Which software solution is right for my goal (listed with specifics)

[mathrod]

Hello all,

I found this website seeking information on dual boxing, which is actually my secondary goal, as a result of primary goal being how fast I could level 2 toons using Recruit a Friend and full BoA setup, if I can dual box.

I would like to run only a 2 toon team, using a software solution, to maximize leveling speed 1 to 85, since I just RAF myself.

I would like to use Zygor at the same time. I have explored and leveled several toons, and I like speed, notices that tell me "you can go to next zone now", along with auto accept/turn in of quests, when I IWT on single toon with wow.
(using some terms I learned here so yo can tell I read the 2 nub guides, and watched a few of mirai's videos).
I can turn off the auto accept/turn in feature in Zygor, if that would conflict with Jamba...

My goal is to level by questing, having 1 toon following a leader. The leader will do 99% of the work. All I want for now, is the follower to : 1. Follow, 2. loot as directed, 3. interact with quest giver as directed.
(once I am comfortable with how this works, I may practice being more active with a follower)

ISBoxer seems like alot of horsepower to get started with, could I possibly get my feet wet with Jamba alone ?
I do not mind paying for software or donating to websites, I believe in supporting the work and time people put out there. I am.... well over 30, and have recently gone back to school for a BS in Applied Math, and its hard work (for me) so I understand time is valuable! Which leads me to want to dual box perhaps.

My system specs I wish to do this on may be part of the equation so here goes :

i7 860 running at 3.4Ghz
2 x 4GB Ram 1600 mhz default timing
2 monitors, default resolution 1900x1200
1 graphics card, ASUS CU II TOP 7970
WoW is installed on SSD, I have other, seperate Hard drives.

Should be able to run more that just 2 clients, but I want to practice with just 2, and a simpler goal of questing from 1 to 85 and determine how much fun it is for me, before I get into paying for better software, instancing tank and healer,3rd+ accounts, etc. I am a little overwhelmed by all the information here, and linked to. I just got done with finals, tough semester, and thought I would treat myself by RAF and filling a few more character slots with 85's. THEN I found this place and realized I had no idea where to start.

So I am asking if you think ISBoxer is overkill for my specific goal at this time, and if so what might be a better software solution to get me started.

Regards,
Mathrod

[Khatovar]

Jamba is not a multiplexer, it does not have the ability to pass any keystrokes between the master and slave clients. You would be able to follow, but you still need to be able to pass keypresses to be able to make use of the ingame Interact with Target option for picking up and turning in quests. The same with looting, you will again need assist and interact passed.

If you aren't ready to make a commitment to ISBoxer, there are many options out there. Check the Newbie's Guide Vol 1 - it gives a list of various boxing programs ranging from free to 1time fee to subscription. You also have the option of requesting a trial on the ISBoxer site. The Newbies Guides also include all the basics and move into more advanced information on how to multibox and contains a whole load of links to various setup guides no matter what you choose.

[Apps]

Just to add to Khats comment, and "second" about "Jamba is not a multiplexer",

to be blunt, if all the OP is looking to do is /follow and lead with one during RAF 99% of the work on the leader, it may be a circumstance where ALT+TAB is used for /follow then play, and forget the boxing software or hardware. If the OP has a macro-able keyboard...

When gamers get into software for boxing, typically they want to box. So, that being the case, there are quick setups for just about all the different software multiplexers now. Like "Basic" setups. or Quick Wizard setups.

Im curious however, if one toon (assuming) is max level or high level 30+ difference, doesnt the RaF not allow you to grant levels? And if a high level is powerleveling a lower level toon, doesnt it lower the amount of exp gain for the low level toon? Even at 300% exp gain... 300% at 10XP is only 30XP. vs two toons near same level, the exp could be 1000XP with 300% making it 3000XP.

If youre questing, only do the pick up quests on the new account toon, and dont do them for your original account toon, because you can grant levels to catch up and skip a lot.
Have your high level toon, acquire the BoAs. Make two new toons (original account and new account). Give the BoA's to the new account toon. When the new toon out levels due to the exp gain of he RaF plus the BoA's... Grant levels to the other toon on the original account.

... that being said, If by the OP, you are thinking about a boxing setup AT ALL, then go with one with a quick wizard setup, get you the basics going in 5-10 mins, and be boxing two new toons. double the power, much higher exp within 7 levels of one another. I dont know exactly what the formula is for power leveling vs EXP loss by % damage done by level, but I know its significant past a 7 level difference.

[mathrod]

Just to add to Khats comment, and "second" about "Jamba is not a multiplexer",

to be blunt, if all the OP is looking to do is /follow and lead with one during RAF 99% of the work on the leader, it may be a circumstance where ALT+TAB is used for /follow then play, and forget the boxing software or hardware. If the OP has a macro-able keyboard...

When gamers get into software for boxing, typically they want to box. So, that being the case, there are quick setups for just about all the different software multiplexers now. Like "Basic" setups. or Quick Wizard setups.

