Beware the Autobattle

[DeletedUser110797]

I have just suffered an unfathomable defeat in a PvP battle.
My army:
24% attack/24% defence
1 Armoured Infantry 15/24
7 Rogues 124/1

Opposing army:
4% defence only
5 Spearfighters 7/7
1 Archer 10/4
2 Slingers 6/3

Understandably I chose autobattle..........and I got annihilated!
All 8 of my units were killed and only one spearfighter killed in the opposing army.
I doubt that I will use autobattle ever again.

 

[TheKingOfKool]

Your armor unit was killed 1st - rogues are useless by themselves.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

Wnat @TheKingOfKool said. 7-1 rogue armies are extremely vulnerable to this, and the AI won't take precautions against it. Most of the advantage of this line up relies on very specific tactics.

I doubt that I will use autobattle ever again.

A wise choice, at least until you get a hang of its very limited useulness.

There are some situations in which you can use autobattle:
- If you have a 7-1 rogue army, against a low number of weak troops, you can win on autobattle. However, your real unit must be slower than rogues, and you must hold it back from the initial move. Autobattle will then be forced to lead with the Rogues. If the enemy has less than 4 units, you'll probably not loose troops.
- If you have 8 real units, with a superior boost, and attacking same or lower age units that they have a bonus against, you can use autobattle, even against 8 enemies, and probably win. If the enemy has more than three units, you'll probably loose troops, though. Against 8, count on loosing most of your troops.

Personally, I use autobattle only against truly pathetic defences, and, even then, only after considering the troop types involved. It can save you a lot of time against default and primitive defences, though.

 

[DeletedUser96901]

and you must hold it back from the initial move

then it is not a real autobattle:
the one you click when choosing the army and not seeing the battle field

 

[DeletedUser110131]

then it is not a real autobattle:
the one you click when choosing the army and not seeing the battle field

That can certainly be argued, and possibly argued well. My position in such an argument would be that any method of automatic fighting of battles is a form of autobattle, and that all forms of something is a real form; if it's not a real form of it, then it's not a form of it at all.

It's moot, though, as OP is obviously referring to the in-battle "finish battle automatically" button. It was PvP, and he knew the enemy units.

The "Auto Battle" button, of course, is outright suicidal in PvP, and I'd imagine not much better in any other battle types. I haven't used it, and never will.

 

[Agent327]

The "Auto Battle" button, of course, is outright suicidal in PvP, and I'd imagine not much better in any other battle types. I haven't used it, and never will.

Never used it and still an opinion on it. Seems to be the story of your life.

 

[DeletedUser111866]

1-7 and autobattle is asking for defeat. Esp with those slingers in defence. The order was like that: first spearmen went forward, then your heavy, then archer and both slingers all went against heavy, killing it, and only then all rogues had a chance to move. Next all rogues would be dead with first hit, and since a rogue has only 50% to kill a spearman (it says 9-10 when you target), it can retaliate and wreck the rogue.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

Never used it and still an opinion on it. Seems to be the story of your life.

Yes, I guess one must be truly ignorant, not to trust the FoE AI...

 

[Agent327]

Yes, I guess one must be truly ignorant, not to trust the FoE AI...

More great thoughts on something you never used.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

More great thoughts on something you never used.

Seriously? Anyone who's ever fought a battle in FoE has been fighting against the AI. Anyone who's used the "finish battle automatically" button has seen the AI play against itself. It's a miserable show. You really should try to fight a battle, sometime. It'll shake your unfounded faith in the AI.

 

[Agent327]

It's a miserable show.

A show you have never seen and still have an opinion of. There really is no stopping you.

 

[DeletedUser107476]

A show you have never seen and still have an opinion of. There really is no stopping you.

