On November 3, 2020, we posted an update to our policy for input broadcasting software, and soon thereafter, we began taking action against accounts found to be using third party software to automatically mirror keystrokes to multiple game clients. We find that, like full automation of play, multiple-account mirroring disturbs the gameplay experience for the vast majority of players who control a single account at a time.
We will now additionally prohibit the use of all software and hardware mechanisms to mirror commands to multiple World of Warcraft accounts at the same time, or to automate or streamline multi-boxing in any way. Players found to be in violation of this policy are subject to account actions. These actions can include warnings, account suspensions and, if necessary, permanent closure of the player’s World of Warcraft account(s), as activities which effectively replicate automated gameplay are contrary to the terms and conditions of the Blizzard End-User License Agreement (EULA).
We urge all players to cease using any means of mirroring gameplay across multiple WoW accounts immediately, in order to maintain uninterrupted access to World of Warcraft.
What if I achieve it without software? Playing all 5 accounts, no software to streamline it, unless you count your own game’s video settings.
If I clear a TBC dungeon this way, will you ban me?
It sounds like you want to stop us clearing dungeons entirely. I have no problem with your TOS update, but if you want to stop us clearing dungeons, why don’t you just say “If you can clear content designed for more than one person, we’ll ban you”
In which case lets talk about Slave Pens mage farming.
Wish they woulda just made this no software or hardware rule to start with. I started using software that didn’t use Input Broadcasting when they said “no input broadcasting” back in November 2020, got a 6 monther for that. If they woulda just said this out of the get go, I woulda been fine. They let us find loopholes the first time.
This means you cannot operate several accounts with the same inputs at one time. if you are manually playing 5 accounts at once with no input mirroring, that is allowed.
Tons of people got banned from the automated system who weren’t using any software at all. It’s well known in our community. An appeal usually reverses it a couple days later.
If you’re manually tabbing between each tab with a multi-monitor or windowed setup, you will be fine. If you have some elaborate mechanical contraption (or indeed, a single keyboard that is hardwired to mirror its commands to more keyboards, which then send those inputs to other clients/computers), you will be banned.
The point is that you can’t be doing multiple commands with one input.
A grey area seems to be if you have a setup that sends different commands to different clients but only to one client each, so say I have “1” bound to something on a client and then “2” bound to that same thing, if I press those buttons simultaneously, that would be 1 keypress per command but that still seems like they would ban you.
I took their initial statement to include anything that could be implied. No broadcasting software, no using sticks to press buttons on multiple keyboards at the same time, no manipulating your OS to do stuff…
Stop friggin doing it. They said “mirroring.” Doing things at the same time. It’s not that difficult. Instead of looking for loopholes, just darn stop. I play two accounts regularly. I alt-tab between my two screens that overlap. NO ISSUES. I don’t use addons, software, hardware… my god is it that difficult to understand? You cannot do what you used to be able to do without risk of being banned.
I’m not looking for loopholes. I’m just checking to see what is allowed and not allowed.
I always operate within the defined rules of this game. So I’m just doing my part as a member of the community to bring in to focus the meaning of this particular wording:
or streamline multi-boxing in any way
So if I use windows 10 operating system and World of Warcraft.exe and clear a 5 man TBC dungeon as a single player with 5 characters, am I operating within the rules?
He’s asking for clarification because the wording of their post is ridiculously vague. You are using the command in your operating system to alt-tab between accounts to multibox, according to their update if they decided that alt-tabbing was streamlining multiboxing you could receive a ban.
Moving your mouse over to your second window? You just used hardware (your mouse) to streamline the multiboxing process. Enjoy your ban.
alt-tab is not “steamlining.” By that definition al-tabbing out of the game to iTunes could flag you to be banned.
Don’t be asinine. You KNOW what they mean. It’s “vague” on purpose, and the only people that see it that way are people looking for any way to keep doing what they were doing.
If Blizzard wants to ban multiboxing, they need to man up and ban it directly, but they won’t do that because they’ll lose subs.
You act like multiboxers are being nefarious in their continued attempts. I think Blizzard is being nefarious by not standing up to their shareholders.
No, I’m not acting like they are being nefarious. I’m acting like they are being hardheaded. Big difference
Part of the reason for that is how multiboxxers have played with semantics over the years (coming from a multiboxxer). It’s not “you” I’m snippy with btw, but just the whole of the situation. Blizz has always been vague, and they do that on purpose. So you and I have to take extra levels of precaution when multi-boxxing. Any wording they use people are going to over analyze and try to take advantage of, hence the vagueness.
Basically, they want each client manually controlled. There are some macros you can use, but even some of that functionality (especially through some addons) can get you in trouble.
Honest question, I do have my bias based on my experiences with multiboxers over the years:
Why do you feel multboxing is gameplay that is good for the game/community?
Reason I ask, is all I have ever seen multboxers do is leverage the single input for a pvp benefit and to have an advantage over a low level zone or characters on their own. I’ve played since vanilla across the different expansions and this has been common throughout. So I’m genuine with my question of wanting to understand why multiboxers feel their type of gameplay is good for the game or for the community?
I’m a min/maxer. I will do whatever I can within the rules to maximize my advantage.
I’m not the only one. Other people do it as well. Min/max is something I enjoy so I keep doing it.
If they modify the rules to ban multiboxing entirely, that’s fine with me, because I know everyone else has to stop multiboxing too, not just me.
What’s “good for the game” is not my responsibility, nor do I have the power to change people’s behavior. Blizzard has the power to change behavior through policy and enforcement, and it is their responsibility to do so.
The thing that bothers me is that Blizzard spends time on things like multiboxing, but I can go out to Azshara right now and /wave at a warlock who has been botting for the last 3 months even after multiple reports.
It’s disturbing to me that a player like myself who spends so much energy to stay within the rules is being targeted, while Blizzard continues to allow the RMT machine to operate at full steam.
I have to answer that from two different perspectives: how I play, and how I’ve seen others use it.
I’ve leveled on pvp servers and been hit with 5 spells at the same time, repeatedly. However, I’ve also seen multiboxxers helping people with difficult stuff that takes more than 2 people, including the opposing faction. I’ve seen the same kind of abuse/charity from people on individual characters, so it leads me to question whether the problem is multiboxxing or the intentions of the person playing the character(s).
Most of what I do involves two accounts. I quest, group, help people, etc. I get out of the way of others and lend a hand if needed just as I do when I play a single character.
I guess my answer involves addressing the problem I see with the question. The question assumes the person answering already has a stance on whether multiboxxing is good or bad for the community. I don’t think it fits neatly into a box like that. Similar to training mobs on a person. It can happen accidentally, or be used on purpose and can be bannable (I remember Blizz doing that back in TBC).
It’s also a question of quantity imo. 40 accounts training and nuking everybody they target… come on, we know that’s not right even if it is funny to see sometimes. 2 accounts even. But, by that same token, my friends and I can get on Discord and easily coordinate 2-5 people to nuke one person.
That’s fair and to a certain extent people will perceive you as a potential botter if you are farming dungeons with auto-following alt accounts. It is their perception, not really the reality. I dont think people dislike boxers for their farming advantages or being able to solo content, but more about how they are using it against other players for that min/max pvp advantage. I do not think the intended design was for 1 player to press a key and 5 deathcoils fly out, followed by 5 corruptions, etc. I get the concept of min maxing, but my line is when it becomes more about ruining other people’s gaming experience because you can.
THAT is what annoyed me about it. I STILL see these 1 priest 4 mage bot packs roaming on multiple servers. Hunter bots in Hinterlands. It’s rampant. And nothing is done about it.