Im curious however, if one toon (assuming) is max level or high level 30+ difference, doesnt the RaF not allow you to grant levels? And if a high level is powerleveling a lower level toon, doesnt it lower the amount of exp gain for the low level toon? Even at 300% exp gain... 300% at 10XP is only 30XP. vs two toons near same level, the exp could be 1000XP with 300% making it 3000XP.

If youre questing, only do the pick up quests on the new account toon, and dont do them for your original account toon, because you can grant levels to catch up and skip a lot.
Have your high level toon, acquire the BoAs. Make two new toons (original account and new account). Give the BoA's to the new account toon. When the new toon out levels due to the exp gain of he RaF plus the BoA's... Grant levels to the other toon on the original account.

... that being said, If by the OP, you are thinking about a boxing setup AT ALL, then go with one with a quick wizard setup, get you the basics going in 5-10 mins, and be boxing two new toons. double the power, much higher exp within 7 levels of one another. I dont know exactly what the formula is for power leveling vs EXP loss by % damage done by level, but I know its significant past a 7 level difference.

I have a Razer Naga mouse, I do not have a macro keyboard. Yes, all I want to do for now is run two toons around together to get the bonus XP from RAF. They both need to be able to "IWT" with quest giver. Zygor already has a setting for auto accept and turn in, requiring further input if there is a reward to select. I want both toons to level to 85, not just one with granting levels to the partner. I am going to hold the grantable levels to give to a different toon on veteran account.

Comments gave me a lot to think about. Time spent learning, researching, and setting up is time not spent leveling. So it looks like ISBoxer (+ Jamba) would be the way to go. It also seems like for "stage 1" I could just take toons out together and change who is following who. With 2 monitors, I would not have to window switch, but I am considering alt tabbing and not using a 2nd monitor at all. I don't specifically want to multibox, I want to level two toons at the same time, following the same quest line. Much later on, I may want to do a "...hey I think I could use this software to heal my tank while I....." etc etc.

[wakasm]

Having been in a similar situation (I knew nothing about multiboxing before I found this website), I can't say enough great things about ISboxer. (Personal Bias!)

If you can't get all that you want done (your list) by the end of the free trial, then boxing might not be for you since ISBoxer is that easy to set up and work with. The Wizard alone saves so much time. You literally should be able to get 90% of what you want done in 20 minutes assuming you have your accounts set-up and characters created.

I went from 1 toon to 5 toons in about 2 hours, and within a day was able to multibox my first dungeon. I've had more challenges learning new classes and setting up in-game macros than 90% of how ISBoxer works. Everything you've listed, in terms of difficulty and set-up, is at the lower end of the spectrum of difficulty.

And like @Apps said - if money is an issue and you really have no desire to do anything more complicated than you have listed... you can do most of what you are saying by just opening two clients and alt-tabbing and just putting one toon on /follow and only switching back to turn in quests etc. Or use one of the free software solutions.

Just be forewarned: You will quickly want to try more than 2 characters once the concept of multiboxing clicks. The curve from going from 2 to 5 is minimal.

If it helps - I am 30. Referencing that since you listed your age.

[Apps]

Just be forewarned: You will quickly want to try more than 2 characters once the concept of multiboxing clicks. The curve from going from 2 to 5 is minimal.

Aint that the damned truth. I went from solo play, to dual boxing, 4 days later into 5 boxing, because 2 was not enough. Im considering stepping into the 10 boxer bucket soon. /facepalm

Damn you Lax for making too good of an awesome product!

[thefunk]

Keyclone is more than ample for your needs - isboxer is very advanced. If your needs wont stretch past what you've posted (i.e. All youre looking to do is multiply 6x5) consider keyclone to be the calculator to isboxer's microsoft excel.

[3box]

I used Keyclone back when it first came out as beta. The author would come on the forums, ask what we'd all like to see, and he actually implemented just about all the requests. It was neat to see all the concepts the author put in, with the help of this community. Round robin keys, white lists, etc. I remember the guy was charging something like $10 per computer or something like that, not sure what it is now. It was the best software solution at the time, ISBoxer wasn't out then.

A lot of people were into hardware methods for multiboxing...multiplexers, special keypads, 5 computers, 5 monitors, etc. Hardly see that these days.

I would say ISBoxer is by far the better software solution. I think it's $15 for 3 months? It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but just watch the videos and read the guides a few times. I think the author, Lax, now runs this website also. And Uulaa is really helpful.

[thefunk]

I know this has been done before, but for the benefit of OP a list of features may be more helpful than people's say so ( i use isboxer )

Keyclone: basic key broadcaster with window swap and very limited mouse broadcaster $20 one off
Hotkeynet: scripted broadcaster with plenty of flexibility, free i believe but harder to setup
Alt-tab: win
Innerspace/ isboxer: rolls royce and online support. Wizard included for quick set up. Dont underestimate how long that could take with other software.
Pwnboxer: no idea, does anyone have facts on this( no opinions please)

[Khatovar]

If you opt to go manually at first, you can set Jamba up to automatically share quests from your master to slave, and forgo the IWT, but not all quests are sharable, so make sure to doublecheck that your slave receives all the quests. Quests that require the use of an item are often unshareable. So you'll need to manually accept those on the slave. And you'd also have to manually loot by switching to the slave screen as well.