To defend your city you need to open your gates! Click on your rally point and click on the open gates checkbox. This will allow your troops to sally forth and defend your castle. Otherwise only your defenses (archer towers, traps, abatis, etc.) will defend you. If your gates are closed your troops will not fight to defend you.
Scouts also do not defend unless your gates are open. Your enemies can scout you without worrying about your defenses unless your gates are open!
[Klynn]: How do you feed all your troops, just have all farms
[mdx]: farm people.
if others farm you you realy need your gates open.
Some alliances farm players they can`t feed only on NPC`s so they farm people by opening your gates you will kill some of their troops.
Many players will keep their gates shut. I found that if you keep gates open they often get a bloodied nose and will run elsewhere. Doesn’t always work and you can’t use those archery towers. I found that I could raid lots of other similiar size players due to fear of opening the gates. When not logged on I change back to close gates