Multiboxing positivity

Community General Discussion
885

Okay. History time. Dug up the doc.:

GM Belfaire on 'boxing:

Q: Is using one keyboard to send signals to multiple instances of WoW automation? In other words, what is the definition of automation as it applies to WoW?

GM Belfaire: Using a keyboard setup like what you’re describing? Not automation.
Setting up a macro with said keyboard that would, for example, automatically press Fireball each time it was available? Automation.

Q: Software (such as Keyclone, Octopus, etc) to emulate a keyboard multiboxing solution is, by nature, “3rd party”. Is “3rd party software” synonymous with “bot” or “automation”? Are all types of “3rd party software” bannable?

GM Belfaire: Is it sending an identical signal to all client windows or switching between them to send commands? Not automation.
Is it playing the game for you, or rather, for one of your client windows? Automation.

Q: Likewise, hardware, by nature, is “3rd party”. What kinds (or uses) of 3rd party hardware are bannable?

GM Belfaire: All hardware is considered neutral as long as its commands and features are not being used to automate gameplay.

Q: Does multiboxing give a player an in-game advantage?

GM Belfaire: Yes --and so does grouping.

Q: Therefore, can multiboxing be considered an exploit?

GM Belfaire: No. We consider it be an alternative playstyle; not everyone can do it, but if a person is willing to devote the concentration and capital to such a venture–legitimately–we’re perfectly fine with it. Five multiboxed accounts can be feared and CCed just like five solo accounts.

Q: Multiboxing can be considered by some as “against the spirit of the game” or, at least, "against the spirit of the game the way I want to play it ". Is multiboxing against the “spirit of the game”?

GM Belfaire: See above.

Q: Multiboxers provide Blizzard with a significant amount of extra income, and that, and only that, is the reason why is it currently allowed. True/false?

GM Belfaire: Patently false. All accounts should be allowed to be played as they see fit provided that they’re playing within our policies. In cases of mulitboxing, all accounts involved are playing the same as any other account, only simultaneously.

Q: Multiboxing is only allowed because there is no reliable way for Blizzard to find, identify, and catch them. True/false?

GM Belfaire: Almostly hilariously false .
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Vrakthris: Support Forum Agent

What each class is that is used when someone multi-boxes is entirely irrelevant. Regardless if you have 5 characters that are controlled by 5 individuals or 5 characters controlled by 1, if they are working together, they will often beat the ill prepared and those who number less than themselves.

Though, keep in mind that while a multi-boxer may be able to cast 5 spells at the same time, they also can be disrupted fairly easy.

“But like others have said, they make a computer program to help boxing, that in fact is a breach of blizzard rules. They say no external programme.”

Thanks, but we are very much aware of our policies and how these programs work, more so than most. As long as the actions taken are not otherwise automated (i.e. the registered user of the account must be in direct control of each action the characters take), they are not currently considered against our policies.

“Wow kinda sounds like boxing.”

No, it doesn’t.

“Same way as if i was to log into wow, i can tell the programme to “automatically” fill in my information and I click ok and enter. Am i really automated it. The answer is yes.”

No, I’m afraid you appear to be misunderstanding what automation actually entails.

Multi-boxing has been covered endlessly. Some will agree with our policies, some may come to understand them and others will never do so. While your opinion is appreciated, this subject is not in need of further discussion.

Snipped for general comment.

[quote]Vrakthris: Support Forum Agent

Multi-boxing has been covered endlessly. Some will agree with our policies, some may come to understand them and others will never do so.[/quote]

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

And finally, some old history -

[quote=“37641898619”](Rathadin – Mal’ganis) EDIT: Oh yeah, for those that don’t know, a lot of the original WOW development team were EverQuest multi-boxers, just FYI.

You know that ogre out in Dustwallow Marsh? Mudcrush Durtfeet? Well he’s named after… you guessed it… the ogre shaman Mudcrush Durtfeet from , which was Rob Pardo / Jeffrey Kaplan (Tigole)'s EverQuest guild.

He was a legendary multi-boxer. Its ingrained into the company from, quite literally, the highest higher ups down to the quest writers. Multiboxing isn’t going anywhere.[/quote]

Enjoy.

3 Likes
886

I’ve linked it before
https://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/38904-multiboxing-rules-and-semantics/
people don’t care what Blizzard says which you’ll find out when someone responds to you.

2 Likes
887

Seems pretty simple, doesnt it?
haters gotta cloud it up because otherwise they dont have any argument at all to stand on

888
1 Like
889

funny thing about that is they may as well be arguing with Parker Brothers about collecting $200 when I pass go. It literally doesnt matter at all what they choose to believe or how much they want to have the power to define things.

