Guide - Riiker's Channelled Ability / DPS SWTOR setup

[Riiker]

Understanding the Problem From My Perspective:
Everytime I tried to activate my channeled ability on one toon, I would end up interrupting the ability when I pressed my DPS spam key. I found this to be undesirable if I had a mixed group with different abilities b/c I love to spam my DPS keys.

The Solution:
Develop mapped keys that allow me to "block" sending the DPS keys to the toon that is doing to the channeled ability.

For this guide it is assumed that you have a fundamental knowledge of SWTOR mapped keys and already have a working setup of your own. I use variable keystrokes and click bars, but there is no reason that you can't modify my setup to work with hotkeys easily.

The Set Up:
Just a preview of my variable key strokes and an overview of all of my mapped keys to put us all on the same page. You should recognize my variable keystrokes from the SWTOR Character Configuration Tool from this post: http://www.dual-boxing.com/threads/46640-SWTOR-Character-Configuration-Tool

http://i.imgur.com/43KM9.png

Again, you don't have to set up variable key strokes to make this work.

Next, my mapped keys:

http://i.imgur.com/0LAnn.png

You'll notice that I have the typical Target Me, Follow Me, and Assist Me mapped keys but note that I don't use them for my DPS spam. I use the DPS Assist - # and DPS - # for use in my DPS Master Spammer mapped key.

Character Control:
Just like Apps and Mosg2, I use a character control (Knight Control) Key Map that is always on. This is how I manage which mapped keys are active for each toon.

I'll just show you the first two Activate Slot # key maps. Note the "DPS Assist - #" For Slot 1, I have DPS Assist - 1 OFF and the other three DPS Assist key maps are ON.

Activate Slot 1:
http://i.imgur.com/wqiq6.png

Activate Slot 2:
http://i.imgur.com/OOzwZ.png

You can see that for Slot 2, I have DPS Assist - 2 OFF and the other three are ON. This pattern repeats for Slots 3 & 4, ie. DPS Assist - 3 is OFF for SLOT 3 and DPS Assist - 4 is OFF for SLOT 4.

TO BE CONTINUTED...

[Riiker]

DPS SPAM:
The next step is to show you how my DPS Spam works.

DPS Master Spammer (Hotkey: Space):
http://i.imgur.com/4kQL0.png

All it does is execute my 4 DPS key maps. So lets see what those look like:

DPS - 1, 2, 3 & 4:
DPS -1:
http://i.imgur.com/q7z9v.png

5,6,7,8,9,0,-,= are my DPS abilities
<Resolute> is a variable key stroke, but its just for one of my random abilities
I'll show you what DPS Assist - # does right after I show you DPS -2.

Here is DPS - 2 just so you can see the pattern of my setup:
http://i.imgur.com/sjt5D.png

DPS Assist - 1, 2, 3 & 4:
DPS Assist - 1:
http://i.imgur.com/OicV2.png

I execute 3 actions in one step:
I utilize variable keystrokes, but you can simply use a normal key stroke.
Note: For those of you unfamiliar with variable keystrokes they are just a different way to pass a keystroke. For example anytime you the variable keystroke <Target My Target> -> 1 the equivalent keystoke would be F6 -> 1. I have defined <Target My Target> to be the key F6.

- <Target Slot {SLOT}> is my variable keystroke to select the current toon
- <Follow Target> is my variable keystroke that just passes the follow target keybind (in my case `) to the toon.
- <Target My Target> is a variable keystroke that passes the target my target keybind (in my case F6) to the toon.

DPS Assist - 2 for reference:
http://i.imgur.com/DCcYA.png

In my next installment, I will show you how my Channeled Ability works. (Gotta go feed my pregnant wife right now :eek:)
TO BE CONTINUED....

[Riiker]

Channeled Ability (Master Strike):

For my channeled ability Master Strike I utilize two steps. Since I only want to click the mouse button on my click bar or press my hotkey once, I've set it up to Execute a Step when the Hotkey is pressed OR released.
http://i.imgur.com/ss7xS.png

Step One:
http://i.imgur.com/oN6rn.png

This step's only purpose is to disable the DPS - 1 keymap so that Character - 1 will no longer receive the Assist/Follow/DPS which would otherwise causehim to interrupt the channel.
Step Two:
http://i.imgur.com/Lgdho.png

This Key Map does call my "Assist Me" mapped key, but could just as easily be set up to use my "DPS Assist - 1" mapped key as well.

Assist Me:
http://i.imgur.com/lTZfd.png

<Master Strike> is my variable keystroke that sends my ingame keybind (in this case: E) to SLOT-1.

The last action is the key to it all. This turns the DPS - 1 keymap back on so that character-1 will resume spamming DPS again. The key that I've set up a timer to wait 3 seconds to activate this particular action.

After you set up the "New Mapped Key State" action click on the < in the lower right of the screen to bring up the timer action group window as illustrated below:

http://i.imgur.com/hfLJT.png

Simply click the checkbox for "Enable Timer" and fill in the desired delay (3 seconds in this case).
You have to fill in the timer group name... you can make it anything at all then press OK.

That should be all you need to know to make your very own channeled ability in ISBoxer.

