The problem you might have with what you want to do it the process that allows you to use key 1 on WoW1 and key 2 on WoW2 as by default your keyboard can only interact with one window at a time.
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My brother has stopped multiboxing his pocket healer for the time being. He is keeping an eye on things, but he does not want to chance anything.
Vrak is not confused. No one at Blizzard is going to give a blanket “Yes” to any specific scenario. The rules are intentionally “vague” to prevent people from arguing semantics, or doing a dumb end around. If there is any question, you probably shouldn’t do it.
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What the OP is wanting to do would be considered a violation. A standard keyboard or mouse can only send input to a single game client at a time, whichever one is considered the active client. They want to use software that would allow them to use said inputs to send to multiple clients via a keypress, but not having the client the input is sending to be the active window. That would be broadcasting to multiple clients which said software is already a bannable offence to use.
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You should keep in mind that the reason that multiboxers were given for not being able to use key broadcast software anymore was because botters were using the same software to automate gameplay, and it was too difficult for their detection systems to tell if the software was being used in a “legitimate” or “illegitimate” way.
Even if the software is being used to broadcast separate key presses to each instance of the game, I wouldn’t be confident that you wouldn’t be dinged for using software to broadcast keystrokes at all. Their detection systems may not have the ability to differentiate what actions are being taken within the software and if it’s being used for an ‘allowed’ vs. a ‘not allowed’ purpose, which was, I believe, the entire reason for disallowing any use of the software.
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Intentionally vague…
Just about every doctrine ever written since the beginning of time.
Unfortunately what is “cut and dry” to you is “vague” to someone else. Like politics and religion… interpretation is what muddies the water.
The end of the line is simple… if whatever you are doing is remotely exploiting the intent of play, then it is subject to action.
You may not be breaking the rules by manipulating the market, but manipulation of the market for exploitation is.
People have found exploits in dungeons and raids… so long as they aren’t benefitting from said exploit, it may merely be hot-fixed. However using an exploit to your benefit, such as farming a particular item or asset, can result in action.
Common sense people. If you think what you are doing is remotely questionable, you’re playing with fire. Play the game as it was intended and you have nothing to worry about. Play it in a way that is deemed questionable, accept the possibility that you may be actioned for it.
People who multi-box as a means to farm materials think is isn’t harming anyone… but in fact it harms the economy thereby harming all the other players at the same time. It’s one thing to do it for a short period of time to meet some need, it’s quite another to do it 24/7 trying to make it big in Bit Coin.
So it’s vague because it depends on the actions of the individual player as to whether or not it is actionable. How you play the game determines the outcome. And most people aren’t so naive as to know they are skirting the line.
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It’s certainly not; ask away, on your main. There’s no need to hide when asking a question. You won’t get actioned or added to some “watch list” or what have you. That’s far too much paranoia for the atmosphere of CS. We help out here, not “watch out” for potential future violations. Honestly, I couldn’t be bothered with that.
However, the problem we are foreseeing is when you go about your business and multibox in the way you’ve determined (admittedly, with “clarification” from a blue) and then get subsequently actioned.
I do believe you would then link this thread and the blue comments in order to “defend” yourself because you’ve determined where the line is for account action, and in your estimate you didn’t cross it.
Don’t set yourself up for disappointment. The best, 100% guarantee you will not be actioned for multiboxing is to not use any software for it. If you use software, you take the risk.
I’d ask that you read threads like that from top to bottom. People who say they were “falsely banned” are very rarely suffering from an account action error.
Of course, they sometimes are, but it’s rare. I’ve seen it happen most often in conjunction with a ban wave where some false positives are likely to occur. It happens often when your account is compromised. It happens rarely when you are just going about your business following the rules.
In the instance of one A) multiboxing, B) using 3rd party software, and C) admittedly toeing the line of what is “accceptable” based on third party statements that aren’t even guarantees - then getting actioned for broadcasting inputs or automating gameplay but crying "I was falsely banned for multiboxing!" - I don’t know what to say.
Go ahead and apply solid logic and common sense and see what answer you come up with. You’ve admitted to step A and B, and you seem to be working on C. I’d save you from the account action, if I can.
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Your A and B are not against the rules.
Also, no one gets “actioned for multiboxing”, the penalties are most often for breaking automation rules.
Other than that, I agree that what he’s asking would break the rules for automation.
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I just want to pick this one line out: Exploitation of the economy and manipulating the market is not farming a lot on multiple accounts at a time. That was allowed before and is allowed now, as long as you’re not using software to copy your actions to each instance of the game that you have open.
Now, it’s worth a mention that at least as far as I was aware, I haven’t used key passthrough software since TBC, farming multiboxers did still need to go to every window and click a node, because mouse movements and clicks weren’t one of the things that were broadcast by software. Maybe it got better after I stopped bothering with it? I don’t know. BOTS certainly could fully automate their farming, but let me once again sing you the song of my people which goes “Multiboxers aren’t botters”.
But anyway. “Manipulation of the market” isn’t just farming materials. It’s specifically and explicitly selling in-game materials or services for real-life cash. Multiboxers are still allowed to farm to their hearts content, so long as they’re not automating their gameplay or using key broadcasting software.
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I didn’t imply or state that they were; I agree, they are not. The idea is to take A, B, C and D as a bad path of action. It get’s kinda iffy right around C.
Yes, you are correct, no one gets actioned for multiboxing, they get actioned for using input broadcasting software or software that facilitates automation of gameplay. I’ve edited my post to add correct language, but the idea and point remains exactly the same.
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I appreciate your concern. I too have played Blizzard games for too long to expect that to work… The reply I would get back (if any at all) would take what was written here and twist it. Suffice to say, I also have to disagree on the definition of “sometimes” in your following post.
