New back to Multiboxing

[snotmore]

Having used both (moreover , having spent the time cofiguring and dialing in a setup that would suit my needs, convoluted as they may have been at times), the above posts are o target.

ISBoxer is feature filled, to the point that, as easy as it is, breaking the blazed trail of 1-2-3-MULTIBOXER! provided by ISBoxer leads down a windy trail that looks deceptively simple from afar. By far the simplest setup for standard pass-through/follow/assist-target, but on that level, you may as well use HotKeyNet and save the sub fees. Its a powerful piece of software that casual users really never will take full advantage of, and runs a pretty stable setup. THe downside, as mentioned, is that the setup wizards pit tantrums when you attempt a manual alteration of almost any sort, and changing the software's internal keybind/typed wow macros (quietly running the masterpiece while you mash keys) is a blindingly fast dead end unless you *seriously* understand named macros etc..


Keyclones simplicity , lightweight functionality (and i am a fan of the maximizer) and open-ended customizationn (you can essentially change *ANYTHING*) is a nice break from the somewhat daunting task of customizing isboxer, and is the most system-friendly keypass/unification software i am aware of. While the initial setup may be tasking (documentation could be better, something i wouldnt oppose to being a part of), the inherent simplicity of it all makes it just as customizable and nearly as feature-filled as ISBoxer. Tiny roughly explained how the keymap system opens up almost limitless possiblity ( i will not even attempt to reiterate the conversation in my simplified understanding), and it is very easy to drag, drop, add and remove toons/accounts/keymaps/macros etc etc across its profiles.

Both are great pieces of software written by dedicated gamers who made multiboxing a reality for most. I have to give credit to tiny on a lot of introductory ideas of multiboxing, and am forever a fan of his clean, performance-centered developments. Running 5 clients with KeyClone is amazingly smooth (maximizer ftw again!!), and it keeps your planning simple. ISBoxer, on the other hand, is basically a plug-and-play framework, and has documentation (and support) that is extensive as hell. It's a brilliant piece, but requires rather in-depth understanding to really open up. In any case, both are amazing in my mind. Your needs, time/effort you can commit to learning an developing, budget and technological capabilities are what will point you in the right direction, and i suggest trying both, if not using both when needed as I did.

A big thanks to Tiny and to Lax & MiRai and all the other Multiboxing Fanatics for developing, designing and sustaining the community.



As a side note: One thing that concerns me about ISboxer (the last thing i am trying to do is bring any ill will to Lax's masterpiece) is the ability to clone mouse clicks across each instance - i may have read into it wrong, but that is a fine line to walk with Blizz's already fuzzy stance at multiboxing (Allowed and by no means discouraged when following ToS rules) - It has not stopped me from using ISB a whole hell of a lot, but I feel slightly safer with KeyClone - Again, I included this at the end because i by no means want to discourage people away from either, the Fuzzy-Logic and Vague conclusions Blizz has left us with is the only reason i included the "issue" in the first place.

[MiRai]

You're right, ISBoxer isn't for everyone and people who are comfortable with what they're using shouldn't feel pressured to switch, but I feel the need to address the following:

As a side note: One thing that concerns me about ISboxer (the last thing i am trying to do is bring any ill will to Lax's masterpiece) is the ability to clone mouse clicks across each instance - i may have read into it wrong, but that is a fine line to walk with Blizz's already fuzzy stance at multiboxing (Allowed and by no means discouraged when following ToS rules) - It has not stopped me from using ISB a whole hell of a lot, but I feel slightly safer with KeyClone - Again, I included this at the end because i by no means want to discourage people away from either, the Fuzzy-Logic and Vague conclusions Blizz has left us with is the only reason i included the "issue" in the first place.

First, hardware multiboxers have always had access to 1:1 mouse broadcasting (assuming resolutions across multiple computers is the same), and hardware came before software. Second, World of Warcraft hardly relies on 1:1 mouse broadcasting except when you're navigating through NPC dialog panes or maybe using ground-targeted AoE spells. Third, I'm pretty sure that most multiboxing software can, at the very least, mimic/clone mouse clicks in each window -- It's just that Inner Space is the only one that can provide an actual cursor in every window at the same time (the same as hardware multiboxing).

