Jeff Kaplan himself on Multiboxing!!

[torbo]

The last minute or so (3:55 into it) in Part 1 of this video interview with Jeff Kaplan (THE Game Director or World of Warcraft) talks about his stand on multiboxing...
http://www.beckett.com/beckettMOG/default.osi?v=3
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EDIT: Updated the link since they changed the order of the videos on the page.. Big Hey to Bearhug from my Shaman in Nagrand where he was catching flak for multiboxing.

[pixelimp]

Good stuff, good interview.
I also enjoyed that they are gonna focus more on BGs.

[Multibocks]

YAY hopefully you can get equally good equipment, and not be the bastard child, as arenas.

[TheHamburglar]

Nice, at least he multiboxed once. Wonder if he still does it now.

[Vyndree]

TRANSCRIPTION:

Journalist: "This is kind of interesting. There has been alot of debate on multiboxing. Why has the company decided to support this style of play?"

Kaplan: "Well, we feel like people have been multiboxing games for a very long time now. I mean, I was doing it back in Everquest and I don't think I was any sort of criminal for doing it. I actually enjoyed playing the game that way. So I think it's more of a playstyle choice. Most of the time, people who are multiboxing are not better than the people who are focusing on one character. It's actually pretty easy in a PvP situation to outright kill somebody who is multiboxing simply because they are not paying attention. But, I feel like alot of people have alot of characters they want to play, and if they happen to have two computers or they feel like, you know, one computer can run two clients, we should enable them to do that and not slap their wrists for doing it."

[Vyndree]

Regardless of the number of extremists here on the board, I'd imagine that 2-boxing is actually the most common form of multiboxing.

Us 5+ boxers are just louder. ;)

[Haruko]

Regardless of the number of extremists here on the board, I'd imagine that 2-boxing is actually the most common form of multiboxing.

Us 5+ boxers are just louder. ;)

Sounds like a AC/DC statement....lol I'm just listening to Thunderstruck, make a nice video using elementals new spell with that. back on topic, I'm glad he has come out & stated what he did, if goes to show that with RAF Blizzard is all for others having fun & enjoying us having fun. $$$ as well :thumbsup:

[Basilikos]

I can't wait for all the fun I'm going to have on the WoW Forums.

[Vyndree]

Us 5+ boxers are just louder. ;)

Sounds like a AC/DC statement....lol I'm just listening to Thunderstruck, make a nice video using elementals new spell with that.

Aww, that was actually on my to-do list for the beta. ;) I just got a little sidetracked with Blizzcon.

When I first played with the ele punt, the first thing I thought of was that song.

[Tdog]

Regardless of the number of extremists here on the board, I'd imagine that 2-boxing is actually the most common form of multiboxing.

Us 5+ boxers are just louder. ;)Actually I think most people would be suprised to find out just how many people out there dual-box and never even consider themselves multiboxers. I've had several ex guildes who I personally know that Dual boxed (usually with another guilde's account even :( ) and would give me crap for when I started 5 boxing.

[Ellay]

This is an extremely positive note for mutliboxing, I wish we could interview them :) but alas they are usually busy hehe.

[5fingersofdoom]

Sounded to me lik h asked him directly "Multi" boxing.
I'd be worried if he had asked him "dual" boxing.
Loved the interview,really nice to hear a levelheaded response from the boss.
Gogogogadgetmultiboxers :)

[Sam DeathWalker]

Sure times have changed from when I posted on TZT that I was going to 2 or 4 box EQ ... people thought I was nuts. You guys have it easy acceptance wise.

[algol]

Regardless of the number of extremists here on the board, I'd imagine that 2-boxing is actually the most common form of multiboxing.It's what I started out doing, anyway. Two keyboards and everything.

[valkry]

Regardless of the number of extremists here on the board, I'd imagine that 2-boxing is actually the most common form of multiboxing.

Us 5+ boxers are just louder. ;)Actually I think most people would be suprised to find out just how many people out there dual-box and never even consider themselves multiboxers. I've had several ex guildes who I personally know that Dual boxed (usually with another guilde's account even :( ) and would give me crap for when I started 5 boxing.
You can give him crap back by reporting them for account sharing (100% more illegal than multi-boxing)...

Imo, you could at least asking Jeff for an interview...doesn't hurt to try :) (probably send an email into customer service or something).

I started out dual-boxing as well until RAF gave me the quick boost to 60 I needed as I raid full time.

[Fat Tire]

Just a fantastic interview. Thank you for posting it.

I have to wonder, is this admitting that arenas overall were just bad game design? I enjoy arenas, but I wouldn't mind seeing more focus on the BGs.

[Prepared]

TRANSCRIPTION:

Journalist: "This is kind of interesting. There has been alot of debate on multiboxing. Why has the company decided to support this style of play?"

Kaplan: "Well, we feel like people have been multiboxing games for a very long time now. I mean, I was doing it back in Everquest and I don't think I was any sort of criminal for doing it. I actually enjoyed playing the game that way. So I think it's more of a playstyle choice. Most of the time, people who are multiboxing are not better than the people who are focusing on one character. It's actually pretty easy in a PvP situation to outright kill somebody who is multiboxing simply because they are not paying attention. But, I feel like alot of people have alot of characters they want to play, and if they happen to have two computers or they feel like, you know, one computer can run two clients, we should enable them to do that and not slap their wrists for doing it."

Oh come on now! Who would have a lot of characters to play? That's just nuts!

[valkry]

Total BG fan boy here, love healing with my resto druid in them, and talks about new BGs and rated BGs got me very excited..let's hope they keep to their word and improve them :thumbup:

[torbo]

bump for great justice

[Nicbennett]

Thanks for bumping this, I hadn't seen it. I'll have to bookmark it to send the naysayers to.

[Stabface]

I play 2 accounts at the same time I'm playing 2 accounts at the same time I'm playing a single account just like most everyone else. Totally legit! ;)

[Tonuss]

Thanks for bumping this, I hadn't seen it. I'll have to bookmark it to send the naysayers to.That part of the interview is the reason I no longer bother with the naysayers. Sure, they will still whine and complain, but we have the final word from up top at Blizzard, and the reply is a direct response to the crybabies. Notice his wording? "I don't think I was any sort of criminal for doing it" and "we should enable them to do that and not slap their wrists for doing it." That's a slap at all the idiots who state that it's "illegal" or "against the ToS/EULA" or that "it's not right" or "unfair" or whatever other bullshit they can dream up. It also provides an answer to people who seem to think that Blizzard somehow didn't know about multiboxing and therefore they "didn't design the game for it" as if that somehow invalidates multiboxing. There is your lead designer, telling everyone that he did it before and that he feels it's a legitimate way to play the game.

The only thing the whiners have left is the same excuse they've been using for a while now, ever since their arguments all fell apart under the weight of repeated blue responses. :cursing: "IT'S NOT RIGHT BECAUSE I SAID SO, AND I AM THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!" :cursing: That's pretty much what they fall back on these days. Why bother trying to reason with the delusional? They lost, it's over. I'm gonna go multibox. :)

[Basilikos]

... didn't design the game for it ...
It's odd that I didn't make that application from Kaplan's answer before you brought it up. Usually, (this is months ago when there was a whine every single day), I liked to mess with the forum trolls and ask them to prove WoW wasn't meant to be multiboxed. It resulted is lols galore.

[Lyonheart]

I'm almost more excited about many of the changes upcoming than I was for the expansion. For example>.Duel spec, not dismounting in water, improved BGs, and the class changes inc. I get bummed out every Tuesday when this current patch does not go live lol.

This was a great interview btw 8)