Can we get some ratings? :)

[bhec7715]

I've read all of the stickies and all the descriptions of some of the different software tools available. It would so helpful to get a comprehensive rating of all these tools. I have 2 computers running 5 clients and am currently using keyclone and nothing else. I like it, but if something works better I would love to try that out too or if something in addition to keyclone would help me out I could use both. Thanks :)

[zanthor]

I can give you ratings on the tools I've used personally...

I'll throw 1-10 ratings, 10 being the best you can expect and 1 being zomg just flee.

KeyClone
Ease of Use: 10
Key Broadcasting: 9
Mouse Broadcasting: 4
Picture in Picture: 5
Author Support: 10
Community Support: 10
Technical Skill: Low to Medium depending on setup

All said and done I've been software boxing since the day I came to this community and have used KeyClone for most of that time. It was easy to setup, and had a great amount of power, with some effort and technical skill you can make KeyClone do nearly anything you can imagine.

AutoHotKey
Ease of Use: 2
Key Broadcasting: 8
Mouse Broadcasting: (Never tried)
Picture in Picture: N/A
Author Support: 1
Community Support: 3
Technical Skill: Very High

This was the first tool I used for multiboxing, it was reliable, but hard as hell to setup. You have to know the scripting language. In all fairness I've seen a script or two floating around here that appear to make it a matter of install/run/play wow, but I haven't tried them.

HotKeyNet
Ease of Use: 7
Key Broadcasting: 9
Mouse Broadcasting: 6
Picture in Picture: (Didn't Test)
Author Support: 10
Community Support: 8
Technical Skill: Medium

I haven't fully tested this, but from what I've seen it's great. Freddy is a great support resource as well as those who use it in the community. It's well documented and fairly easy to get going if the idea of scripting doesn't bother you.

InnerSpace (With Windowsnapper, Repeater, Clickboxer)
Ease of Use: 5
Key Broadcasting: 10
Mouse Broadcasting: 10
Picture in Picture: 10
Author Support: 10
Community Support: 2 here, 8 in IRC
Technical Skill: High

InnerSpace is an amazing tool, it's far from plug and play but there are scripts in the works by some of us in the community and by it's author that are making it a lot easier to use. The support is amazing in the IRC but most of the experienced users have chosen to stay out of these forums due to the extreme hostility some have shown the product. All said and done it is by far the best multiboxing product I could ask for, I haven't come across anything I feel is lacking that wasn't immediately fixed by Lax (That would be the lack of lctrl, rctrl differentiation, and thats fixed.) That said, it's not an easy tool to jump into, it's getting easier, but I wouldn't suggest you try IS unless you are very comfortable with the statement "just open the multi.iss file in your favorite text editor"

[moosejaw]

InnerSpace (With Windowsnapper, Repeater, Clickboxer)
Ease of Use: 5
Key Broadcasting: 10
Mouse Broadcasting: 10
Picture in Picture: 10
Author Support: 10
Community Support: 2 here, 8 in IRC
Technical Skill: High

InnerSpace is an amazing tool, it's far from plug and play but there are scripts in the works by some of us in the community and by it's author that are making it a lot easier to use. The support is amazing in the IRC but most of the experienced users have chosen to stay out of these forums due to the extreme hostility some have shown the product. All said and done it is by far the best multiboxing product I could ask for, I haven't come across anything I feel is lacking that wasn't immediately fixed by Lax (That would be the lack of lctrl, rctrl differentiation, and thats fixed.) That said, it's not an easy tool to jump into, it's getting easier, but I wouldn't suggest you try IS unless you are very comfortable with the statement "just open the multi.iss file in your favorite text editor"
With the addition of the autolayout script to windowsnapper a schmuck like me can get IS running even faster now. I was using your (Zanthor) scripts to run my wow's but I dumped them yesterday (save for a few snippets for globalbinds and repeater gui) and load each instance one at a time with a short script to load windowsnapper/repeater and the gui. All thanks to Autolayout.

I had been using Keyclone exclusively up untill last week. Keyclone is very easy to use for the beginner boxer and I highly recommend it. Should you want to further refine your boxing utilities then IS will take you to the next level and beyond. I can not write a script to save my life. I have to look at what others have written and "adjust" it to my needs. I am very satisfied with what I have with IS now.

[bhec7715]

Thanks a lot. Zanthor, I've read a lot of the flame war innerspace posts and I feel the risk is worth it. I have heard a lot of what's been written about the superiority of Innerspace where performance of pip and swapping and fps are an issue. My question is how is innerspace better where key and mouse broadcasting is concerned.

