How to Configure Anti-Bot on MU Online Server

Why Anti-Bot Protection is Essential for Your MU Online Server

Bots and trainers are one of the greatest threats to the economy and gameplay experience on MU Online private servers. They accumulate Zen, rare items, and experience automatically, completely unbalancing the server within hours. Unprotected servers are typically overrun by bots within 72 hours of opening. This guide covers the complete anti-bot system configuration available in MuServer Season 6 — from .ini file adjustments to SQL stored procedures scheduled automatically.

Prerequisites

• Access to the server installation directory (e.g., C:\MuServer\)
• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) connected to the MuOnline database
• SQL Server Agent enabled (for job automation)
• Administrator access to GameServer and ConnectServer
• Full backup completed before making any changes

Part 1 — GameServer Configuration

Step 1: Enable Packet Filters in GameServer.exe.cfg

Locate the main GameServer configuration file:

C:\MuServer\GameServer\GameServer.exe.cfg

Add or edit the following parameters under the [AntiBot] section (if the section does not exist, create it at the end of the file):

[AntiBot]
AntiBotEnable        = 1
AntiBotCheckTime     = 60        ; Check interval in seconds
AntiBotMaxRepeat     = 3         ; Maximum identical consecutive actions
AntiBotKickEnable    = 1         ; Kick on bot behavior detection
AntiBotBanEnable     = 0         ; Automatic ban (enable with caution)
AntiBotLogEnable     = 1         ; Log suspects to file
AntiBotLogPath       = Logs\AntiBot\

Step 2: Configure AntiBot.ini (Season 6+)

On Season 6 Episode 1 and later servers, a dedicated anti-bot configuration file exists:

C:\MuServer\GameServer\Data\AntiBot.ini

Recommended configuration for Season 6:

[Config]
Enable              = 1
QuestionEnable      = 1           ; Enable CAPTCHA questions in game chat
QuestionInterval    = 1800        ; Ask every 30 minutes (in seconds)
QuestionTimeout     = 120         ; Time to answer before kick (seconds)
QuestionPunishment  = 1           ; 0=Kick, 1=Temp ban, 2=Permanent ban
WrongAnswerLimit    = 3           ; Wrong attempts before punishment
MoveDetect          = 1           ; Detect movement in repeated route patterns
MoveDetectRange     = 5           ; Minimum expected position variation (cells)
MoveDetectTime      = 300         ; Time window for movement analysis (seconds)
KillSpeedMax        = 800         ; Kills per hour before triggering an alert

Step 3: Define CAPTCHA Questions

The questions file is located at:

C:\MuServer\GameServer\Data\AntiBotQuestion.txt

Format for each line: Question,Correct_Answer

What color is the sky during the day?,blue
How many legs does a dog have?,4
What month comes after March?,April
How much is 7 plus 8?,15
What is the capital of France?,Paris
How many days are in a week?,7
What is the largest ocean?,Pacific

Part 2 — SQL Server Detection

Step 4: Create the Suspect Log Table

Execute the following in SSMS connected to the MuOnline database:

USE MuOnline;
GO

CREATE TABLE dbo.AntiBot_SuspectLog (
    LogID            INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
    AccountID        VARCHAR(10)    NOT NULL,
    CharacterName    VARCHAR(10)    NOT NULL,
    SuspectReason    VARCHAR(200)   NOT NULL,
    KillsPerHour     INT            NULL,
    OnlineHours      DECIMAL(5,2)   NULL,
    PositionVariance INT            NULL,
    DetectedAt       DATETIME       DEFAULT GETDATE(),
    ReviewStatus     TINYINT        DEFAULT 0
    -- 0 = Pending, 1 = Confirmed Bot, 2 = False Positive
);
GO

Step 5: Create the Detection Stored Procedure

USE MuOnline;
GO

CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.SP_AntiBot_DetectSuspects
AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    -- Detect characters with kills per hour above the human threshold
    INSERT INTO dbo.AntiBot_SuspectLog
        (AccountID, CharacterName, SuspectReason, KillsPerHour, OnlineHours)
    SELECT
        a.memb___id,
        c.Name,
        'KillsPerHour above 1000 - possible grinding bot',
        c.PkCount,
        DATEDIFF(MINUTE, s.ConnectTM, GETDATE()) / 60.0
    FROM
        Character c
        INNER JOIN MEMB_STAT s ON c.AccountID = s.memb___id
        INNER JOIN MEMB_INFO a ON c.AccountID = a.memb___id
    WHERE
        -- Kills per hour calculated from session start
        (c.PkCount / NULLIF(DATEDIFF(HOUR, s.ConnectTM, GETDATE()), 0)) > 1000
        AND DATEDIFF(HOUR, s.ConnectTM, GETDATE()) >= 2
        AND c.AccountID NOT IN (
            SELECT AccountID FROM AntiBot_SuspectLog
            WHERE CAST(DetectedAt AS DATE) = CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE)
              AND ReviewStatus = 2  -- Do not re-insert confirmed false positives
        );

