2 Boxing on one PC?

[BigCanoe]

Hi, can someone explain to me how to 2-box on one pc? I have a strategic commander, if that will help.  Thanks!

[DiosT]

the commander wont help you...

that's only good if you have 2 computers, and want to use 1 set of keyboards...


There's a few ways to multi-box:
-2 accounts 1 computer
-2 accounts 2 computers 1 set of mouse/keyboard/monitor
-2 accounts, 2 full computers

you want to know about the first type, 2 accounts and 1 computer...


Do note that this is against the EULA:

Find and download EQWindows (aka EQW), and make a 2nd copy of your EQ directory...

example:
d:\games\Eq1
d:\games\Eq2

make 2 directories for EQW files:
d:\games\Eqw1
d:\games\Eqw2


Make shortcuts to EQW1/EQW2 from your desktop, and start the first one, set it up the way you like(screen position, hotkeys in the ini file for switching, mouse release, etc.), once you set up EQW1's settings, copy the INI file to the EQW2 directory..


DO NOT run both of them showing, they should be pixle-to-pixle overlapping each other--showing both of them WILL slow down your computer, and may case visual lag/EQ lockups for short periods of time...


Also, if you have a Hyper-threading processor, turn it on in the bios before you run 2 accounts, HT turns your processor into '2' processors as far as the OS/game is concerned, so no single instance of EQ can take 99% of processor time (only 49% usage max, this means both sessions of EQ can get full usage, and no single one will hog 99-100% resources)


Also be sure to reduce the # of models used, and gimp out the 2nd account (almost no models, low quality, no socials, maybe turn sound off, texture compression/caching)


My recommended specs for doing 2 EQ accounts:
P4 2.8GHz + w/HT support
1GB+ memory (or 512 memory with no models on either account)
2-3 hard drives (Or a Raid Array -- splitting up the read/write time requirements across multiple hard drives, running Windows, and 2 EQ sessions on a single hard drive will hit a read/write time bottleneck on your PC)
64MB+ video card


This should be a good starter for getting it to work, but remember it's against the EULA according to sony, so just warning ya, i never heard of anyone getting hit with using EQW as a violation

[Jaeren]

Actually, eqw isn't against EULA anymore. When sony put their windowed mode in, they allowed eqw & reversed all bans for it.

[DiosT]

ohh good, <3 EQW

[nibormehh]

Also I think Bulge said that you can use the commander with eqw on one box  by assigning the eqw swap key to one of the buttons on the commander.  My brain is pretty much jello right now,  infant son = no sleep,  maybe I read want I wantted to see =)

[DiosT]

I confused what he said with a KVM switch, since the name sounds so like a friend of mine's switch he uses...

but still, Bulge also said it needs a 2nd box to be really effective, but we arn't really being effective by multi-boxing to begin with :-)

[Karthum]

Just as an FYI, you may not need to reduce the quality or models on your second box.  I run EQW on this:

Athlon 1800+
Ti 500 vid card w/ 64 meg
1.5 gig of memory (!)
Win XP
Dial up (!)

The only thing I needed to do is turn off sound on the second account.  I run full models, high quality on both account.  Granted, I'm not putting both toons into the bazaar or anything, but I'm not lagging even in places like Paludal or PoK.  Well, maybe a little in PoK!  :)

-K