MultiBox Modified Version

[shockbeta]

Alright here's a new thread for the modified version I've been coding. So any ideas, bugs, or comments should go in here. Also I'll be able to keep the first post updated with current versions when they are released.

This is the current build I use, I'm sure it doesn't have a fix for some of the bugs that were listed in the other thread. If it does have them, let me know and I'll get a fix for them.

<Dated 5/25/2007>
Current Multibox Modified:
http://dualbox.novembear.com/

EDIT: Xzin - Fixed link for now. Thanks Mooglemayhem!

More discussions about Multibox and problems/issues/bugs/whatever else can be read at these to lengthy threads..

http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=35

http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=29


Multibox was originally coded by Micah. Since Micah no longer had time I picked up where he left off to add more funcitonality to it as needed. Micah started with a modifed version of synergy to work better with games, but then he decided to write his own program as it was easier then modifying synergy. Thus Multibox arrived. I have not personaly used Synergy so the differences I'm not sure on. I will say Multibox is made for gamers, and synergy seems to be more of a multi-computer use program not targeted towards gamers. With multibox you can bind keys to toggle mouse or/and keyboard broadcasting(Sending said input to all or some of the computers). I've added support to remove sending input to specific computers while broadcasting is on by checkboxes. Also added options to only broadcast specific keys to computers. Also added hot key switching. You're able to bind a key to hop to that display and control it, as opposed to mousing over to it. You're able to tick a checkbox to enable "Never Broadcast" so when broadcasting that display will never receive input.

I'm sure there's more and I'll make this look better later, at work now and just wanted to get something up as Xzin noticed this was lacking a description. Just read through the other 18 pages of posts in the links above;) lol sorry...

[Ellay]

Awesome work Shock! Looks good to me.

[Buruan]

Thanks Shockbeta.
I really appreciate the effort you put into this.

[Xzin]

shock.... I don't want to downplay the work you have done because believe me - it is very well appreciated. Can you describe exactly what this does for people who either don't know Synergy or who are already using Synergy? What extra benefits does it have for them?

My impression is it is a specially tailored version of Synergy that fixes mouse issues and also allows mouse broadcasting? Is that accurate?

[shockbeta]

hehe, yeah I guess a description would be a good idea... I'll edit first post to include it.

[Xzin]

Ahh nice. I will definitely take a look at it and see what it can do.

In case it was not clear in shocks description - this software will theoretically take the place of the 2x Vetras as it will allow software sending of keystrokes. It goes further as it also broadcasts mice input - not sure yet personally if it can keep the mice in sync or not - there is certainly the potential to add it though.... which would be a welcome change, as hardware mice never really sync up 100% over time due to subtle changes in radio frequency, hardware latency, etc. Synergy was never 100% for me for keyboard or mouse use though and it seemed to lag after a while - so some real world testing will need to be done but it sounds like something that would be useful for those who only want to box a few computers at once or people who want a gaming oriented replacement to Synergy (for all games, not just WoW).

[shockbeta]

I've tested the broadcasted mouse cursor on different resolutions. It seems to work for the most part. There are somethings that are iffy on it. One big thing is using mosuelook in games. It doesn't work wiht the method I use to broadcast the mouse position. The way mouse positon is broadcasted is Absolute to clients, relative to server. So it should theoritcally never fall out of synch. I set the mouse position on the clients everytime the mouse is moved. So if you move to the lower right corner on the server setup. It will take in a speed/distance and apply it to the position not to exceed (65535,65535) I then Set the mouse position on the clients to the mouses position on the server...(65535,65535) So it's definetely in the same spot. The area that this starts to grey out on multi resolution setups is you have a ton more display space with 1600x1200 then with say 800x600. The center of the screen will always be the center, the corners always the corners.. but the area around the center... it could be off a bit. I hope this didn't confuse anyone...

[Xzin]

Hmm... do you think the fact that I have a 24576000 pixel display array make a difference? Theoretically it is only 16384000 (four 1600 x 2560 on the boxes) but hmm....

I would definitely need to use mouselook - did Synergy not "enable" that?