I am trying to follow your train of thought but failing. Let's see, because I have never used a nuclear missile, I cannot have an opinion on their uses? because I have never been fox hunting I cannot have an opinion on it and it's morality? Just because a person has not done something does not mean they cannot have an opinion. As Einrikr has stated they have seen the AI in action when it is used against them, this gives them some knowledge of how the AI works and therefore on how it would work for them.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

A show you have never seen

I've very specifically said that I selectively use the "finish battle automatically" feature, and thus have seen the AI fight itself. Your reading comprehension has failed entirely, and the text wasn't even that difficult. You need to reread previous posts, look up the difficult words, and try to spend just a little bit of time in-game, to get a feel for what we're talking about.

 

[Dead-Eye]

I find the auto battle to be good for raiding 2 spearmen defences. Not much else. It's nice to be able to quickly go through my hood and dealing with them in the morning and getting them out of the way leaving the rest of the day for going after those with a proper or semi proper defence. Outside of that I wouldn't use it.

 

[Agent327]

I am trying to follow your train of thought but failing.

Don't be harsh on yourself. You are almost there.

because I have never been fox hunting I cannot have an opinion on it and it's morality?

Sure you can. You just can't blame the gun for missing if you never pulled of the shot.

I've very specifically said that I selectively use the "finish battle automatically" feature

Darn, then it must be someone else who said.

The "Auto Battle" button, of course, is outright suicidal in PvP, and I'd imagine not much better in any other battle types. I haven't used it, and never will.

If only I had commented on that statement it would have looked a lot better. Good thing your reading comprehension is excellent. I bet you did look up the difficult words.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

@Agent327, this is what I mean, when I say you should spend a little time actually playing the game. Well, either that, or improve your reading skill, since it's all there in the text above. Either one would save you a world of confusion. Let me attempt to explain it, once more:

The "finish battle automatically" button, and the "Auto Battle" button, are two entirely different buttons, appearing in two entirely different screens. I use one of them, very selectively; the other, I haven't used, and never will.

 

[Agent327]

The "finish battle automatically" button, and the "Auto Battle" button, are two entirely different buttons, appearing in two entirely different screens. I use one of them, very selectively; the other, I haven't used, and never will.

And exactly which one do I make a comment on? I'll give you a hint. Look for the quote.

 

[DeletedUser110531]

Personally I choose not to use auto battle, especially when I use rogues. It's like they game hates to use rogues in auto battle. lol

 

[DeletedUser110131]

And exactly which one do I make a comment on

That hardly matters. The AI is the AI, regardless which button you push to activate it. Your "point", such as it is, is that I can't make a judgement on whether or not to use "Auto Battle", unless I know how the AI works. At least, that's the kind interpretation of your point. The other is that you're unaware that there's an AI, and think it's all about pressing buttons.

Personally I choose not to use auto battle, especially when I use rogues.

Yes, Rogues require some finesse that the AI lacks. The real unit must be protected at all cost, initially. Delaying the advance, or even not advancing at all, can become much preferable. Using Rogues to draw in the enemy, to draw fire away from other troops, etc.. The FoE AI is far to primitive to handle much beyond math (counting moves) and priorities (given a choice, attack A before B). It seems to make some considerations with regard to terrain, but not much. As a consequence, AI vs. AI is pretty much a coin toss, with regular troops, and worse, with Rogues.

 

[DeletedUser110531]

Yes, Rogues require some finesse that the AI lacks. The real unit must be protected at all cost, initially. Delaying the advance, or even not advancing at all, can become much preferable. Using Rogues to draw in the enemy, to draw fire away from other troops, etc.. The FoE AI is far to primitive to handle much beyond math (counting moves) and priorities (given a choice, attack A before B). It seems to make some considerations with regard to terrain, but not much. As a consequence, AI vs. AI is pretty much a coin toss, with regular troops, and worse, with Rogues.

I found that the AI is different in different situations, for example I am in the ME continent map and the AI always targets my real units first and completely ignores my rogues unless they are the only unit they can attack. Where as if I am attacking another players city the AI will always target rogues first.