Ok, lets go for the full story ...
First, i am belgian and playing on euro servers, on french non rp server Sirranon to be precise (so forgive my english, it is only my 3rd language). There aren't plenty of multiboxers there ... i think i must be the first to try 6 boxing there until now.
My lotro adventure started 2 years ago with a single character (a captain), took me about 1 year to get him 50 as i was very casual, he was very new to 50 when mines of moria got out. I got to 60 pretty fast after this because my work changed and i had more time to play (can t remind precisely, maybe took me 2 months or a bit less). I started to get bored, reading arround, i felt on
http://www.dual-boxing.com, gave me the idea to try multiboxing in lotro, on the same site i found out about a soft called octopus, i tryed it opening new accounts for a mini and a champ (was playing on the champion and using numpad to send 1-9 keys to mini, 1 of the keys was follow) it wasn't too bad, and fun to play, except gather quests that where boring ... got them to mid 30 this way.
After this i made a pause, a familly member got me back in eq game with some very old friends (played eq from the start to the 5 th expension), i was already multiboxing there long long ago, before any software, i had 3 computers at that time and just used them at the same time playing tank, chaining complete heal with cleric and dpsing with mage pet and a few spells, without any software or hardware. So was about by that time i bought a innerspace licence (was the end of march 2009), but for everquest at the start. As i only had 2 computers left, but wanted to use only one playing eq. A few months after this i got bored of farming aa all my days off without advancing much in the game... i received an offer from codemaster to go back to lotro and buy lifetime sub at a very small time (must have been arround 120$) so i reactivated my 3 accounts in lifetime. Playing both games for a moment.
Having used innerspace with everquest i tryed it on lotro. But i did not multibox too much at that time. I stopped everquest again, and as the idea of full group boxing was starting in my mind ... i took another account and started a loremaster, was on duo with a rl friend to level him up to about 29. Again my friend changed of character, and me still wanting to try 6 box, i started the 2 remaining accounts, 1 hunter and 1 guardian, i leveled both at once this time, using isboxer. Got them to mid 20 and then i started to add my previous characters, one by one.
I stopped a 4 at once for time, was easy setup and still on only one comp (only a few attack keys and follow). But i was starting to reach the limit the computer could handle as well as visual confort playing. So with my work allowing me get stuff back from old or broken computers, i did grab and put back together some materials, and could have a few dual core computer at my disposal. Took me some time, i did build a custom desk myself, completly redone my room where the computers are ... worked hard on end year 2009 hollidays and at the beginning of 2010.
Started trying adding computers one by one at about mid january 2010 cf :
http://www.lavishsoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4546, where i ask some questions ... (had troubles when adding the second computer, but with the tutorial i was able to do it pretty fast, before that i was using ualaa guides on dual boxing for keys setup)
So the next day of the above i got everything working fine ! what a blast, i could play full screen on each comp and my team was all together, it went fast and the level started to normalize between characters, got them to 40 (exept the captain that was already 60 and i only took him a few quests and traits i missed previously.
Everything was starting to get good, i added a few class specific hotkeys, configured g keys with innerspace.
Was missing the manoeuvers, but i was too lazy and eager to play.
A few days later, on saterday 30 th january, i logged in the afternoon to play (my wife was working until 10pm), i was in aughaire, having done the armor quests at 38-39, i wanted to finish the previous zone so i went back to esteldin, doing quests objectives on the way, and killing wurms for trait in ram duath. Got back to bank in esteldin after a few quest, sold stuff, cleared my bags and arranged banks, i did a few changes on cosmetic too on 2 of my characters, did send some mathoms to a guildie that was looking for them, had a chat in guild... well took me over 1h in esteldin. After that i alt tabbed my main to look for quest prerequisites in fornost. Decided to go dol dinen kill the uruk leader to unlock a quest in fornost. Went that way, fighting on the direct road up the hill. When i came by 3rd gate, my tank (the main character i play) got a black screen in middle a fight ... you have been banned... i finish fight with my captain alone and tp all my remaining group to a safe spot with hunt.
I leave the slaves at the safe spot, i just reconnect my captain on main computer to start a ticket, no more than 1 minute later, i got a gm in tells. Chatting with him was very strange, he told me he suspected me to be bot, that he watched me and tryed to conctact me ... for him he said i was standing near a npc in esteldin and doing nothing until he decided to hit the ban stick... and then he said, that all my characters went link dead as soon as he banned my main ... that is very strange since i was fighting my way in dol dinen ... then tped the group to a safe place after the fight where my guardian was banned, and more i did not disconnect any other character than my captain to switch to main computer ... After having a long polite chat with him, he tells me to contact this email :
LOTRO.GMReport@codemasters.com , and to be very precise on what i am was doing, how i was multiboxing so told him i was using is and isboxer, i had a g15 and everything that went on that afternoon... (at that time only one account was banned for several days)
So i did email them, told them all i did in the afternoon ...
I got a resonse only yesterday, from +Urdson Senior Games Master Codemasters Online Support Team.
Here it is in french :
Je vous remercie de prendre le temps de nous écrire au sujet de la suspension de votre compte.
Je désire dans un premier temps vous informer que ceci est le premier message que je vous envoie, il est donc normal que vous n’ayez pas reçu d’autre message à ce sujet précédemment.
Concernant la suspension de votre compte, bien que je puisse vous confirmer que l’utilisation de plusieurs comptes (ou multi-boxing) n’est pas une infraction à notre charte de comportement, l’utilisation de programme tiers est bel et bien sanctionnée, comme nous le stipulons dans notre Code de Conduite que vous avez accepté lors de la création de votre compte :
« 18. Il est interdit de créer, poster, utiliser ou distribuer quelque utilitaire, émulateur ou outil logiciel que ce soit d’un tiers (y compris, sans s’y limiter, les programmes de macro ou programmes robots, les émulateurs de serveur, les programmes de piratage de carte ou de client et les utilitaires de collecte de données). »
Par conséquent, je me vois au regret de vous informer que votre compte restera suspendu ainsi que tout autre compte avec lequel vous avez pu utilisé ces logiciels.
So to make it short, he says that mutiboxing is not forbidden but using
ANY software to do that is against eula..
He mentioned the same article that you did, lax ... 18. You may not create, post, use or distribute any utilities, emulators or other third party software tools without the express written permission of Turbine (including, without limitation, macroing programs, botting programs, server emulators, client hacks, map hacks, and data gathering utilities).
And so a few minutes later all accounts where banned. Since i admited using isboxer and innerspace. And he says that he had not to check log since i admited using software ...
I don t know if things are different between us and eu on multibox tolerance, but that point 18... is so unprecise that they really can ban at will...
Anyone playing on eu, might know where can i ask the question more precisely and defend myself other than
LOTRO.GMReport@codemasters.com ?
Best regards, thanks for reading me.