EQ2

[Velassra]

Hi, I looked around abit and didn't see a thread on this, sorry if it's somewhere:)

Anyway, I just started up EQ2 again, I played about a year ago, not long though, but seeing how similar in gameplay it seems to WoW, I was wondering how it would go to MB. Anyone out there MB EQ2 give me some feedback?
Thanks:)

[Noxxy]

Hey,

Been hardware boxing using a vetra for a fair bit now plus have been 'manual/ironman' boxing EQ2 since release - seems to all run ok with little to no problems

Game is getting very quiet though - even with the new expansion being released next month - as luck would have it, so is the WoW expansion so expect things to stay quiet for a bit

- Is it possible to box - no worries, then again, I do hardwared box so tis no worries practically for all mmpgs
- Any problems / flak from people qq'ing re boxing? none at all - currently boxing a group from 0 - 78.5 (only 1-2 more nights from the lvl 80 cap) without even 1 complaint / comment or GM query
- If you look around, most - not all - of the players will have a 'dumb' char following them around - i.e., trying to pl their 'other' account so not like multiple accounts is an uncommon thing
- Can you box EQ2 without having to do so in public (for those afraid of getting flak) - for sure - lot of dungeons and instances to go into - be careful though, as 1 FG can easily 'own' a public dungeon (especially old world) which can cause problems if your not careful
- can I box if I don't have a FG? easy peasy - from the fun of it (and pure ease) I normally 3 box the pre-70 dungeons (typical tank / dps / heal setup) very easy to do even when leveling up - BUT - naturally, you will HAVE TO 6 box 70+ dungeons (i.e., any RoK dungeon basically)

If you are going the software boxing route - be aware that innerspace (required to get keyclone to work) is against the TOS...you have been warned

Nox

[Noxxy]

Forgot to mention - there are some critcal things to consider before making your boxing team:

- base run speeds - different races have racial traits which boost their base run speed - tis important you match all these so they are running at the same speed - for example, your tank may be running at +5%, slaves at +0% - before long they will be so far behind that they will most probably get eaten by something

- similar to above but - stealth run speeds - if your using stealth, be aware that several classes have huge run speed bonuses whilst invisible (rats / delf / etc) - if you don't pay attention, you could quite easily leave your group behind

- model size - EQ2 has a shockingly long leash - i.e., when you put a slave on follow, they are a fair way back - this causes all sorts of problems in dungeons where some of the geometry isn't the best - i.e., your slaves will get 'hung' up on corners - I personally prefer the small models but, failing this, use the mystery moppet disguise if your a 4 yr vet to reduce the overall size of your crew

GL

[Velassra]

Thanks for the reply. Disappointed about the software set-up however. Not really sure I want to set up multiple computers to hardware box. Was hoping to set up a 4 man group using Keyclone. I tried searching on the eq2 boards earlier but I didn't find anyhting specifically abnning 3rd party software. Alot of people said it was but no links to Dev quotes however.

[Velassra]

If you are going the software boxing route - be aware that innerspace (required to get keyclone to work) is against the TOS...you have been warned

Nox

Been looking around on the EQ2 boards, I haven't yet found any official posts, but it seems from the duiscussion in some threads seems to be the belief is that Innerspace is actually ok as is Keyclone, as long as, like w/ Blizzard's policy is no automation occurs.
It looks promising, but I'm not going to try it until I can find the official ok. But again, thanks for the info.

[Noxxy]

Did a quick google ('www.google.com.au') looking for "innerspace and eq2" - got dozens of hits linking innerspace to botting and cheat sites

You name it - they got it type of stuff - everything including auto harvesting, 'gliding', attack bots, etc etc etc

IMHO - Just looking at the hits I got alone suggests using innerspace in EQ2 is NOT worth the risk due to its 'association' with cheating - even if you 'do the right thing' and not use it's macro capabilities - Few hits suggest that 'warden' also is able to detect the program... - the first GM that can see you using it and your accounts go bye bye

I appreciate you just want to play and have a bit 'legal/no harm' fun - we are all in the same boat - just, unfortunately, it looks like to have some fun using the current version of keyclone in EQ2 you have to break the TOS which is NOT worth it

So some possible suggestions (excluding breaking TOS) from here as you don't want to go hardware -
- find another program which gets keyclone to work
- hound keyclone to 'finally' get keyclone to work in EQ2 (good luck with that)

I do sincerely wish you luck honestly - one of the main reasons I went hardware is because I am 'ultra' against anything which may even associate me or my chars with a 'botting' program

[hertome]

Hi,

anyone tried this one in cunjunction with Keyclone?

http://www.lavishsoft.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=4

used that one back when i 6-boxed eq. as i switched to mac i cant test this one.

Its from the same people innerspace is.

