5 boxing on one box

[PineBeach]

Here is the HotKeyNet script I came up with to arrange the windows

//-----------------------------------------------------------
// SUBROUTINE TO LAUNCH AND RENAME A COPY OF WOW.
//-----------------------------------------------------------
<Command LaunchAndRename>
   <SendPC %1%> 
      <Run "C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft\WoW.exe">
        <RenameTargetWin %2%>
//-----------------------------------------------------------
// HOTKEY TO LAUNCH AND RENAME
//-----------------------------------------------------------
<Hotkey ScrollLockOn Alt Ctrl L>
    <LaunchAndRename Local WoW1>
    <TargetWin WoW1>
        <SetWinRect 0 0 965 795>
    <LaunchAndRename Local WoW2>
    <TargetWin WoW2>
        <SetWinRect 0 795 965 795>
    <LaunchAndRename Local WoW3>
    <TargetWin WoW3>
        <SetWinRect 965 0 795 660>
    <LaunchAndRename Local WoW4>
    <TargetWin WoW4>
        <SetWinRect 1760 0 795 660>
    <LaunchAndRename Local WoW5>
    <TargetWin WoW5>
        <SetWinRect 965 660 1135 930>

The next step is to get the windows to swap around using some sort of key press combination

[skwert]

Do you mean you're using WSAD or arrow keys and want the characters to all move in step? If so, that's the problem. Use an addon like Jamba to tell them all to follow your main character. Then you just move him around as you wish. When you're ready to fight, stop the following and fetch your prey. The lag (a bit still persists) with following is much easier to cope with than trying to broadcast WSAD to everyone.

If you still want to keep it simple, just use the broadcast programs to only send the 1 through = keys to each window. Then set up your hotkeys as you want. After you have that down, you can slowly delve into the fancier features.

[OzPhoenix]

I've got little interest in attaining that particular achievement.

I can imagine using a key broadcaster to make all the spell casters cast a spell at the same time, it would be really handy. But movement just makes my head hurt. I need to see the characters move exactly when I move them, not a short while later.

Not going to happen unfortunately, even if you're pretty close to the server. What's happening is this:

1. You move your main.
2. The movement of your main is sent to the server.
3. The server tells your followers that your main moved.
4. The followers move in response and tells the server they've moved.
5. The server tells your main that your followers moved.

I'm an Oceanic boxer. My latency is never much less than 200ms and often over 300ms. Each of those 5 steps would require - at a minimum - my latency time to accomplish. Thus, the best case scenario for me is to see my followers move 1.25 seconds after my main started moving.

Has nothing to do with whether you use multiboxing software or not, is a simple fact of the finite speed of communications between you and the server.

[PineBeach]

Not going to happen unfortunately.

I dont have any issue with characters following each other.

The problem I had was when I moved all the characters at the same time using WASD, or if I send movement to individual characters using other keys.

I appreciate your breakdown of the client server communication that takes place when multiboxing, it quite clearly illustrates the reason why moving other characters from the main window has a slight delay.

What initially put me off of broadcasting software was that the one I used for the first time didn't allow any kind of configuration, so there was no way to prevent WASD from being sent to all windows. So I used macros and lua to make the characters follow each other, and didn't bother with the key broadcasting software.

Since that initial experience I've moved my multiboxing efforts onto a different operating system, which has a wider range of multiboxing software freely available.

Following owltoids advice I've found that HotKeyNet can allow me to launch five instances of wow more easily and has the ability to rearrange the window size and position during gameplay.

HotKeyNet also broadcasts key presses, and is highly configurable. I couldn't get HotKeyNet when I started out, it's not available on os x. If my initial experience had been with that then I would have been fully prepared to use it to send keys "1" to "=" to the others characters as skwert suggests.

Has nothing to do with whether you use multiboxing software or not, is a simple fact of the finite speed of communications between you and the server.

Since I started using HotKeyNet about 15 hours ago I haven't taken advantage of it's key broadcasting capabilities during gameplay, however, as time passes I'm certain that I will start to use those features.

[MiRai]

The problem I had was when I moved all the characters at the same time using WASD, or if I send movement to individual characters using other keys.

Yeah, you can't do this. No one moves all their characters with WASD in World of Warcraft, it's impossible. Even if you think you've got all the cameras lined up 100% perfect with no differences... it doesn't work. Everyone makes their slave characters /follow their lead.

[PineBeach]

I've had a look at the ISBoxer website and forums, it seems to do away with most of the grunt work, setting up the windows on the screen, and selecting characters for each window, it also has the window swapping feature that I'm going to setup in HotKeyNet.

From what I can tell it requires a subscription to a component called "Inner Space".

I wonder if I should just subscribe to inner space and use isboxer or roll my own with HotKeyNet. Inner space isn't expensive, but still I'm not sure.

[MiRai]

I wonder if I should just subscribe to inner space and use isboxer or roll my own with HotKeyNet. Inner space isn't expensive, but still I'm not sure.

As most people here will tell you that ISBoxer is a route that they've chosen and never looked back. I will say the same.

[PineBeach]

I've just had a quick look at the wiki http://www.dual-boxing.com/wiki/index.php/Software there's plenty to choose from. Have you had any experience with the others?

As most people here will tell you that ISBoxer is a route that they've chosen and never looked back. I will say the same.

From the video on the homepage I can see that the window switching in ISBoxer looks quite fast, I'll have to see how it goes with HotKeyNet.

At the moment I can't really justify forking out for ISBoxer, cheap as it may be. I'm also concerned that it might do too much; have loads of features that I dont want. At the moment my needs are very simple. If I hit a wall with HotKeyNet I might give ISBoxer a try.

[Owltoid]

I like this thread beause:

1.) The OP is willing to do some legwork and isn't asking for everything under the sun
2.) The OP isn't a braggart or saying he's the greatest MB in the world - just trying to learn
3.) The OP is listening to others' advice and we aren't wasting our time

[OzPhoenix]

As most people here will tell you that ISBoxer is a route that they've chosen and never looked back. I will say the same.

Ditto.

The power and configurability of ISBoxer is worth every cent of the annual subscription and more.... way more (but shhh, don't tell Lax I said that... hehe).

Given your interest in devling into the mechanics of it all PineBeach I think you'd especially appreciate the sheer magnitude of what you can do with it. Make sure to get Jamba too, a free-add on that Jafula on these boards is both rightly and highly praised for.

I'd also like to agree with Fenril - no-one, but no-one moves all their toons all the time using WASD. As he mentioned, the simple fact that the camera settings/ teams facing, no matter how much you may try, won't always exactly line up would make that system unworkable.

/follow is the only way to go, and that means accepting follower lag for the reasons I laid out in my previous post.