Need Help: Multiple Ratting Machariels
Please bear with me as I am a newbie to multiboxing, but I am a technical troubleshooter by trade, so I'm more than happy to get whatever info is needed to help get the resolution I am seeking.
My theory is for 6 accounts, 5 Machariels mirroring each other as one, and the 6th will be a carrier initially; later upgraded to a mach as well for identical fleet. I currently have 3 characters in the Machs + the carrier. I've done the 3 Machs on my main screen configured using just repeater, and the carrier opened independently on my other screen. The problem is when in game the efficiency of the Machariel cluster is so low that I'm actually making much less isk than just running 1 Mach + carrier traditionally. It's not hardware performance, or anything like that, but I think I am missing some major features & configs that I should be using to make the Mach cluster more reliable.
The inaccuracy in the repeater is causing me to have to spend much of my time checking all the clients as if I was playing traditionally. I know this is a learning curve to get it, but I need some pointers. I reset default window positions & used repeater to re-position everything to be identical, but I'm finding variances so large in where things are that the cursor is catching the target in 1 or 2 of the clients and the others it's clicking outside the target item and being useless.
I'm sure this is due to errors on my part, I just don't know which mistakes I'm making. I'm not using repeater regions yet, and the only broadcasted buttons are the F-keys. Otherwise it's just using the repeater to broadcast the mouse movements, clicks, and key strokes to all clients sans the carrier.
Those of you that are running medium sized groups of identical ships efficiently.. Could you please share some info on how you have your ISBoxer configured? Some info on tactics for this type of setup would be much appreciated as well. I'm mainly looking for tips & tricks to help increase efficiency & reliability within my Mach cluster. For example, should I be trying to run off of the broadcast window, or is there a way to make the overview window reliable enough to always have each client lock the same target? Is there a way to broadcast this function from my "odd man out" client to have the mach cluster all target that one NPC reliably?
My end goal is to have all of the Machariels operating as one & mirroring the main one. Having them work much like the DPS portion of a large scale pvp fleet. Determine target, obtain target lock on THAT target (not mixed ones as I have been getting), volley all guns at once & assign drones to attack via hot key (if possible in one command / keystroke). Then rinse & repeat. My end game result will be 6 Machariels and no carrier as that character will be in a Mach soon too.
Perhaps the largest hurdle I have to figure out is how to get all clients to target the same NPC simultaneously. Can you guys share how and or if you have had successes in this part? Can it be setup where when I Ctrl + click on my carrier account that it targets that same NPC on all clients? It sounds simple in theory, but whether sorting by range, type, name, or anything else on the overview; the order of NPCs always seems to be random within the type or name when multiple NPCs of the same type are on grid. I tried to overcome this by using broadcasts, but then the inaccuracy of repeater became my nightmare. Some clients try to lock the target, others are totally missing the broadcast entry and clicking on the border, or header of the UI window.
Any info or direction on where to start my search / research in resolving these issues would be greatly appreciated. I'm not asking for someone else to do all the work, I just need a compass in this program, as it's such a powerful tool & becomes overwhelming very fast.
Here's the paste of my config:
Thx a ton from a 6 year eve vet & total ISBoxer newbie.
Sry for wall of text.
~Darkmojo