[Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] and Boxing

Vent allows you to coordinate. Playing with your friends over and over develops an inherent coordination.

There's also large detriments to boxing. Such as only controlling 1 character at a time. Meaning mistakes are much less forgiving. Pulling adds means you have to tank them all, slow them all, heal dps and mezz all at once. It's not just a cake walk like most of you think.

They fired Smedley?

I don't think that's accurate. Sony sold off the entire SOE division to Columbus Nova who rebranded it DayBreak. SOE became DayBreak, which is the same company just reporting to new corporate overlords. SOE people did not go to work there, they went with them during the sale, SOE does not exist any longer.

Piestro's comment does not support your bias, so you deem it irrelevant. It is the official word from the company's official EQ spokesman.

EQ does not have a "one Key press = 1 action rule. that's WoW you are thinking of. EQ has officially supported 1 key = many actions since nearly the beginning.

/cast 1
/pause 5
/cast 2
/pause 5
/cast 3

the above macro performs 3 actions with one key press.

correct Isoboxer is a third-party program that runs a keybind macro on your PC, which really is not all that different from the advantages people can get from any other type of keybinding via a gaming keyboard or a gaming mouse. The question then becomes at what point is your character being automated. One could argue that at any point one pressing one button inputs more than 1 command to 1 character or 1 command to multilpe characters you have automated a command that is different from how the developers intended. Gaming software and technology has simply exceeded the capabilities of older MMOs to effectively police.

True boxing is the carpal tunnel hell you depicted of 4 boxes on your desk, what majority of current players do is run keystroke automations, not boxing, not even taking into account using .

If you run two from the ground up, you don't even have to switch. It allows you to take action simultaneously on both. One hand on each keyboard and you can even aggro kite a mob around with one while you beat on it with the other. Once you get hotkeys that you like set up, you don't even need the mouse very often.
I'm not saying this is for everybody, but it does give you a huge amount of flexibility and survivability once you get it down.

Ban hotbuttons. Too overpowered. Makes characters too strong.

Actually the vast majority of everyone on this forum that is arguing in favor of [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software], is admitting they use the keystroke repeater, and claiming its not abusive or against the rules. So i'm arguing with that majority. Do some people use it simply to flip windows and nothing more, i'm sure it is possible, and i'm not including those in my debate. I'm specifically linking http://[Unmentioned 3rd Party Software].com/wiki/Repeater in multiple posts, as the part that is a violation of the ToS. I've never mentioned the window flipping except to say that is not a violation. My apologies for you feeling like I was speaking of your legitimate use, that was not my intent.

No.. your missing the main use of [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software]. It is not sending 1 key press to each computer. Most people are running MULTIPLE instances on the same computer and [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] is controlling that and sending the right key to the right instance.

This is not like hooking up 6 keyboards to one computer. If you did that you could still only press one key to one active window.

[Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] is allowing people to play above the norm.

You're also lumping all boxers into one huge group. Before there was boxing, people were still . They still trained, and still ks'd. Not all boxers play 6 mages. I don't play any mages, and never will. Boxers don't ruin the economy. I don't even see how that's an actual statement. And boxers level the same speed as everyone else.

Wait... so it's unfair because someone chooses they don't want to spend $15 extra a month even though they could? I c.

ps. I'm pretty sure your example is not exactly what having an unfair advantage means.

Disclaimer: I do not condone the use of on Live servers (TLP or Test). I
personally have no problem with people using [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software]. Also, I currently 2 box (DRU/ENC - WITHOUT [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software], mostly because I don't need it with 2 monitors [though I would if I went up to 3 boxes]) on TLP, so make of that what you will. I am simply offering information and experience from boxing in the past.

EDIT - The forums are editing out the name of the botting software I referenced. That's fine. If you really need to know and don't, figure it out on your own. I'm not going to reformat words to bypass the filter.

As someone who has used both [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] (Live/Test) and Multiquest ( - Server unnamed to protect the community) for some time (not currently), I'm getting real sick of all the uneducated BS thrown at [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] users. I wanted to offer some comparison between the two programs, since most people don't really seem to know what a "cheat" or "bot" is, or has any idea where the term is applied.

[Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] - Paid. You are paying for an Innerspace license. Innerspace allows you to manipulate game windows and use .NET scripting to interact BETWEEN clients. It DOES NOT automate anything.

Things [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] is good at:

1. Tiling windows. Nothing comes close to how well [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] handles window tiling. This is a god send for people playing more than 2 boxes, and especially great with 6+ boxes. The program allows you to click on a tile to bring it to the main window and do window swapping VERY easily. The setup does have a bit of a learning curve, but it is not impossible to get setup.

2. Processor balancing. [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] does a very good job at balancing processor usage between clients. It can also limit framerates on unfocused windows to save CPU usage.

3. Broadcasting. [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] allows you to press one key and send a single keystroke to any number of open clients. This is a one for one thing. Press 1, send 1, or send whatever key you choose to bind to it. THIS IS LIMITED TO A SINGLE KEYSTROKE. That keystroke can be tied to a macro in game to execute whatever is possible via macros IN GAME. You CANNOT do any scripting or macro work within [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software]. This is why [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] is not considered cheating. It is simply a tool to help manage multiple accounts at once.

Things [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] is not good at:

1. [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] does not make it any easier to manage mixed classes. You need to get very creative to keep a single set of hot keys on your main box to control multiple boxes (say 6). You cannot target through the main box unless you have a hotkey set up for that character. It takes 6 healing hotbuttons to heal each member of your group without switching clients. Since EQ is limited by visible hot bars (it was last time I checked), this will limit the amount of actions you can keep on your main client.

