Glimmer of light - Hardware boxing, and it still has the power!

[nodoze]

Major bias now. Was on this morning with 2 hunters on follow. People are now reporting like mad, saying multiboxing is banned. You try and tell them it's not. They don't care now that Blizz banned software. Going to be a real pain and makes it way less fun playing being concerned every person is going to harass and report you.

I've always tried to be off the radar, but even traveling now people are attacking you. Demotivating for sure. I'm doing 100% manual at the moment. No multiplexer. 5 windows open, mouse over, click the person to loot, attack, follow. We'll see how long that lasts.

I get the above setup is hardware, but it is still one press and sending that to all computers at once correct? Hardware or software, isn't that setup doing exactly what they don't want? I'm sure they follow and read this site. If they see that, they could just ban it all together.

Be great if they would just give us a server or two.

Yeah the torches and pitchforks are out and if they could they would burn us at the stake.

My recommendation is to just focus on instanced activity like Dungeons where the public can't mess with you (and vice versa for those of us who can't help but attack and/or grief others they see).

For Classic we have to actually run across the landscape to get to the dungeons (or summon ourselves via Warlocks) and some folk are just doing that 1 character at time... If you have a favorite dungeon you can even just log out in there or at the entrance to avoid the hassle.

The above approach (whether done via 5 physical PCs or 1 PC running VMs or MultiSeat Desktop Virtualization) is indeed running a hardware based Keyboard Mouse (KM) synchronizer to send the same keystrokes simultaneously to the 4 followers at least (if I understand correctly). For healing you could have a few keys that send a keybind that only the healer has bound and thus the 3DPS would ignore them (avoiding multiple clients doing something from 1 input)... Similarly he could also have a DPS key that sends inputs that the healer ignores but the 3 DPS do not. Since it is hardware based that may be in keeping with the current literal "Letter of the Law" but not likely in keeping with the "Spirit of the Law" as multiple Blizzard reps have been communicating.

The 3 DPS can indeed also be configured to each have their own keybinds where you setup 3 buttons in a row to cast the same thing (such that each DPS has their own button) which would be significantly better... For example if you want to have 3 different mages to each shoot FrostBolts, you could configure them as follows and use 1 keyboard to control all 3 and not abuse Hardware Multicasting even when using a synchronizer:

-Mage 1: Keybind 1 to FrostBolt and unbind keys 2 & 3;
-Mage 2: Keybind 2 to FrostBolt and unbind keys 1 & 3;
-Mage 3: Keybind 3 to FrostBolt and unbind keys 1 & 2;

In the end I think it best that we set the example and start doing our configs to be in keeping with both the Letter and the Spirit of the Law and can be done by simply making sure that we follow the "1-1-1 rule":

"1 human input causes only 1 action in only 1 client"

If we do that we have the best chance of Blizzard not dropping further nukes on us. Pretty easy to do and there are plenty of keys available on something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076LRJ528

With the above the keyboard and proper setups for a 4Mage+Priest team, you could do something compliant like the following:

• 1st row of 4 black keys: cast Frost Bolt on Mages 1,2,3,4 (each with a different key);
• 2nd row of 4 black keys: cast Arcane Explosion on Mages 1,2,3,4 (each with a different key);
• 3rd row of 4 black keys: cast Arcane Explosion on Mages 1,2,3,4 (each with a different key);
• 1st row white keys right above the black keys could be for your Tank (4 different abilities);
• 2nd row white keys right above the black keys could be for your Healer (4 different abilities);
• Movement of tank could be by mouse or you could use the top white row or the other side of the keypad and bind a "follow me" and "stop following me keys...

If you are running a Tank+Healer+3DPS team you could turn the keypad 6 across and do 3 keys per DPS ability (one for each character)...

All of that could be done without changing the keycaps... Can always get fancy and replace them with more color coding and/or textures and/or print custom labels or even custom keycaps.

[Tin]

I get the above setup is hardware, but it is still one press and sending that to all computers at once correct? Hardware or software, isn't that setup doing exactly what they don't want? I'm sure they follow and read this site. If they see that, they could just ban it all together.

We are getting some mix info from GM`s - but most have said that the ban is software - so some are going hardware.

The use of input broadcasting software that mirrors keystrokes to multiple WoW game clients will soon be considered an actionable offense

We also know some was multiboxing 100+ toons at the same time - that going to be hard/expensive with hardware.

[nodoze]

Some keyboards (without external programs) will keep sending the same key if you press and hold it down (actually I am not sure if the keyboard is doing that or if the Windows Operating System (OS) is doing that but regardless it isn't 3rd party software on top of the OS)... My understanding is that, even if that is done via the hardware, that holding a keypress down and allowing it to do more than 1 action is considered automation and Bannable...

My understanding was that in the past before the ToS change each single input (including holding down a key) was allowed to cause only 1 action but it was OK if that same 1 action done in multiple clients. That was previously before the new ToS change and the direction of the change is away from allowing multiple clients doing the same thing from 1 input.

The rules on 1 input causing 1 action are very exact... For example under the previous rules I thought that both pressing a key and releasing a key could each count as a separate input but was shown a blue post that specifically said a single key press (and release) can only cause 1 action so I tried to take that to heart...

[Hisha]

- Its really simple - Look how his GSE cycles through all those icons. It is his 1 button. You ever hear him click a keyboard or see his arm moving? No, he holds one key down and it cycles through his GSE macro until he lets go of the key. GSE is fine, HKN is NOT. I have watched almost all his videos and he absolutely uses HKN, 100% for sure and that is what I am saying. He is using an automated button pusher to test out new "ideas" and that is just stupid. 1 button one action..... not hold one button down and you do 500 things until you lift your finger off that button because of a 3rd party software program.