For the server, check the relative mouse checkbox under the options.

In the hot keys section, I added the following two hotkeys:

hotkey 1:
key: right mouse click ( mousebutton(3) )
function: Lock Cursor to screen: On
Toggle radio button "Hot key is pressed"

hotkey 2:
key: right mouse click ( mousebutton(3) )
function: Lock Cursor to screen: Off
Toggle radio button "Hot key is released"

In effect, when your mouse is on your secondary screen and you proceed to right click to move around, it will lock the mouse to that screen so you can move around. When you release the mouse like you would do when you stop looking around, it unlocks the mouse from that screen so you can go back to your other screens.

It works perfectly for me, except the fact that when you release the lock on the screen the cursor resets to the center. If anyone has a solution to that please let me know.

For now, it seems to be working great. I now have the ability to toggle keyboard broadcasting and mouse looking on each secondary screen.

UPDATE:
The cursor resetting after releasing the right mouse button is way more bearable if the secondary monitors are set to full screen mode and not windowed mode.

------------------------------

Only problem seems to be the mouse returns to the center, not the original spot?

Another problem is that I would not always want the mouse cursor of the server (Xzin) to be mirrored on the mages.... they have different spells.....

It would be nice for doing quests and what not but the main character is always going to have a different viewpoint than the others.... hence the desire to use the "mage mouse" to control the mages.... if that makes any sense. Easy to do in hardware.... possible to do in software?

[shockbeta]

Hmm... do you think the fact that I have a 24576000 pixel display array make a difference? Theoretically it is only 16384000 (four 1600 x 2560 on the boxes) but hmm....
This is the messed up part.. Microsoft maps all your pixels to 65535x65535 so it doesn't matter what res it has...



I would definitely need to use mouselook - did Synergy not "enable" that?
Never used Synergy...



For the server, check the relative mouse checkbox under the options.

In the hot keys section, I added the following two hotkeys:

hotkey 1:
key: right mouse click ( mousebutton(3) )
function: Lock Cursor to screen: On
Toggle radio button "Hot key is pressed"

hotkey 2:
key: right mouse click ( mousebutton(3) )
function: Lock Cursor to screen: Off
Toggle radio button "Hot key is released"

In effect, when your mouse is on your secondary screen and you proceed to right click to move around, it will lock the mouse to that screen so you can move around. When you release the mouse like you would do when you stop looking around, it unlocks the mouse from that screen so you can go back to your other screens.

It works perfectly for me, except the fact that when you release the lock on the screen the cursor resets to the center. If anyone has a solution to that please let me know.

I'm not sure I understand.... if I click and drag my mouse on any display, that character looks around and my mouse stays on that display. The problem I encountered is when broadcasting mouse to all displays.. Then mouse look doesn't behave on the connected clients, but does on the Server/client. This is only when broadcasting the mouse to all clients. Also I beleive Multibox doesn't reset the cursor to the middle of the screen. It should stay wherever you clicked at.



Another problem is that I would not always want the mouse cursor of the server (Xzin) to be mirrored on the mages.... they have different spells.....

It would be nice for doing quests and what not but the main character is always going to have a different viewpoint than the others.... hence the desire to use the "mage mouse" to control the mages.... if that makes any sense. Easy to do in hardware.... possible to do in software?
Minus mouselooking on connected clients, Thsi is possible with multibox, although it will have side effects of not allowing any input being sent to the Priest while broadcasting. This is to Tick the "Never Broadcast" option under the proper display. With this ticked when broadcasting mouse or keyboard, said display will not receive input. You could easily add in another variable to allow an different check per mouse or keyboard. Should be easy enough to add.

For my clarification... You're talking about Synergy in this post?

[Xzin]

For my clarification... You're talking about Synergy in this post?

Correct. I have not yet tested out Multibox but I will soon and see how it performs.

[Kook]

Using the modified version, Vista running the server and client connecting from windows xp, the server software gets an hour glass and just keeps disconnecting and reconnecting the win xp client. Have to ctrl alt del and close the server software since it gets stuck. Workaround for this?

