Dual boxing report threat

#3 - Nov. 14, 2012, 6:07 p.m.

Solidusbucket.8109:

So, I am wondering if:
A) we will be able to play together on the same Ip using different accounts

B) if somebody decides to determine that we are dual boxing, will this affect our play or will I be able to speak to someone

I plan on getting her the game when it goes on sale. I was supposed to wait too, but I couldn’t

A. Yes absolutely.

B. No, it will not. We do not prohibit dual-boxing, although we certainly do not support or encourage it.

And… I’d suggest you get her into the game now, but hey, you guys know best.

#13 - Jan. 21, 2013, 12:31 p.m.

Makovorn.1706:

Gaile Gray.6028:

Solidusbucket.8109:

So, I am wondering if:
A) we will be able to play together on the same Ip using different accounts

B) if somebody decides to determine that we are dual boxing, will this affect our play or will I be able to speak to someone

I plan on getting her the game when it goes on sale. I was supposed to wait too, but I couldn’t

A. Yes absolutely.

B. No, it will not. We do not prohibit dual-boxing, although we certainly do not support or encourage it.

And… I’d suggest you get her into the game now, but hey, you guys know best.

There is some confusion about point B in Gaile’s response – the fact that dual-boxing is not prohibited.

I understand the caution the OP’s trying to convey (and of course, he’s not actually dual-boxing i.e. he’s not running the GW2 client on multiple computers/instances and controlling multiple accounts from one controller). However, it is my understanding that the aforementioned is not allowed:

CC-Eva-6742:

Hi everyone.

Multiboxing is not allowed in Guild Wars 2 and you can help us stopping them by correctly reporting via the in-game reporting tools. Thanks for your collaboration!

I wouldn’t like to steer the discussion in a different direction, but there has been contradictory information about this issue in the past and I fear people might refer to Gaile’s response above as some form of validation. Perhaps some clarification here or elsewhere might be helpful.

In any case, even if it is prohibited, the OP wouldn’t have to worry, because it would be fairly straightforward for ArenaNet to determine if actions across two or more player characters are perfectly mimicked.

To be honest, CC Eva’s information was not accurate. I thought that the post in question had been edited, but if it was quoted by someone before it was edited, then that explains why the misinformation has continued to be a matter of concern.

We do not prohibit dual-boxing or multi-boxing, as long as the player is actively playing on each account.

Sticky Post about Third-Party Programs is here.

#22 - Jan. 24, 2013, 12:39 p.m.

yocto.1782:

Jinx.7945:

You can play multiple accounts at the same time by one person as long as you’re not using anything 3rd-party that gives you an advantage. Using a single keyboard to simultaneously control several computers gives you an advantage. If it’s the human playing on several computers, each with its own mouse, and its own keyboard, and no “botting” or macros, etc., then it’s ok. This isn’t a “new” thing on Jan. 23. It’s how it has always been.

It’s what gives the “account” advantage, not the “person/s” sitting behind the account. Multiboxing accounts are the same as non-multiboxing accounts. I’ve never seen a game try to balance fairness by looking at the person behind the account. Since there’s no advantage it would seem to be allowed, but it’s not.

The stance multiboxing is now this:
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Q-Is-multi-boxing-allowed/first#post245276
Which simple says multiboxing is forbidden.

It is what it is. Sorry.

Thank you for pointing out that post from last September. I’m afraid that the information provided was not accurate and I have edited the post to reflect our stance. Edited post.

#23 - Jan. 24, 2013, 12:41 p.m.

yocto.1782:

As of Jan 23rd Multiboxing is not allowed in any form. Doesn’t matter if you’re at the computer. You may be able to play multiple accounts, but not at the same time by one person.

Using a wireless keyboard on multiple computers is the same as using illegal third party software.

Other games may allow multiboxing, GW2 does NOT.

This is not accurate. Please provide a source for this information “as of January 23rd.” If you are citing, as you did in another posts, the September post by one of the moderators, that simply was not accurate. I have edited that post to include the proper information.

#40 - Feb. 5, 2013, 2:59 p.m.

simplesimon.2084:

Wurldwide.7295:

Kraggy.4169:

Gaile Gray.6028:

This is not accurate. Please provide a source for this information “as of January 23rd.” If you are citing, as you did in another posts, the September post by one of the moderators, that simply was not accurate. I have edited that post to include the proper information.

Your clarification is still unclear: in the bolded part of it what does “play” mean?

I dual-box several games, not GW2 ATM but who knows, when I do so I use InputDirector as a software KVM to switch keyboard/mouse from one PC to the other; to those that know this package I don’t use the macro feature, I have no need, I simply use it to act as a KVM.

Is this ‘playing’? It’s certainly “using other third-party programs” in order to ‘play’ since that program is what’s allowing a keyboard/mouse on one PC to activate game actions on another?

Am I being facile? Perhaps, but your caveat in that edited policy statement still leaves rooms for people to get abused and potentially banned by some GM interpreting it as strictly as I have posed it.

This is exactly what happened to me while I was playing 12 accounts tonight at the same time. 11 of 12 of my accounts were banned by some GM that seems to think multiboxing (playing more than one account at the same time) is not allowed. If the GM used his definition of why my accounts were banned, why didn’t he/she ban this one? All of the other accounts were all kicked out of the game within 5 seconds, except for this one. When I attempt to log in on 11 of my 12 accounts, I’m presented with “Your Guild Wars 2 account has been terminated due to botting, extended unattended play, using macros, or similar behavior. Attempting to automate gameplay through any means or attempting to circumvent idle-time restrictions in any way is in violation of the User Agreement and Rules of Conduct. The account closure is permanent.”

A little information about me. I’d rather have my own group of characters than ask for others to help me with group quests. I’d rather go all the way to level 80 with my own group of characters so I prefer to multibox (Play several characters at the same time). With Guild Wars 2 I have played various numbers of characters at the same time, originally starting with 4 rangers and leveling them to level 48, but then adding other professions so I played 12 accounts with 4 rangers, 4 necromancers, 1 elementalist, 1 guardian and 2 engineers.

The problem is always the same when you see other people in the game. They think of “bots” when they see a bunch of characters together and they will report it as such.

There is a vast difference between a “Bot” and someone actually playing the game. Especially if the person playing the game is completing the entire map before moving onto the next one. Regardless if the person playing the game is using several characters or a single character, if the person playing is within all rules of the game, the player should not be kicked out of the game for simply playing and completing maps. That’s me, I’m the person playing the game but because it appears to people in the game that I’m a “bot” because I have many characters around me, I get reported.

However, having stated all of this, I’m glad there are people like Gaile Gray that work for ArenaNet and seems to have a brain. If the accounts are being “played” by people at the keyboard/mouse and the accounts aren’t doing any activity that are hurting the economy or breaking any rules, multiple accounts should be allowed to be played at the same time. Especially given that the User Agreement states:
4.a. Account(s) – The Game requires at least one Account from NCsoft.

If multiple accounts were not allowed to be played at the same time, why would the User Agreement state the player can have more than one?

So your saying that you are sitting there with 12 keyboards and 12 mouses and individually controlling each character, or are you using 1 keyboard and mouse and having the input being sent to all 12 characters at the same time

I would like to know the answer to this, as well. I cannot conceive of anyone being able to actively PLAY a dozen accounts at once.