Throw the Shaman Overboard
I was recently involved in a whole cost cutting mission in real life. The story about Twain and the woman with no vices came to mind, if you have no ballast to throw overboard, you’re in trouble. I found we have little to no financial ballast. The only thing I could come up with was two game subscriptions. That’s it.
Anyway, the need for cost cutting has passed for now and I’m looking to gain financial ballast because really, you must have something to give up when times are bad. That logic works for me, sensible, don’t you think? So, what to do, what to do. It has to be a monthly bill … like a subscription, yeah, something like that.
I can’t quite remember when, but it was probably back in BC, I saw a video of multiboxing Shaman. I was smitten. Then Wrath came and with it came the quest The Earthen Oath in The Storm Peaks. Yay! I’m multiboxing! I don’t want to do anything extravagant, just dual-boxing would be fine. So now I have to figure out how to do this. I remembered Martha at Martha.net was a dual-boxer maybe she’d have advice. I found her post on Keyclone to start with and I’m going to study up and see if I can do this.
My apologies for typos and nonsensical sentences. Once again I’m being intimidated by WordPress to met my next goal, so against my better judgement I’m posting a post that was written without my contacts in. This is ALWAYS a bad idea but WordPress can be so FORCEFUL in its encouragement that I’m going to cave in and hit publish … I’m such a wuss. And THERE IS the gold starry thing you get when you reach a goal which of course is a rush.
Don’t know for sure if I’ll actually do it but this is at the top of my “add financial ballast” list right now. I mean, two Shamimis, how cool would that be! And really, I’m not having much luck with anything else for my list, I don’t know, Fruit of the Month Club?
Tome of the Ancient 
March 16, 2012 at 8:20 am
Dual-boxing is a lot of fun, although I think at least part of my love of it comes from the assembly of the macros (for lo, I love coding and RTS and this is sort of both). Of course at this point I also tend to break out the spreadsheet and work out which spells work best with each other without causing either toon mana problems, just so I’m not casting the same spell twice.*grin*
There are other free options if you don’t want to pay for Keyclone, although I’m not up to date on what’s out there now. I’m a pretty laid back (read as: Lazy) player so since Keyclone works, I never really went looking. (doh)
Once you have something to echo keys, you can just setup macros and run at that point. If you want to get fancy you can grab the awesome Jamba addon, but I’ve made it to level 30 without really needed it. (the ‘follow is broken’ notification was nice, but it was just too complicated and I’d rather play with macros).
I always set up the same generic macros when I do a new pair: an InstantParty that invites on the first click and then sets loot to free for all on the second, a share target button with the ALT modifier set to follow, and I set the hearthstone bound to home because I am too punny for my own good. *solemn nod*
The hardest things to get used to are a) making sure your follower is actually following and b) turning around to face the enemy/recovering from fears.
For turning/fears: I have both windows open big enough that I can play from either (although the smaller one is sometimes a pain), or you can set the arrow keys bound only to the follower so they can move/turn independently.
But um, yes, tl;dr—dual-boxing is a lot of fun! 😀
And here’s something that maybe useful, I’ve trimmed my own Kitchen Sink macro back a bit since I don’t get random invites as much. 🙂
http://www.martha.net/2010/03/kitchensink-and-instantparty-macro/
March 16, 2012 at 8:30 am
Thanks so much Martha! I’ll need all the help I can get! I looked at a few software options but I thought the one time payment of Keyclone sounded about right to me and then I saw you used it so I’d have a source for information!
March 16, 2012 at 8:44 am
Okay, Tome, I have two accounts, and…and…
I have also had times of great and dire financial concerns (and that ain’t no joke) and as the truism says, when you’re in a hole, stop digging…I question this constantly, this expense, because it hasn’t quite ‘paid off’ yet, in fact, I’m feeling more than ever that I’m herding turkeys. I’ll have to get back to you on the “fun” part. I’m starting to think it was a “this was a good idea at the time” kind of thing. So far, and I know there are many benefits, but the primary benefit has been I can solo transmog runs, and get cloth and whatever else I need on two characters. That is one hell of an expensive Barbie Doll case.
March 16, 2012 at 9:53 am
Oh I’d forgotten, you mentioned that in the Don Carlos’ Hat post. I really have always wanted to try it but I think what prompted it this time is “found” money.
I cleaned out my filing system (a large bowl and a basket) and found about 700.00 worth of checks from last September that I never deposited, yep, great little business woman I am. So I thought, hmmm, what about another account! Still haven’t made up my mind though.
March 16, 2012 at 11:26 am
You can always try it out with the free-to-play accounts—I did that for fun just to see what it was like to triple-box (way too much of a headache). And if you do buy a second copy of the game, you’ve got 60 levels before you have to upgrade. 🙂
March 16, 2012 at 11:39 am
Oh boy, I didn’t even think of that I was going to buy the whole thing at once! That’s a great idea I already have a trial account I could just try out the software first that way, Thanks again Martha!
March 16, 2012 at 12:41 pm
If you do decide to make a second account, even a trial to begin with – remember to do it through Recruit-a-Friend. Effy has a wonderful two person rocket thanks to my horrid toon addiction. hehe
And honestly, I have to kind of agree with Matty. At first, it was really cool to baffle my friends with two of me on at once and dragging myself around leveling two toons at the same time! But now, it is more an excuse to have more and more alts. ><
Hi, my name is Effy, and I am addicted to alts…
~ Effy
March 16, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I’m glad I posted what I was contemplating because everyone’s bringing up things I didn’t even think about. If I did it, it would be horrible if I had missed out on a rocket!
March 16, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I tried to dual box once. That lasted for about a half an hour before my machine was like “I can’t give it no mo’ powah!” and my framerate plummeted into the fractions.
Still, it was fun for 30 minutes! 😀
March 16, 2012 at 5:42 pm
I can see where it could be strain on a computer. But it was fun while it lasted? And I could get a rocket mount out of it! I don’t know this is sounding pretty good to me, maybe just worth a try!
March 16, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Yup, you can pay for two months of Vanilla WoW on the second account, get your rocket, and if the Scroll of Rez is still around you can rez your second account for another mount – and an 80, and epic flying and a free Cata upgrade.
Heh, believe me, the thought has occurred to me. Unfortunately, I got the Tyrael mount on both accounts. So I am locked.
le sigh.
~ Effy
March 16, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Okay, I just have to do this now. Don’t know if I’ll keep it but a rocket, a chance to try it out and I only have to buy vanilla! I’m so trying this!
March 16, 2012 at 6:35 pm
I’ve been meaning to sit down with a FIVE-Shaman boxer I met on my server and conduct an interview for the site. Time and timing have been the issue, but you’ve given me a hoof reminding me to.
March 16, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Oh good, I would really enjoy reading that interview, put up a post-it note multiboxing reminder!
March 16, 2012 at 6:59 pm
More like “fit it in somewhere.” lol
March 16, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Again – my apologies, as I told you, I am “She of Monthly Pedicures [When The Electric Bill Isn’t Paid]” Status.
I love the potential for a pun here: “shaman boxers, not briefs.”
March 17, 2012 at 5:27 am
Oh I’ve thought about it but never actually DONE it… I hope you do it for the cool mount!
March 17, 2012 at 7:01 am
I know! I was on the fence until the mention of a rocket mount, worth trying just for that!
March 26, 2012 at 10:25 am
[…] pair so I’m un-bubblewrapping my main and I may start a new pair of alts. (The Ancient started a new pair of Shaman alts and now I’m sort of chomping at the bit to try out my own. Amusingly I’ve never rolled […]