New skill: Automation, help prevent bots

[LoLa]

I will preface this idea by saying that many players are using bots(which are characters being run by a script to continuously do certain tasks while the player does not have to be involved), because of this it's only fair if legitimate ways to do such things are also implemented for those of us who do not prefer to use such bots.

Idea: After learning basic mechanics & metallurgy, a new skill automation will be able to be learned, which allows you to upgrade your smelters, fineries & clay kilns with automation properties by building attachments to them using certain materials such as metal bars.

These upgrades will allow extra clay, coal and ores to be stored in a separate compartment, which when fuel sources(coal) and resources (ore/clay) are empty, they will be automatically refilled using the excess stored in those compartments. The stones, metal bars, bricks etc that are produced are stored in a second compartment when they are created.

This should help remove bots/alts as well as give legitimate players a fair chance to level the playing field when it comes to bot automation. This may potentially also be enjoyed by people who do use bots, because it'd probably be a bit easier than keeping an eye on all the bots they are running.

[Ozzy124]

what about killing robots next?

[jorb]

Feature request: Let the game play itself. No bots will be needed if this is implemented.

[LoLa]

Feature request: Let the game play itself. No bots will be needed if this is implemented.

jorb, I would love to have your take on bots & alts, how you feel about them in the game and what plans or lackthereof you have to help remove them?

[jorb]

Not sure I have many opinions beyond those stated here.

[Granger]

Feature request: Let the game play itself. No bots will be needed if this is implemented.

A form of automation that is a smelter that can be fed coal and ore (in higher amounts) and returns stone and metal (retrieved like with tar kiln) is 'plays by itself'?

[jorb]

Feature request: Let the game play itself. No bots will be needed if this is implemented.

A form of automation that is a smelter that can be fed coal and ore (in higher amounts) and returns stone and metal (retrieved like with tar kiln) is 'plays by itself'?

It is certainly a step in that direction.

[shubla]

Feature request: Let the game play itself. No bots will be needed if this is implemented.

A form of automation that is a smelter that can be fed coal and ore (in higher amounts) and returns stone and metal (retrieved like with tar kiln) is 'plays by itself'?

It is certainly a step in that direction.

There should still be easier way to fill smelrtes instead of counting and clicking it 12 times with coal.
Of course this "issue" can be solved with custom clients.

[LoLa]

Not sure I have many opinions beyond those stated here.

Our philosophy has been, and remains, that we – rather than spend our time fighting losing battles – should focus on building a better game with fewer incentives to bot.

So after reading those opinions, I don't see how my suggestion differs from that exactly, my suggestion came solely from a place from bettering the game by removing incentives for botting. I will say it is your game though and you have the right to your vision for it. My take on botting is that it won't be removed unless you can do something similar in a legitimate way in the game therefore those that used bots would no longer really need them.

[jorb]

Automating the entire game does reduce the incentives to bot. I'm not necessarily saying that you're wrong, and that smelting shouldn't be automated. I'm just wondering/raising the question of where that logic actually ends.