ModernUO Emulator
Find a file
Kamron Batman 4420872b22
fix: pet obedience pacing, stale AI wake rescheduling, and Guard order persistence through combat (#2594)
Closes #2593. Closes #2595.

Two related pet-AI fixes: the post-#2591 pacing/wake regression (#2593), and the guard order silently converting to Attack during combat (#2595). Root-cause analyses are in the issues.

## #2593 — pets follow slowly; stale AITimer wakes

**Why pets slowed:**
- The per-step budget grew from **half a think interval** (`CurrentSpeed * 500`) to the full RunUO-parity move table (`CurrentMoveSpeed * 1000`). Medium-bucket pets (Horse, Dog, most tamables): passiveMove **1.05s/step**.
- Pet order speed depended on stale `Warmode`: `HandleGuardOrder` set it once, but `OnCombatantChange` clears it whenever the combatant drops, so obedience ran active or passive **by combat history** — usually passive. Net: Guard/Come at ~1.05s/step (~2.1x slower than pre-#2591), vs a player running at 0.1–0.2s/step.
- The AITimer never rescheduled its pending wheel entry: the wheel reads `Interval` only after the next fire, so a speed-up or a fresh order (`Activate()` no-ops while running) waited out the stale wake — up to a full passive think, stacked on the residual move budget on Guard → Follow.

**What changed:**
- **Order handlers own obedience speed** (RunUO `OnCurrentOrderChanged`/`DoOrder*` parity, re-derived continuously): issuing a movement order (Come/Follow/Guard/Attack) sets the **active** think clock, resting orders (Stay/None/Transfer) set passive, and the guard/follow peaceful branches write **RunUO's AOS `CurrentSpeed = 0.1` sprint** — RunUO's guard else-branch had the identical write as follow. The bespoke 0.1 fuses to both clocks through #2591's existing classification, so `CurrentMoveSpeed` stays **pure herding + classification** with no obedience special case, and `DoMoveImpl`'s per-step flip skips obeying pets (their handler owns the pace) and loses its old follow-only 0.1 write. Combat still re-derives organically via warmode/combatant.
- **`AITimer`**: tracks the pending wake and reschedules (`Stop`, `Delay` = remaining, `Start`) when a speed-up or fresh order moves the earliest deadline up; changes inside a tick still flow through `ScheduleNext`. New `Prod()` wakes the AI immediately on player commands — including from a stopped timer, so stable claims no longer wait out the random construction stagger. Sector/spawn wakes keep the stagger. Spam-safe: a prodded think grants reaction, never action — steps/swings/casts/abilities are gated by their own budgets and timers.

The residual move budget is deliberately **not** cleared on order change — that would let order-spam macros grant free steps. Deadline changes reschedule the timer; rate changes take effect at the next deadline computation.

## #2595 — Guard order converts to Attack during combat

**Why:** `FindCombatant()` set `ControlOrder = OrderType.Attack` when engaging, so a guarding pet left the Guard order for the whole fight: OPL tags wiped (pet `1080078` + master `501129`), no retargeting (`DoOrderAttack` locks its target), `TeleportPets` left the pet behind on recall/gate, and every engage→kill→resume cycle replayed the guard flourish.

**What changed:**
- **`FindGuardTarget()`** (was `FindCombatant`): a pure selector — prefers the aggressor **closest to the master** (RunUO guard parity, dynamic retargeting to protect the owner), keeps the current combatant unless a strictly closer one exists, and never mutates order state. `DoOrderGuard` engages through it while **staying in Guard** the whole fight.
- **Persistent-order semantics** (the ModernUO improvement over RunUO): an explicit `all attack` completes → `ResumePersistentOrder()` returns to Guard → the guard scan engages remaining threats in-order. The Attack-chaining fallback (`FightMode.Closest/Aggressor`) now applies only to non-guard persistent orders. Resuming Guard no longer replays the sound/"is now guarding you" message.
- **Peaceful guard stands down deterministically** (`Warmode`/`Combatant`/`FocusMob` cleared) and returns to the master at the RunUO sprint (see above); at the master's side it stays organically active.
- **`WalkMobileRange` honors the caller's run flag** (the internal hardcoded `dist > 5` gate silently overrode it). Run is animation-only server-side; the only callers passing anything but `false` — follow, guard, clone — gate on their own thresholds.

