Again, I’ve tried to explain to you the differemce between botting, multi-boxing, and hacking. But you didn’t want to listen. That’s on you.
I’ve killed plenty of hackers who were at the keyboard. I’ve killed plenty of bots. I’ve also disrupted multi-boxers with glee.
But one thing I don’t do is expect someone else to do it for me.
Are you arguing that mass-banning players for using the type of key-mirroring software is bad, or something else?
This power you keep talking about is completely within the grasp of a group or guild.
Regardless if you get slammed by one person controlling ten toons or ten people controlling one toon. You dead.
I’m completely aware of that. The difference is I’m utilizing 9 others including myself instead of 1 player fully controlling 10. I disagree that anyone should have that kind of power. This is what led to players like PreparedWoW.
That’s why I wish Blizz would bring back PvP servers and forced PvP zones ala Wintergrasp and Tol Barad.
WG, in paricular, was a hotspot for bots and farmers back in the day and hunting them mercilessly was just too much fun.
Warmode does too much in.protecting botters, hackers, and multiboxers (whatever you may think of them).
Maybe a more elegant, if possible, solution would not to be banning keycloning software but limiting the amount of accounts that could be linked. That way, you avoid issues like the 40man raid of starfall spamming moonkin.
Yet, in that 10v10 match up. The multiboxer always loses, very hard.
It’s almost painful to read this.
First, one shot macros, at least how they were in the past, aren’t possible anymore because most abilities and even offensive CDs are on global. One shot macros had more to do with Swifty and warriors in general than every spec.
But you’re missing the point in such a massive way.
Macro’s were DESIGNED by Blizzard as a way to allow some customization in gameplay. They are a part of the game. They aren’t some third party software… They are literally designed into the game so you can create different keys that do different things… And… Blizzard has 100% control of how they work… unlike third party software, which they have 0 control over.
Macro’s still require key inputs… Even if you make a cast sequence macro, you’re still having to have multiple inputs for the macro to work. It doesn’t just automatically do multiple tasks without input.
Mouse over macros still require key inputs.
There is no precedent. This is about third party software that is outside of Blizzard’s control…
You’re making way more of this then it is.
Personally, I think when it comes to PvP they should just be the 1 character. Like I said the worse cases I’ve seen on my realm was a Hunter named Hezcrazy, PreparedWoW and Malseph. Each one exemplifying why it shouldn’t exist.
If it’s between an organized group, yeah of course…that’s why they box classes that can spawn multiple mobs or just pull in a ton of toons like PreparedWoW did who boxed 60 characters in WPvP. Or a mix of both to some degree.
I’m arguing it’s bad in terms of …how do I put this…possible downstream ramifications.
Example: If Blizzard bans 3rd party software because, at the very least, it gives a single player too much power over a “regular” player, who’s to say that that basic argument can’t also be applied to other 3rd party hardware/software such as multi-button mice or other peripherals?
In short, the issue-for me-is not the intention but the implementation and precedent that the implementation sets that gives me pause for concern.
I made the only point that matters. You are ONE person. It should not take a group or a raid to defeat you. If any one person using the tools in game cannot beat you because of tools you’re using outside the game, then it is inherently unfair.
I just want to point out that the creator of ISBoxer and Innerspace would probably love having blizzard’s input on how to make the software fall in line with how they want it to work. That community is pretty strong on trying to stay in the lines.
That’s a wedge argument. You’re saying that Blizz could use this justification to ban all 3rd party programs that assist players (A La TSM). However, it took blizz 16 years to make this decision. If we need to wait another 16 years for the next one, I’m cool with that. That said, I’m also in favor of banning all 3rd party software that gives one player an advantage over another. That’s pay-to-win, and I will never support it.
Let’s talk about the other side of your argument: What about players who buy gaming rigs and hardware, doesn’t that also contribute to the Pay-to-Win model and provide an unfair advantage? Sure, let’s ban all PC players because they could get better hardware. 
But conversely, and I am sympathetic here, the same could be said in any PvP situation in which a player may be using a peripheral (multi-button mouse, gamer keyboard, etc.) that another player may not be using.
There’s just too many variables to make a change that “outlaws” 3rd party software/hardware just because the aggrieved player may be at a disadvantage. This is why the social interaction aspect is so important to the genre in general and WoW in particular.
Again, the level 1 guy named “jhfbbf” popping up and down at a gathering node, that doesn’t respond to whispers, being killed, or anything else still sounds like a player behind the PC actively watching his character as he hacks and not a bot?
I cannot wrap my head around how that sounds like an actively played character.
And that’s my point. What is to prevent Blizzard, using the “unfair advantage” argument to ban such things given enough pressure to do so?
This is the kind of thing we, in my opinion, should be concerned about.
And in my lifetime, it pays to consider these things otherwise it can blindside us.
See, now you are just bringing up the extremes. The extremes don’t define the majority.
Regardless, my point still stands completely untouched. In all situations of Multiboxer vs group/raid/guild (Even or slightly in favour of the multiboxer) The multiboxer losses.
People seem to have this delusion that a multiboxer can control all their characters at the same time, flawlessly. It’s 1 main and (insert number) potatoes.
The more potatoes the more problems. I’ve flown half way across the map to realize I left two of my potatoes stuck on a rock. Had to completely stop what I was doing and collect them. Sometimes I’m collecting herbs, most of the time I’m collecting my potatoes.
You can easily still make a macro that accomplishes multiple actions with a single keypress, just not by using the in game macro system. That’s the point.
Yes but afaik none that have more than one GCD action in a single macro will work with a single keypress.
A hack can, as you’ve said, have a person behind a keyboard and even have friends. That sounds like a common ground hack. You can kill them. Just because a player doesn’t respond to you doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
What tells me this was a player hack is the camping of a single node. Anyone with an ounce of sense would have a farming route planned or mapped out. Plus the goon was camping Saronite in Icecrown? What an idiot, Adamantite was far more valuable.
Conversely, a bot is run entirely by script and does not require someone to be at the keyboard.
That’s not to say the two are mutually exclusive but what you’re saying tells me you encountered a player who was hacking, not botting.
yes, in addition to banning hardware, we should also gut the game internals like macros, because they give players an unfair advantage. But, why stop there? Let’s remove all gear iLvl’s as well and make everyone wear iLvl 1 gear. That way they can’t use their hardcore gaming to get gear which provides an unfair advantage over casuals.