Hardware isn’t mentioned in the blue post about “Policy Update for Input Broadcasting Software”.
So that means we’re allowed to use Hardware to mirror keystrokes or is ALL mirroring of keystrokes banned? My assumption is that 100% of mirroring keystrokes, referring to what I said above, is bannable now for good. Regardless if it’s hardware or software.
Closest thing I can think of is a KVM switch. With software it’s quite easy to detect (based on what I know about Warden) As for hardware, I have no idea.
I don’t think a SFAs is gonna say “hardware options are allowed” From what I read of the policy change, it’s mostly software key-cloning and mirroring in relation to botting and exploiting. We are getting into rule lawyering territory though.
Honestly, I personally think it needs a bit more clarification (about hardware solutions).
The hardcore multiboxers are gonna have to adapt. The few I talked to are going old school with multiple machines and keyboards/mice and monitors. I think the days of 10+ boxers are finished.
Multiboxing, or playing multiple World of Warcraft accounts at once, is not a violation of our Terms of Use. Please note, however, that use of input broadcasting software may result in account penalties.
For more information on our stance about input broadcasting software, please visit https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23558957/policy-update-for-input-broadcasting-software
Running multiple accounts on individual PCs with a single wireless keyboard and mouse is still permitted, and does not violate the new policy forbidding input-broadcasting software.
I didn’t even think about wireless…
My 2 cents as a multiboxer, they left and will leave it likely “as is” to be able to ban anyone doing spot farming, like mount or material, this is the biggest problem, because many people bot using software like this automating the whole process and it is really hard to be sure if the player is using autohotkey, hotkeynet or isboxer to replicate keys or to bot.
BUT replicating keys using hardware, even though it’s not explicitly said, can be considered an exploit, because you would be clearly doing something to bypass a rule using a detail …
So far my only concern is, will we be allowed to use broadcasting to use the macro/move to:
follow?
Move back/ahead/ …?
Jump?
Mount?
If so, wouldn’t be wiser for blizzard to create a way for us that is limited to certain things(like the ones said above), so we could be sure we wouldn’t be doing something wrong and also blizzard could be sure everything is being done inside the rules without leaving players hanging with doubts and fears.
Because the thing is, if not, multiboxing is nearly dead and some markets are going to crash very very soon(many already have), because some zones are impossible to just use follow once then move to where you want to go(cause of phasing issues).
For instance, moving from SW to The Cape of Stranglethorn will require about 10 follows, if I were to alt tab 10 accounts to do that, let’s say about 3s per account, we got 10 x 10 x 3s = 300s = 5min, so a 4~5min trip becomes a 10min trip …
Around Icecrown the follow is broken at least once every 30s to 1min, Uldum there are spots that every 5 yards is one phase(near the top)
No I plan on hardware mb as I have done the last 2 expansions you can serlt your mouse and keyboard (provided you have good ones) to alloy ingame overlay
Blizzard has clarified this in a Support article
Just curious, but have you got one acct banned at any time? Brother did a few months ago, but was reversed right away.
None of these answered my question. I didn’t ask if multiboxxing was banned or not. You’re allowed to run multiple accounts at the same time but Blizzard didn’t define multiboxxing as “mirrored keystrokes to multiple game clients” directly nor did they define what “playing” is.
Multiboxing, or playing multiple World of Warcraft accounts at once, is not a violation of our Terms of Use.
Playing multiple accounts at the least means I can simply, have the game clients running at the same time and manually switching between them to play. Obviously who would do that with 10 accounts? Some would, but that’s why we’re still confused.
According to Blizzard, I’m multiboxing if I have multiple computers with the game clients running separately on them. Thats it. Thats multiboxxing. To multibox you don’t need to mirror keystrokes.
There are a few points of confusion that needs clarification because some people were asking if hardware was still bannable. There is no definitive answer for if Hardware and Software is considered the same under the policy of “Input Broadcasting Software”.
Please note, however, that use of input broadcasting software may result in account penalties.
So now we know that strictly speaking, Blizzard only confirmed “running multiple accounts is permitted” but not “Input Broadcasting Software”. We don’t have clarification if Hardware is considered under the definition of “Input Broadcasting Software”. Obviously it says Software but then there were other statements made about “mirroring keystrokes”.
If Blizzard would just clarify if “using hardware to mirror keystrokes between multiple game clients” is now bannable or still permitted, directly, that would solve the issue. Right now we don’t have a clarification on hardware.
So it goes back to my original post, is hardware that mirrors keystrokes to multiple WoW clients bannable under the policy update to Input Broadcasting Software?
I haven’t seen Blizzard say this. Do you have a link to that? They’re not likely to provide more beyond what’s in the Support Article that Ruffle already linked.
They have only referenced software, not hardware as being bannable. If they wanted to specify hardware, they certainly would have.
I don’t think Blizzard needs to define the difference between hardware and software as they’re completely different things.
Edit: Looks like this got moved from CS over to Gen. Disc.
Did they say anything about hardware in the policy update? Then no, they didn’t change the policy in regards to hardware. As an example, using a wireless keyboard and mouse linked to multiple PCs isn’t against the rules. The only thing that has changed is that you can no longer use software to send a single input to multiple clients.
Yes there is. If you read their policy it clearly states “software”.
“Please note, however, that use of input broadcasting software may result in account penalties.”
If they intended it to cover both, they wouldn’t have went out of their way to focus solely upon software. They are aiming at the application that has become popular among bots.
Just because I feel like OP won’t be satisfied unless s/he sees some blue text:
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/can-you-please-clarify-a-few-things-regarding-multiboxing/707988/14?u=teufelgott-shadowsong
WoW multiboxers should really take a hint from EvE multiboxers.
Only hint I currently have is “don’t use software”
Got it Blizz 
The focus of the announcement yesterday was prohibiting Input Broadcast Software, no other restrictions have been announced regarding hardware.
[Vrakthris]
5757 posts
Customer Support
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/can-you-please-clarify-a-few-things-regarding-multiboxing/707988/14
Blizzard won’t help. They won’t publish a handy guide “Here is how to work around our restrictions.”