For a true box server the official statement is that the following is prohibited: Using 3rd party software. Any method to send one key press to multIple characters. All the software breaks the first rule and some of them break the second. Now obviously 3rd party software is pretty broad. By their own rules they could ban you for using gameparse, or anything else they don’t like that day. If you wanted to be able to 100% argue your not breaking any rule you would want to use a KVM switch, because then your using 3rd party hardware and not software...yippie loophole. Not saying anyone has/is/should be banned for using broadcast software, just reposting the closest we have to an official rule.
Ok, so there are a few points that need to be addressed. 1. The Definition of 'Casual' or 'Hardcore' is a personal opinion. We all have our own thoughts on what each one is, and for the most part they are variations on ~5-10 themes. Some examples: - How many Characters/Accounts do you play at once. - How hard do you push to complete things first (max level, quest items, raid encounters). - How much time do you have to play each week. - Do you prefer to hang out and chat, or need to be productive constantly. - Do you want to advance through expansions as quickly as possible or hang around in each one for months. 2. If you want to make a No Box server, I hope you have good ideas on how to implement. The most likely would be a combination of Truebox code, plus 1 account per public IP address. But it's still very easy to bypass that and run multiple devices from a single computer with a single public ip. From my 1 PC, that is set up as an overpowered gaming rig. I can easily run multiple Virtual Machines, Connect each VM to a different proxy site, and then load and run 1+(# of VM) instances of EQ. And every instance of EQ will be the only instance running on that PC/VM and each one will connect to the EQ Servers from a Different public IP. At that point if I'm running 5 VM's on that machine (My PC can easily run that many VM's with enough resources on each VM to run EQ) I can still box a entire group from 1 physical PC, even if you set up a server that only allowed 1 account per PC AND only allowed 1 account per IP address. When you consider that EQ was played over 14Kbps modems when it came out, connecting through vpn proxies is not going to be a problem. 3. So you want to remove the group exp bonus and just add a flat exp bonus... I fail to see how this hurts anyone... other than classes that can't find groups or solo (sorry Warriors/Rogues!)... It does help the classes that can solo but can't find groups, and doesn't effect anyone that brings their own group wherever they go. I'm not sure I agree with the level ranges/times, but this does bring out an interesting concept... still a few issues i see with it. I don't think this would prevent hardcore players. In fact I think it would provide them with a unique challenge. See exactly what things they COULD accomplish while still restricted to specific levels. Also outside of Classic how would this differ from normal servers, In Kunark do you unlock with no level increase first, then a couple weeks lvl 55, then 60... Velious/Luclin (and other expansions without level increases.) do you try to restrict zone access? That would cause all sorts of issues... Do you prevent certain mobs from spawning (would be less issues, but still some...) What about a casual player who is between jobs or has time off and chooses to play, now they are being prevented from leveling during a time they actually have time to do so. Ultimately I see this as less Casual, more just plain restrictive. Sounds like a good idea, but 1: They'd have to step up GM support first. 2: how do you identify work arounds? How do you say that you know that the person is not "Trueboxing"? You could very easily set up 6 characters on 6 PC's following Truebox code, automating nothing, controlling so every action is done at a manual press of a key, which is following their policy 100%. But easily have 4 of those PC's connected to a KVM Switch so that 1 keyboard is broadcasting commands to each PC. So I can have Cleric/Enchanter/Mage x4 where I run the Cleric and Enchanter independantly, but can control all 4 mages with macros that just issue the same command to all 4 at once when I press a button. /follow... /pet attack.... /cast 2.... /sit.... It may look like i am automating them, because they always do the same thing at once... but they are still manually controlled with not so much as third party software... Now, don't take any of this to think that I am against implementing a true 1 character per person server (I would love to see that!).... I just don't know how they are going to actually implement that in this day and age short of setting up some kind of individualized account association... You have to link yourself to 1 specific account, and any un-linked account can't access the server? And even that doesn't prevent me from having a group of friends link accounts to them, or a group of people share account information and work together to keep the characters going 24/7 working to get what each person needs....
Not to be a Debbie downer or anything, but using a KVM to broadcast the same commands to 4 mages at once is against the current true box ruleset. It violates: “Any method to send one key press to multIple characters. ” Which is prohibited. Using a KVM to control them all independently would not be a violation. And using VM’s is also a violation for some of your other stuff.
