Please, for the love of … Jesus, stop saying “automates , automatic, auto-gameplay, etc”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-boxing
Particular : Multiboxing is generally allowed by MMORPG End User License Agreements, because the characters are still subject to all the normal rules of the game world and are controlled by the player directly. This is in contrast to bots that partially or fully control the characters, which are against the terms of service of most online games.[7]
Okay - legitimately want to understand so hear me out please. Maybe I can bridge this communication gap.
Can we agree that 1 keystroke is then duplicated across multiple accounts? if that’s true, then can the action taken by the charcters in those accounts beyond the primary account be considered automated.
Maybe I’m not clear on how the software works. That’s my understanding of it.
The spirit is the same, the only reason why it isn’t also illegal is just because it’s harder to prove it.
Checking if there’s another instance of the game in the same session and OS environment is trivial, but having to check same IP and same keystrokes at the same time it would be more complex.
One could say “we were 2 close people playing the same game, so it makes sense both doing the same”. It would be ultra low credibility, but it could be the case. However, 2 different people can’t play simultaneously in the same PC.
So to speak, but keep in mind that is still bound to the rule of 1 keystroke 1 action, so there is nothing wrong with it. Plus, you are pressing it, not an automated software.
Here we are again. Please understand that automation, not related to the machinery definition which you gave it to me earlier, because in some years, that definition will be gone, because machineries will really be 100% automatic, means that a Key is pressed without the user interaction ( in the video game definition, so you can really understand what i’m talking about ).
So again, you are wrong. There is no “automated, automatic, auto …whatever” , in Multiboxing.
Clearly, but is fine. That’s why there is this open discussion forum. So we can all learn …stuff.
Appreciate the explanation - thanks. Still sounds a bit sketchy to me, but I guess that is the gray area everyone refers to.
No, that is definitely not what minimum means. It only means the smallest amount. That amount might still be really, really large.
And obviously, the smallest amount of key presses you can do (when doing key presses…) is 1.
Heck, even if you automate a sequence of actions, you still need to press “start” a some point.
Do you have to be hurt by something, to be against it?
It is borderline cheating/botting. Seems completely reasonable to ban it online. Of course, if the game could be played offline, you can go do whatever. And of course, as long as Blizzard has not stated otherwise, multiboxing automation is perfectly fine to use.
But it clearly isnt. 1 keystroke => multiple actions.
Unless you are clicking on everything individually, for each character. In which case you dont need the software anyway.
Exactly! Is…in the middle so to speak.
I am very much against automation game-play, which means that a char is more or less, played by a (bot) software, without user interaction. This are ruining a game entirely.
Playing with Multiboxing, is at least half the time, kinda frustrating ( for the player who uses it ) , because is a pain to press all the key’s, which are many and keep your chars close to each-other. E de-sync will fck up all your chars and you will spend the next minutes just… arranging them!
So that’s why I keep saying that is very, very different then a bot for exemple or an automated script.
Thanks Shadout - those are the points I was trying to get across, but he kept getting hung up on my use of the word automation.
Well said.
I used to multi-box Wow with 2 accounts and EQ with 3 accounts and I never used any third party software or keystroke mirror software, so I do not think it is dead. You just have to get gud.
"Unlike the forms of botting you mentioned, multi-boxing requires user input and does not automate any aspect of gameplay. Each time an action is performed it is controlled by a real player sitting at their computer controlling multiple accounts. "
Aradek, Customer Service Member
“Nah, it’s one person using one keyboard to simultaneously control more than one account. There’s no automation in that case.
If there is, then it’s against policy.
Dig?”
Belfaire, Customer Service Member
That comparation is wrong. Automation in the Online Environment means a program/script which is doing the said …thing without the user interaction. Ok? We good? You got it? Great …
I kinda failed to realize what you really want to say here. Sorry, try again…maybe after reading my first point …
Yes it is 1 keystroke 1 action. If it wasn’t the case, then as I said, Blizzard would of ban Multiboxer long before … right?
