New multi-boxer and an AoE spell question

[MrHepp]

Ahoy there. I have been multi-boxing for a couple of months, but it was not until last week that I learned that it was called multi-boxing and that is is quite a common practice. Before then I thought I was doing something unique. I also thought that I violated the EULA by playing several chars at the same time and have tried to keep it as secret as possible, by letting the slaves jump and move and put buffs on nearby players.

First I duo-boxed a warrior and a paladin. I wrote my own software. It can send keystrokes to windows that are minimized (by using the PostMessage Windows API function), and I play with my main in a maximized window and the other chars in minimized windows on the same computer. The program can send keystrokes (like pressing the '0' button) but also send macro strings (like "/cast Holy Light") to the windows. For each class I have a file that maps keystrokes to macros. If I want to change something I deactivate the program by pressing F6, edit the file and activates it again by pressing F7. This means I don't have to store lots of macros in my accounts. All the information is in the files. (I hope that this doesn't violate the EULA?)

I can also send different macros to different chars. If I press the 'E' button all slaves will cast an attack spell. Ctrl+E will only send it to the first slave, Shift+E to the second, Ctrl+Shift+E to the third and <+E to the fourth ('<' is the button next to the left Shift key on a Swedish keyboard).

I added a warlock to the group and got them up to level 40, but found out that this group was flawed and started over with a protection paladin tank, an elemantal shaman and fire mage instead. With this 3-man group I have cleared all instances up to Sunken Temple, but I had to be a couple of levels above the recommendations to handle them (for instance I cleared Razorfen Downs at level 37, Uldaman at level 42, Zul Farrak at level 47 and Sunken Temple at level 53 (hex, fear and deep slumber are real pains!))

Since I have tried to get the group to look as close to a "real" group as possible no one has accused me for cheating yet. On the contrary quite a few people has asked me invite them into the group, I guess without having a clue that I played all members. Last week one guy asked my if I was multi-boxing and I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he clarified that he meant if I was playing several chars at the same time, and I thought that was my last WoW minute had arrived and that he would report me and have all my accounts banned. But instead he thought it was really cool and wanted to know more about it.

Now I have bought two more accounts and will add a priest and a druid to the group.

A question:

1. It is a pity that some of the mage and warlock AoE spells aren't castable in macros, like Blizzard, since you need a mouse click to activate them. Before the last patch it was possible to get around this by faking a mouse click with the MiniMap::LingLocation() function. But it has been barred now. Does anyone know if there are other ways to macro these spells?

[daviddoran]

The Program you wrote sounds very similar to HotKeyNet, so maybe you and Freddie should get together. His program has a method of broadcasting mouse clicks, which would allow GTAoE spells to be cast on slave alts. The best way seems to be have your macro set your "camera" position to first person view (and then /cast blizzard), then all your characters should be looking at relatively the same area, so when you click on the ground to target the AoE, every character that can do so, will target the same spot.

[MrHepp]

The Program you wrote sounds very similar to HotKeyNet, so maybe you and Freddie should get together. His program has a method of broadcasting mouse clicks, which would allow GTAoE spells to be cast on slave alts. The best way seems to be have your macro set your "camera" position to first person view (and then /cast blizzard), then all your characters should be looking at relatively the same area, so when you click on the ground to target the AoE, every character that can do so, will target the same spot.

Interesting! But are you sure that HotKeyNet can send mouse clicks to minimized windows? I don't think it is possible.

[MrHepp]

So it's forbidden to play your slaves in minimized windows? I don't see the difference. The reason why I have them minimized is to ease the burden of the graphics card and the processor. I can have all windows open but then I will get a lower framerate.

[Talamarr]

So it's forbidden to play your slaves in minimized windows? I don't see the difference. The reason why I have them minimized is to ease the burden of the graphics card and the processor. I can have all windows open but then I will get a lower framerate.

I think it's serious grey area at best. It's an interesting question though.

[daviddoran]

Well, if you don't want to look at the other windows, there's nothing stopping you from setting the resolution to something tiny, and leaving them in the background. If Warden doesn't like wow played from minimized windows, there's plenty of ways to not look at windows yet still not minimize.

But yes, hotkeynet can send keystrokes to minimized windows AFAIK.

And if I were a botter, I wouldn't multibox bot. I would keep em all solo, on separate machines (not that i'd ever bot anyway, why pay for a game just have your computer play it?). Why take 2 things that people can obviously see and report you on and increase your risk? That and xp loss due to grouping would slow down botting, i'd think.

[JoeWunsch]

So it's forbidden to play your slaves in minimized windows? I don't see the difference. The reason why I have them minimized is to ease the burden of the graphics card and the processor. I can have all windows open but then I will get a lower framerate.

I didn't say that.

It makes it look like you're botting. Normal users cannot send keystrokes and mouse movements / clicks to windows that are not "active". The software side of multiboxing is already floating in the grey area... adding minimized mouse movement just makes it "look" more like botting.

Do what you will, i'm not going to stop you. But i think you should think about what you're doing and what it looks like to a GM / Warden that may be watching you trying to determine if your a human player or a bot.

All warden does is scan your system for certain program hashes, such as BotProgram1 and BotProgram2, warden can't detect things like keys being sent to minimized windows.

Edit : Bot Program names removed and replaced with BotProgram1 and 2 so people can't google the name and find the bots.

[Freddie]

But yes, hotkeynet can send keystrokes to minimized windows AFAIK.

I don't know if it can. It didn't occur to me to try. If it's against the rules (something that didn't occur to me) maybe I better test and see.

[Freddie]

warden can't detect things like keys being sent to minimized windows.

The WoW client itself can detect this. There's no need for Warden here. A program knows when it's minimized unless some other program has done something blatantly illicit like intercepting its messages and DLL calls.

[MrHepp]

But yes, hotkeynet can send keystrokes to minimized windows AFAIK.

I don't know if it can. It didn't occur to me to try. If it's against the rules (something that didn't occur to me) maybe I better test and see.

I think it's impossible to send mouse clicks to minimized windows, at least in Windows (I don't know anything about the OS X APIs). If it works with your program, please tell me how you did it.

I don't think that it is against the rules to play slaves in minimized windows. After having read the Blizzard posts on the World of Warcraft forum it seems that it's fine as long as you only send one macro for each button pressed. If it is sent to a minimized or an active window shouldn't matter. (Sending a series a macros by pressing one key, like "/cast Smite, sleep 1500 ms, /cast Shadow Word: Pain" is of course not allowed.)