Should multiboxing be allowed?

[lappee]

Maybe I misunderstood, you said you wanted to increase the spawn time of nodes. Wouldn't that make it more difficult to find nodes for everyone?

Yeah, thats my bad. Meant decrease the spawn time -> increase the amount of herbs that are up, just at more locations than what there currently is.

[Drusin]

Strawman fallacy. There are many legitimate reasons why botting and multiboxing is bad for regular players.

And they don't devote 5 times the time. They are effectively botting the other 4 accounts.

There is no "effectively botting" I either am or am not botting. If I had a GM sitting behind me watching what I do I'd be fine.

[Speedlance]

Its not a problem, doesnt affect anyone else.

[Kaleredar]

Multi boxing, as in owning and operating multiple accounts at once? Sure.


Software that allows you to replicate commands from one character and automatically transfer them to another character? No.

If you want to multibox herbing, then you’re going to right-click that node. With every single character you have.

If you’re going to roll around in a deathball of 40 nooonkin moonfiring things down, then you’re gonna need to hit that moonfire hotkey 40 times.

Seems like a logical compromise. Using a computer program to automate sending input to characters really isn’t too far removed from botting.

[Drusin]

Yeah, thats my bad. Meant decrease the spawn time -> increase the amount of herbs that are up, just at more locations than what there currently is.

That makes sense. If nodes were 1 use and the respawn time was reduced to have effectively the same amount of nodes available as 10 use nodes. I think that would stop farming Mboxers but you'd still have to deal with the pvp boxers lol

[lappee]

That makes sense. If nodes were 1 use and the respawn time was reduced to have effectively the same amount of nodes available as 10 use nodes. I think that would stop farming Mboxers but you'd still have to deal with the pvp boxers lol

Yup, but PvP boxers you can deal with. Gathering multiboxers you can't (unless they're dumb and play with warmode on)

[Itisamuh]

Of course not. You only manually control one character while the rest are every bit as automated as key stroke rotation bots. Not to mention how unfair they are to deal with. The fact that they are allowed has always baffled me. The company is simply being greedy and wanting all the extra subscription payments so came up with a very flimsy explanation for allowing them. But whatever.

[Boogieknight]

So pretty simple question that I am interesting to hear peoples thoughts on. Do you think multiboxing should be allowed or not?

In my opinion, no. Multiboxing on FFXI when I played it was an issue on my server with rare spawns and someone running a bunch characters to claim NPCs. Not gonna get that King Behemoth spawn when 15 black mages simulcast stun and beat you.

Botting itself is using software or a program to automate gameplay and is against the TOS 100% of the time. In my opinion there's too fine a line between multiboxing and botting. Regardless of how much you're spending irl for the accounts you're playing, even if it's like 20 accounts, you technically are only playing 1 account and are automating 19 of them. The reason Blizzard hasn't been against multiboxing is pretty much solely due to subscription fees. Even if you're bankrolling your subs with gold to buy tokens they make money because it's technically just someone else paying for your sub. Tack on the auction house control as well as the 10-tap for resource nodes you can potentially lock down control of some areas creating a pay to win scenario.

I just personally don't think it should be treated any differently than botting because it's pretty much the same thing but with an increased revenue for Blizzard itself instead of only benefiting the botter.

[TOM_RUS]

Should not be allowed. If anything, put a cap of max 5 characters and anyone running more than that should be insta banned.

Multiboxers disrupt the game for other players all the time, put an end to this crap.

[Drusin]

In my opinion, no. Multiboxing on FFXI when I played it was an issue on my server with rare spawns and someone running a bunch characters to claim NPCs. Not gonna get that King Behemoth spawn when 15 black mages simulcast stun and beat you.

Botting itself is using software or a program to automate gameplay and is against the TOS 100% of the time. In my opinion there's too fine a line between multiboxing and botting. Regardless of how much you're spending irl for the accounts you're playing, even if it's like 20 accounts, you technically are only playing 1 account and are automating 19 of them. The reason Blizzard hasn't been against multiboxing is pretty much solely due to subscription fees. Even if you're bankrolling your subs with gold to buy tokens they make money because it's technically just someone else paying for your sub. Tack on the auction house control as well as the 10-tap for resource nodes you can potentially lock down control of some areas creating a pay to win scenario.

I just personally don't think it should be treated any differently than botting because it's pretty much the same thing but with an increased revenue for Blizzard itself instead of only benefiting the botter.

Multiboxing: Whenever I press a button one thing happens
Botting: I don't have to press shit, just start the software and go make lunch.

[Cyranis]

Just make gathering nodes like they used to be, only one character per node, and increase the spawn times (and places, so you can't just afk at one and get hyperspawns). If people want to multibox because its fun, let them. If they only want to bot herbs / ores, fuck them.

They can't. The CRZ system is why this is the way it is. They spin up servers on the fly, sometimes you get lucky and no-one is farming, sometimes you don't. Neutering multi-boxers isn't going to do a damn thing about this. There isn't a whole hell of a lot you can do about key replication either. This is simply going to boil down to a if you can't beat em, join em. Your lack of funds is not everyone else's problem. It's yours. I'm personally paying cash for 7 wow accounts right at the moment. $91/month .. it's not even enough to care about.

