multiboxing, blizzard and isboxer.

is everybody experiencing those random errors in the way the follow and the iwt commands are functioning in multiboxing environment? i know that the phenomenon of toons going in every direction but the right one is a common one. but even a simple follow direction in a straight line (otherwise it is simply hopeless) seems bugged when multi-boxing. every time one toon falls out of step for no reason, and that means stopping everybody and going back for the stray. if you have noticed it on time and are lucky and is has not been killed already! i know one thing for sure - at least i think i do- it is not isboxer that is doing this.

Latency is a major problem with /follow since the following is done on the slave client and not on the server. The problem is amplified as follows:

1) You move
2) 1 latency later the server notices you moved and sends your new position to the second client
3) 1 latency later the second client gets your new position, if it is too far away the follow breaks

If you latency is too high you can move the master out of follow range before the slave can react.

Suggestions: don't use Crusader Aura, and maybe even fall back to slow mounts.

I've also seen IWT result in toons running through mobs, particularly when spamming it. I don't have a fix for that.

[Ualaa]

If I use Crusader Aura, it is always for one of the Slaves and not for the lead toon.
The range on follow is further than the range on Crusader Aura.
So, assuming travel in a relatively straight line... the slaves will sometimes be too far back, and Crusader is lost on the main... meaning the slaves catch up again.




I found processing power to be immensely useful for follow.
Quite a ways back, I was using a Q6600 processor.
And in Dalaran, my follow would break while using 100% ground speed mounts.

I upgraded my processor to an i7 920 (along with Motherboard & Ram), which was at stock speed.
The store that did the upgrade, accidentally put a 32-bit version of windows on my system.
At that point I had a 2GB video card.
Meaning, the system only had access to just under 2GB of system ram.
Despite that, Follow was perfect with a top of the line processor.
And the rest of the game was drastically improved, with the 64-bit version of windows back on the system.
With a top end CPU (for the era), I could not break follow while flying 280% mounts and having Crusader Aura on the lead/master toon).

Aside from a slower mount...
An upgrade to your CPU can help with follow.
But possibly a different CPU strategy within IS Boxer could help too.

If I use Crusader Aura, it is always for one of the Slaves and not for the lead toon.
The range on follow is further than the range on Crusader Aura.
So, assuming travel in a relatively straight line... the slaves will sometimes be too far back, and Crusader is lost on the main... meaning the slaves catch up again.




I found processing power to be immensely useful for follow.

An upgrade to your CPU can help with follow.
But possibly a different CPU strategy within IS Boxer could help too.

i have a 2600K with 8GB of ram. what strategy would you advise?

[Ualaa]

I found giving cores 7/8 to the active slot.
And 1/2/3/4/5/6 to the others (presumably windows uses some of those) worked fine.

1/2 = 1 real core and 2 is its logical core partner.
So you'd want 1/2 and 3/4 and 5/6 and 7/8 to be partnered on whatever.



But there are a lot of options to try.
And its pretty easy to go through them, and see what works best for you.

Latency is a major problem with /follow since the following is done on the slave client and not on the server. The problem is amplified as follows:

1) You move
2) 1 latency later the server notices you moved and sends your new position to the second client
3) 1 latency later the second client gets your new position, if it is too far away the follow breaks

If you latency is too high you can move the master out of follow range before the slave can react.

Suggestions: don't use Crusader Aura, and maybe even fall back to slow mounts.

I've also seen IWT result in toons running through mobs, particularly when spamming it. I don't have a fix for that.

your explanation is i think correct, but instead of sending movement keys why not send locations? this way, even with a heavy lag, the toons would always know where to go. and as far as iwt is cncerned, somehow the previous, or a random target, is sometimes used by the other toons. a problem which does not seem unsolvable to me, so why blizzard does not bother to fix those issues?

i appreciate the position isboxer is in and expect therefore no official reaction in this matter. besides, some would say that this matter belongs in the game forum and not here. i do not agree with this for 2 reasons:
- this concerns multiboxing in wow and not wow as such.
- blizzard has created wowhead as the perfect wall between the company and players. game masters will not discuss game techniques with you, and the wowhead people are just jehova witnesses. very nice and friendly, as long as you don't say anything critical over their"wible". then they attack en masse to get their main and sole point across: wow is perfect as it is, so stop trolling.
multiboxers spend a lot of time and money on wow, and i feel that we are, in some respects, being cheated. it would be good to let blizzard know what our grievances are, and that they should be taken into account.

i submitted a ticket anyway, stating the problems with the iwt and follow commands, here is the answer of blizzard:

"While we do not have a problem with people multiboxing as long as they are keeping within the terms of use, it is not something that we support. The game is designed for you to be playing one character at a time. If you are choosing to play more than one at a time, at the same time, then the complications are there for you to resolve."

in other words, we will gladly take your money, but do not expect anything in return!

[lax]

To be fair, that's exactly the response I would expect.

in other words, we will gladly take your money, but do not expect anything in return!

What, just because you pay for 5 accounts you get to tell them what to do now?

To be fair, that's exactly the response I would expect.

in other words, we will gladly take your money, but do not expect anything in return!

What, just because you pay for 5 accounts you get to tell them what to do now?

of course not, they cannot fulfill every wish and desire. but this goes beyond that. multiboxing is no accident of nature, it a possibility offered by the application, and as such, it should get the same treatment as other parts of the program. if something does not work, it gets fixed. here, they are basically saying, fuck you multiboxer!