AHK Wiki

[thinus]

I updated the Wiki page for AHK. Feedback/suggestions required.

AHK Wiki ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/AutoHotKey')

[Djarid]

Excellent piece of work Thinus. No whinges from me on that one ;)

[Chorizotarian]

Great guide! I suggest adding a caveat somewhere about sending multiple keypresses in one AHK key script. It's kind of a gray area IMO. Some board members would probably say that your targeting approach is out of bounds because you send 2 virtual keypresses for 1 physical one. Others would say that you are fine because there are no delays. My personal take is to avoid it as much as possible just to be safe, but it is a PITA having to set up a macro for every spell...

[thinus]

Great guide! I suggest adding a caveat somewhere about sending multiple keypresses in one AHK key script. It's kind of a gray area IMO. Some board members would probably say that your targeting approach is out of bounds because you send 2 virtual keypresses for 1 physical one. Others would say that you are fine because there are no delays. My personal take is to avoid it as much as possible just to be safe, but it is a PITA having to set up a macro for every spell...

There was recently a discussion about macroing with the G15 and that Blizzard is fine with it as long as it doesn't have delays anywhere and doesn't automate anything. Sending multiple key codes from AHK is basically the same as using the G15 to do it, it is fine as long as you don't have delays anywhere.

But your point is noted. I will add a section outlining ToS concerns and grey areas.

[Chorizotarian]

Oooh, I'd like to read that thread. It would give me a lot of piece of mind to know what's legal. WoW general forum?

[Chorizotarian]

Here's an example of the greyness in this area, even from Bliz (emphasis mine):


On my G15 at home, I have plenty of the G keys macroed to /cast <stance> and a lot of other things. It's a keyboard string so you'll have to record it into the G keys as that. Usage such as those are fine. Doing multiple things on a single button such as ( walk forward, wait for so and so, tab key, /cast fireball(rank 5)) is the type of play that is prohibited.
...
Game and keyboard works fine. Just don't automate things too much and you will be ok. I haven't been banned yet for the G15. :P
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=42585461&postId=426321064&sid=1#2

It would be great to have an explicit definition of "too much". For now I'm taking it to mean 1) no delays, 2) no getting around game mechanics (multiple spells with 1 click), 3) no actions that are not easily achievable by a singleboxer by in-game means. Currently I only send multiple keypresses for my "spread out in a line" button (the extra keys are walk on/off to stagger the line). I think that's ok because the action is 100% controlled by me and the multiple keypresses only provide a limited version of something that singleboxers take for granted.

[Chorizotarian]

Applogies for a 2nd reply to my own post..

Here is a more definitive statement:

So long as your use of the keyboard does not involve creating macros that allow you to control your character without being actively at your computer -- or otherwise automate behaviour that requires hardware commands -- you should be square.
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=37045311&postId=368525514&sid=1#3

[thinus]

Here is the dual-boxing thread: Yay, my first blue response....semi-MB related ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/index.php?page=Thread&postID=51065&highlight=%2Bg15+%2Bmacro+blue#post51065')

And the WoW Forums thread: Another G15/Macro's question ('http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5784538871&postId=57838185202&sid=1#5')


It seems Blizzard feels that if you can do it with an in-game macro then you can do it with an out-of-game macro.

[Tasty]

Thats some nice clean coding you have there. Great job :)

[thinus]

Thats some nice clean coding you have there. Great job :)

See the credits :) Most of it is not mine, thank Splorygon.

[thinus]

Hi,

Launch and login to WoW from AHK script ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/AutoHotKey_Sample_Script_Collection#Launch_and_log in_to_WoW_from_AHK_script')
Added the following script to the Wiki, it launches 5x WoWs. I am still trying to work out how to get the process IDs for each window as it launches it which is complicated by Maximizer. However, Maximizer allows us to use RunWait as the script will wait for Maximizer to finish and terminate and then log in to your WoW account that Maximizer just launched. I believe a WinActive() after the WoW is launched should get the correct ID but I haven't tested it yet.

I experience a loss of character transmission now and then on one of the accounts and it will fail loggin in, it might help to prompt for the password after it already launched the WoW.

Now I just need to figure out how to close all the WoWs.