[Flight]

I'm having two problems running this latest version of Multi-box.


i) The Multi-box server is occasionally crashing. Could it be that it constantly keeps a check of how many times escape is pressed and crashes every 8 times no matter over how long a time period ? Impossible to avoid using escape some times.

Seems to happen when I press other keys as well though.


ii) Quite often the cursor will jump straight across from the left to right or right to left monitor, when I am trying to get to the centre monitor (running server incidentally).


Thanks for any help I can get on this.

[Yarddog]

I've had both problems that Flight just described as well. I've also wondered if the ESC thing might be the cause with it counting them over time and not resetting the count if they aren't all quickly in a row. <Shrug>

I thought it might just be my imagination with the cursor skipping the middle monitor sometimes, but that does appear to happen. My setup is the same with three monitors in a horizontal row and the middle being the server.

Just chiming in that I've had the same problem.

[shockbeta]

I've been on travel a bit for work so haven't been around too much. I noticed the skipping monitor as well. I beleive it has to do when you move form one and back before multibox actually decides you're on the other. so it then takes it as moving back from the original monitor you're on making it "skip" that monitor.

The escape I was thinking of removing, but it can come in handy so I haven't yet. if you hold escape it may count that as multiple presses. The count will not reset until you press another key.

The crashes in vista I'm not sure about. I don't like vista and will avoid it like the plague as long as I can. Something about looking at the requirements of games and seeing stuff like this..

Windows XP, 1gb ram, 2 ghz proc.
Windows Vista, 2gb ram, 3.2ghz proc.

Yeah I so want an OS that will double requirements.... thanks for taking half the resources games could utiliize. Also I've heard/seen weird behavior on LANs with Vista and XP. Things like ungodly lag, unplug Vista pc.. smooth running on the LAN. I'm sure it could get better, but it's like any new OS.. wait for some patches before migrating.

[Xzin]

I would like to chime in with the /veto for Vista.

I have a copy on one of my machines. It is interesting but it has so many problems with gaming and drivers. Let alone the fact that it bothers you every 10 seconds with can I do this? can I do this? Useless.

Plus, the aero interface. What the hell is that? Wow, a slideshow of my windows!

I would rather take Beryl over Aero ANY day.

Oh, and thanks for the you NEED Vista to run DirectX 10.

Yeah, right.

[Kro]

<Dated 5/25/2007>
Current Multibox Modified:
http://ultrashare.net/hosting/fl/1f251c4063

This file doesn't exist or has been removed.


Any other site to download it?

Thanks

[shockbeta]

Reuploaded... check first post again..

[Micah]

Just popping in to say thanks for taking over this project Shockbeta. I haven't checked out the changes you have made yet but they all look great and should satisfy all the requests people asked me back when I wrote it originally.

The escape thing I added as a safety net for when someone (me) forgets to start the client on the server machine. So many times I have started up the server with a client running on the other machine and then lost access to my server. :( Also, there used to be some bugs that would cause a mouse lockup which made it so I was unable to get back to the server to shut it down. The escape * 8 was then added so when I broke something I always had a way out.

As for the crashing, I get it to. It has to do (I think) with the server receiving messages from a client that is no longer the active client. Because it's UDP packets don't always arrive in the right order and I think there are a few spots in the code where it assumes that. One way to get it to crash is to shutdown one of the client apps while moving your mouse fairly quickly. You will end up receiving a "change screen" message from a disconnected client due to the order of the packets (or something like that).

Once again, thanks for picking up this project!

[Los]

Mmm somebody having a mirror? Download aint working atm, much thnx

[Los]

shockbeta, is it possible to make an option to show or hide the window bar? I like to be able to rearrange the windows i use so i can easily spot them, also I really enjoy checking sites like wowwiki or thottbot while playing, but cant see it without the window beeing always ontop of everything ;(

furthermore, nice build!

[shockbeta]

Not sure I know what you mean by window bar? I know if you click the icon down by the clock the window disappears for you. It's currently set to a static location for the reason of a bug Micah had when first writing this program. If you're not talking about the actual window could you explain to me in more detail so I can understand?