A note on usage:
To account for slight differences in activation time of the ability during the GCD... I usually SPAM the Master Strike button until it goes off to ensure that the 3 second timer ends after the ability has finished channeling. You could also add .5 seconds to the timer so that you don't have to do this. See replies #16 & 17 here for more: http://www.dual-boxing.com/threads/46735-Request-specific-channeled-ability-set-ups/page2.

[OldRod_KS]

Nice work! Thanks for sharing this. I'll have to check it out this weekend. My Juggernaut and Sorceror both have channeled abilities of different lengths - it's a pain trying to get them working together :)

[Pyro_box]

Riiker, thank you so much; I am deffn putting this into play for my (3) sorcs team as they end up clipping each other on the channeled abilities.

[Riiker]

Pyro and Oldrod, I'm very curious for any feedback that you have on the setup.

Link to my actual setup if anyone wants it: http://www.sendspace.com/file/2mx3bk

All key binds are default except:
Follow = ' (tilde)
Target My Target = F6

[Pyro_box]

The setup ended up a mixed blessing for my team; the Sorcerers end up with (2) channeled abilities one for Force Lightning, and a second for Chain Lightning, so I need to evaluate what modifications I need to make to get these to work. Your default; or “plug_N_play” script did not work for me, save the wonderful follow the leader when switching toons, and the assist the lead. I did need to remove the “follow me” from all the combat callouts as my Sorcs need to stay put and do their ranged damage.

The channeled portion of the callout only allowed my Sorcs to cast (2) spells; could be I just don’t understand how to call it out enough to get it to work for more than one channeled ability.

Give me a week or two to play with it and modify; I need to add all the healing specific, CC, & interupt key maps too. What I do love about this is I have been able to significantly reduce the amount of time doing class specific flashpoints. For the three sorcs I run (2) flashpoints simultaneous keeping my complete team in a single group; run the full group through once getting one of my Sorcs finished. Then we all exit the flashpoint; Tank and one Sorc create a flashpoint, and (2) sorcs including the one that just finished enter a new flashpoint. Since I use a 2-monitor setup I control both groups at the same time as a single “follow me” command works on both screens.

To say the least it’s awesome.

Thanks for your hard work in developing this aid for us “wanna be” boxers who don’t have the knowhow when it comes to optimizing Isboxer to its fullest.

[Riiker]

Pyro, thanks for the feedback. As far as adding channeled abilities, I think you should be able to clone the key map for "master strike" and assign a new hotkey/ click bar. Bottom line, you will need a separate key map for each channeled ability.

As far as being a "wanna be" goes, we are both new to this. That's why I've asked for your help to make it better. Also, I've spent more time trying to figure out how to box SWTOR than actually playing the game.

[Longshot17]

Great guide, I just have one question which I think you've addressed already in the guide, but I wanted to confirm, you manage your focus abilities, in this case, Master Strike, outside of your DPS spam key. ie you have a separate key to call that ability considering it has a 30 sec. cooldown?

Thanks again for the guide, that's probably half the fun of multiboxing is the problem solving and seeing different ways to accomplish things.

[Riiker]

Great guide, I just have one question which I think you've addressed already in the guide, but I wanted to confirm, you manage your focus abilities, in this case, Master Strike, outside of your DPS spam key. ie you have a separate key to call that ability considering it has a 30 sec. cooldown?

Thanks again for the guide, that's probably half the fun of multiboxing is the problem solving and seeing different ways to accomplish things.

Yeah, in this case I use 'space' for my DPS spam and 'E' for my Master Strike channeled ability.

I've actually shifted to a new way of doing channeled abilities using Action Target Groups. Instead of Assist Me going to All, the target for my assist function is an action target group named 'knights' which has all of my knights. You can use action target groups just like you use 'all w/o current' you would use '(others in) knights' for target me, assist me, and follow me mapped keys. Then the first step of the channeled ability is to have the desired toon 'leave' the action target group.... do the channeled ability... and then 'join' the action target group using a timer for the length of the channel.

[Longshot17]

Cool, I use ActionTarget Groups as well, specifically to separate my DPS toons from my tank and Healer.

Maybe I'll look at that option as well.

I just got so spoiled in WoW being able to come up with Spam-DPS rotations for a variety of toons, using one key (Fury Warrior, Blood DK, Ele Shaman even Ret Pallys... who's DPS was fairly decent... did the job in many of the low end Cata raids).

[zhurt]

Riker I can not get the follow or assist to work for the life of me I am at a lost

[Riiker]

Riker I can not get the follow or assist to work for the life of me I am at a lost

Zhurt - I'm going to refer you to a more basic set up: http://www.dual-boxing.com/threads/46398-Mosg-s-Multiboxing-TOR-Manifesto

This is a good 2 toon setup: http://www.dual-boxing.com/threads/46470-Apps-(actually-Mosg2’s)-2-Man-and-3-Man-SWTOR-setup

Its the one that I learned from. I have actually scrapped my entire setup since posting this guide. Im still working out the kinks, but I'll update this guide once I've got it perfect.

In the mean time, I would look at that guide and take a look at my sticky for some really detailed guides. Like I said, that is where I got started.