    -- Detect accounts online for more than 22 consecutive hours
    INSERT INTO dbo.AntiBot_SuspectLog
        (AccountID, CharacterName, SuspectReason, OnlineHours)
    SELECT
        s.memb___id,
        c.Name,
        'Continuous session above 22 hours - possible 24/7 bot',
        DATEDIFF(MINUTE, s.ConnectTM, GETDATE()) / 60.0
    FROM
        MEMB_STAT s
        INNER JOIN Character c ON s.memb___id = c.AccountID
    WHERE
        s.ConnStatus = 1
        AND DATEDIFF(HOUR, s.ConnectTM, GETDATE()) > 22
        AND s.memb___id NOT IN (
            SELECT AccountID FROM AntiBot_SuspectLog
            WHERE SuspectReason LIKE '%22 hours%'
              AND CAST(DetectedAt AS DATE) = CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE)
        );

    PRINT 'AntiBot scan completed: ' + CAST(GETDATE() AS VARCHAR);
END;
GO

Step 6: Schedule the Procedure in SQL Server Agent

1. Open SSMS → expand SQL Server Agent → right-click Jobs → New Job
2. Name: AntiBot_Scan_Automatic
3. On the Steps tab → New Step:

• Step name: Run Detection
• Type: Transact-SQL script (T-SQL)
• Database: MuOnline
• Command: EXEC dbo.SP_AntiBot_DetectSuspects;

1. On the Schedules tab → New Schedule:

• Name: Every_30_minutes
• Frequency: Daily
• Sub-frequency: Every 30 minutes
• Start time: 00:00:00, End time: 23:59:59

Part 3 — ConnectServer Configuration

Step 7: Limit Connections per IP in ConnectServer

Edit the file C:\MuServer\ConnectServer\ConnectServer.ini:

[ServerInfo]
MaxConnectionPerIP      = 3      ; Maximum simultaneous accounts per IP
ConnectionFloodLimit    = 10     ; Connection attempts per second before blocking
ConnectionFloodBanTime  = 300    ; Block duration in seconds (5 minutes)
PacketFloodProtection   = 1      ; Enable packet flood protection
MaxPacketsPerSecond     = 50     ; Maximum packets per second per connection

Step 8: Block Known Datacenter IPs (Bot Farms)

Create or edit C:\MuServer\ConnectServer\IPBanList.txt. Add IP ranges from VPS/datacenter providers frequently used by bot farms:

# Format: IP_START IP_END
# Examples of common datacenter ranges
185.220.0.0 185.220.255.255
198.96.0.0  198.96.255.255

Part 4 — Monitoring and Response

Step 9: Daily Review Query

Run this query each morning in SSMS to review the suspect queue:

USE MuOnline;
GO

SELECT
    LogID,
    AccountID,
    CharacterName,
    SuspectReason,
    KillsPerHour,
    OnlineHours,
    DetectedAt,
    CASE ReviewStatus
        WHEN 0 THEN 'Pending'
        WHEN 1 THEN 'Confirmed Bot'
        WHEN 2 THEN 'False Positive'
    END AS Status
FROM dbo.AntiBot_SuspectLog
WHERE ReviewStatus = 0
ORDER BY DetectedAt DESC;

Step 10: Ban a Confirmed Bot Account

After manual review and confirmation, execute:

USE MuOnline;
GO

-- Replace 'SuspectAccount' with the actual AccountID
UPDATE MEMB_INFO
SET bloc_code = 1
WHERE memb___id = 'SuspectAccount';

-- Record the ban in the audit log
UPDATE dbo.AntiBot_SuspectLog
SET ReviewStatus = 1
WHERE AccountID = 'SuspectAccount'
  AND ReviewStatus = 0;

-- Optional: disconnect immediately if still online
UPDATE MEMB_STAT
SET ConnStatus = 0
WHERE memb___id = 'SuspectAccount';

Troubleshooting

GameServer ignores AntiBot.ini settings Verify the file is in the correct directory (GameServer\Data\) and that AntiBotEnable = 1 exists in GameServer.exe.cfg. Some GameServer builds require a full restart rather than a configuration reload.

SP_AntiBot_DetectSuspects inserts no records Confirm that tables MEMB_STAT and Character exist in the MuOnline database and that the ConnStatus column uses value 1 for online. This may vary by server version — check with: SELECT COLUMN_NAME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'MEMB_STAT'.

Too many false positives being generated Raise the KillsPerHour threshold to 1200 or 1500 and increase the minimum online hours for long-session detection to 24 hours. Calibrate based on the actual behavior of your top players — consult the server's kill ranking as a benchmark.

SQL Server Agent does not execute the job Check the job history log (SSMS → SQL Server Agent → Jobs → right-click the job → View History). Common causes: insufficient permissions on the SQL Agent service user account, or the MuOnline database being offline at the scheduled execution time.

Blocking via bloc_code does not prevent login Verify the exact column name in your schema is bloc_code. Some builds use block_code or IsBlock. Confirm with: SELECT COLUMN_NAME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'MEMB_INFO' AND COLUMN_NAME LIKE '%block%'.

Perguntas frequentes