Greetings

Hertome

[Oternakn]

Hello.
I think i was the first one ever to use keyclone with innerspace. I even posted on this board a how to guide some time back.
And i have talked to GMs in eq2 and they said it was no problem as loong as i dont run BoTs as is fully posible with innerspace.

I 6box on one computer with out any problem at all, and have been doing so for over 2 years, I even hadd a gm watch me as i cleared chelsith alone.
The reason that u need innerspace to use keyclone in eq2 is the possibility to lockforground, this is somthing keyclone is working on.

[Noxxy]

Ouchy - guard dirge AND a bruiser - are you finding that you have to pull the mob so far back it sits in the middle of your followers? (i.e., to get them into melee range)

[PyrostasisTDK]

Hi, I looked around abit and didn't see a thread on this, sorry if it's somewhere:)

Anyway, I just started up EQ2 again, I played about a year ago, not long though, but seeing how similar in gameplay it seems to WoW, I was wondering how it would go to MB. Anyone out there MB EQ2 give me some feedback?
Thanks:)

Yes EQ2 is extremely multiboxable, and quite fun. Been doing it off and on as I can afford it for about a year now. Software and hardware methods both work fine.


Thanks for the reply. Disappointed about the software set-up however. Not really sure I want to set up multiple computers to hardware box. Was hoping to set up a 4 man group using Keyclone. I tried searching on the eq2 boards earlier but I didn't find anyhting specifically abnning 3rd party software. Alot of people said it was but no links to Dev quotes however.

Sony's pretty strange when it comes to 3rd party apps. As long as your not automating, your fine. I had a person on Bazaar appeal me every day I logged in for about 5 months and always called me bot even though she knew I wasnt, no issues at all running keyclone and innerspace. Gm's never even spoke with me.

IS has a lot of negative feedback for it do to some of the mods that CAN be used on it... but they are all plugins that must be used separately off of separate sites. So... IMO long as your not running a harvesting macro, or exp macro your fine.


Hello.
I think i was the first one ever to use keyclone with innerspace. I even posted on this board a how to guide some time back.
And i have talked to GMs in eq2 and they said it was no problem as loong as i dont run BoTs as is fully posible with innerspace.

I 6box on one computer with out any problem at all, and have been doing so for over 2 years, I even hadd a gm watch me as i cleared chelsith alone.
The reason that u need innerspace to use keyclone in eq2 is the possibility to lockforground, this is somthing keyclone is working on.

6 on one pc eh? I gotta ask what hardware your using? I can manage 4 on my dual core 4200 amd with 4 gigs of ram and a 640meg vid card. Even then Im getting as low as 10fps some times (this is on extreme performance. From everything I read, only way to boost performance is 1 processor with lots of power... which... is kind of hard to find these days. Would love to hear how you manage six.

[Oternakn]

Noxxy: well i really dont have any issues with that at all, Just go into ur options and controls and chose autoface avatar and the toons will face ur mob and hit em:)
the reason why i use a dirge is cuz of their awsome debuffing and buff abilitys. bruiser is a must have when u are doing hard zones so u can FD is the shit hits the fan. The guard cuz my group does pretty good dps so i need to be able to keep aggro on him at all times or i wipe.

PyrostasisDTK:
I run a core2duo6850 3GhZ. 8GB1000mhz of ram. Ati4870 512mb.
but i could still do this with a 8800gts320mb the key component is RAM with my setup i use 7GB of ram when i run 6clients 8) And i have no lagg fps runs around 30-40, The people that tell u that the cpu is important to play eq2 dont know they are talking about.

[Noxxy]

totally agree re the dirge - great utility char - tbh, I do have a small dirge coming along in the background but currently the only rogue type char I am using is a swashy - no where near the debuffs of the dirge but has smuggle (great for avoiding entire rooms), DPS, tracking and a 100% FD via aas - have used it many a time myself - only catch being it has a short duration but still enough to get me out of most wipes - tbh, I didn't think of having a bruiser along for the crawl, might have a play with one to see how it goes

kudos for doing chelsith!

[PyrostasisTDK]

PyrostasisDTK:
I run a core2duo6850 3GhZ. 8GB1000mhz of ram. Ati4870 512mb.
but i could still do this with a 8800gts320mb the key component is RAM with my setup i use 7GB of ram when i run 6clients 8) And i have no lagg fps runs around 30-40, The people that tell u that the cpu is important to play eq2 dont know they are talking about.
Got it from the devs, here's the dev blog talking about it. https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11200283&postID=7920920586871988302

The key part is here.


"We're working towards improving client performance on new systems but don't have any concrete information or dates to release at the moment.

Currently, the following hardware upgrades may improve EQ2 performance.