WITHIN THE BLIZZARD API = FINE (GSE)
OUTSIDE THE BLIZZARD API= NOT FINE (HKN)

Now, figure out how to multibox with the above two statements and I am in!

If you have watched all his videos you would know that he USED ISBoxer not HKN for his input broadcasting. He has laid out a possible template to inexpensively move to a totally hardware based setup. I'm not sure where you are getting that he is using HKN or any other keystroke broadcasting software. As far as I can tell, and of course it's all up to Blizzard honestly, this setup he has going keeps him on the legal side of the TOS.

[Ellay]

Not there is anything wrong with Hotkeynet, it's been a viable program that many on the site have used over the years, but I personally have never used the product.

[DGiraldo]

Not there is anything wrong with Hotkeynet, it's been a viable program that many on the site have used over the years, but I personally have never used the product.

As I said in my first post: Bro, you are still using HotkeyNet (or some mouse/keyboard repeater)

So replace everywhere I said HKN with "Any type of key repeater". Same thing and you know exactly what I meant. Stop doing that and push keys and then find a solution... Not trying to be a dick, but you cant do what you are doing with a key repeater and claim to find a solution... period.

Again:
WITHIN THE BLIZZARD API = FINE (GSE)
OUTSIDE THE BLIZZARD API= NOT FINE (HKN OR ANOTHER KEY REPEATER)

[jak3676]

He's not using a repeater, he's using a keyboard synchronizer - this one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZSZFL8/. There's no reason to use a repeater at all - those have always been against ToS.

Now some people don't agree with using a hardware broadcaster at all. Blizzard said they're banning input broadcasting software - so some have gone for input broadcasting hardware. But there are also solutions that don't broadcast anything, and instead use mouseover to change window focus and/or keyboard commands to change window focus - all of which can be macro'd for a single input.

[nodoze]

He's not using a repeater, he's using a keyboard synchronizer - this one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZSZFL8/. There's no reason to use a repeater at all - those have always been against ToS.

Now some people don't agree with using a hardware broadcaster at all. Blizzard said they're banning input broadcasting software - so some have gone for input broadcasting hardware. But there are also solutions that don't broadcast anything, and instead use mouseover to change window focus and/or keyboard commands to change window focus - all of which can be macro'd for a single input.

I think I follow what you are saying but I do find this discussion confusing because I think terms are being mixed &/or finer points glossed over in the thread... To try to be a little more explicit I will try to build on your statement as follows:

He's not using a[ny kind of] repeater [nor a software broadcaster/multicaster], he's using a keyboard synchronizer [which is a hardware multicaster] - this one specifically: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZSZFL8/. There's no reason to use a repeater at all - those have always been against ToS.

Now some people [including some Blizzard Representatives] don't agree with using a hardware [multicaster] at all. Blizzard said they're banning input broadcasting software - so some have gone for input [multicasting] hardware. ...

A big part of the problem is the terminology Blizzard uses (and therefore we are using) is not precise and thus people are confusing things... To properly digest the usage scenarios both we and Blizzard should use proper terms as follows:



To be clear then we should then break things out explicitly:

• Software automation of keys (like AHK scripts that control your character when you are AFK): Bannable;
• Hardware automation of keys (like a robot pushing the keys for you over and over): Bannable;
• Software Repeating of keys (1 human input, like holding a single key down, to let it keep doing multiple actions): Bannable;
• Hardware Repeating of keys (like the above but from a hardware level): Bannable;
• Software Unicasting to 1 client via MultiCast capable software: Now Bannable because the software can be abused;
• Software Multicasting or Broadcasting to 2+ clients: Now Bannable as that is the abuse they are trying to stop;
• Hardware Unicasting to 1 client: ALLOWED AND REQUIRED or we can't play with conventional IO options;
• Hardware Multicasting or Broadcasting to 2+ clients: Is a GRAY AREA that isn't specifically called out in the recent ToS change (yet) but some Blizzard Representatives have explicitly clarified that it is NOT allowed while others have given conflicting guidance or won't answer the questions... Some Multiboxing advocates have discussed that neither hardware multicasting nor broadcasting is required to be a successful MultiBoxer and only puts our community in further jeapordy... They have also shown configuration examples where a multicast hardware setup can effectively be made into a unicast setup by binding a key only in 1 client such that all other clients receiving that key ignore it because it isn't bound...

[Goswin85]

great work!

just ordered the https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZSZFL8/ a few minutes ago - shipment to germany takes about 3-4 weeks -.-

just to be clear, instead of upgrading my current system, I'll buy 4 x 250,-- workstations, spend them new graphic card (approx 150,-- Euro), and the only drawback I see are:

- explaining to my wife why I need 4 more workstation ;-)
- little more power consumption
- and for now, in case I read over - no possibility to heal via mouse over + click in focus window

Am I right?

greetings

[Goswin85]

great work!

just ordered the https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZSZFL8/ a few minutes ago - shipment to germany takes about 3-4 weeks -.-

just to be clear, instead of upgrading my current system, I'll buy 4 x 250,-- workstations, spend them new graphic card (approx 150,-- Euro), and the only drawback I see are:

- explaining to my wife why I need 4 more workstation ;-)
- little more power consumption
- and for now, in case I read over it - now mouse over healing in focus window

Am I right?

greeting