This was discussed ad infinum at the launch of Phinny. Obviously not all software is included in the 3rd party rule, because then you couldn't have a web browser open while playing eq, or play music in the background, or even for that matter run windows--it is 3rd party software. The rule is there so they can ban people for whatever they feel like, but literally everyone on the server breaks the letter of the law here, for any software they decide they don't like, without having to defend their decision in any way. Even a hardware KVM doesn't get around this completely, because guess what, there is firmware running on the KVM (unless you go truly old school with a KVM that has hardwired connections and a physical switch.)
I consider myself a casual raider. I need to be able to play at scheduled times, and only at those scheduled times. Sometimes I have to leave with zero advanced notice. Therefore, I can't afford to log in and sit around for 1 hour waiting for a group. I can't be the MT in a group and suddenly log with 30 seconds of notice. My solution is to box 6 toons and have a built in group on demand the moment I log in that doesn't care if I suddenly log out. Being able to box is the only thing keeping this casual player in the game, so I contend boxing is a very casual behavior.
What you are illustrating is neither hardcore nor casual, just selfish. Im not saying thats a bad thing and you definitely are not the only person who feels this way. You want to do what you want to do, immediately, at the time you want to do it in game so you choose to box a group worth of characters. Thats fine, its an old game and most players are grown adults with other things going on so nothing wrong with your approach, but I dont think that makes you a casual player(or hardcore) just you dont want to spend any time at all dealing with the classic social aspect of EQ(finding a group). EDIT because I hit submit too fast: Back in the day, I could only play as you have described. Limited time, may have to leave at a moments notice. There were entire times when all I did was log in and run from one zone to another and back LFG before logging out or I had to solo. That was part of the game and to me, made leveling up or getting the gear I was trying to get that more meaningful, to each their own. What Im getting at is if that playstyle running 6 characters makes you casual, what would that make someone with the same situation and only running 1 character? To them, you would be very hardcore indeed.
No thats for broadcasting scripts, Multiplicity doesnt to my knowledge allow you to send commands to multiple PCs with one key press... its just a switch to go back and forth between 1 PC or the other for your keyboard and mouse... you can only control 1 computer at a time, its just easy to switch between them Absolutely not against the rules at all, no different than a physical KVM switch or something They use a broad term "3rd party software" to cover their butts, but they aren't going after people for using log parsers or anything like that... tons of people openly use all kinds of log parsers for raiding, etc... some stuff that i won't even try cause it seems a bit blurry as to whether or not its legit but using a software to switch between 1 computer or another for my keyboard/mouse across my local network is as insignificant as it gets in terms of 3rd party software
Basically what I said, it breaks their catch all rule. So we can’t say “well we didn’t know”, but I don’t think they care. But people do get mixed up on (like a couple post up) is that using synergy as a KVM AND to broadcast to (his example) 4 mages at once. That is clearly a violation of their rules. Now, the way they worded it implied broadcast was acceptable on live, but banned on truebox.
Selfish only in the same sense that you are being selfish if you sit down to watch a TV show when you could be out feeding the poor at a homeless shelter. This is entertainment. We all play this game to have fun. Let's not create some false sense of obligation that says we must work to make it fun for everyone else, or we are being selfish.
Exactly this is like saying the guy who buys a boat and goes out on the water by himself to fish instead of sitting on the shore with everyone else to crack jokes and enjoy the day is selfish. Some people just enjoy doing certain things by themselves. Not everyone needs constant interactions with other people to get enjoyment in life.
Back to the original point, i have to agree that boxing on TLP isn't very casual if you run more than 1 or 2. Some of these crazy extreme examples of having no time but still paying for 6 accounts monthly reeks of either bull excrement or a hardcore mentality for EQ. Who pays damn near 90 dollars a month to play an mmo by themselves for acouple hours a night? Surely not a casual or ultra casual.
Your assumption is that 90 dollars a month is a lot of money for everyone and its actually 60 bucks a month if someone is willing to buy yearly subs. There are people that make that in an hour or two which will in tern provide them with several hours of entertainment a month. I can easily blow through 90 bucks in minutes at the casino. There are people willing to pay hundreds if not thousands a year to go to sporting events that last a couple of hours. Dinner and a movie costs what again these days? Your assessment is rather flawed because you cant perceive yourself actually spending that much money casually on something you enjoy. Not everyone is broke or cheap. There are some people that are willing to pay that much for entertainment without all of the bull excrement that you refer to. They would rather just pay the price, log in, and have their couple hours of entertainment before calling it a day returning to their daily grind.