What are YOU saying is completely different.
Multiple actions => means that 1 char is doing 2 or more actions at the same time with just 1 Keystroke, which is not the case.
…but to play after your rules , you realize that there are Macro’s in game right? Which literally 1 Keystroke => Multiple Actions.
Happy now? Hope so! 
So, what if you had 8 PCs, each running one instance of WoW, one keyboard, and you chained some of these together so that the input from the keyboard was fed to each of the 8 PCs…
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Keyboard-Splitter-Adapter-KYC1MF/dp/B000067SLZ/
that’s perfectly okay per Blizzard. The software was banned not because of it’s original intent, but because Bot users commonly use it in pair with their bot programs in order to Bot multiple accounts.
Blizzards words, not mine.
It’s very similar to the guns laws controversy in that taking away guns from law abiding citizens isn’t going to stop the criminals from obtaining them.
Banning multiboxing software isnt going to stop the botters from using it.
That is semantics.
Blizzard seems to be talking about automated gameplay. As in, the game does something without you directly making it do so.
That is not broken by 1 keypress => multiple actions. You still caused the game to do all the actions.
It still does not change that you automated the keypresses themelves. Which, again, is different from automating the gameplay.
Blizzard has, previously, seemed to focus on making automated gameplay illegal.
I am not arguing about Blizzards “legal” line in the sand. I am simply stating, that if you use software to simulate software, that fits really well within the definition of automation. And that it imo is very reasonable not to allow that in your video game.
As above, I am talking about automating keypresses. You looking at something else, claiming there is no automation over there, is kinda irrelevant.
And no, a script still runs with some amount of user interaction. You activate the script at one point (which might of course be long before it runs).
Why? They have allowed multiboxing with 1 key => multiple actions until now (and maybe they still do), so why do you think they would have banned people over it?
No. It means 1 key => 5 characters doing 1 action each => 5 actions. Yes, 5 is “multiple”.
Yes.
As said before:
Same goes for macros.
Blizzard has reigned in what macros can do in the past. Exactly because it was automating too much. And I or anyone else, are of course allowed to think that more types of macros should be removed from the game.
multiboxing for D3 is still allowed untill we get a bluepost from them on the Diablo 3 forums if or a post is made about inputs for diablo 3 … im done talking after this
only thing that matters is a bluepost on d3 forums
wow forums has no jurisdiction hear
you’re wrong though.
Your post is misleading. Multiboxing by itself is not a bannable offense. Using software to automate it IS. If you are multiboxing, and using methods where 1 KP (keypress) equates to more than 1 action, then you are breaking the rules. If you are multiboxing and 1KP = 1 action, you are not breaking rules. I know some folks are hard against any type of multiboxing, but if they are doing it within the rules, you need to learn to deal with it.
How is it automating keypressing … the key I AM literally pressing it?!
Again, don’t confuse …machinery automatic definition from wikipedia, with Online Automation.
They allowed ( and still allowing in D3 at least ), because there is NO automation process in Multiboxing. C’mon man! The moment a script automated the game-play, Blizzard would of been the first to ban the users using it. Is this so hard to understand?
…and I’m not going to bother with whatever you wrote after that. I mean I read it, but not going to reply to the said points because is…useless it seems.
Cheers!
Using the key clone software at all now in WoW can result in an account action. While it can be used for the very basics that are not really automation, it has advanced to some nefarious abilities so is now actioned. Policy Update for Input Broadcasting Software
Basically they have gone for looking for speeding on the street to simply banning driving on the street all together.
Instead of pressing 5 buttons to do 5 actions, you press 1 button.
The automation is turning 5 button presses into 1.
What does Online have to do with anyting? It is the exact same concept no matter if it is done online or offline.
They dont ban all botters, since they cant detect them. And as you mentioned, they dont ban automation in mods. Not sure why you expect Blizzard would necessarily ban everyone who use gameplay automation.