Bots in FoE let's have a grown-up conversation about it

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We hear about people or guilds using bots all the time.  Most of the time it's a false allegation because a player or guild is just fast fighting.  What's fast fighting or how do you fast fight?  Well on PC it's easy.  Zoom the screen to the attack (or defend) button and the autobattle button is lined up.  How much you zoom your screen will depend on screen resolution.  For me it's 175%.  So ok your buttons are alligned so now what?
Press and hold the "R" button while furiously left-clicking the mouse.  Do not move the mouse just left-click.
Your troops will be refreshed before every battle (not between battles in two-wave fights) and your only limitation is your ping rate and how slow the server is at the time.

You can now mimic the fast fights from bots or auto-clicker and that's intentional.  Inno cannot completely eliminate bots so giving human players the ability to compete with them is the next best thing.

We had the privilege of talking to people on both sides of this issue.  The game developer that is fighting against the bots and the bot developers who are trying to stay ahead of the detection software.  So before we begin let's have a robot tell us about robot players in mmog's.  
Here is the AI explanation.

In video games, bots, also known as AI players or non-player characters (NPCs), are software-controlled entities that simulate human players. They can be used for various purposes, from filling multiplayer lobbies to automating repetitive tasks like farming in MMORPGs. Bots can range in complexity, from simple pre-programmed actions to advanced machine learning systems that can adapt to player behavior and new maps. 
Here's a more detailed look at bots in games:
Types of Bots:
  • Static Bots: Follow pre-determined paths and actions, often used for simple tasks or in games where the AI doesn't need to be highly intelligent.
  • Dynamic Bots: Can learn and adapt, mimicking human behavior and adjusting to new levels or opponents.
  • Clickbots: Used to artificially inflate click numbers, often in mobile games.
  • Farming Bots: Automate repetitive resource gathering in games like MMORPGs.
  • Aimbots: Give players pinpoint accuracy, often considered a cheat.
  • Sniper Bots: Used for perfect timing on specific actions, like auction bidding. 
Uses of Bots:
  • Filling Multiplayer Lobbies: When not enough human players are available, bots can fill the void and ensure the game can start. 
  • Co-op Partners: Bots can be used as co-op partners in games like PUBG, allowing players to experience a duos or trios mode without needing another human player. 
  • Training/Tutorials: Bots can provide a challenging or helpful experience for players learning the game. 
  • Automation: Bots can automate tedious tasks like grinding resources or crafting items. 
  • Testing: Developers use bots to test game mechanics and balance. 
Potential Issues with Bots:
  • Unfair Advantage: Bots can give players an unfair advantage through automation or cheat features. 
  • Ruined Economy: Bots can manipulate in-game economies by artificially inflating resource values. 
  • Poor Player Experience: Bots can make it difficult for casual players to enjoy the game. 
  • Cheat Detection: Detecting and preventing bot activity can be challenging. 


So do bots exist?  Yes

Do they work?  Some do yes

Can they be detected?  Almost all can yes.

Are there things people can do to not be detected?  Yes.  (We have chosen not to disclose what works and how to evade detection as we don't support bots and cheating.)

What can bots do in FoE?  Almost everything.  We've seen bots create accounts with different player names on the same world.  Each city was exactly the same and I mean completely identical.  The layout, the placement, the buildings, the roads, the decorations, GB levels everything.  The bots are sophisticated enough to navigate changes like pop-up offers.  They can detect changes like moved to a new neighborhood and have to refresh.  They can build up cities on their own while you sleep or work.  They can fight.  They can recognize opposing troops and change your troops to match them.

So we had to ask why people buy the bots?  What's the motivation?  The answers vary but the most common reason was people wanted to skip the grind.  People want to play the game but avoid the early struggles.  They would rather pay a subscription and have a good city they could play whenever they had time than do the grind to build a good city.

We asked how people found the bots or how they obtained paying customers and then decided we're not going to disclose that either.  We will say that the people who pay for bots usually get scammed a few times from other companies first.  They either buy something that doesn't work, is easily detected or is a virus.  One easily found bot available with a simple google search just steals your account.  Again we don't recommend anyone buy or use a bot for ethical reasons let alone that it's probably a scam.

The company that does sell legit bots gets long-term repeat customers because once they find one that works they stick with it.

Are bots common in FoE?  No.  There are a lot of macros and auto-clickers but not a lot of bots.  Now FoE has made quality of life changes that make bots and auto-clickers less useful.  We now have auto-visit taverns, auto-aid friends, guild and hood.  We have auto-replace troops and with the fast fight tecnique described above for fast fighting human players can compete with bots and auto-clickers.

If you google FOE banning players you will find a lot of reports of ban waves.  

FoE was (and still is) using an algorythim to detect cheating.  The problem is the system was so sensitive it made a lot of false positives.  It has since been re-tuned and we're not getting that anymore.  The quality of life changes have made detection of auto-clickers even more difficult.  Honestly that's a good thing.  

So while bots and auto-clickers still exist but the days of GvG bot wars is over.  They're better at detecting the cheaters and they've changed the game so non-cheaters can compete with the bots.  

The moral of the story is when you get your ass kicked in GbG it's most likely not because of bots or auto-clickers.  It's because the other guild has more people on at that time and they're fist fighting and you're not.