## Resulting behavior (Medium-bucket pet)

| Scenario | Broken | This PR |
|---|---|---|
| Guard trailing master (AOS) | ~1.05s/step, think-grid quantized | 0.1s/step sprint (RunUO parity), smooth move wakes |
| Guard during combat | order flips to Attack; tags lost; no retarget; left behind on recall | stays Guard; retargets to master's closest aggressor; teleports with master |
| `all attack` while guarding | resume spams guard flourish per kill; chains into Attack | resumes Guard silently; guard scan takes over |
| Come / friend-follow | 1.05s/step | activeMove 0.45s/step (≈ pre-#2591 feel) |
| Guard → Follow reaction | up to ~1.5s dead time | think within one wheel turn |
| Follow master (AOS sprint) | 0.1s/step | 0.1s/step (unchanged) |
| Wild creature chase | RunUO-parity move table | unchanged |

Also documents two contracts this work leaned on: the `ControlOrder` setter deliberately fires on every assignment (a reissued order is a command — retarget/break-off/re-anchor), and `OnThink`/`MonsterAbility` must be excess-call tolerant (`dev-docs/content-patterns.md` § OnThink: the excess-call contract).

## Testing

- Full suite passes (1570: 837 Server + 733 UOContent).
- `PetPacingTests`: order-issue think-clock parity, follow-master sprint via Obey, guard organically active at the master's side, combat-chase and herding boundaries, plus two deterministic timer-wheel tests (8ms-lockstep slicing) proving a fresh order and a mid-wait speed-up wake the AI promptly.
- `GuardOrderTests`: engage keeps the Guard order; retargets to the aggressor closest to the master; explicit attack resumes Guard without chaining into Attack; peaceful guard stands down. Setup self-validates LOS/terrain.
- `GuardFollowTests`: guard-following registers a move intent, steps toward the master, sprints at 0.1 under AOS (per-step flip must not undo it), and runs active pre-AOS.
- All behavioral tests were written first and failed for the documented reasons.
2026-08-30 16:39:29 -07:00
.config feat: adopt serialization generator v4 (field-side linkage, anchored timers) (#2586) 2026-08-22 17:54:02 -07:00
.github fix: Require only runtime packages on Linux, and check ICU and tzdata the way the runtime does (#2561) 2026-08-07 15:03:08 -07:00
branding feat(build-tool): add application icon and refresh MUO.ico (#2487) 2026-06-14 11:59:54 -07:00
dev-docs fix: pet obedience pacing, stale AI wake rescheduling, and Guard order persistence through combat (#2594) 2026-08-30 16:39:29 -07:00
Distribution/Data feat: Adds independent think/move clocks for creature AI to fix speed (#2591) 2026-08-23 10:19:59 -07:00
Projects fix: pet obedience pacing, stale AI wake rescheduling, and Guard order persistence through combat (#2594) 2026-08-30 16:39:29 -07:00
tools feat(network): allowlist false-positive IPs, escalate on behavior (#2556) 2026-07-30 23:12:17 -07:00
.cursorrules chore: Adds AI instructions and SKILLs for ModernUO codebase (#2347) 2026-03-01 11:42:19 -08:00
.editorconfig chore(docs): Adds UnmanagedDataReader & BinaryFileReader documentation (#1968) 2024-10-01 17:07:51 -07:00
.gitattributes fix: Adds migration checks to CICD, updates dependencies, adds Fedora 37, alpine 3.17 support (#1309) 2022-12-22 12:12:47 -08:00
.gitignore perf: Sleep the event loop when idle. Fixes networking micro-stalls. Adds event loop instrumentation. (#2559) 2026-08-09 13:24:59 -07:00
AGENTS.md chore: Adds AI instructions and SKILLs for ModernUO codebase (#2347) 2026-03-01 11:42:19 -08:00
azure-pipelines.yml chore: Cleans workflows for NodeJS 24 (#2394) 2026-03-28 21:55:29 -07:00
CLAUDE.md docs: update serialization docs and skills for generator v4 (#2588) 2026-08-22 18:29:27 -07:00
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md Create CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md 2020-05-05 08:51:39 -07:00
CONTRIBUTING.md chore(license): Removes CLA requirement. All contributors moving forward will retain copyright. (#2038) 2024-12-31 02:52:58 -08:00
Directory.Build.props feat: Bumps dependencies. Introduces Serialization Generator v3 (#2584) 2026-08-22 15:48:53 -07:00
FAQ.md docs: Updates FAQ for time zone issues. (#1368) 2023-03-10 00:18:36 -08:00
GEMINI.md chore: Adds AI instructions and SKILLs for ModernUO codebase (#2347) 2026-03-01 11:42:19 -08:00
global.json feat: Adds Build Tool for Publishing/Setup (#2392) 2026-03-28 21:21:50 -07:00
LICENSE Fixes more line ending issues (#267) 2020-09-27 13:54:56 -07:00
ModernUO.slnx feat: Adds Build Tool for Publishing/Setup (#2392) 2026-03-28 21:21:50 -07:00
publish.cmd feat: Adds Build Tool for Publishing/Setup (#2392) 2026-03-28 21:21:50 -07:00
publish.ps1 fix: Adds stamp check for build tool versioning (#2400) 2026-04-06 16:18:02 -06:00
publish.sh fix: Adds stamp check for build tool versioning (#2400) 2026-04-06 16:18:02 -06:00
README.md chore: Simplify server requirements section in README (#2582) 2026-08-21 19:22:04 -07:00
rider-settings.zip Cleanup/Housekeeping (#242) 2020-09-12 15:31:21 -07:00
Rules.ruleset chore(docs): Adds UnmanagedDataReader & BinaryFileReader documentation (#1968) 2024-10-01 17:07:51 -07:00
SPONSORS.md chore: Updates readme files (#2247) 2025-07-27 11:04:32 -07:00
stylecop.json Updates formatting rules (#199) 2020-08-25 18:00:51 -07:00
THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES docs: Adds RunUO-Encryption notice attribution to DarkStorm (#2369) 2026-03-12 23:35:47 -07:00
version.json feat: Adds Build Tool for Publishing/Setup (#2392) 2026-03-28 21:21:50 -07:00