I’ll even stick with video games for my example because it’s less dependent on where you live. $90 is about the price of 1 game (standard edition) + season pass (or 1 NES game, back in the day + inflation since most of us are older). How many gamers are willing to buy <12 games a year? A lot.
Exactly, I was spending over 50 a month from the age of 10 using the money I made from my paper routes just on video games. I would spend even more than that on CD's as a young adult making 5 bucks an hour. Fast forward twenty years and lets just say I hope most of us are not still making what we made 20 years ago. If this is the case I can see how 60-90 bucks a month seems like a lot but in reality its cheaper than most standard cable packages or other "normal" entertainment bills that people have no problem spending money on.
You are correct, but the ultimate point was not that you can't do these things and not break any of their policies/rules. It was that you can apply measures that will bypass all of their technical restrictions. So the only thing left is them saying "you can't do this" and your response of either "Ok" or "I'll do what I want and you can't catch me". Even with the Broadcasted KVM commands, all you need is a few commands that you set up hotkeys for to do specific things on individual characters. For example, you have /sit in your #8 hotbar. So you have '8' broadcast to all 4 characters. You also have U, I, O, P unbound to other things on each character, and one letter bound to hotbar 8 on each character. When the GM confronts you, you can show them, sure it looks like I'm doing all 4 with one key press like 'this' (as you press 8) but I'm really pressing 4 individual keys at the same time, see I can demonstrate they are different (then you start pressing U, I, O, & P individually) The GM sees you controlling 1 character with 1 key press.. and has no way to prove you were ever doing anything different. Their strongest tool for preventing this sort of thing is the multiple key press monitor that will boot characters out of the game if multiple characters are issued commands from the same IP to close together. But I've seen this lovely feature kick off individual players of 1 character each just because during a fight they were both playing their characters and pressed the same key at about the same time. But as I discussed, that feature is completely bypassed if each PC or VM is using a different proxy server.
Not sure about 'Multiplicity' specifically, but there are Software KVM's out there that can. Input Director: Mirror input - Broadcast mouse gestures and/or keyboard input to all computers simultaneously
I never claimed 90 dollars was a lot of money. It is however a lot of money for a CASUAL gamer, much less an ultra casual. Even 60 a month if you buy yearly is still not a casual amount to spend so you can solo a 20 year old mmo. I have seen mental gymnastics to pretend it's a totally normal casual way to game, but nothing resembling a realistic argument. I'm totally uncaring if people can box 6+ on the hardcore server, however.
I am a casual. Ultra casual means easy or fast xp the ability to play when you want meaning boxing. THe AOC negates the domination of raids by box armys so i am ok with or without truebox. I dont want to start in classic luclin with beserkers available would be great.
That’s always the life problem though, if someone doesn’t care about breaking rules (clearly defined ones, not some of the vague rules on this crap live has). Then you can come up with a technically way to bypass the rules. The more they want to stop someone, the more of a pain in the butt things have to be for normal players. The only real way to “stop” these behaviors (if you even believe they are a problem and want to) would be to change game design. Let every group spawn their own zone if they want? Automatic group/Dungeon finder? Suddenly no one cares about boxing (I’m sure someone still boxes on WoW, I just don’t understand why you would). For the casual vs hardcore argument of this post, I don’t see boxing as automatically either. Currently on live I box 4 accounts, I’m slowly leveling to max, but fully independent. I don’t play for hours on end, currently I haven’t even logged on for days. I wouldn’t consider any of this “hardcore”, but yet I pay for 4 accounts. The biggest thing I think that moves you into “hardcore” is once you play on a set raid schedule. I have no problems with this, it’s not a bad thing. But as soon as you say “I have to play EQ every Tue/Thur from 7-12pm”, that’s not casual behavior in my book. Casual players might always play those slots, but if they want to go see a movie or do something else they feel no obligation to be on the game. Hardcore (to me) starts once you feel obligated to play.
Plenty of people spend a stupid amount of money on golf clubs to play 1-2 times a year with their boss or some clients. I don’t think anyone is going to call the yearly golfer hardcore while the weekly golfer with cheaper clubs, casual based on the price of their clubs. How much money you spend on something doesn’t dictate your play style. You 6 box characters and play 2-3 hours a week? Because you like the game and probably used to be hardcore. Nothing hardcore about that play style. It’s just more expensive.
