#0 - Feb. 27, 2008, 8:49 p.m.
Who can appropriately answer this?
I have submitted my question via e-mail but did not feel I received a satisfactory response.
First some background:
I recently got into multi-boxing via software keypress multicasting which emulates having a kvm keyboard multicaster.
From what I've researched hardware based multi-boxing has been 100% cleared to be within the TOS, you press 1 key on the keyboard and the same scancode reaches all computers and therefore each WoW client. Through macros (watching for modifiers) and creative placement of spells on the hotbar and keybindings using this method got the job done. Say you pressed the number "4" and the scancode for the number 4 would arrive at all computers via the kvm multicaster. So on your hotbar you'd have either same spells or different spells that were of similar cast time for "4". No problem there. You could cast 3 fireballs and 2 shadow bolts if you had 3 mages and 2 warlocks.
Now enter the "software multicasters"..."AHK", "Keyclone", "Octopus", etc. They take a single keypress and deliver a single keypress to multiple WoW clients...so far so good...however now these programs are allowing keypress logic in WHICH client gets a keypress and what keypress arrives at the client. So if you had an ability like warlock fear you'd only want to use one fear at a time from each warlock, instead of mentally keeping track of which warlock used their fear and then mapping separate keys to each warlock's fear ability the software multicasters are allowing "round robin" type of functionality where you press one key and it sends that key to only one wow client. Another troubling feature is the key maps that are able to be done. For example, say I'm lazy and want to just set up my "4" button to cast 3 firebolts and 2 shadowbolts, but on one mage firebolt is "4", on another mage it's "#" on my third mage it's "7", shadow bolt on my first warlock is "2" and shadow bolt on my second warlock is "1". The keymaps allow you to press "4" but on your keyboard but deliver the keys "#", "7", "2" & "1" to the other 4 wow clients. The case has been made at the dual-boxing site that it's still "1 keypress and 1 key delivered to each wow client" so it must be legal but I have concern that it might not be and don't want to risk my wow accounts.
So my question to Customer Service is not whether software multiboxing is legit or not...nor to endorse or not endorse particular keyboard multicast software but to clarify what "1 keypress 1 action" means exactly, does 1 keypress still apply when 5 different keys are fed into 5 different wow clients and whether round robin is also acceptable where the software is deciding which wow client gets the keypress (in hardware you'd have to switch a kvm switch or get creative with keymappings and most of all you'd have to THINK).
I request this info because I don't want to lose the 70's that I've enjoyed levelling up and enjoy playing and the future 5 teams I'm going to work on. I'm seriously considering hardware multi-boxing at this point because of these unanswered questions and the uncertainty of whether these software clients are crossing the line. I take the rules seriously and want to make sure I'm operating within them.
Thank you
