COGSBot is our much beloved IRC bot which provides a large number of features for the chat, from setting a reminder for a pizza that’s in the oven to preventing spam. COGSBot can even help you use it, just type the aptly named !help command into a channel in which COGSBot resides and let the good times roll. Mainly, COGSBot is responsible for helping you find people to play games with. It does this through lists.

There are two kinds of lists, event lists and game lists. The only difference is that event lists can’t notify people on them but the game lists can. To sign up to a list make sure you’re registered and identified then append “add” to the list’s name, such as
!mealadd
!tf2add
!supcomadd
To see who is on a list append “list” instead, and to try and get people organised for a game simply type in the list which you’re a member of and COGSBot will message all its members that are online.
Obviously to save on typing the game names are often abbreviated, so here is what the lists actually are:

• Event lists
  • !meal – Signup list for the next PreLan meal
  • !kart – Gokarting interest list
  • !pub – triggerable (ie a game list) for heading down the pub.
  • !magicroll – triggerable (ie a game list) for raiding magic roll and making good use of the COGS discount.
• Game lists
  • !aoe2 – Age of Empires 2
  • !alt – Altitude
  • !bc2 – Battlefield: Bad Company 2
  • !bl – Borderlands
  • !burn – Burnout Paradise
  • !carball – Carball (UT2004 mod)
  • !civ5 – Sid Meier’s Civilization V
  • !cod4 – Call of Duty 4
  • !css – Counter Strike: Source
  • !d2 – Diablo 2
  • !dods – Day of Defeat: Source
  • !dota – Defence of the Ancients (Warcraft 3 mod)
  • !dow – Dawn of War
  • !fff – Flora’s Fruit Farm
  • !grid – GRiD
  • !gungame – Gungame (Counter Strike: Source custom maptype)
  • !hl2dm – Half Life 2 Deathmatch
  • !kf – Killing Floor
  • !l4d – Left 4 Dead
  • !l4d2 – Left 4 Dead 2
  • !minecraft – Minecraft
  • !pvkii – Pirates, Vikings and Knights 2
  • !sc2 – Starcraft 2
  • !sf – Street Fighter 4
  • !sh – Shattered Horizon
  • !supcom – Supreme Commander
  • !supcom2 – Supreme Commander 2
  • !swarm – Alien Swarm
  • !swat4 – Swat 4
  • !swbf2 – Star Wars Battlefront 2
  • !tf2 – Team Fortress 2
  • !ttd – Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe
  • !ut2k4 – Unreal Tournament 2004
  • !ut3 – Unreal Tournament 3
  • !ut99 – Unreal Tournament ’99 (original)
  • !w3 – Warcraft 3
  • !worms – Worms Reloaded
  • !werewolf – IRC Werewolf

The complete list of commands follows. Ones marked with an * require you to be registered before you can use them.

*!away
Marks you as away so you won’t get messaged by COGSBot until you use the !back command.
Usage:
• !away
• !away 10m
*!back
Tells COGSBot you’re back from your magical journey. The opposite of away.
Usage:
• !back
!bash
Provides a link to the latest page of the “bash thread”, which is where we record anything funny or embarrassing for prosperity.
Usage:
• !bash
!help
Gets help any specific command, or returns a list of commands available. If it returns examples [] indicates an optional argument, and | indicates a choice.
Usage:
• !help
• !help commands
• !help lists
• !help away
• !help back
!lan
Returns information on the next upcoming LAN, such as how many people are coming and where you can signup.
Usage:
• !lan
*!match
Used for organising teams for matches. If you’re on a team you can use it to see details about an upcoming match and who’s signed up for it.
Usage:
• !match 1
• !match 15 enrol medic
• !match 8 enrol sub
• !match 8 withdraw
!matches
Returns a list of the matches which are still to be played. Very useful for working out which number you’re meant to be using for the !match command.
Usage:
• !matches
!mod
If you have any problems, or you think a mod should be alerted that something is getting out of control use this command, either in PM or main chat.
Usage:
• !mod
• !mod Help! Help! I’m being oppressed!
*!remind
Set a reminder. Got a bus to catch or a pizza to not leave in the oven? This is the command for you!
Usage:
• !remind 10m Pizza’s done
• !remind 5h30m Stew’s done
• !remind 12:00 1/1/2011 Happy new year’s noon!
*!reminders
Displays (and allows you to edit) your currently active reminders.
Usage:
• !reminders
• !reminders clear
• !reminders 1 del
• !reminders 3 del
!seen
Sometimes there’s only on person you’re after. usually they’re never about when you need them. Use the seen command to help track down where – and when – they were last about.
Usage:
• !seen Wyrm
• !seen ChocoJon
• !seen M
!server
If you forget how to get access to our lovely union hosted dedicated server use this command to get the address.
Usage:
• !server
*!set
Personal preferences for COGSBot; how should it message you, what’s your !whois link, can you be contacted by a !tell?
Usage:
• !set whois I am Wyrm! My facebook is http://www.facebook.com/wyrrn
• !set msg notice
• !set msg pm
• !set reminders notice
• !set games pm
• !set tell pm
• !set tell off
!stats
Links to the IRC stats, so you can find out who talked the most, who smiled the least and who has the least reliable connection
Usage:
• !stats
!tell
Carry a message to someone which will deliver next time they appear online. The name you send to needs to be exactly correct though.
Usage:
• !tell Wyrm Call me when you get this message, I need to sort out plans for next Tuesday
• !tell ChocoJon Why are you called ChocoJon?
!whois
Cyber stalking made easy! Most regulars link this to their facebook which makes putting names to faces that much easier. Use the !set command to set your own information.
Usage:
• !whois Wyrm
• !whois ChocoJon