Question about multiboxing

[Karos]

I'd like to say multiboxing has not been easy, and picking it up has taken a great deal of time and Lalafell deaths. I may be proficient now, and it may look simple. It's not; I had to really struggle.

The nature of the gameplay rules out multiboxing in dungeons; it's certainly not something you can do for raids. It's a chore gearing up each character, and it's a lot of maintenance. If you multiboxed in this game, you will find out the hard way that it's hardly beneficial.

I know the question is: why even bother? I find enjoyment in multi-tasking. I like the challenge of playing several; I like the idea of being able to play other classes and level them at the same time. Can I say I'd keep all of my subscriptions on a regular basis? The short answer is no, but certainly from time to time. As much as I love multiboxing, people are correct: it is a nightmare in this game. I wouldn't recommend it, but I certainly approve (as long as you're a legit player).

[Karos]

Now, I'd like to take the moment to tell how I myself multibox. I don't use any third party programs (but I am aware of what people speak of). The reason is it costs money heh, and the other thing is I don't want to be pinned for that whole 'third party program' business. The thing is: you don't need any third party programs to do simultaneous actions. You can try it yourself if you don't believe me; it's so simple. Go to system settings, enable gamepad for your alt(s) even when client is inactive. A touch of that gamepad button broadcasts to all the instances you have up. You can use the keyboard and mouse to control your main window. If you want more direct control, then just use multiple pads and designate which one you want to use for which instance. With some good macros assigned to the cross hotbar for your alts, you can let it rip.

[Reiterpallasch]

So long as you're still actively controlling each character yourself, there's nothing wrong with it.

An automated program would clearly not be allowed.

Something that passes commands from one client to the next is a gray line that SE will have to clarify, as it's both semi automated as well as being actively controlled by the player.

[Karos]

Lastly, I'd like to say one thing about the 3rd party program issue; mostly because it's a shadow that looms over me. I may not use a third party program to multibox because I don't have to, but I certainly will be accused for using one. Let's just put it this way. The whole 3rd party business is too broad a scope and is not be-all-end-all anyways. We all technically use 3rd party programs/tools. Directx is not owned by SE; it's 3rd party. Teamspeak, vent, parsers, graphic enhancers, ATI Catalyst, logitech gaming profiler, etc. are all 3rd party. Some of those literally alter how the game is. For instance, maybe they didn't want voice chat (they obviously did not implement it); that's not how the game is supposed to be played. But ppl will use a 3rd party program to talk with people instead of typing. All I'm saying is I don't think SE necessarily disallows 3rd party programs. It's just an argument that gets thrown around too easily.