2. If sh*t hits the fan, [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] does nothing to help you manage crisis. Again, it does not automate anything. If your tank dies, you will quickly find yourself clicking around windows trying to figure out what to do. The best option in almost all cases is going to be to evac for simplicity, unless you happen to have a second toon that can grab agro and tank quickly. Downside, unless you have all those healing hotbuttons set up, you will be swapping windows to heal.

- Free. Using this is what will get you banned on Live/Test/TLP if you are detected.

Things is good at:

1. Contributors write "plugins" for the core software. The plugins provide general functionality. Things like automated healing, autofollowing a mob, or auto debuffing. This functionality is based off the plugin and uses a .ini file that will contain the variables for these functions to occur. Things like "use complete heal at 20%", "maintain X distance BEHIND mob", or "cast slow at X%" respectively. If you can write C++, you can write your own plugin functionality. It's been said that the P1999 tool that "sniffs" if you are boxing (logged into multiple accounts from the same IPs) can be easily bypassed using . No one has done it yet because the payoff isn't there, since there is no certainty that P1999 will last long term.

2. Managing multiple accounts (6+, no limit). The software was created to automate group ability. Most servers allow it's use because they simply don't have enough bodies to fill a raid group. The server I played on only restricted by certain plugins because they quite literally allowed you to cheat the functionality of the game, like target a specific mob from across the zone, or speed up your movement speed without run speed buffs. This is direct cheating. Since 's functionality is essentially limitless (limited only by your own ability to write code and the functionality of the game), it's real power comes into playing more than a single group. I've personally played 18 accounts with it and boxed my own raid group. (I want to point out that any single person playing more than a single group [7+ accounts] is likely using to do so. It can easily be identified if you see all the toons following a single person. Since Everquest requires you to be in group to use follow, the maximum amount of toons you should see on follow is 5). Here's how it functions:

"Tank or whoever pulls mob. Once mob is down to a certain health percentage (99% or so) debuffs are automatically cast by all boxes set up for it. Tank is being automatically healed by a CH chain of clerics (yes, this is set up via .ini). At 95% melee's move to behind the mob and keep X distance from it. Melees can all be set up to use special abilities, backstab, kick, etc. At 90%, casters begin unloading. Things like twin cast, specific buffs, etc can all be watched for and utilized. You can also set up burn hotkeys to really unload your mana if needed. Clerics can be set up to auto rez, boxes can be set up to auto buff by receiving a formatted tell. It literally allows you run an entire raid without massive amounts of work on your end. On a non-populated server, this is essential to progress in the game. It is very much a single player game at this point."

Things is not good at:

1. The learning curve for set up is difficult. The community, while very helpful, will not walk you through anything. They specifically set up a step by step wiki. If you can't follow that, kick rocks.

2. Getting inis set up right is an ongoing process. As your tank gets better, as your spells get better, it's constant work. These also need to be fine tuned by raid encounter. You quickly wind up with folders full of INIs for each specific encounter.

3. You need to compile your own version of the software for what you want to do. This involved some knowledge of compilers.

In closing:

Boxing in itself, is twice the work with two boxes, and 6x the work with 6. I'm sure there are people 6 boxing with mixed classes, and it's not all candy and rainbows. It actually is a challenge. /follow in itself is terrible in Everquest, and when you have 5 boxes in tow, it can be downright annoying. You need to creep across bridges, it sucks in water, and is downright terrible on ice (ToFS). helps this to a point, but it's far from perfect. [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] does nothing to help this at all. It won't maintain a distance, it won't autocorrect, it won't assist in anyway.

Please keep in mind that people 6 boxing mixed classes are no different than 6 friends playing together exclusively. Your complaint is only with the power of the mage class in the early game. [Unmentioned 3rd Party Software] does allow a 6-mage group to press one button to obtain an /assist target and send a pet to attack with the use of in-game macros. They still need healing and management. We will reach a point in Luclin where mage armies will not work for raid mobs, then they will lose their flair. In fact, I can't even see them doing mobs like Avatar of War, or certain dragons in ToV.

To my knowledge Smedley is not in charge anymore. Holly has been calling all of the shots, and the devs have been referring decisions to her. Smedley hasn't been spoken of that I have seen at all.

The boxers are now trying to justify that their 1 button 6 account ability is no different then macros?

I might actually feel pity... never mind.. that was the burrito i ate.

Maybe you should link the company architecture so you understand how that works along with who is still working there before the buy out because if you cant figure that out there is ZERO way you can actually understand http://[Unmentioned 3rd Party Software].com/wiki/Repeater.

you can actually compact those now like so

/pause 55, /cast 1

being a single line on a macro you can now get 5 actions with 1 macro

Smedley still runs the company. Holly runs EQ and EQ2. You are an EQ player, which is why you see more of Holly than Smed. Holly reports to Smed (or reports to someone who reports to him, I'm not exactly sure of their structure.)

As I said before, I illegally used 3rd party in 2k-2k4 which we now see implemented in game. Perhaps in time, DBG will implement isoboxer functions, however that is not the case at this point in time.

I do not use macros, in eq or wow. I like to actually the play the game. Perhaps a simple INC or MEZZ macro to let group members know what I am doing, however I personally have never made a macro to cast five spells or whatever, in any game.

So while macros are similar to isoboxer in execution, they are not similar in that one automates function on one account while the other automates them on multiple accounts. If we were comparing isoboxer to macros within the limited context of one account, this argument would be valid.

Go look who Holly boss is....you might be shocked.

I'm glad someone finally brought up how pulling adds most of the time means a wipe for someone 6 boxing. Most people think it's just face rolling mind no matter what. Not that it can actually provide a challenge.