[Los]

Hmm well nevermind ill keep it minimized like you said, that will do. Still its a bit user unfriendly imo.

Had a bug with your latest version though, the second clients mouse was going bezerk with looking around with the mouse. Keyboard was working perfectly but mouse was going nuts. Didnt try your version ingame yesterday, but having problems while doing so today.

[shockbeta]

I've noticed(about 3 times in total since I started using it) that sometimes the mouse will go into mouselook mode and you somehow managed to get the mouse off that screen. This then makes the look go crazy as you move the mouse around to get back to the screen. All you do is click and it goes away. Now that I've said what has happened I'm wondering if it has to do with holding a mouse button down while navigating off screen, then coming back and clicking the other mouse button. That would turn mouse look on. In any event I can't recreate the event yet to know the exact cause. And it rarely ever seems to happen. When it does I already know what happened and am able to correct it.

[ytrehod]

I've noticed similiar behavior with keystrokes. It's rare, but it almost always happens when I switch screens with a key or mouse button held down. I notice it most when I'm moving and switch screens; my character will just keep moving until I go back to the screen and press and release the same movement key.

I'm pretty sure this is because the 'keyUp' event isn't detected on the system, so it continues to operate as if the key is still down until it recieves the proper keyUp event. I would think the same theory would apply to mouse button events.

[shockbeta]

That is correct, the current client only receives the messages that have happened while the mouse was on that screen. If we sent keyup messages without it being pressed undesirable results would happen. I have the same feeling for sending keyup messages when navigating of the current display as it could cause problems or unexpected behavior at times. Sometimes I prefer the key to be pressed until I return and toggle it off. It's a cheap autorun that won't break until I hit the forward key again. There are other things it's came in handy with as well.

[Xzin]

Not to sound like a jerk because shock and micah and others have put a lot of time into the software, and in some ways it is more flexible, but this is why I went the hardware route for my input. Far more expensive but it works 100% of the time. I am sure these last kinks can be worked out though, and it makes it possible to actually dual box without hardware... but there are some limitations of software that should at least be considered when you put your setup together.

[shockbeta]

Most of the input problems go away when broadcasting. As all computers receive all input. The big draw with multibox I see is that you can quickly and easily go between displays and broadcast or not. Also with me being a coder I'm able to create a custom version that fits me specifically. As I said above I like that the key stays pressed in some cases... not all keys but a few. Since I know which ones I am able to hardcode tests into the software to release all other keys except the hardcoded ones when navigating off screen. I haven't had much time, but the opportunity is there to do it.

I do however understand the draw to hardware, that was my first thought when attempting to plan how to dual box on my own. Being a programmer I quickly resorted to programming a solution as it would be cheaper and you're able to modify it to your preference. Also the ability to add in helper functionality was nice as well. I'm not sure how the hardware really works for switching and broadcasting input. I'm not saying one is better then the other, they both are good methods to multiboxing. As Xzin has stated hardware will be 100% guaranteed to work how it does, but it will only do that. Software at first has a margin of error, but once you know how you want it to work you're able to work the bugs out and will become 100%. Minus any connectivity issues, which you won't have with hardware.

So in the end you just have to see what suits you best. I'll always use software.

[Xzin]

I agree with all of your points. I only use hardware right now but I also realize that if multibox were better deveoped, it would be far more flexible than hardware only. For my PvP purposes, hardware suits me fine. But I had to buy 7 Vetra broadcasters to send data to the warlocks, mages or both. With software, that would have cost nothing. Given that each Vetra box retails for $200, thats quite a vocal argument for software.

In the end, like most things, it comes down to usage models, cost and individual preferences. There is almost always more than one way to skin a cat.

