What is the reason for having multiple WoW folders when multi-boxing?

[Yixum]

I keep seeing references in posts to people having multiple wow folders (i.e. wow1,wow2,wow3,wow4) which are just copies of the main wow folder. What is the point of this? I am dual-boxing right now and I only have the one folder. It seems to work fine. Could someone explain this to me please?

Thanks!

[Jubber]

Different configurations for different alts that are saved. Video settings and what not.

[Taliesin]

What Jubber said.

This includes addons as well. When my priest is on my main window, I use the Healbot addon to help with raiding, but when she's on a slave window, I have no use for that addon. Ditto for Omen and Recount. In fact, most of my slaves use very few addons at all. I just don't want to have to remember to turn on/off addons every time I log in.

[Korruptor]

An alternative is to use tools like ISBoxer. With ISBoxer you don't need multiple folders for addons or anything else since the settings are stored in a config.wtf specific to each character (this has to be manually configure as part of the setup in ISBoxer).

I use 5 accounts with one folder/addons and i disable the addons I dont need and the setting is retained for that character/account.

[kadaan]

First off, I believe most people symlink most of the folders instead of having multiple full copies of their wow install. This saves you a lot of disk space, and you only have to copy over a couple small files when you patch. There's tons of threads about how to do this, like this one: Symlinks

As others have said, you often times want different settings for different windows. My main window runs at a higher resolution, higher in-game graphics, higher fps. The slaves all run at lowest settings in smaller windows with maxfps and maxfpsbk set low. You can't do this with a single install unless you change the config.wtf file between launches.

[Bot]

i have 5 installs and i wish i had made 6, but seeing as im only two boxing nowadays it doesnt really matter anymore. the reason being when i play my main solo i use max resolution and all the jazz, but when i do into dual box mode my resolution is altered and it moves all of my action bars and other things like unit frames shift a bit. so i then have to adjust that stuff to dual box then when i fire back up for single boxing i gotta adjust it again.

but i dont do it often anymore so no biggie really and i really could just reconfigure keyclone and one of my other installs to handle it i just havent. but that to me illustrates another possible pro of multiple installs.

[Korruptor]

You can't do this with a single install unless you change the config.wtf file between launches.

Again, with ISBoxer, this isn't a problem.

[Bot]

You can't do this with a single install unless you change the config.wtf file between launches.

Again, with ISBoxer, this isn't a problem.

keyclone can also do that provided you always boot through keyclone. what it cant do is change my addon positioning i dont think, and thats what bothers me.

edit: clarity

[Bot]

Five Seperate PCs > "all software options"

unless of course youre trying to keep your guilty pleasure on the hush hush...

[aboron]

[quote='Bot',index.php?page=Thread&postID=208369#po st208369][quote='Fursphere',index.php?page=Thread&postID=208 365#post208365]Five Seperate PCs > "all software options"[/quote]unless of course youre trying to keep your guilty pleasure on the hush hush...[/quote]
Or buy a really big [url='http://www.mountainmods.com/products_new.php']case[/url], and fit it with several really small computers...