Bettysue
09-10-2009, 06:48 AM
I have seen the question raised a few times here and decided to contribute what i use, so that it may help others use the FTL method, while maintaining altaholic status.
First a few things I should put out in the open and reasons why I do it.
1) /target vs /assist -- I use /target because it reduces the number of macros I require since you can't /follow your assist.
2) This write up is not meant to be the end all do it my way type thing I just want to help distribute my findings.
3) I use no addons, so yes the macros are convoluted and make heavy use of /click, but you can't multibox MLG games without doing it this way right :P
4) I assume you have been able to setup your multiboxing software of choice to send the correct key set when a certain character is leading. I use:
ctrl+shift for account 1
ctrl+alt for account2
alt+shift for account 3
ctrl+alt+shift for account 4
ctrl for account 5
This setup is directly from the wikipage that explains how to set up FTL.
Cool now on to the fun. I have a few screenshots to help, but just in case you can't read them all of the macros I used to establish follow and cast 1 spell are listed below a bolded title for the macro.
Big Button Macro -- This one is key to this whole setup
/click [mod:ctrlshift,nomod:alt] MultiBarRightButton1;
[mod:ctrlalt,nomod:shift] MultiBarRightButton2;
[mod:altshift,nomod:ctrl] MultiBarRightButton3;
[mod:ctrlshiftalt] MultiBarRightButton4;
[mod:ctrl,nomod:alt/shift] MultiBarRightButton542
Okay a few things to note:
1) You can combine modifiers into 1 word so to speak for example [mod:alt,mod:shift,nomod:ctrl] is exactly the same as [mod:altshift,nomod:ctrl]. This way saves a ton of characters and makes the above macro come in at a lightweight 239 characters, allowing a 5 account boxer with tons of alts on each account to do this without the need for an addon.
2) Save space using semicolons followed by a new line to run the same initial command over and over. For example:
/click [parameters] MyMacroButton1;
[otherparameters] MyMacroButton2
is the same as
/click [parameters] MyMacroButton1
/click [otherparameters] MyMacroButton2and it saves you 6 characters per line for click macros.
3) This macro clicks an "account" macro. The "account" macro has all the characters from a particular account listed in it, and will select an online character. I can do it this way since you can only have 1 char per account online at a time. If you log one out and bring another one in, nothing breaks and the new char just takes the spot of the old char. This does assume you load them in the same logical spot...meaning the send the same modifiers the old char did.
This leads perfectly into the
Account Macro
/target [exists,target=toonone][exists,target=someotherchar][exists,target=myguythatisoffline]39
This macro is exactly the same on all account and is placed on the rightside action bar at the very top, the second one has that accounts list and so on. Here it is with five accounts and the bigbutton placed along the right side, note in the picture that toonfive does not have to be in the fifth spot he is just the fifth character I have on the fifth account, in this example. The 2 pics look the same because I was lazy but you would have all unique names across the 5 macros.
41
Alright now just make sure you have unbound all the shift ctrl and alt modifiers in game. These will override the macro and make everything not work for you.
44
Once you've done that you are ready to put this all to use, lets make a follow macro
Follow
/stopmacro [nomod]
/click MultiBarRightButton6
/follow
/targetlasttarget [mod]The first line just keeps the leader from trying to follow themself. The second line will click the bigbutton macro, if you placed it in the same place shown in the pic above, which will click the account macro and target your online char from that account. The third line will of course follow the targeted character. The fourth line makes this truly FTL and targets your previous target if you are a follower, you will of course still be following the designated leader when this macro was activated.
If you had no previous target prior to hitting follow you will have no target now and be following the leader.
Attacking is just as simple
Attack -- Shaman Lightning Bolt
/click [mod] MultiBarRightButton6
/cast [harm][target=targettarget][] Lightning Bolt
/targetlasttarget [mod]This macro is the same on the leader and each of the followers just as the follow macro is, therefor it does a couple things.
1) click the big button to target the leader only if you are a follower ( [mod] )
2) cast on your hostile target if you're leader ( [harm] ) or your leaders target as a follower ( [target=targettarget] )...the empty brackets are used as a fallback in case the macro is stuck and will allow the cast to try to work as though none of the other business was going on in the macro.
3)target the previous target on the followers.
All major attack spells are just copy paste and replace the spell name
Healing isn't too bad but a little more complex
Heal -- Shaman Healing Wave
CODE]/click [mod] MultiBarRightButton6
/cast [target=targettarget,help][[target=targettargettarget,help][help][] Healing Wave
/targetlasttarget [mod][/CODE]
I'll just start with the second line since that's all that is different.
Heal the leaders target should it be friendly, or the leader is targeting an enemy and you should heal that enemy's target. If the leader isn't targeting anything heal him if you're a follower, if you're all alone, or you are the leader just heal yourself.
The empty bracket leader heal self bit assumes you have selfcasting turned on on each character.
I hope this helps it's really not much different from the FTL setup in the wiki, it just gives you the core macro to setup FTL when you run lots of alts in your groups, without requiring an addon to play. It has the added benefit of making the FTL macros account wide, meaning each account can have the same 6 macros in their general section leaving the character specific macros open for spells and whatnot.
