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HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

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lax

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Post Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:05 pm

HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

2012-1-2 - UPDATE: All standard ISBoxer Window Layouts, including those with Instant Swapping, should now work correctly with SWTOR as of Inner Space build 5509. Inner Space build 5509 is pushed live, to get it simply restart Inner Space and allow it to patch.

2011-12-26 -- NEW! Step-by-step guide: SWTOR: HOWTO Launch multiple instances
Please use the above link to get started. This post has a bunch of information crammed into it in case something doesn't go right.

Multiboxing SWTOR is limited by the design of the game: the game window is not fully handled by the same process that handles the game logic. Simply getting it to run more than one instance on the same PC is a little more complicated than with other games. It is not normally possible to run the game more than one time on the same PC, but ISBoxer's virtualization now gives everyone this capability! :)

Here is the original proof-of-concept screenshot showing ISBoxer working correctly on one PC, using Video FX to see and interact with the other window inside the main:
Image

Anyway with all of that out of the way:
There is both an ISBoxer update (39.1.1126.1) and an Inner Space update (5509 minimum build number). You will need them both.
* ISBoxer: go to the Help menu, and select About ISBoxer Toolkit. If your version is earlier than 39.1.1126.1, it should have a button for you to click to update.
* Inner Space: If the live build of Inner Space (5509) does not work for you, you can always try the current development build (as of this edit, the dev build is also 5509, but there is usually a test build available). To get it, right click IS and select Patcher, check "Download development (test) patches" then close and re-start Inner Space to let it patch

If you have not yet added SWTOR to Inner Space: Right click IS and select Add Game, point it at the SWTOR "launcher.exe" file, name it whatever you like and no parameters are necessary.

When you select your Window Layout for SWTOR through the wizard, disable Instant Swapping. Please note that if your windows are different sizes, and Instant Swapping is disabled, mouse repeat will not fully cover all of the windows. However, if your windows are all the same size, swapping will already be instant and mouse repeat will fully cover each window.

Therefore, my personal recommendations for SWTOR window layouts at the moment will be simulated via Full Screen Stacked plus a dxNothing window. (dxNothing is just a blank window for you to place Video FX outputs in. 1-monitor example: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1533 2-monitor example: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1222)

I am working on features for ISBoxer 40 to make it dead simple to "replace" Window Layouts with Video FX, and actually I think it will be much cooler this way. We'll see :)

Known issues:
* FIXED (IS build 5509): Window Layouts with Instant Swapping will not work correctly.
* Your Key Maps may require the Hold option, especially if they include a modifier (Alt, Shift, or Ctrl)
* You cannot launch multiple instances of the LAUNCHER, just the GAME. This is intended behavior and is pretty much the same for all games; the next launcher will come up after the game is successfully launched and the first launcher closes.
* If you have multiple monitors with different resolutions, you may need Inner Space build 5501 or later, and make sure the game is in Windowed mode (in the game) rather than Fullscreen mode -- see http://isboxer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7407#p7407 for details

Frequently asked questions:
Q: As soon as i start up the second instance and log in, it shuts down both completely?
A: You have to be using both Inner Space and ISBoxer, not just Inner Space -- if you select a Game Profile through the IS menu (like under SWTOR, selecting SWTOR Default Profile) you are using IS without ISBoxer. You must select your ISBoxer Character Set in the ISBoxer Character Sets sub-menu to use ISBoxer

Common message popups you might get if it's not working right:
* "Only one instance of this application can run" - This happens if the SWTOR launcher is already running, and a second instance of it launches. It is possible to get this message under normal circumstances if ISBoxer tries to launch the next instance too soon (before the first launcher fully closes). At the time you get this message, you can probably manually close the first launcher instance and launch your Character Set again (with the first game clients still running) -- doing so will refresh the Character Set and fill in any missing slots, so this is also what you should do if you closed one instance and want to re-launch it, or if one crashed, etc. If it normally works, but you get this message once in a while, you may be able to increase the "Launch each Character ___ seconds after another is ready" setting in your Character Set to mitigate the problem.
* "STAR WARS: The Old Republic is already running. Would you like the SWTOR Launcher to close the existing process?" - If you are on a new enough build of Inner Space, you should not be able to get this message. Make sure you are launching the game through Inner Space/ISBoxer and not directly; if Inner Space is not launching the game you are not using ISBoxer OR Inner Space. :)
* "This program encountered an internal error and will exit. Error code: 1 Client initialization failed." - If you are launching SWTOR through Inner Space, but without ISBoxer, then when the second game instance is launched it will usually pop up a box like this one, after the first game instance disappears. You MUST launch your ISBoxer Character Set (e.g. from the ISBoxer Character Sets sub-menu in the Inner Space menu), rather than a SWTOR Game Profile directly through Inner Space, to solve this problem.
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lax