Your phrasing of things like “admittedly” makes it sound like a crime, and this really hearkens back to what I initially wrote about how most of the player base thinks multi-boxing is against the rules.
You believe having two different and independent sets of hotkeys would break the rules? See, the thing is, every clear definition I have seen, so far, has used the example of mirroring key presses-- And there would be zero mirroring with what I have in mind.
Can you explain how you are going to send an input to an inactive window? Are you using a program to do that? That would be broadcasting.
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I would say that if you have to use any kind of software to accomplish this, that it would likely toe the line and I personally wouldn’t recommend it.
For example, you mentioned the use of “scripts”. I’ve seen this term a lot over the forums and it tends to end up meaning that you have to run something to accomplish a task that you can’t normally do in-game. This raises red flags for me any time I see the term.
Now, if you’re alt-tabbing between windows and then pressing a key, you should be fine.
At the end of the day, if it’s something you can’t do within the game and requires some sort of other software running, I’d avoid it like the plague.
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As Perl, stated above, and what I was getting at is there is not a way to do what you’re asking and keep a single window active. To make it work, you would need to Alt-Tab or mouse over the window/click it to make it active, then make the keypress - if your WoW1 is you active window and you are sending commands to an inactive window, then it is being broadcast to some degree.
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Using a program vs using a script is conceptually different; a script is interpreted while a program needs to be compiled and run.
As a practical example: I was farming sumptuous fur back in WoD – but I also had to get some writing done for tomorrow – so I wrote a script that translated every key press in Microsoft word into “1” in WoW. At that point, I quite simply put my hunter in the corner of a saber maw camp in Gorgrond, and effectively had him turreting and looting for hours.
So, if you were to ask me if there was any automation there, I would have to say “No, everything was one click = one action” On top of that, it was only a single instance of WoW running.
Just quickly before I start, admitting doesn’t imply guilt. It implies you confirm something is true. But, you’re right, it can conjure images of confession to a crime. I’ll think about using that word in discussions like this in the future.
As a previous poster also pointed out some incorrect language I used, I’ll go ahead and again edit my post to make the point even clearer, and remove superfluous or inaccurate language. I don’t always do this, but when I’ve chosen a word or two that derails my point, I certainly will.
No, A and B are not against the rules, but you cannot logically get to C or D without doing A and B. It doesn’t hearken back to anything about the community believing multiboxing is against the rules. It was possibly a poor choice of words given the circumstances; I should have been more accurate.
Here’s the edit, and please let me be clear to all: A) I know multiboxing isn’t against the rules. I was mimicking language used in the “falsely banned” post you linked. Bad choice of words, my mistake; and B) The examples of multiboxing and using non-input-broadcasting software to facilitate it aren’t against the rules either; I did not mean to imply they are.
They are stepping stones to account action, though, in the same sense of how you can’t get a speeding ticket unless you A) purchase a car and B) drive it; people who have admittedly done A and B can then get busted for speeding. Well, if you’re not A) multiboxing, you’re not likely to have B) software installed to facilitate it. Without B) software, there is no risk that C) the software violates policy. And, as a result, no risk of D) account action.
But anyway, the edited post and my point in the first place:
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Uh, yeah, that example is absolutely automation and a violation of the rules.
It’s pretty clear that you’re looking for a loophole or to try and word-lawyer the rules and that doesn’t often work when you’re account gets actioned.
My advice still hasn’t changed. I would not ever do what you’re suggesting nor would I recommend advertising that you once botted to get sumptuous fur.
Best of luck to you.
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But in essence it’s all really the same thing.
Bots and farmers do one thing, generate in-game currency. Whether it’s a bot using an automation program or a honest subscription paying customer with 10 characters in tow, the result is the same.
Bots are targeted outright because first and foremost, they are almost 100% stolen accounts. Running around in circles farming the same thing all day puts a nice big red target on them for Blizzard to root out. “Hello, I stole some players account and I am over here killing pigs for skins so I can exchange it for gold. I will then sell it to another player for real money and then proceed to do the same to another account as you ban me.”
In the meantime, we have way more of one commodity in the market than should be. Which in turn inflates the economy to such a point that some players can literally spend 5 million gold on a mount like it’s a drop in the pants. What boar out there have you killed that has a wallet with 5 million gold? See the total disconnect going on here?
If you want to know why the loot table is literally disappearing in old content… it’s because of all that “harmless” farming that has been going on over the years… exasperated by, multi boxing… yep I dare say it. Cancel culture words if I ever heard them.
Multi boxing is manipulating the game in the loosest of terms. Exploitation in the harshest of terms. Yes it is a different way of playing the game, but like with all things, those who have abused it have given it a bad name and sometimes it’s just easier to stop it outright for all than to try and find the bad apples.
We’re not there yet… but it’s coming. We’ve squished everything in game except the currency… and like the stock market, you can’t have a high forever.
Customer Support isn’t really the place to debate multi-boxing in this fashion. The OP had a question about what is allowed based on the rules, which CS can try to answer. For debate about multi-boxing, General is better (though it’s been hashed out a thousand times over there).
- Blizzard allows but does not support multi-boxing (meaning, they will not help with your setup, including software, and with glitches and other things that might arise from the playstyle).
- They have banned certain types of software sometimes used in the multi-boxing community.
Let’s leave the personal opinions about the practice to General, because that is the only place where it actually matters (CS does not pass on that sort of feedback).
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The system can not tell if someone is multi-boxing with multiple computers or it’s multiple people in one location playing the game. Hardware-based multi-boxing would be very difficult to detect. There is no viable way to “stop” mutli-boxing.
Cite your source. I haven’t had any issues getting loot in old content.
That is personal opinions, not facts.
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