[shockbeta]

One thing I shun on doign with multibox and have not put any of these features into it, but it is possible. You can automate a lot of stuff. The limit is your imagination and what your programmings skills can accomplish. Essentialy you can create a bot that reacts to input you enter. This of course would be crossing the line in where multibox would no longer be legit. I only use that as an example to show the versatility software holds. There are bugs with Multibox as is. It's completely usable as is. In a few instances you may encounter a problem, but rarely has it gotten me killed. It could though, but as a multiboxer I'm used to dying and don't mind it. I usually am more upset about my lack of reaction or how I performed then the fact I was actually killed. The one thing that doesn't make sense to me is that some people are able to run it without any problems, while others get weird issues that others don't. The sparatic bugs are harder to trace, but the consistent ones people have had are just as hard to track down as I am not able to reproduce them on my system.

All that aside, I know a lot of people see Multibox as a grey area in regards to WoW as being legit or not. In my opinion Multibox is completely legit. It's not autmating any proceses in WoW, it's not touching WoW in any way. You still have to press keys to control the character. I know Multibox is software and other things are considered hardware.. I.e. wireless keyboards or mice. I'll give it that the item itself is hardware, but the way the OS interacts with it is software. A driver is used to interperet the input, thus making it software. If multibox was considered illegal, then any kind of multi-computer controling hardware or software should be as well. Basically, until you use whatever you do to exploit or automate it shouldn't/isn't illegal.

[Xzin]

I think it boils down to IF you coded bot like stuff into it THEN it COULD bot. Hardware can never bot, hence software being a gray area.

I still think multibox as is is totally legit, but I prefer pure hardware for sereral other reasons.

[rieperx]

I'm not sure if updates are still being done actively to this application but personally its what i use for multiboxing and love it. However I have run several times into an issue with closing the server unintentionally with the 8x Esc that is present in this version. I was wondering if it might be possible to get a copy of the source or if the current maintainer could add a checkbox to disable this feature if we so chose.

thanks for your time!

[herry]

Hello there. I've been reading this forum for some time now and I finally decided to give multi-boxing a go, actually dual-boxing (in World of Warcraft) :)

I have 2 PCs (I'll give the specs in a momment) and I've been toying with 3 apps basically:

- Synergy: it worked superb when it comes to moving from a desktop to the other and stuff, I was really impressed. But the camera spin is driving me nuts, despite the fix posted already, so I decided to move on.

- Multiplicity: it worked just like Synergy for me (at least keeping in mind my current needs) just without the camera problems. I don't mind buying the product, but it's not able to do all I need it to do.

- Multibox: now this is the one giving me serious headhaches. It has all the goodies from the 2 above plus some more, making it the best option for what I'm looking for (imho). But I'm having some trouble setting it up (see details below)

My 2 boxes are something like this:

- Box #1: it will serve as server and client. It's a PIV 3,4Ghz with 2Gb RAM, a rather decent ASUS motherboard, etc etc. SO is Windows XP Pro with SP2. SP2 firewall is disabled. I've also turned down any firewalls in this box while testing.

- Box #2: it will serve as secondary client. It's a PIV 2,6Ghz with 1Gb RAM, a formerly decent ASUS motherboard, etc etc. SO is Windows XP Pro without SP2 (I'll have to wait at least a couple of weeks before I can install it). No firewall software running during my testing either.

Now my problem:

- I run the server app in box #1.
- I run the client app in box #1.
- Server detects client #1 - OK.
- I run the client app in box #2.
- Server detects client #2 - OK.
- As soon as client #2 connects my mouse slows down loads and I cannot interact with the server app UI.
- A few seconds later client app in box #2 disconnects and I get the well known "01:31:40: Connection lost: Next attempt in 30 seconds."

And that's it. I cannot get past that point.

So far both boxes can see each other (they can share folders and stuff), I've made both Synergy and Multiplicity work and I've run tests with both without any problems of that kind. Yet I fail at making Multibox connect properly.

Do you have any clues or solutions? If so, those would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance :)


EDIT: I've been doing some more testing today. I've tried running the server in my box #2 just to see what might happen. And... it worked. So basically if I use my box #2 as server and box #1 as secondary box everything goes ok. But if I do it the way I'd like to do it (box #1 as server, box #2 as secondary box) it won't work.