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Post Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:22 pm

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Feel free to let me know how your multiboxing attempts with SWTOR go! Also can't wait to see multiboxing screenshots ;)
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lax

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Post Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:16 pm

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Note about making Mapped Keys for SWTOR:
If you are sending a key combo that includes a modifier, such as Alt, Shift, or Ctrl, you will need to enable the Hold option on your Mapped Key.

To explain... SWTOR and some other games including EQ2, LOTRO and others, check the state of the modifiers at the "wrong" time -- using the state at the time it processes the hotkey, rather than the state from the time you pressed the keys (which would be correct). This means that if you happen to let go of the modifier before the game processes the hotkey, the modifier won't count! The "Hold any keystrokes while I hold the hotkey" option therefore makes sure the modifier (and any other key...) is held until you let go of the Hotkey.
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Tsikinator

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Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:56 pm

Post Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:15 am

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Do you forsee that at launch we will have to setup the Boxer to work with keymaps? Or will there be something simpler?
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lax

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Post Sat Dec 03, 2011 10:51 am

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

I am considering some minor additions to ISBoxer to facilitate party-based assisting, which is super helpful in games that have target and assist hotkeys, but are lacking in hotkeyable macros -- like SWTOR, and LOTRO, and even EverQuest to some degree. This issue has actually been solved by Creo for LOTRO using virtualization and I think he made his own wizard to help as well.

The problem with party-based assisting is that in each window, you have something like this in your party list:
* Me. D-guy [F1]
* A-guy [F2]
* B-guy [F3]
* C-guy [F4]

And the B-guy has this:
* Me. B-guy [F1]
* A-guy [F2]
* C-guy [F3]
* D-guy [F4]

So you can't just broadcast F3 to make everyone target the B-guy because in one window B-guy is F1, in one he's F3, and still another he's F2. But you need to tell everyone to target the B-guy by sending some keystroke, and then send another keystroke to perform either Follow or Assist. (In WoW we just make a macro /follow <name> and it follows that guy when we broadcast, say, shift+F11)

Therefore, each window needs its own list of which key targets which other window. And if you invite someone else into your party, it gets more complicated still :)

Anyway, beyond that I would not expect any major changes by release.
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Tsikinator

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Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:56 pm

Post Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:02 am

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

With the new early release (13/12), will you have a working update for Isboxer or will we play with the developer version like now? ( Also if you can delete my upper post, since I came to release how irrelevant the thing I was asking was).
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lax

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Post Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:16 am

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

With the new early release (13/12), will you have a working update for Isboxer or will we play with the developer version like now?

I'm moving the development build of Inner Space live this weekend, and the required ISBoxer update has already been pushed due to the WoW 4.3 patch.

The limitations that currently exist will continue to exist for the early release. I am working on ISBoxer 40 with new features that will improve things SWTOR and most other games, though, and aiming to get it done by the end of the year.
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Bloodcloud

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Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 10:40 am

Post Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:17 am

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Superb stuff. Can't wait to box the game. ISBOXER was soooo woth buying!!!
thanks lax

a happy customer :)
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Tsikinator

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Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:56 pm

Post Fri Dec 09, 2011 2:12 pm

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Cheers, Lax! I will be renewing my subscription as soon as I get my early access mail! Can't wait to see what you have in store to us. What does the default SWTOR setup when you select in the wizard include? The keystrokes with steps?
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Lightbringer

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Post Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:19 pm

Re: HOWTO: Multibox SWTOR on one PC with ISBoxer!

Hi !

I have couple questions about Dual/Multi-boxing SWTOR.
I don´t know if this tread handles only questions for Multibox SWTOR on one PC ?

First of all I can say that I´m a rookie with ISBoxer and Innerspace. I have read about it couples of times and seen couple of videos.
I have played LOTRO with Input Director and Logitech G15 Keybord with macros. It have worked well, but now I want to go further :)

Should I test ISBoxer with Innerspace or should I wait when it workes better ?
I want to play on 2 PC´s with Win 7 on it and use ISBoxer and Innerspace. Does that means more problems or is it easier ?

Sorry for the "noobie" questions, but in some manner all have been there before also ;)

Hopefully for an answer.....

Regards
Lightbringer
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