Talk about entitled, lol.
All this because they think theyre owed more gold for their mats and as one of them said above…they dont like their nodes being stolen LMBO

890

I love “LMBO” because I read it as laughing my booty off. Hehe booty.

1 Like
891

I don’t know what a sealion is? I’ll look it up later. Also, the thread hadn’t scrolled for me and I was responding to the first post :joy: I dont know if it’s my firefox browser but it’s a pain to scroll down on these forums. One of the sentences jumped out at me from the several paragraphs of the very first post so I wanted to ask for clarification.

892

I defined it sort of in my paragraph.

Here is the official definition.

Sealioning (also spelled sea-lioning and sea lioning) is a type of trolling or harassment which consists of pursuing people with persistent requests for evidence or repeated questions, while maintaining a pretense of civility and sincerity. It may take the form of “incessant, bad-faith invitations to engage in debate”.

893

hm, I don’t think so, what does sealioning even mean anyways? :stuck_out_tongue:

894

Need to make a sticky for this one, lol.

895

Actually if you think about it at this point I wouldn’t believe it does. When you can control multiple toons to grind what ever…mats or dungeons you are generating enough gold to be able to buy the in game tokens from the auction house and it doesn’t cost a person a thing minus time to do so.

1 Like
896

That’s pretty gross and not me. I’ve looked into doing a double account just to ease farming times but ultimately I realised I don’t have the dedication for it. I consider that if I had to use outside programs to be effective then I wouldn’t feel that I was personally playing. Others, obviously, feel differently. I don’t have a problem with it as a whole. However, it would be nice if the multiboxers practiced civility when they’re doing what they’re doing.

897

The only thing I think that is worth discussing is that there is no “counter-measure” when it comes to farming. (unless in war-mode)

However, as far as I can see, Blizzard

a) doesn’t like high prices and 'boxing gatherers drive prices down

b) they control the spawn rate and feel that it is sufficient, regardless of who is farming the nodes and in what burst pattern

I’ve always felt that Blizzard wants to live in two, incompatible worlds in regards to gathering/crafting.

The first world is ground zero where everyone belonged to a guild and guildmates helped each other. Trade was for purchasing, but for those solo players, they had an AH at stupid prices, and who would do that!?

The second world is where there is a thriving economy and a playerbase diverse enough to attract players who’s game is the AH/economy! Cutthroat rules and AH pvp is the soup of the day!

I do think there is an argument to make, that in the case of gathering, there is no off-set or balancing negatives to 'boxing that makes it a fairly even playing field. However, once the frothing at the mouth is done over “where are my nodes!” (in GoT mode) and who took them, the real discussion is about availability and accessibility design.

Interjecting 'boxing into the discussion of what is perceived as zone disruption in the area of node gathering just allows Blizz off the hook of the real discussion: What are acceptable farming expectations, and how do we demonstrate the need for more seeding and/or zone expansion?

3 Likes
898

Civility like the antiboxers who tell me to take my own life while I am multibox leveling at 3am?

899

These two statements are obviously not mutually exclusive as if I’m asking for civility of multi-boxers (like you see me going to pick an herb why would you then drop all 5 of your druids and take it from me instead of letting me go first? I’m getting one, you’re getting a lot more) then I’m obviously stating that it extends both ways.

900

A fresh node can be gathered from 10 times, they may have thought it’d be fine :man_shrugging:

901

I personally think that people are exploiting the herb situation. However I recognize that it’s a blizzard created situation.

Overly-aggressive crz.
Multitap nodes.
Too small an area for a high value item.

I think people should report for economic exploitation and move on.

I don’t think everyone who multiboxes is guilty, or a terrible person, and I don’t think it’s fair to people like me to have our playstyle taken away because of bad actors and Blizzard’s failures.

I’m tired of being the scapegoat.

Finally. People race for nodes. This has been a thing for years. There’s no civility in it and there never has been.

902

I’ve never boxed for gathering, but I will point out this:

Rarely is your display in sync with my display, and often times confusion is sown when my character appears at a node just as your character begins the action of gathering and then my character mounts and flys off with the node.

Lag. There is always lag, and it is worse when there is more characters on screen. For some connections, most likely, they never saw you until they were in the air again.

So as much as I do try to be polite, what your asking for is only possible on a scatter-shot basis due to client/server/client synch. It’s why RP’ers can never really walk side by side together.

903

Been seeing a lot of boxers of late. Theyve all been very civil and even let me hit the node before they farmed it.
Not sure what youre talking about.

904

Multiboxing is not botting.

A single button press results in a single action per client window. If you think that’s botting, then congratulations on redefining the term so broadly that it applies to everyone who has ever played the game, including you.