Meh. Any ideas? Thank you again :)

[raylion]

I run multiplicity and keyclone on my 5 box. I used to have synergy and multibox but a couple of my pc's kept having very bizarre crashes (although connecting was fine) which started to get infuriating.

Since I made the change it's been rock solid and the crashing has stopped. Keyclone is $10 per license but I think its worth it (plus it also has the functionality of Autohotkeys which is a bonus).

See link below:

http://solidice.com/keyclone/

[rieperx]

I distrust any application t hat makes outbound unknown connections (IE it wants to check its license without asking you) I have a phobia of being keylogged and that app seemed a little fishy when i looked into it.

[raylion]

Hmmmm...thats a very valid point and wasn't one I had previously considered. I'm sure the software is perfectly fine (and does work well) but it does raise a doubt so I think may just bite the bullet and buy some wireless keyboards.

I think I would've ended up buying a hardware solution anyway and, at the very least, it'll be a bit more reliable! :-)

[Otlecs]

Try adding enties to your host file for all your local machines. I had a very similar problem, detailed elsewhere, a few months ago and tracked it down to a reverse DNS lookup on the connecting node name timing out for some inadequately explored reason.

Entries in the host file for all local machines fixed it.

[herry]

Thanks a lot, Otlecs. I did as you suggested and it's working now :D Time to get used to the keyboard broadcasting part.

[keyclone]

g'afternoon,

i created keyclone originally for Shadowbane. My guild was facing certain defeat against an enemy with 5x our population. My first thought was that we needed a force multiplier... and since the game had just gone free, keyclone was born.

the only reason i decided to make it for sale was to limit the whining from the other guilds. if i did not make it available, complaints about cheating would have errupted (which happened anyhow). players had been multi-boxing for years, but keyclone made it far too efficient... and so.. the dead spoke.

anyways, the reason i tied it to the cpu was to limit the number of enemies i would have to face using the it. a side bonus was that it helps with beer money. in order to properly tie it to the cpu, i had to verify the license.. which is done in open text (well, the response code is encrypted, but that's inbound)

if you can think of another solution, please let me know.

oh yea, and if you guys care... i usually use it with 4 machines, running 1-6 accounts per box each with a keyclone. i then type in the main keyclone ip:port and they all connect as one. its not tied to any one game, and works VERY well with WoW (I was surprised how well it worked compared to SB).

in one test, i had 3 members of my guild tie into my keyclone (forwarded a port off my firewall)... and i was running 24+ characters on noobie island in SB.

if you guys want something more added to keyclone, just let me know. and if you have any cool video using it, send me the youtube link and i'll reference it on the keyclone page.

have fun,

kc

[MrLonghair]

I'm trying to use both Synergy and Multibox with my dual-box setup, but the second computers WoW client gets disconnected to the loginscreen too often for comfort, both in and outside of combat.

The hostsfile has been modified (network behind a switch), both computers have had their network settings set to default and to various combinations, but I've had no luck getting it to not disconnect the alt.


(Windows XP, both computers have nForce motherboards and nForce network adapters on-board - I heard that could mean trouble, nothing that I know of can explain this behaviour.. unless I simply have a bum cat5 cable with the second computer? Will try and return if it solves it)

(edit: Might very well be connected to http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?p=2668&highlight=disconnect#2668 , only seems a lot more rampant when using Syn/Mbox - even when simply standing still and not following it disconnects.)

[Lance]

Can multibox broadcast input from x-keys ok? I've had a look through the forum but can't find a specific answer. Best I could find was xzin saying it should work. Anyone actually using x-keys/multibox?

Thanks and apologies if it has been posted and I couldn't find it :)

[suid77]

... I have run several times into an issue with closing the server unintentionally with the 8x Esc that is present in this version.

Me too -- not so much with WoW, but with EQ1 it seems to be a big issue. In EQ I tend to hit escape a lot to clear targets and close bags and such. Unfortunately, as-is I've had to go back to synergy (which has it's own set of issues)

So yeah, is the multibox source available any where? I'd be more than happy to tweak it -- maybe add a checkbox to enable/disable the 8x escape thing? Or an option to remap it..

