

Solution: Use make run instead.

"cargo: command not found"

Problem: Rust not installed.

Solution:

# Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Or on Windows
# Download from: https://rustup.rs/

# Then restart terminal
cargo --version

"uv: command not found"

Problem: uv not installed.

Solution:

make install-uv
# Then restart terminal

Backend doesn't start

Problem: Python dependencies not installed.

Solution:

make install-all

UI shows "Backend not ready"

Problem: Backend failed to start or crashed.

Check:

  1. Look in terminal for Python errors
  2. Verify Python 3.10+ is installed
  3. Check that dependencies are installed

Port already in use

Problem: Another instance is running.

Solution:

# Kill other instances
pkill -f main-backend

# Or on Windows
taskkill /F /IM main-backend.exe

# Then try again
make run

Building the Installer

Prerequisites (Windows Only)

  1. Install all dependencies:

    make install-all

  2. Install Rust:

    # Download from https://rustup.rs/

  3. Install Tauri CLI:

    cargo install tauri-cli

Build

make build-installer

This creates:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/BOT-MMORPG-AI_0.1.5_x64-setup.exe

Verify

make verify-installer

Test

make test-installer

Common Commands Reference

Command Description
make help Show all available commands
make install-all Install all dependencies
make run Run the application (dev mode)
make dev Same as make run
make run-backend Run only backend (testing)
make collect-data Run data collection
make train-model Train AI model
make test-model Test trained model
make build-installer Build Windows installer
make verify-installer Verify installer build
make test-installer Test installer package
make clean Clean all build artifacts

FAQ

Q: Can I use npm/webpack/vite?

A: Not needed! The frontend is intentionally simple (plain HTML/JS) to avoid build complexity.

Q: How do I add a new UI feature?

A: Just edit tauri-ui/index.html or tauri-ui/main.js. Changes reload automatically.

Q: How do I add a new backend endpoint?

A: Edit backend/main_backend.py, add your endpoint, restart the app.

Q: Can I use TypeScript?

A: Not currently set up. The project uses plain JavaScript for simplicity.

Q: Where are the AI models?

A: Models are in artifacts/model/ (created by training) or downloaded to models/ by the installer.

Q: How do I debug?

A:

  • Frontend: Browser DevTools (F12 in the app window)
  • Backend: Check terminal output for Python errors
  • Rust: Check terminal for Tauri/Rust errors

Production Build

For Distribution

# Windows
make artifact

# This creates a full installer at:
# src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/BOT-MMORPG-AI_0.1.5_x64-setup.exe

The installer includes:

  • ✅ Tauri desktop application
  • ✅ Python backend (bundled)
  • ✅ All dependencies
  • ✅ Driver installers
  • ✅ Component selection wizard
  • ✅ Professional UI

Users can just run the installer - no Python, Rust, or dependencies needed!

Summary

To run the app:

make install-all  # First time only
make run          # Start the app

NOT this:

npm run dev  # ❌ Wrong! This is not a Node.js project

Frontend location:

  • ✅ tauri-ui/ (correct)
  • ❌ frontend/ (doesn't exist)

Frontend type:

  • ✅ Plain HTML/CSS/JavaScript
  • ❌ NOT React/Vue/npm-based

Backend:

  • ✅ Starts automatically as Tauri sidecar
  • ✅ Python HTTP server
  • ✅ No manual startup needed

Happy Coding! 🎮✨

If you have questions, check:

  • UI_BACKEND_INTEGRATION_ANALYSIS.md - Architecture details
  • UI_IMPROVEMENTS_SUMMARY.md - UI features
  • BUILD_STATUS.md - Build system info
  • INSTALLER_IMPROVEMENTS.md - Installer features