;launch 5 WoWs if WoW not yet running
^+!l::
ifWinNotExist, World of Warcraft
{
WOW1 := "c:\wow1\maximizer.exe --device=2 --margin=0,525,0,840"
WOW2 := "c:\wow2\maximizer.exe --device=2 --margin=0,525,840,0"
WOW3 := "c:\wow3\maximizer.exe --device=2 --margin=525,0,0,840"
WOW4 := "c:\wow4\maximizer.exe --device=2 --margin=525,0,840,0"
WOW5 := "c:\wow5\maximizer.exe --device=1 --margin=0,0,0,0"

WOWPATH1 := "c:\wow1\"
WOWPATH2 := "c:\wow2\"
WOWPATH3 := "c:\wow3\"
WOWPATH4 := "c:\wow4\"
WOWPATH5 := "c:\wow5\"

ACCNAME1 := "Account1"
ACCNAME2 := "Account2"
ACCNAME3 := "Account3"
ACCNAME4 := "Account4"
ACCNAME5 := "Account5"

InputBox, PWD, Password Entry, Password, HIDE, 200, 100
RunWait, %WOW1%, %WOWPATH1%
Send %ACCNAME1%{Tab}%PWD%{Enter}

InputBox, PWD, Password Entry, Password, HIDE, 200, 100
RunWait, %WOW2%, %WOWPATH1%
Send %ACCNAME2%{Tab}%PWD%{Enter}

InputBox, PWD, Password Entry, Password, HIDE, 200, 100
RunWait, %WOW3%, %WOWPATH2%
Send %ACCNAME3%{Tab}%PWD%{Enter}

InputBox, PWD, Password Entry, Password, HIDE, 200, 100
RunWait, %WOW4%, %WOWPATH2%
Send %ACCNAME4%{Tab}%PWD%{Enter}

InputBox, PWD, Password Entry, Password, HIDE, 200, 100
RunWait, %WOW5%, %WOWPATH3%
Send %ACCNAME5%{Tab}%PWD%{Enter}

; get the list of WoW IDs
WinGet, WowWinId, List, World of Warcraft
return
}

[Lokked]

******* With the below information from Chorizotarian, this post's Information is no longer valid ******* Lokked

I would like to note that in your explanation on how to use the assist function in WoW with AHK, I believe the posted script violates the TOS.

I recall in some blue post saying that "as long as one keystroke performed results in one action performed, it is not considered automation."

In the AHK script you are having AHK perform an = press and then immediately a 1 or 2 or 3, etc. keypress.

Seems harmless, but then what could stop a person from aligning a whole string of characters to a single keypress. Whether this benefits the AHK user, i seriously doubt, but there is a macro system in game to perform these actions, using the game's API.

I'll remove my post if my topic is deemed inconsequencial. Other then that, I think that is by far the best write up I've seen yet of AHK. No more referring beginners to the lengthy and partially incorrect "AHK for Beginners" thread :)

[thinus]

See the legality section as well as the thread referenced a few posts up. You can create macros with the G15 that pass multiple keystrokes and using AHK we are doing basically the same thing. I might put a "Use at your own risk" disclaimer on it as it seems to be a sliglty grey area.

[Chorizotarian]

The only blue restrictions I can find on "one action per keystroke" are:
1) No automated gameplay (loosely defined on purpose)
2) No doing multiple things in an external macro (e.g., G15) that you can't do in an in-game macro (example: cast fireball, wait 1.5 sec, cast fireblast)

They have definitely ruled that multiple keystrokes are ok if you are sending a string like "/follow" from a G15 key. AFAIK they have never ruled on whether multiple actions that don't circumvent the GCD are ok. For example, I have the following bindings on my n52 d-pad:

D-Pad N = w
D-Pad W = q
D-Pad NW = w + q

Is that a violation of the TOS? I'm pretty sure that they would say not -- all I'm doing is implementing a natural scheme for moving around with the d-pad. I'm not gaining any unintended advantage over other players or circumventing the restriction on multiple actions that trigger the GCD. I just get to use the d-pad for movement instead of WASD(QW). Likewise, I think it's ok for me to trigger "q" + "/" off a single press of a mouse button because all I'm doing is combining 2 non-GCD in-game commands to get an effect that is trivial for a single-boxer to achieve with a keyboard and mouse.

That's my take anyway. I doubt that we will get a definitive ruling from a GM unless multiboxing becomes a lot more common. Right now there aren't enough of us for it to be worth their time to create authoritative rules.

If you do find a blue post that's more definitive than what's above, *please* linky back here :) I think everyone on this board wants to stay within the rules. We just wish we knew what they are! :P