Will 2-boxing make me enjoy EQ again?

[Et^Cetera]

I have given up EQ twice due to burnout/boredeom. Yet dispite playing NWN,ToEE,IWD,KoTOR and such, even branching into the RTS genre with Tropico, WC3, RoN + Spellforce, I either find these single player games `empty` or finnish them in a week (Thief 3, Etherlords 2 for example)

I have never been a "raider" and although I put in ALOT of hours, 99%  are done in single group or solo environments.

So, have been looking at the possibility of returning to EQ but in a 2-box role. The main reason is to stop/reduce downtime associated with solo-play, and the greatly widen the list of hunting grounds available.

I have a store bought "as standard as it comes" type PC. Athon 3gz with 512Ram and a GeForce FX 5600. While it looks more than possible given the spec, I would really prefer to play with my EQ instanced side-by-side tiled rather than the Alt-Tab method. But will go with either.

My Chars on my existing account are :
62/42 Cleric - 62/24 Beastlord - 54/0 Bard - 46 Paladin - 44 Magician + a few 20+ 30`s.

Whilst I accpet that the Bard is probably out for 2-boxing, and assume it will be a Master-Slave set up with the slave either being a Healer/Nuker/pet Mix...the question really is...

Do people find that making a 2-box set up renews their enthusiasm for gameplay or its just like solo-ing but with no downtime?

[Corss]

Very much so to your final question.  I haven't logged in less than two accounts at once in years.  When my other computer crapped out on me and all I had was my laptop and couldn't two-box I couldn't take it and quit until I had a new computer working again.

It's not soloing without downtime, you'll find you can now do things and go to places you previously couldn't.   You'll find there are places where once you had no reason to go, but now you'll park your arse there for hours.  You'll start trying to find challenges out in the world for you to take on.

My druid is my best piece of equipment.  :wink:

[Jaeren]

Recently I haven't been two boxing as much due to joining a new guild and basically having no time except to get up, go to work, come home, raid, go to bed & then repeat.

But, when I was getting burned out or when I just dont feel like grouping I either 2 or 3 box. Normal setup is Beastlord & Cleric and then I either throw in a 53 druid or a 56 shm if I'm adding a 3rd char. The bst & clr combo works well and I enjoy it.

As far as if you will, that's hard to say. Some people like 2boxing, some jsut can't get the hang of it and some just think it's too much work. My suggestion would be to try and find a friend with a cleric (or if you want to level another char rather than move your cleric to a diff account, whatever class you think you'd like) and borrow the account for a couple nights if you can to get used to running two chars and see what you think of it :)

[Yiktiki]

I will vouch for dual boxing adding fun to eq again... I recently started going it, trying to get my druid to 65, and have lots more fun.  Its a new perspective on an old game, so it makes a lot of stuff sort of new again.

I will also say this... I run a P4 2.4 w/ a GeForce 4 card and 1gb of RAM... I don't have a second box, I just run two instances of EQ simultaneously.  I turned off sound (obviously) and dumbed down most of my graphics, and it runs fine.  You don't have to have 2 computers, and you don't need a super computer to do it.

[Araden]

I started boxing with a 2nd puter in 2001.  I got burned out doing it after I lvl'd up a clericbot.   After that I mostly single boxed except on raids where I'd box the cleric to help with healing.  Outside raid times though I preferred to single box,  it gave me more time to be able to chat with friends / groupmates without casusing a critical mistake due to in attention.    It can be a nice challenge to do hard things,  and I'm considering splitting account to 3 box and try some stuff... but I certainly wouldnt' make that my normal every day play.

You might consider joining a guild that raids but just doesn't do it full time.   I was in a part time raid guild that raided about 4 days a week on average.  This was enough to progress to the elementals on easily,  and still see upgrades,  while at the same time leaving free time for other things.    Add a boxed character in there to work on during off times and you might find you don't burn out quite as quickly.  I'm still playing strong after 5 yrs of EQ,  But I think the key for me is moderation in all that I do, be it raiding xp'ing etc etc.    I dont' do 1 thing so much that I burn completely out.   I vary my activities in game.  

I also know that each person is different and you have to do what is fun for you.   I would certainly give it a try and see if you find it fun though =)

[Taiglin]

Had a monk main with a Bst alt before I left and usually soloed. SoL had just come out and the Bst was rapidly replacing ol Yubb Yubb. Anyway, took a 18mo break from the game and one of the main things that brought me back was the ability I had to 2box (PC + laptop). Especially since I bot a Druid I have so many utility and combat options open that I really can't think of not 2 boxing now. Have thought about doing 3 with 2 on the main machine but the idea of switching in and out of toons on the same computer just doesn't appeal to me. Everyone I know that multi-boxes on different machines enjoys it for the most part, those I know that do it on the same machine eventually burn out because they say it is a chore /shrug. People's experiences will vary in this aspect.

Does boxing reduce downtime? Sorta. There are the same walls you hit - OOM, number of mobs you can efficiently do before repops given a certain area (hall, room, ...), etc but you hit them much later then you would solo. Boxing has given me the ability to fight longer and take on harder mobs as well. The other aspect for me as having started out again and still tending to xp "solo" or in small groups is I am able to hit places ~5 levels(+) before I could really think of them as an option to do solo. In that sense I have access to some funner places (ie Howling Stones) and possibly better drops for cash and upgrades.

Overall has improved my enjoyment of the game.

[Chackra]

Does anybody have an idea how many people two-box?  What if SOE just made a pet class that was as effective as two full characters, but with the pet taking a full share of exp, and an extra group member slot when used?

