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Is FoE Helper now a prohibited tool on Forge Of Empires?

Heinrich IV

Merchant
I am using the FoE Helper for a long time and it was always working fine. Mainly for finding the required FP to spend to GB it is great.

Today I got banned on my beta account:

Reason:​

Your account has been temporarily blocked because our system detected that you were using prohibited software to interact with the game.
Please keep in mind that usage of bots and scripts is not permitted. We would like to ask you to deactivate the prohibited software immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation.

The only additional software beside the browser is FoE helper so I wonder if FoE helper got prohibited in meantime.
Unfortunately no answer from Support so I do not have any further information.
 
Solution
FoE Helper was never "allowed". It's a 3rd party modification of the game and those are explicitly *not* allowed under the ToS.

It has been something that was tolerated (i.e. not allowed, but not a cause of bans) to the extent it didn't impact others experience in the game.

I can't speak to whether that's changed, but "it's only FoE Helper" is not a sufficient defense if they decided to stop tolerating it. I have heard this song on reddit as well of late. So perhaps might be best to stop using it if you do.

xivarmy

Legend
Perk Creator
FoE Helper was never "allowed". It's a 3rd party modification of the game and those are explicitly *not* allowed under the ToS.

It has been something that was tolerated (i.e. not allowed, but not a cause of bans) to the extent it didn't impact others experience in the game.

I can't speak to whether that's changed, but "it's only FoE Helper" is not a sufficient defense if they decided to stop tolerating it. I have heard this song on reddit as well of late. So perhaps might be best to stop using it if you do.
 
Solution

-NinjAlin-

Emperor
I am using the FoE Helper for a long time and it was always working fine. Mainly for finding the required FP to spend to GB it is great.

Today I got banned on my beta account:

Reason:​

Your account has been temporarily blocked because our system detected that you were using prohibited software to interact with the game.
Please keep in mind that usage of bots and scripts is not permitted. We would like to ask you to deactivate the prohibited software immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation.

The only additional software beside the browser is FoE helper so I wonder if FoE helper got prohibited in meantime.
Unfortunately no answer from Support so I do not have any further information.

Always run the latest update of the extension, be sure it is always autoupdate on.
It is possible to run an older variant of helper that has still into it some tools that at InnoGames requirement to be taken down by FoE helper developers.

FoE Helper is not completely prohibited, but if InnoGames didn't like something into it, they ask the devs to remove certain things from the tool, that's why it is required to keep always the extension updated.

I have more than 3 years of using it on multiple devices and I never was banned for using it, but everytime I have it on the latest version available.
 
Last edited:

Thunderdome

Emperor
I always had mine auto-update when I open my browser (it's an active extension, second to my ad-blocker) but I am never at the game's login/playing page when I do open mine. I never got any nasty grams as of late. I had always used mine in 1.9 priming of GBs (or to participate in donating to other's GBs).
 

Boo...

Baronet
Let them ban me, I'll go to another game.
I do not use any programs that affect the game.
But there are a lot of programs on my computer. The fact is that the computer was created for programs.
INCLUDING THE COMPUTER, I USE MANY PROGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME.
 

Boo...

Baronet
It surprises me that Helper could be the reason for the ban.
Bots and clearers live peacefully. They really hurt.
People go on vacation and leave their cities to the bot. But, it’s possible. Yes?
But no! It is necessary to ban for Helper.
 

Heinrich IV

Merchant
Thanks for all the answers. Of course I have aticket open and asked for the reason of the ban.
Unfortunetaly I did still not get any anser except "Your appeal has been passed on for consideration.".
Concerning update: I am not fully sure if it is the most recent version but I got updated several times in the last
time and I never had to do this manually.
I was using FoE Helper sincs long time and never had a problem with getting banned.
(That was the reason why I asked as I do not use any other game relevant software)
 

Arch1e

Marquis
Let them ban me, I'll go to another game.
I do not use any programs that affect the game.
But there are a lot of programs on my computer. The fact is that the computer was created for programs.
INCLUDING THE COMPUTER, I USE MANY PROGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME.
A friend got two short bans with similar content, they said nobody was even interested in explaining or hearing their explanation so they left the game. I think it’s the only reasonable reaction when things seem to be applied arbitrarily.
 
FOEHelper provides answers to a lot of questions that cannot be answered easily (or at all) in-game. Questions such as "what is the proper amount of FPs to prime my GB for 1.9?" or "am I losing troops faster than I am replenishing them" or "I built the Trailside Smithy but now I can't find it, where is it?" or "how many rewards am I getting from GBG/GE?" just to name several. I can adjust to just about anything that INNO throws at players but, if they start banning players for using the latest edition of FOEHelper, I'll throw in the towel. I won't go back to using a calculator and pencil/paper to track my city progress.
 

xivarmy

Legend
Perk Creator
You're right, using a calculator just takes a bit longer. Now, take this "little bit" and multiply it times the number of GBs that a player might invest in on any given day. It is not unusual for me to contribute to 30+ GB daily. I'm sure that I am not alone in this regard.
Doesn't the poster usually do the math to make it easier for the mass-taker to just drop and go?

Is it usual for you to level 30 of your own GB daily?

(and incidentally it's really easy to do 1.9 in your head to double-check the number posted - no calculator required. let's say we have 1995. Doubled that's 3990. Subtract 199 (10% rounded down) and that's 3791)
 
Doesn't the poster usually do the math to make it easier for the mass-taker to just drop and go?
No, sometimes the poster will provide numbers, more often it's something like "P1 and P2 open". I wouldn't go by their FP numbers anyway. Plus, knowing the proper amount to contribute is only one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is whether, or not, the spot will be secure from sniping after the investment is made. FOEHelper provides this info. With a calculator it's more work.
Is it usual for you to level 30 of your own GB daily?
When I said that I contribute to 30+ a day I did not mean mine. My friends list is full and every one of them is there because they are actively levelling their GBs. 30 a day is a low estimate and the main reason I lifted my ARC to 180.
(and incidentally it's really easy to do 1.9 in your head to double-check the number posted - no calculator required. let's say we have 1995. Doubled that's 3990. Subtract 199 (10% rounded down) and that's 3791)
Thanks. This works for 1.9 (well sort of :) ) and for 2.0 but not so much for anything in between.
 

xivarmy

Legend
Perk Creator
No, sometimes the poster will provide numbers, more often it's something like "P1 and P2 open". I wouldn't go by their FP numbers anyway. Plus, knowing the proper amount to contribute is only one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is whether, or not, the spot will be secure from sniping after the investment is made. FOEHelper provides this info. With a calculator it's more work.

When I said that I contribute to 30+ a day I did not mean mine. My friends list is full and every one of them is there because they are actively levelling their GBs. 30 a day is a low estimate and the main reason I lifted my ARC to 180.

Thanks. This works for 1.9 (well sort of :) ) and for 2.0 but not so much for anything in between.
I guess I'm spoiled with threads it's safe to be lazy in when I want to be lazy ;)

Some of the in-betweens you can come up with other tricks to calculate if you're so motivated. i.e. 1.95 you'd just half the 10% deduction.

1.92 would be one of the more uncomfortable ones that people talk about semi-often : 3990 - ROUNDDOWN(199.5 - 39.9) (39.9 easily gleaned from 1% of 200% = 2%).

But that's just one more reason to stop getting chintzy with single percentage points when it doesn't make much difference anyways (people who make 1.92 threads are a pet peeve of mine - 1.9 is enough, just let the new-ish arcs get some profit easily too rather than create an increasingly large barrier before they're allowed onto "good spots").
 
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