Should not be allowed. If anything, put a cap of max 5 characters and anyone running more than that should be insta banned.

Multiboxers disrupt the game for other players all the time, put an end to this crap.

It's subs, the more the merrier.

Daxxarri – Community Manager 12/5/2012

The decision to allow multiboxing has much to do with a person's ability to be registered to multiple accounts. If we did not allow it, you would only be able to have one World of Warcraft account, ever. That would cause a number of complications that we sometimes still see today, due to a misunderstanding of our policies, but the issue would be exacerbated greatly if we were to limit things to a single license per user.
Once the determination was made the allow a person to have multiple WoW licenses registered to a single Battle.net or even multiple licenses under the same name, how many becomes entirely irrelevant.

Two, ten or thirty, or more, the rules still apply. As long as the person registered to the account is the one in direct control of those characters, it is not against our policies to do so.

[Nnyco]

Ye it should be allowed, tho they should probably also reduce the amount of people per nod that is allowed. Lets say five people pick the same nod and it will despawn.

[aceperson]

normally i would say yes but it's clear that multiboxing is starting to hurt the game severely. because of the mining and herb node changes, auction houses are flooded with dirt cheap mats and anyone who doesn't want to use the ah is going to spend a ton amount of time more trying to find nodes because the current system has nodes picked clean by 5 druids in 1 second.

either blizz needs to change the node system again or they need to start restricting multiboxing.

[Drusin]

Man players love that 'big business out to get money' argument lol.



Until you can figure out an argument where a multiboxer isn't pressing a button for each action they perform it will never be automation, no matter how much you wish it so lol.

[Toybox]

Man players love that 'big business out to get money' argument lol.

Because there's a lot of truth in it. If multiboxers were bringing in 4-39x less revenue rather than 4-39x more revenue, they'd be banned faster you could blink. ActivisionBlizzard will do absolutely anything to generate more income, even if it means turning a blind eye to the atrocities of a nation while simultaneously trying to show off how progressive they are.

Anyway...

That said, personally, I'm not against multiboxers (nor am I necessarily for them). I've played for 14 years & I've never found myself being griefed by one, & their effects on the economy, as someone who has zero interest in herbalism & mining, is a positive thing for me if nothing else.

[Rune B]

There is no "effectively botting" I either am or am not botting. If I had a GM sitting behind me watching what I do I'd be fine.

Botting is sending recorded commands to other characters.
Multiboxing is sending recorded commands to other characters.

Multiboxing is essentially botting in real-time.

[BB8]

Honestly, I don't mind multiboxing, if it is limited, but the 40-50 account ones are a little insane, and should not be allowed.

Like this, if someone has 2, 3, 4 accounts and occassionally runs with his/her own party around the world, it should be fine.
This would technically be the same as if you have 3 friends with a computer in te same room.

40 accounts (with exactly 39 copies of a character) that ruin pvp gameplay should not be permitted in my opinion.

[Archmage Alodi]

Allowed? Yes because if they weren't allowed blizzard would stop them, not us the players. Blizzard sees it as sub numbers, whether the person controlling the 5-50 characters pays with gold or somehow real money (lol right?). I normally see a multiboxer of 5-6 mostly always druids herbing in Naz, and as long as its not a bot then I do not care. I play with warmode off so I have no worries of running into a horde (i play ally) group and getting obliterated.

Side note: do I wish i did it? Hell no, mostly because the system you probably need to operate it is not worth it at all. Just think, have a computer that probably costs over 5k USD to have 5 herbing toons at the same time just to make shiny fake money (gold), nope! I'd rather have a fancy computer for a job (graphic design or something) over a video game.

I'm running 8 accounts on a 8700k and it's barely going above 60 percent usage.

[Drusin]

Because there's a lot of truth in it. If multiboxers were bringing in 4-39x less revenue rather than 4-39x more revenue, they'd be banned faster you could blink. ActivisionBlizzard will do absolutely anything to generate more income, even if it means turning a blind eye to the atrocities of a nation while simultaneously trying to show off how progressive they are.

Anyway...

That said, personally, I'm not against multiboxers (nor am I necessarily for them). I've played for 14 years & I've never found myself being griefed by one, & their effects on the economy, as someone who has zero interest in herbalism & mining, is a positive thing for me if nothing else.

Too political for my blood lol

Botting is sending recorded commands to other characters.
Multiboxing is sending recorded commands to other characters.

Multiboxing is essentially botting in real-time.

I don't know what you're talking about, none of my commands are recorded

[Archmage Alodi]

Botting is sending recorded commands to other characters.
Multiboxing is sending recorded commands to other characters.

Multiboxing is essentially botting in real-time.

Not the case. It allows you to run multiple instances of the game in a virtual desktop space and have the option to have an actions broadcasted to all of them at once.