Maybe one class BST-like spells, with the PC having dps and tanking power similar to that of a Knight class, and a pet with monk-like dps and tanking.  And maybe another class with Cleric-like spells and a pet with warrior-like tanking and dps, along with a taunt that actually worked?  And maybe make sure that both have limited cc?

I have to admit it's tempting, but two-boxing still sounds like a huge PITA to me.  Even if they charged an extra monthly fee, I'll bet a lot of people would be willing to pay.

And even the people who never want to solo (and/or wanted to save the extra fee) would benefit in a way.  Think how much more flexible groups would be if you could add or subtract an exta member or two at a whim, and could have a tank or Cleric available twice as often.

[Rhajah]

I've been 3 & 4-boxing for about 3 years now, and I can tell you that it's the only reason I still play EQ.  If I was limited to playing only one character I'd have quit a very long time ago.  The simple fact is, multi-boxing eliminates the need to ever LFG, at least in my case.  It's been about a year since I put LFG on.  Now, it is fun to have other RL characters grouped with you, but I just take my little multi-boxing team, find a good spot, and then just invite a friend or two to join me if I don't feel like hunting alone.  Most of the time I'm on my own though.  Another perk is the ability to handle mobs that you might not be able to take on solo (summoning mobs, mini-bosses, etc).  Running LDoN missions on my own is also a fun, doable challenge.  

For me, multi-boxing is the Final Frontier so-to-speak.

[Oiingo]

I'm the same as other folks here.  I was getting a bit burned-out only playing one character (a monk in this case), but since I have started boxing my beastlord and druid, the game has really become enjoyable once again.  It's great to be *constantly* tapping the keys while playing both (and sometimes three) characters durings raids.

I'd highly recomend it.  It's a challenge that you'll appreciate.

[Et^Cetera]

I found an old Classic/Kunark disc with an un-used account key lurking on a shelf and thought I would give it a try as I really dont have much to lose if it dont work. I am patching as I type this.

After reading alot of the posts on this forum, I have decided to go with a Druid as it seems to compliment the BST best given my casual play style. A Cleric seemed a bit too `overheal` and not much enough utility(although WILL miss an indoor pacify).

I will roll a new SK for levels 1-20 (havent EVER played SK OR Druid for that matter). Then group her with my 24 ranger, Then group her with my 47 Paladin, Finally group her with my 62 BST.

Will turn nearly everything off on the 2nd account and set "Stand target heal sit", "stand /assist nuke sit" + follow type hotkeys.

Any noticible difference between WinEQ + EQWindows?

I only have 512 ram and dont really have the funds or slots to expand at this time.

Any other basic advisc or tips?

[Corss]

To tell the truth, you'd probably spend less money if you bought the new Everquest: Platinum since you're definetly going to want several expansions.

Unless you already have a character on that Kunark account... I got an account from a friend with a Dwarf Paladin with a DE mask, can't start that from scratch.  :wink:

[Et^Cetera]

I found an old Classic/Kunark disc with an un-used account key lurking on a shelf

No need to buy platinum.. got a Classic/Kunark account to go with for nothing.

Hell... dont even use GoD and POP that much on the main account. Dont see the point buying it *yet on the 2nd

Besides, I think I should have a pretty good idea by 30 if I will like it or not, then can get extra expansions if needed.. I think I can handle `slumming it` on Classic/kunark for a bit. :)

[Xarilok]

1-10 Field of Bone
10-18 Kurns
18-25 Lake of Ill omen
25-35 Frontier Mountains (giant fort)
35-45 Overthere
45-50 Dreadlands
50-65 Nurga

Looks like you never need to leave kunark.  Heck, once you make the run from Kurns to LOIO you never need to go across more than one zone to level.

Having a main character makes leveling an alt in such a fashion easy.  Log in alt, kill kill kill, when you get bored of killing in that spot, just /camp and play the main.  The morons in PoK /ooc'ing "Need Temp!!"  "Paying 100p for Temp, pst I NEED it" for 30 minutes non-stop as a level 15 toon crack me up.  Not only do you not need to do anything other than twink out, log in, kill kill kill, log out, but you don't need to get any outside buffs either.

[Bulge]

Multi-boxing prolonged EQ's life for me also.  I am not much of a grouper, since socializing takes me out of my immersion, being the introvert person that I am. Also, I dont like what most groups are doing, which is grind in one spot and churn mobs. The whole BoT-AA-grinding scene is like something from a horrormovie to me. Socializing(being friendly, let the interaction work) takes a lot of energy from me, and I want to be able to do my own thing and change my mind every 10 minutes if I choose to.

Yet soloing with any char simply became too boring. You can not kill mobs fast enough, it's much harder to handle adds, you can not progress easily through a dungeon because of the backspawn and several encounters are out of your reach untill you reach Uberlevels.  Also, handling a group of chars just opens a lot more tactics and possibilities. It's much more interactive play, and things can get pretty hot, but it's fun.

Also, boxing a group of chars, gives me the same sort of feeling as I had when I played Baldurs Gate: it's a bit of a roleplaying thing. When my Lady Mage gets aggro, I get very protective and make it a point of crushing the mob even harder when I peeled it off of her. You get a feeling for the chars in a sort of BG-kinda way and you see them as a group that is bound together in their adventures. It's truly fun.

Read my 5-boxing thread in these forums to see how I handle my chars. I realize this is a bit expensive, since all chars have their own comp, but it's the only way I like to do it. I want to make steering them as easy as possible, and switching between windows is too messy for me and I keep goofing up also that way. I have come quit adept in steering the chars with the commanders, and I am even using the Necro to almost full potential now. She twitches, cripples, uses pets off course, Life taps with Demi Lich on at all times, Mind Wracks (I LOVE that spell) and so forth, very nice to play. It's fun!