The simultaneous sending of keystrokes is considered illegal in EQ2...

[Lax]

I've been informed that SOE does NOT want to ban multiboxing, even with keystrokes being broadcast. What they don't want is for multiboxers to grief other players.

If you're playing 36 (or even 6) toons in PVP and just standing there demolishing someone over and over, it ruins that person's day and that person is going to have a newfound hatred for multiboxers.

I'm told that as long as you are not using your multiboxing for nefarious purposes, and are otherwise following the rules (not botting, not selling plat/gold/whatever, etc), that you should not be banned.

SOE, like other game companies, wants to a) make money and b) have as many people as possible play, and enjoy, their game. They don't want to run a gestapo -- it's just bad business (unless you ask the RIAA). If your net effect on the previous statement is positive (i.e. you are making them more money than you are losing them), and you are not violating their eula/tos/tou/whatever, then you are a customer they want to keep. There is no other way to look at it, it is a very simple business decision.

What this all comes down to is "being a good citizen". If you put on a good show for the people you come across, they are going to look at you with curiosity and wonderment instead of disdain. Likewise, if you're just being a dick the whole time, people aren't going to like you -- that's when you start having a negative effect on the equation, and you should expect trouble (hint: instead of destroying someone over and over just because you can, destroy them once and then let them walk away the next time. maybe even wave.). Putting on a show can be done with some very simple choreography. Sorta like live machinima. In WoW sometimes when people follow me around and watch, I spread my guys out into a Flying V formation (a 2-step Key Map where 4 people move the first step, 2 people move the second step) and break into dance. The only negative thing anyone really has to say is "why do you waste so much money on this game", but it's relatively rare (my response is usually "I know people with much more expensive hobbies" -- some people spend thousands of dollars building things for fun, like vehicles. this is VERY cheap in comparison!). Most of the time they will just sit and talk for a minute or two and ask how it works, what program I use, etc.

That's not to say don't do any PVP. I do plenty of PVP myself (albeit not in EQ2). Sometimes people will actually come attack me thinking they can kill one or more of my guys before I am able to kill them. Usually they're dead wrong, with extra dead (unless they outlevel me by far, for example). Sometimes they even try it a second or third time! Sure I could chase them down for a while if I wanted to ruin their day. But what's the point of harassing some random person? It wouldn't improve the perception of multiboxers and it certainly wouldn't make the game publisher more apt to see things my way if that person complained.

I know you're not going to take me at my word when there's a post at the beginning of this thread with quotes from GMs that suggest otherwise, but SOE knows it was a mistake to suggest that they would ban every multiboxer who is using key broadcasting. Hell, I might not believe me either if I was in your position. But it's true.