ModernUO - Ultima Online Server Emulator for the modern era!

ModernUO Discord Subreddit subscribers Twitter Follow

Ultima Online Server Emulator for the modern era!

GitHub license GitHub stars GitHub issues
GitHub build Azure Pipelines build

Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Windows 10/11/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022/2025 MacOS 14+ Debian 12+ Ubuntu 22+ LTS
Alpine 3.22+ Fedora 42+ RedHat 9+ CentOS Stream 9+ AlmaLinux 10 openSUSE 15.6+ SUSE Enterprise 15 SP6 Linux Mint 21+ Arch

Required Frameworks

All Operating Systems

.NET

Windows

VC++ Redistributable v14

Hardware

Use vCPU RAM Storage
Development / test 2 dedicated 2 GB SSD
Small live shard (< 50 concurrent) 4 dedicated 4 GB NVMe
Medium (50–200) 4–8 8 GB NVMe
Large (200+) 8+, high clock 16 GB+ NVMe

See dev-docs/server-requirements.md for more information.

Development

git .NET

Supported IDEs

Jetbrains Rider 2025.3+ space VSCode space Visual Studio 2026

Getting Started

  • Install prerequisite requirements
  • Clone this repository (or download the latest):
    • git clone https://github.com/modernuo/ModernUO.git
  • Open ModernUO.sln to start developing

Building/Publishing

Run ./publish.cmd (Windows) or ./publish.sh (Linux/macOS) with no arguments to launch the guided build tool. It will:

  • Check prerequisites (.NET SDK, native libraries)
  • Walk you through configuration and platform selection
  • Build and publish the server to the Distribution directory
  • Show deployment instructions for cross-compiled builds

Command Line

./publish.cmd [release|debug] [os] [arch]

Linux Prerequisites

Fedora, CentOS, RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky, etc

dnf upgrade --refresh -y
# RHEL-family distributions (CentOS Stream, AlmaLinux, Rocky, RHEL) need CRB and EPEL enabled.
# Fedora skips this block.
dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core
dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb
dnf install -y epel-release
# Prerequisites
dnf install -y findutils libicu libdeflate libargon2 tzdata

Ubuntu, Debian, etc

apt-get update -y
# The ICU runtime package carries the ABI version in its name (libicu74, libicu76, …) and has no
# stable alias, so match it by pattern rather than pinning a release-specific name.
apt-get install -y '^libicu[0-9]+$' libdeflate0 libargon2-1 tzdata

Only the runtime libraries are needed — the -dev/-devel packages are not. Run ./build-tool --check-prereqs to check the current machine and print the exact packages your release needs.

zstd is not listed because ZstdNet bundles libzstd for every platform, and liburing is not listed because IORingGroup issues io_uring syscalls directly.

If the shard's configured time zone is a legacy alias such as US/Eastern, Debian 12 and Ubuntu 24.04 also need tzdata-legacy. See Platform Prerequisites for what each dependency is for and what breaks without it.

OSX Requirements

brew install icu4c libdeflate argon2

Running the Server

  • Follow the publish instructions
  • The Distribution directory is portable — copy it to your production server for deployment
  • Run ModernUO.exe or dotnet ModernUO.dll from the Distribution directory
  • On first run, the server will prompt you to configure game data file locations

Troubleshooting / FAQ

Want to sponsor?

Thank you for supporting us! You can find out how by visiting the sponsors page.

Collaborators

Kamron Batman Mark1145

Thanks

  • RunUO Team & Community
  • Voxpire, the ServUO Team & Community
  • Karasho, Jaedan and the ClassicUO Community



Development Tools & Plugins provided with ♥ by

JetBrains
Material Theme

Code Signing Policy

Free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation.

This program will not transfer any information to other networked systems unless specifically requested by the user or the person installing or operating it

Teams & Roles

Approvers & Committers: Development Team