I left the follow button pic attached but did not include it because I moved the big button over to the side bar, and wanted to prevent confusion based on the incorrect name in the first line.
First a few things I should put out in the open and reasons why I do it.
1) /target vs /assist -- I use /target because it reduces the number of macros I require since you can't /follow your assist.
2) This write up is not meant to be the end all do it my way type thing I just want to help distribute my findings.
3) I use no addons, so yes the macros are convoluted and make heavy use of /click, but you can't multibox MLG games without doing it this way right :P
4) I assume you have been able to setup your multiboxing software of choice to send the correct key set when a certain character is leading. I use:
ctrl+shift for account 1
ctrl+alt for account2
alt+shift for account 3
ctrl+alt+shift for account 4
ctrl for account 5
This setup is directly from the wikipage that explains how to set up FTL.
Cool now on to the fun. I have a few screenshots to help, but just in case you can't read them all of the macros I used to establish follow and cast 1 spell are listed below a bolded title for the macro.
Big Button Macro -- This one is key to this whole setup
/click [mod:ctrlshift,nomod:alt] MultiBarRightButton1;
[mod:ctrlalt,nomod:shift] MultiBarRightButton2;
[mod:altshift,nomod:ctrl] MultiBarRightButton3;
[mod:ctrlshiftalt] MultiBarRightButton4;
[mod:ctrl,nomod:alt/shift] MultiBarRightButton542
Okay a few things to note:
1) You can combine modifiers into 1 word so to speak for example [mod:alt,mod:shift,nomod:ctrl] is exactly the same as [mod:altshift,nomod:ctrl]. This way saves a ton of characters and makes the above macro come in at a lightweight 239 characters, allowing a 5 account boxer with tons of alts on each account to do this without the need for an addon.
2) Save space using semicolons followed by a new line to run the same initial command over and over. For example:
/click [parameters] MyMacroButton1;
[otherparameters] MyMacroButton2
is the same as
/click [parameters] MyMacroButton1
/click [otherparameters] MyMacroButton2and it saves you 6 characters per line for click macros.
3) This macro clicks an "account" macro. The "account" macro has all the characters from a particular account listed in it, and will select an online character. I can do it this way since you can only have 1 char per account online at a time. If you log one out and bring another one in, nothing breaks and the new char just takes the spot of the old char. This does assume you load them in the same logical spot...meaning the send the same modifiers the old char did.
This leads perfectly into the
Account Macro
/target [exists,target=toonone][exists,target=someotherchar][exists,target=myguythatisoffline]39
This macro is exactly the same on all account and is placed on the rightside action bar at the very top, the second one has that accounts list and so on. Here it is with five accounts and the bigbutton placed along the right side, note in the picture that toonfive does not have to be in the fifth spot he is just the fifth character I have on the fifth account, in this example. The 2 pics look the same because I was lazy but you would have all unique names across the 5 macros.
41
Alright now just make sure you have unbound all the shift ctrl and alt modifiers in game. These will override the macro and make everything not work for you.
44
Once you've done that you are ready to put this all to use, lets make a follow macro
Follow
/stopmacro [nomod]
/click MultiBarRightButton6
/follow
/targetlasttarget [mod]The first line just keeps the leader from trying to follow themself. The second line will click the bigbutton macro, if you placed it in the same place shown in the pic above, which will click the account macro and target your online char from that account. The third line will of course follow the targeted character. The fourth line makes this truly FTL and targets your previous target if you are a follower, you will of course still be following the designated leader when this macro was activated.
If you had no previous target prior to hitting follow you will have no target now and be following the leader.
Attacking is just as simple
Attack -- Shaman Lightning Bolt
/click [mod] MultiBarRightButton6
/cast [harm][target=targettarget][] Lightning Bolt
/targetlasttarget [mod]This macro is the same on the leader and each of the followers just as the follow macro is, therefor it does a couple things.
1) click the big button to target the leader only if you are a follower ( [mod] )
2) cast on your hostile target if you're leader ( [harm] ) or your leaders target as a follower ( [target=targettarget] )...the empty brackets are used as a fallback in case the macro is stuck and will allow the cast to try to work as though none of the other business was going on in the macro.
3)target the previous target on the followers.
All major attack spells are just copy paste and replace the spell name
Healing isn't too bad but a little more complex
Heal -- Shaman Healing Wave
CODE]/click [mod] MultiBarRightButton6
/cast [target=targettarget,help][[target=targettargettarget,help][help][] Healing Wave
/targetlasttarget [mod][/CODE]
I'll just start with the second line since that's all that is different.
Heal the leaders target should it be friendly, or the leader is targeting an enemy and you should heal that enemy's target. If the leader isn't targeting anything heal him if you're a follower, if you're all alone, or you are the leader just heal yourself.
The empty bracket leader heal self bit assumes you have selfcasting turned on on each character.
I hope this helps it's really not much different from the FTL setup in the wiki, it just gives you the core macro to setup FTL when you run lots of alts in your groups, without requiring an addon to play. It has the added benefit of making the FTL macros account wide, meaning each account can have the same 6 macros in their general section leaving the character specific macros open for spells and whatnot.
I left the follow button pic attached but did not include it because I moved the big button over to the side bar, and wanted to prevent confusion based on the incorrect name in the first line.