[esoterik]

g'afternoon,

i created keyclone originally for Shadowbane. My guild was facing certain defeat against an enemy with 5x our population. My first thought was that we needed a force multiplier... and since the game had just gone free, keyclone was born.

the only reason i decided to make it for sale was to limit the whining from the other guilds. if i did not make it available, complaints about cheating would have errupted (which happened anyhow). players had been multi-boxing for years, but keyclone made it far too efficient... and so.. the dead spoke.

anyways, the reason i tied it to the cpu was to limit the number of enemies i would have to face using the it. a side bonus was that it helps with beer money. in order to properly tie it to the cpu, i had to verify the license.. which is done in open text (well, the response code is encrypted, but that's inbound)

if you can think of another solution, please let me know.

oh yea, and if you guys care... i usually use it with 4 machines, running 1-6 accounts per box each with a keyclone. i then type in the main keyclone ip:port and they all connect as one. its not tied to any one game, and works VERY well with WoW (I was surprised how well it worked compared to SB).

in one test, i had 3 members of my guild tie into my keyclone (forwarded a port off my firewall)... and i was running 24+ characters on noobie island in SB.

if you guys want something more added to keyclone, just let me know. and if you have any cool video using it, send me the youtube link and i'll reference it on the keyclone page.

have fun,

kc

how does that work with network lag?
could prove to be a sweet solution for guildies that have to go afk for a bit :)

[dknix]

Each time I load multiboxserver, my mouse goes slow and its not posting mouse or keyboard. I tryed this software before, what can I be doing wrong this time?


dknix

[dknix]

each time I load the server and the client on the other machine, the server crashes..... why??? plz help

[Mek]

Minor hitch. Can't run the server on my laptop because it is running Windows Vista and crashes right after any client connects.

Otherwise, Multibox works great when I run the server on my XP desktop.

[keyclone]

how does that work with network lag?
could prove to be a sweet solution for guildies that have to go afk for a bit

i have connected remote keyclones together, yielding a combined force of 24 on shadowbane. the lag was barely noticable. it would depend on the latency between the keyclones. (keep in mind that in voice over ip, a latency over 300ms is required before people in the call realize it)

keyclone is p2p and if you both have broadband and live in the US, i would imagine < 100ms latency. once you connect the clones together, you'll see the ping times listed. keep in mind the ping times are round trip... your actions only need to go one way.. so response time would be 1/2 the ping time.

i have been thinking about trying to link many boxers together to get over 100 in a city all synchronized (oh yea... that'd get people bugging out). we'd all have to get on one server, make a bunch of noobies, connect the keyclones, and meet up at a time/place/date. (hmmm...)

[Ellay]

Removing from Sticky thread, please use the post in the software section to talk more about this application (too many stickies on front page)

[Vyndree]

Minor hitch. Can't run the server on my laptop because it is running Windows Vista and crashes right after any client connects.

Otherwise, Multibox works great when I run the server on my XP desktop.

I'm running on 3 vista boxes, and 2 XP boxes just fine. Vista box is the server.

Never had any crashing issues, but every time one of those "<something> needs your permission to continue" windows pops up, multibox client hiccuped and had to be restarted.

Solution? Right-click, Run as Administrator.

If Vista won't play nice, we MAKE it play nice.

[Nidaro]

Hello.

While setting up my PCs for dual boxing, I've come to using Synergy and Multibox. Both work very nicely for the most part but each has a "bug" that has me still looking for some fix or alternative.

My main issue with Multibox is the server dying when I press ESCAPE too many times over a long period of time. I tend to press ESCAPE often both in EQ2 and WoW to close windows.

Would it be possible to either:
- make the "emergency" key configurable or some key that is less likely to be used during gameplay(example: CTRL-BREAK)
- keep a timestamp variable tracking when ESCAPE was last pressed and if it's been more than 2 seconds since last press, reset the counter to 0. This will make it less likely to kill the server accidentally over a long period of time.

In its current state, the multiboxserver process rarely lasts more than 20-30 minutes for me.

Does anyone have a working link to Micah's source code? The link the other thread is no longer valid.

