Multi-Boxing? What are your thoughts?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Sold and gone, Jul 24, 2014.

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  1. Sold and gone

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    I have noticed in other games, particularly WOW, the ability to multi-box different clients. I personally find it abusive and overpowering in game play. What do you guys think of it?
     
  2. NRaas

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    My tank and glass cannon multi-character play-style would like to thank you for your opinion.

    Now, I'm going back to playing.

    Cheers. :)
     
  3. Silent Strider

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    I'll do it for crafting, at least. I want to opt out from the economy, and already have three pledges in order to do so.
     
  4. NRaas

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    Hmm... I read Ravicus' concern as regarding users that play multiple characters in-game simultaneously, not those that simply have multiple accounts to bypass the character limit restrictions.

    Did you read it in a different way ?
     
  5. Sold and gone

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    Yes, this is an example of multi boxing. It is one person controlling 5 characters simultaneously via a third party program.
     
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  6. NRaas

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    Yes, that is what I thought you were talking about. :)
     
  7. Duke Olahorand

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    It can help with certain tasks, like swap stuff between own accounts, coown own accounts on a lot or transfer that lot ...
    So it is not necessarily evil ...

    *Salute*
    Olahorand
     
  8. Sold and gone

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    I have no problem with people logging in on multiple accounts, its them using the 3rd party simultaneously. Please watch the video to see what I mean :)
     
  9. NRaas

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    There is a wee problem with enforcing any sort of restriction on simultaneous access.

    I mean, unless someone is being blatantly stupid and obvious, how do you *really* know that those two players are actually the same user playing on two different computers ? :)
     
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  10. Athelstan

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    As long as they are paid accounts (game seats) I'm all for em, why on earth would you ban someone who wants to pay you multiple times.
     
  11. Ravicus Domdred

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    I remember those multi boxers in wow. They would one shot everyone in pvp. They would just mow everyone down and cross heal. So lame, made pvp no fun at all.
     
  12. DyNaMiX

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    Personally I'm not a fan of it. It can interefere with the multiplayer aspect when people become too self-sufficient. At the same time, from a personal perspective, it's not too big a deal. If that person is talented enough it can create the illusion of higher population or extra players.

    It's can be a problem when it intereferes with the economy.
     
  13. Silent Strider

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    3rd party?

    I don't have anything against multi-boxing, and used to dual-box in WoW (before WotLK's launch event made me so angry at WoW that I permanently canceled my second account). But only when the player multi-boxing is not using methods banned by the EULA or TOS. Using third party programs that go against the spirit of those agreements is something I don't condone.

    That being said, third party programs per see aren't bad. I have a couple scripting engines permanently installed to automate mundane tasks and customize my keyboard in a way that Windows alone does not allow, and both my keyboard and my mouse run third party scripting engines of their own (in the case of my mouse, inside the mouse itself, which means the computer can't even detect it). They are just tools; what might be bad is how the tool is used, not the tool itself.

    BTW, I will use multi-boxing for another reason besides crafting: puzzles and other barriers of entry to PvE content that are meant to keep solo players out. Similar to how a dual box setup could be used to enter the Northlands in Guild Wars without the need of another player. I'm not sure I will use it to provide combat advantage, though, even though I see nothing wrong with it, because the combination of a deck system with positioning being important should make controlling extra characters in combat far harder than in WoW.
     
  14. Sold and gone

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    This is not bad. :) Its only when it directly conflicts with other peoples experiences. 5 simultaneous fireballs vs 1 sword in pvp sucks and does ruin that players experience. What you suggest does not. :)
     
  15. Lord Andernut

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    I don't know how they'd stop it but I'd feel frustrated that people get around the time involved in the crafting process by opening it up in 3 or 4 or 5 windows to produce items 5 times as fast as I do.
     
  16. DyNaMiX

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    Not to mention it eliminates business. They no longer require your services.
     
  17. Logain

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    It's simple for me. If I sit down at a poker table (or any other "social" game, be it Monopoly, or whatever) with four people and one of them takes three seats (with three sets of cards), I'd be out, given that the person is getting an unfair advantage.
    There's always somebody who tries to compete at any given sector in an MMORPG, be it as being the "best" merchant, having the highest level, wanting to rampage a certain area, being the most skilled assassin,... and having multiple "playtime"/"manpower" is going to provide you unfair means. I know this is the internet, but I tend to try and apply the same kind of etiquette here as I do IRL. If I wouldn't ruin your social gaming evening at home, I try not to here either (and I actually hope for the same courtesy with other, even though I'm well aware that it is a vain hope).
     
  18. Silent Strider

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    The board game analogy only actually works if it's a team game, or it otherwise allows players to team up. In something like Poker or Monopoly, though, where players aren't supposed to share information or collaborate, it doesn't.
    A better analogy would be the multiboxer controlling all detectives in the Scotland Yard board game, a game where the detectives are supposed to collaborate anyway. In that case the multiboxer gets some advantage (from his communication being impossible for the opponent to intercept), but also a disadvantage (because he has to think for multiple players).

    Also, keep in mind two other things about multiboxers. First, what is supposed to be matched in power is the number of characters, not the number of players; a multiboxer is supposed to wipe the floor with a single player controlling a single character, just like a group of players is supposed to wipe the floor with a single opponent. Second, in order to be any good as a multiboxer (without resorting to outright botting) the player needs to be quite good with each and every character he is controlling, so even if playing a single character he is likely an opponent to be reckoned.
     
  19. PrimeRib

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    I only did it in WoW to run twinks through dungeons. No 3rd party software or hardware, just alt tab, auto-follow, etc.
    I'd do it sometimes in Lineage2 because the whole game was buff based. You could easily have as many buffers in a group as damage dealers.

    The game is designed from the start to be highly soloable. In fact most of the content is designed solo first, then scale up as needed. I see no reason to multi-box.
     
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  20. Jambot

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    Very interesting question. Given the way the game plays, I'm guessing multi-boxing would mostly be crafting while adventuring, acting as a "world map mule", bringing stuff to your living or dead char (big problem), or bypassing a ghost state (ie, relog instead of resurrect, biggest problem).
    While most of these things aren't gamebreakers, they indeed are (big) advantages. Wether those advantages are fair or unfair, only Portalarium can decide.

    My stance on the problem would be : if you know you can't police it, then allow it. Making rules that only the law-abiding players are gonna follow means hindering those players and enhancing the cheats.

    And I must add I actually have a related game experience ; I used to play a fallout 1-2 mod (actually a re-write of the engine), Fallout Online (yes, fallout 1-2 maps mixed up in an mmo). I first played on a server which strictly forbade multi-boxing. The end result was that "lawful" players would end up being swarmed by multi-boxers, not because they were outnumbered, but because pretty much all "unlawful" players had a dozen fully stuffed chars on the world map, ready to enter any given city in a matter of seconds.

    Time passed, this server died, another one was created which allowed multi-boxing for anything but PvP (most notably, not circumventing the respawn delay by bringing another char to the fight). Now the game wasn't impacted much overall (it was easier farming resources, but the world was already flooded with items nobody needed), and it actually became manageable for a very small team of GMs to actually check whether a same IP relogged too soon (they knew exactly the time-frame and the location of the offense, since PvP relied on taking control of cities in 15 min).

    I'm guessing this is a pretty long story to say : just be realistic, and make a rule that helps the ones who play lawfully and that is actually enforceable.

    Thank you for reading.
     
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