For anyone else that has used more than 1 of the software tools, some thoughts would be greatly appreciated as to which one you prefer and why. Thanks!

[Harem]

Running one box with 5 accounts or 5 boxes with 5 accts matters too. I don't believe AHK will broadcast to other machines.

If you are running 1 machine - the $20 investment in keyclone is where you want to be - and 99% of everyone here will tell you that. (even running 5 machines - but 1 is a no brainer)

My (limited) experience with Innerspace shows the PIP is FAST - important if you are pvp'ing. But the repeater seems to have significant lag. With keyclone, keypresses are instant to my other machines, with IS:Repeater there is noticeable lag (I'm still working on this).

I'll have more on the IS soon but it definately isn't something to start with.


I feel the risk is worth it two points here -
1. you feel there is risk?
2. if so, what makes it worth it? Zanthor's excitement about PIP swap speed?

I'm not saying there is or isn't risk involved, but I am pointing out that if you feel there is risk involved I don't understand what makes you think the risk is worth taking.

I'm checking out Innerspace myself. I've got aways to go before I can have a more solid opinion. (first impression seems to be it may not support my ability to switch to any of my characters and lead the rest like I can with the FTL setup I have in keyclone - still working on this)

There is a free trial for Innerspace - you can certainly give it a shot - and I love the fact that they have an IRC channel for support - you are basicly getting realtime support.


PS - You mention fps issue - afaik there is no fps issue anywhere in these software - just the PIP swap speed

[moosejaw]

For Harem. I also want to setup a FTL with IS. I think I am almost there. I will have to load a different binding file for each session. This is essentially the same as KC does, except the hotstring file is easier to edit with IS .

Once I have the strings figured out it should be a breeze to duplicate for other teams with minor adjustments. This is what I liked about Lax's previous utilities. The ability to quickly setup a second and third profile once you have the first profile done.


BTW the only lag I have seen with repeater has been dumping a long string of characters. Repeater never lost any of the characters and sent them to the clones in a controlled manner(imo). This same test on KC would fail on at least 2 clones everytime. Sending normal hotkeys from the usb or ps/2 keyboards with IS has been fine for me.

Edit: Thinking about the FTL hotstring. It can be as simple as binding a key for each session like this. Bind Lbolt 2 press "all others" ctrl-alt-[

Not 100% on the syntax for "all others" but you change the modifiers based on the session/character. With this method I believe you will have 1/4 of the hotstring entries as with KC. I already had a spreadsheet setup for FTL when I dove into IS so this shouldn't take long for me setup.

[bhec7715]

The key multiplier lag obviously would negate other benefits. TY. Currently I got 3 clients on one comp and 2 on another.

[moosejaw]

The key multiplier lag obviously would negate other benefits. TY. Currently I got 3 clients on one comp and 2 on another.I have not experienced any lag during game play. Unless you are passing long strings of characters there is no issues at all.

[Lax]

But the repeater seems to have significant lag. With keyclone, keypresses are instant to my other machines, with IS:Repeater there is noticeable lag (I'm still working on this).There should really be no lag, but it will also depend on your network congestion and the framerate (fps) of the game. Feel free to drop by our chat channel if you'd like to discuss, I believe there are a few people who are boxing with multiple PCs in the channel, and none of them have had this issue, so maybe there is something we can help you troubleshoot.

Also, bhec7715, as has been mentioned, you can get a free 7-day trial for Inner Space to see if you would experience that kind of problem with your setup.

[zanthor]

I've never had a single issue with latency on the broadcasting of keys or mice using IS.

[bhec7715]

At work I run 5 clients on 1 comp. Do you think IS would improve performance over keyclone on this setup?

edit: I started using maximizer and setting maximum fps and I pretty much run 5 clients on that comp with zero lag. good times.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I'll throw in my 2 copper on Octopus.

Ease of Use: 5*
Key Broadcasting: 10
Mouse Broadcasting: 9
Picture in Picture: **
Author Support: 5
Community Support: 8
Technical Skill: Low

* Trial-and-error config with tutorial assistance is probably its biggest drawback.
** It has PiP but I've never used it.

The key/mouse broadcasting have been glitchless for me over >6 months of use. No stuck keys, no "spinning alts of doom," hardly ever have the "runaway" problem, modifier keys always work the first time and never get stuck, no crashes or wierd lockups/cursor problems/keyboard problems/etc. Plainly put, it Just Works(tm).