DBG: Easy fix to stop boxing violations

Mischief and Thornblade -- so-called "truebox" servers -- are overrun at present with six-man mage armies and other boxers (all running on 6 different computers, wink wink, nudge nudge). I realize that DBG views these individuals as just 6 different paying accounts to the revenue stream, but you fail to consider how many other customers these individuals drive away. It's not just their camping of spawn sites, up to and including OW planes and Naggy/Vox, but the fact that these individuals rely on no one else makes them far more likely to engage in toxic training behavior to gain control of a camp. More than once I've seen entire groups, when confronted by a boxer, simply give up and log off in frustration.

Policing these violations with staff can be difficult, yes. But there are far easier fixes. Here's one: remove the /follow command. This trivial code tweak would make it far more difficult to run a box army.

The /follow command was added to EQ in the days when groups regularly had to run together across the Karanas or other huge zones. In today's game of in-game maps, widespread ports, and the find command, it's not needed. Except by boxers.

Choose your customers wisely, DBG. The boxers depend on normal players to exist. The converse is not true.

You're vastly overestimating the amount of people who will quit because of boxers. If they were losing more accounts than boxers created then they would do something about it. Even more hilarious that you think /follow would fix it when most folks use software for follow.

no

To clarify, if illegal software is being used then that software does not used the in game /follow command.

Removing something like /follow is not at all trivial and would undoubtedly break other things on both TLP and Live servers.

Also, this rather naïve idea comes up regularly and it's always laid out exactly like you have posted here and the objections go far past what I've stated

every year some genius comes along and tells us his genius idea to remove /follow
every year people tell them that the ones using /follow aren't the ones you should be worrying about

I've had more regular groups try to steal my camps then boxers on mischief, I'm confused. Let's ban non boxers.

Not only should we keep follow, but we should add the /piggyback command, whereby you, a gnome, can ride on the back of a much larger player character. Conversely, a larger character can use /rollerskates on two gnome characters to ride on them.

The best way to put a permanent stop to these blatant cheaters, is to shut down the game forever. Now all problems, including the trouble with the Bristlebane server currently being down, are solved.




This is just sarcasm, for you folks that were born without the ability to detect it, or had it surgically removed.

Do your homework. Nobody using software to box is using the in-game /follow command, dude. That's just laughable. If they are 6 boxing and not using software, then there is no problem here. There actually is no problem here regardless, but just to make it clear: that solution solves none of your issues.

yeah let's make the game objectively worse for everyone so you can "spot" a few macaroni users and report them only for nothing to be done anyway. just stop it.

Also this is just wrong, anyone who goes afk on a raid without putting someone on follow is a terrorist.

Stop all speeders by taking out everyone's steering wheel.

I'm all for it!

Considering DPG has given tacit approval to use it in some capacities on non truebox servers for as long as truebox has existed... A whole lot of people here have a pretty detailed and experienced view.

It's extreme boxing like this that makes me go back to p1999 servers and appreciate how beautiful it is.

I do so appreciate the way that new accounts show up from time to time the share that "ONE WEIRD TRICK THAT WILL STOP BOXING!" Then another new account shows up to accuse anyone who isn't amazed at the brilliance of the OP as being ebil haxors?

If you like the digital North Korea that is P99 then by all means go there instead. You get what you pay for

Take 10 minutes and a google search and you will too. The point I'm making is that removing /follow is a bad idea that hurts only legitimate players. I box a full group on six different computers but let's take me out of it for a minute. Removing follow will hurt who? That dude running a full raid force for loot rights? I doubt it. The person it will hurt most is the one who two boxes or maybe three boxes. Now, instead of putting their main toon on follow, they have to manually run each guy. I assure you there are a LOT more people two boxing and maybe three boxing than there are using cheat software. Once they can't box without cheating they will either start cheating or stop playing. Even if they continue to play on a single account but cancel the other one, DPG loses. The worst part is, in the end, you stopped zero people from cheating.

Also, for everyone who can't believe people own six computers to play an old game just think about this, EQ will run on a computer you can get on ebay for less than $100. If you go on facebook marketplace or craigslist, you can get a computer that will run EQ for less than $50 and sometimes free. I know not everyone feels this way, but it is worth the extra $250 cost of entry just so that I don't HAVE to group with goobers. Having a full group means I can choose to drop boxes for friends and guild members vs having to hope I can find a friend or guild member to exp with. At this stage of my life I have zero patience for stupid people in game and zero patience for sitting LFG. I want to log in and play and boxes make sure I can. Personally, at this point I think everyone should have at least a second box. If nothing else put a bard on it and /melody to victory.

Also, here is some advice if you do want to box multiples. Don't pick high maintenance classes. Pick some classes that play well with a single button and maybe buffing between pulls. I have seen people box a tank and a melee by using /follow so that the melee DPS is within range of the mob. That is too much effort for me. Necro, mage, and wizard are the DPS of choice if you want to box. Actually, I will go so far as to say that if you run more than two, one should always be a mage. Why? Because call of the hero is just that good.

It won't even hurt the two or three boxers much. What it will do is encourage them to download m q 2 and continue playing with software assists.

I'm guilty of boxing with my "6 computers". Wink wink, Nudge Nudge

Nice setup, Gnomie!

So to loop back, I refuse to believe OP is naive enough to think follow is what boxers use... so the idea must be to remove follow and anyone still autofollowing must be using stick and is therefore hacking and can be banned?

I like this idea. Let's do it on every truebox server. Nothing could go wrong.