ISBoxer's feature set is not a secret hidden behind closed doors, and even Travis Day, a developer who has worked at Blizzard for a decade, has recently been talking about how he multiboxes Diablo III (the game he's currently assigned to as a developer). While he didn't come out and say which software he used, I don't personally know of anyone who is effectively or efficiently multiboxing Diablo III and not using ISBoxer, so we can only assume he's using ISBoxer and is familiar with its features. Also, Diablo III, unlike World of Warcraft, is a game that relies entirely on being able to replicate the mouse cursor across each game client at the same time, which is why ISBoxer is completely dominant in the D3 multiboxing scene.

I don't mean to sound cocky or that ISBoxer has no competition, because it does, but 1:1 mouse broadcasting has been a feature of Inner Space since its inception (10+ years ago?) -- Lax can correct me on that if I'm wrong.

[Khatovar]

ISBoxer leads down a windy trail that looks deceptively simple from afar. By far the simplest setup for standard pass-through/follow/assist-target, but on that level, you may as well use HotKeyNet and save the sub fees.

As one of the few HKN users here, I'd never suggest someone use HKN with any intent of "ease of use." Mostly because I'm the one that ends up with pages of troubleshooting newbie scripts, lol. The setup, though it appears to be copy and pasting a script, almost always leads to dozens of complications because the starter scripts are limited and usually require editing to work, which many people are not interested in doing, and doesn't include setups like FTL, built-in assisting, fps capping, core assignments, PiP, window-swapping, leader swapping, window sizing/positioning or even broadcast pausing. It can do a lot of the things ISBoxer can {though certainly not all}, but not without knowing how to code it, and that frustrates a lot of people who just want to run a setup wizard and go.

As a side note: One thing that concerns me about ISboxer (the last thing i am trying to do is bring any ill will to Lax's masterpiece) is the ability to clone mouse clicks across each instance - i may have read into it wrong, but that is a fine line to walk with Blizz's already fuzzy stance at multiboxing (Allowed and by no means discouraged when following ToS rules) - It has not stopped me from using ISB a whole hell of a lot, but I feel slightly safer with KeyClone - Again, I included this at the end because i by no means want to discourage people away from either, the Fuzzy-Logic and Vague conclusions Blizz has left us with is the only reason i included the "issue" in the first place.

As MiRai already explained, 1:1 mouse broadcasting is nothing new. All 3 programs you mentioned already have it and have for as long as I've known about them. I'm pretty sure many others that have come and gone also provide it. I'd dare say it's a standard feature in most cases. I switched from Keyclone to HotKeyNet for better mouse broadcasting when Wrath came out. I use my mouse broadcasting hundreds of times a play session and have never had a GM say so much as "Boo!" about it, even when I was being very obvious in very populated areas such as fishing*5 at the OotCS dailiy hub. I don't think I've even seen a post claiming being banned or actioned for 1:1 mouse broadcasting.

What is NOT allowed, is pre-determined or "memory-read" mouse broadcasting. The mouse click must be relative to the individual character. That is if you click the mouse at your master toon's feet, your slave screens can not "rewrite" the position to have the slaves click at the master's feet regardless of where they are. They can only click at the same relative postion on their screen from their point of view. So if you click the dead center of the master's screen, your slaves should all be clicking dead center of their screen. You can not click the center of the master's screen and have that send the mouse cursor on the slave screens to a different location based on coordinates or pixel-reading.

There's very little that's actually "fuzzy" at this point. If it is, people will argue it here until a consensus is reached - usually in the form of a Blue post on the official forums/tweets when someone raises the question there or via a GM response from petitions in game.

Second, World of Warcraft hardly relies on 1:1 mouse broadcasting except when you're navigating through NPC dialog panes or maybe using ground-targeted AoE spells.

Psssh, Jamba deals with dialogues for me.

But, mouse broadcasting is always useful for portals, tables, fishing, gathering, command boards, those stupid cauldrons in ZG etc. Like most things in multiboxing, it's not required, but it sure makes life easier.