Increase RAM (up to 4gb)
Increase hard disk access times
Increase CPU speed

CPU's with multiple cores and SLI setups don't currently offer significant performance benefits for EQ2." and


Regarding the shader info, if everyone knew the reasoning why things were done they were, I think they'd be more understanding. When EQ2 went into development, they wanted to support GeForce3, and wanted the game to look just as good on lower hardware. So the only choice was to do many things on the CPU since the graphics card couldn't do it. The idea at the time was that as processors got faster, the performance would improve over time. Unfortunately science didn't lead us in that direction. So if you want to run the game on a GeForce3 today, it will still look awesome! :) Thats why Im shocked that you get the performance that you do, according to the devs you shouldnt be able to do what you do, and according to my tests I have no idea with your setup you are, unless they have made changes in the past 6 months or so (which is entirely possible).

What does innerspace show your mem usage and fps at during six boxing?

Do you use any mods to reduce the over head from EQ2? or just straight up innerspace or IS/Keyclone?

What game settings do you use?

[Oternakn]

Well they have implemented dual cpu into the game now but that Fucks up boxing so u gotta turn that off. And come to think of it my system is pretty state of the art atm :)

The devs can say what they want, this game is not CPU hungry(at the time it came out it might have been,but cpu today are way more powerfull). It CRAVES memory, with my standar boxing setup i run 5toons on extreme perf and one on extreme quality, works fine. My ati4870 dont even get a temp raise!!! runs a cool 48c.
But each client uses about 800 to 2000mb of ram it differs with th zone ur in. and what settings u are using.

I run innerspace and keyclone only.

TY noxxy, chelsith is a hard zone and i used a loong time to get it down

[mesmerise]

And if anyone know a way to box a pure melee group,( i mean moving them around mobs not the tank moving mobs to them that is ) please share with us ;O, i am only able to play 1 scout + tank, and rest are casters , i would love to try with more melee !!

[Noxxy]

Hi Mes,

A very simple way I have been moving my melee chars around (especially my swash for back-stab-er-nation-time) is basically:
- Unhook the slave trailer from the tank - I just get them all to take a step backwards but /stop works just as well - i.e, to stop them following
- MT grabs mob and brings back to the group
- MT gets himself comfortable
- Turn /follow back on
- use the arrow keys to move the melee around

Being on /follow, the melee are basically like on a rubber band. If you hold down say the left arrow key (if set up in options), the melee slaves will just keep running in circles round the tank at a reasonable distance. Just run them round till you like the position they are in. Of course, be aware of adds and edge of cliffs when using this strategy ;) This actually works very well as I run the swash to in front of the mob, throw in a poke, then shoot him back behind the mob again for the finish off.

Another way I use a lot is to simple pull the mob back through the melle, pivot the tank, through in a shield slam and hey presto, mob has its back to the melee (saving them from rips) and they are all in range (for autoattacks and whatnots).

[asgradth]

PyrostasisDTK:
I run a core2duo6850 3GhZ. 8GB1000mhz of ram. Ati4870 512mb.
but i could still do this with a 8800gts320mb the key component is RAM with my setup i use 7GB of ram when i run 6clients 8) And i have no lagg fps runs around 30-40, The people that tell u that the cpu is important to play eq2 dont know they are talking about.Oternakn, just put together a phenom II x4 3ghz, 8gb800mhz ram, 4tb raid5 and dual 4870's in multimon mode w/ 4 lcds... I hit a problem tho, when i moved a client into another monitor, a core peggs @ 100% and fps in the window dropped from 30 to 3... I can open up to 8 clients (Before i run outa mem) in the main monitor, no problem. I pulled the 4870's and installed an old pair of 8800gtx's, runs fine now. might be a chipset issue, based on your results.

I use innerspace to lock background windows to 10fps and foreground to 30... but i barely break 20fps on the main window... all clients are below 'extreme performance' settings. there's no 'lag' in bg clients, only foreground. I'm playing from 6 different directories, each mapped to a drive. What video settings are you at?

[Oternakn]

Strange, i run 5 on high perf and one on high quality. he main window has a stedy 30fps. might be that u use more than one screen, the ati drivers are sucky at best atm

[asgradth]

Strange, i run 5 on high perf and one on high quality. he main window has a stedy 30fps. might be that u use more than one screen, the ati drivers are sucky at best atmIt is the multi-screen that slows down my rig... I got my setup going w/ dual 4870's and a total of four monitors. If I run in crossfire mode with 1 monitor (all 6 windows tiled), i get like 50fps out of each window, but even on my 25.5" lcd it's way too small. I've done a fair amount of overclocking (3.8core, 2.4 nb, 2.4 ht3, video: 850mhz/1200mhz) and got the system stable but hot. With four monitors, I can have the 5 backgrounds pushing 14fps and still keep the main screen going at ~ 25fps. Good enough for me :). Thanks for the info!