PC controlling PC

[bento]

I'm thinking of having a PC for an alt in warcraft output the video, and have another PC process the video frames and send out PS/2 keyboard or mouse signals to reposition the alt until the red target is in the center of the screen (an auto-follow for enemy targets). It would only be used for melee alts in PVE instances and any tells to my alt would be forwarded to me, playing the main character. Is this legal, and how could they tell that it was a computer using the keyboard and mouse and not a person?

[Shogun]

I'm thinking of having a PC for an alt in warcraft output the video, and have another PC process the video frames and send out PS/2 keyboard or mouse signals to reposition the alt until the red target is in the center of the screen (an auto-follow for enemy targets). It would only be used for melee alts in PVE instances and any tells to my alt would be forwarded to me, playing the main character. Is this legal, and how could they tell that it was a computer using the keyboard and mouse and not a person?

It's against the TOS (terms of service) which means yes, it is illegal according to the rules set by Blizz. Pretty sure Warden can detect this sort of thing, but I'm no expert and can't offer a valid explanation as to how it would.

Dual-boxing forums aren't for botting, my personal opinion is to take it elsewhere.

[Lost Ninja]

First I know it would be in breach... but I like looking at things like this. :S

The only way you could make it work would be to hook into the memory or change models; PvE mobs have too large a range of shape, size and color scheme to make it feasible to look for something on the screen and have an automated process follow/attack it.

If you look at the semi professional botting solutions they almost never use a melee character, for precisely this reason, and when they do its generally for a specific follower that just loots or something. So to make it work, if its possible, you'd need to hack the game files to change models; create the software that could interpret the changed models and direct the character; which would need to hook into the memory to work effectively; and run some sort of masking software to hide all the shenanigans from Warden...

And when you got caught you'd lose the botted account and most likely any other accounts associated with it, eg the main who always plays with the follower. And make no mistake you would be caught, even just running it in instances doesn't mean you're 100% safe whatever they say on the botting sites.

Now one of the comments often levelled at dual/multi-boxers is that we have no lives... not so in fact its people who use bots/PLing services to play the game that have no lives, I mean why pay to play a game that you don't in effect play. You might as well just send the money to my paypal account knowing that I will play the game for you...

[Otlecs]

Apart from such a solution being against the ToS, discussing botting is expliclty again this community's guidelines and I look forward to finding the thread gone when a mod gets on.

[Vyndree]

guidelines[/url] and I look forward to finding the thread gone when a mod gets on.

I personally don't see anything wrong with their posts. The OP asked a question about how much automation is allowed, and I think the clear answer here is that zero automation is allowed.


Lost Ninja was going into the melee vs ranged DPS discussion that we always seem to have.

I think that the forum is getting uber paranoid. Just because we say "botting is bad, mmkay?" doesn't mean you have to get all nervous that people will think that we're associated with nefarious behavior. Anyway, agreed though. I'm not going to mention the B-word since I believe Shogun and Lost have both explained the situation adequately to the OP -- what he's describing is against the terms of use.

[Xzin]

I agree with Vyn. Suppressing ALL even MENTION of the word botting is akin to censorship. This board has always been about embracing new ideas - even ones that MENTION the word botting. Anything else is a slippery slope towards being narrow minded and is wrought with all of the fallout that accompanies slippery slopes.

On the other hand, these boards are not the right place for an indepth discussion of how to circumvent Blizz's TOS. I don't think it a good idea to go deeply into the methods of exactly how to accomplish what you are proposing but I absolutely do not want these boards to knee jerk about the mere mention of automated gameplay.

At some point, it crosses the line but nothing I have seen in the above posts is there yet.

[Lost Ninja]

Apologies if my post went too far but I feel that it was very balanced as to what would happen not the actual doing of such. I subscribe to one of the main bots not so that I can run it (I enjoy playing too much for that) but so I can read about how it works, and how the botting community sees the main stream gaming community.

Besides I am a firm believer in knowledge for the sake of it, I'd rather know what is going on around me even if the goings on aren't strictly legal (IG or RL) than have no knowledge and be caught unaware when something happens to effect me.