The problem I have with Synergy is the mouse cursor resetting to center of screen after clicking mouse button on clients.

[Flight]

Hello.

While setting up my PCs for dual boxing, I've come to using Synergy and Multibox. Both work very nicely for the most part but each has a "bug" that has me still looking for some fix or alternative.

My main issue with Multibox is the server dying when I press ESCAPE too many times over a long period of time. I tend to press ESCAPE often both in EQ2 and WoW to close windows.

Would it be possible to either:
- make the "emergency" key configurable or some key that is less likely to be used during gameplay(example: CTRL-BREAK)
- keep a timestamp variable tracking when ESCAPE was last pressed and if it's been more than 2 seconds since last press, reset the counter to 0. This will make it less likely to kill the server accidentally over a long period of time.

In its current state, the multiboxserver process rarely lasts more than 20-30 minutes for me.



Exactly my problem; its been present since the facility to close the server by pressing ESC 4 times was put in. Some MMORPGs you just have to use ESC presses multiple times (eg FFXI).

The above suggestions are excellent, or changing the crash key to Alt-ESC, for example.

[Meathead]

I was wondering do you guys use follow for MB I dont like follow due to the fact of the 1-2 second lag issue.

Can you just use WSAD and they go to the same place at the same time and shot and target. It sometimes stuffs up for me but i would like to see if someone else does it that way.

[shokan]

I couldn't understand a lot of this thread. Can someone answer this for me:
I want to control two Windows PCs with one mouse. I don't want the pointer to move from one monitor to the other (like Synergy). I want a pointer on each of the two monitors, moving exactly the same and performing the same actions that I do on the first PC.
Actually, I want to use a Wacom graphics tablet, but let's keep it simple by asking about a mouse.
Does the software by micah/shockbeta do what I need?
Thanks.

[shokan]

what are the issues?

[shokan]

Is there any way to achieve very good synchronization of mouse movements with any software ? I will not be doing fast stuff...not games

[shokan]

Does out-of-sync happen because of gaming speed and a lot of pointer movement? Or, would it happen even if I was doing slow stuff (Iwill be doing graphics/design)?

[Evil-Wax]

Hey there Shockbeta!
(sry for my bad english. I am dutch)
Is there a way to disable that "moving the mousecursor to the other PC Screen"?
I would like to get rid of the mousecontrolling completely.

Or could you plan that as a feature for a next version? ^^

[palfas]

Is there a way to disable broadcast of mouse keys but keep the movement of the cursor? Also, vice versa, broadcast the mouse key clicks but not the movement?

[astro]

Hi there!

Thanks a lot for this great piece of software! I just started dual-boxing yesterday, playing two frost-mages on two computers.
This version of MultiBox works great for me, running Windows Vista on both machines.

Greetings from Munich, Germany

astro

[MetaControl]

Thanks a lot for this great piece of software! I just started dual-boxing yesterday, playing two frost-mages on two computers.
This version of MultiBox works great for me, running Windows Vista on both machines.

I am using one winxp and one vista. sadly the client on my vista machine crashes now and then (which is bad, since its the main) and sometimes the server crashes too. i am not sure what the cause might be, but other then that, it a great piece of work.

[adso]

Is there a way to disable broadcast of mouse keys but keep the movement of the cursor? Also, vice versa, broadcast the mouse key clicks but not the movement?
This is my concern too, is there a way to turn off the broadcast of the 'left mouse button' &/or 'right mouse button'?

I dont understand how people are dual boxing in WoW using the mouse broadcast in its current state, because as soon as you press the right mouse button on the main machine, the other characters will break auto-follow.

has anyone thought of a clever way around this? I cant find any method so far, I have had to turn off mouse broadcasting, which is quite limiting.

Does Keyclone have the same problem i wonder?

[Ghallo]

Use Octopus. Takes maybe 2 seconds longer to setup but has tons more features.

[Air]

I still have posted this question in the forum elsewhere (http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?p=27409#27409)

Is there a way to download the source code of this version to add a better Vista support ?

Thanks for your help.