Macro keyboards bannable?

[kylanifer]

Are keyboards that support macros, such as the SideWinder X4 or the Kinesis Advantage Contoured, allowed (since the game itself doesn't support macros)? By that I mean will I get banned if I use such a keyboard? I have already used these two keyboards to play SWTOR, but I have no made use of such capabilities. Am I at risk of being banned?

 

What about mice such as the Cyborg R.A.T 5 gaming mouse? The ones with extra buttons. Are those allowed?

Edited December 22, 2011 by kylanifer

[Axxtasy]

No. This has always been a grey area, but as of yet, no developer has (wisely) decided to pursue this. You are safe, macro away!

[Seerees]

Personally I go by the the rule of thumb that if there's a pause for the GDC in the middle of your macro you're in the danger zone. Edited December 22, 2011 by Seerees

[Canon]

Hmmm... I doubt it. They have an officially branded macro keyboard, 16 button mouse etc. from Razer.... I'm going to go with, no you won't get banned for using a keyboard that has macro capability or a mouse with a gazillion buttons...

[Valethar]

The have a co-branded mouse and keyboard from Razer, so I'd say no.

 

In any event, they can't prove you're using one, short of installing spyware on your PC (not that I'd put that past EA) so how would they knoe, much less punish you for it?

 

Macro enabled hardware is fine. They're more concerned with bots that run without anyone at the PC than they are players using features similar to what they have in their own co-branded hardware.

[Elbrop]

It would be a vary odd step for any game to try and mandate what hardware their customers can & can't use.

 

But stranger things have happened. I remember back in the day Everquest disabled the alt-tab function while the game was running. They felt it was cheating if you could tab out and check the internet for information.

 

Of course most players were pretty annoyed by this and started using work arounds. Which the EQ team decided was a banning offence (on the same level as using game exploits).

 

It was an odd time. Of course the game devs lost the battle in the end - turns out its not good business practice to label your customers cheaters for wanting to use their computers as they see fit.

 

I also remember when they banned someone for writing erotic fanfiction about their EQ character.

 

So to summarise: Unlikely but you never know when a company will pull some crazy stuff.

[saethone]

DAoC Banned the alt-tabbing for a while as well. It was quite lame lol.

[Shadouplus]

I'm gonna say yes... Just to balance the thread.

[Verugan]

Will that keyboard let me macro a reactive ability such as Retaliation on sith warrior?

[Sai-to]

There's a GCD, so no, they won't be banning macro-capable hardware.

 

If there wasn't, then yes, you could get banned for macroing. This happened in DCUO... they wanted to allow for animation canceling, so they didn't put a GCD in. The result was that players used macros to make their characters do 10+ attacks in the time it took for one animation.

 

But with the GCD, they avoid that problem... so macro away!

[Sai-to]

Will that keyboard let me macro a reactive ability such as Retaliation on sith warrior?

 

 

Yes. For example, you can macro the "1" key to use both the key you have for Retaliation, and the key you use for Strike (or whatever your basic ability is called. If Retaliation isn't proc'ed, it will just use Strike. But if it is, then it will activate it.

[TheToony]

No, they are not bannable.

[Verugan]

Yes. For example, you can macro the "1" key to use both the key you have for Retaliation, and the key you use for Strike (or whatever your basic ability is called. If Retaliation isn't proc'ed, it will just use Strike. But if it is, then it will activate it.

 

Thank you

[Colobulous]

But stranger things have happened. I remember back in the day Everquest disabled the alt-tab function while the game was running. They felt it was cheating if you could tab out and check the internet for information.

 

Of course most players were pretty annoyed by this and started using work arounds. Which the EQ team decided was a banning offence (on the same level as using game exploits).

 

It was an odd time. Of course the game devs lost the battle in the end - turns out its not good business practice to label your customers cheaters for wanting to use their computers as they see fit.

 

Especially when so many customers have another computer to use, and we don't even bother with the alt-tab, but just turn our chair to the side a bit.

 

I wonder how they'd try to ban me from doing that. Send an executive into my house? Even Sony of America couldn't be that stupid.

[dreadpirateandy]

I know in WoW, keyboard macros are only allowed if they do not automate your game. I.e. 1 key press == 1 in-game action. You can make a macro that will execute a skill every time you press it or something like that, but you can't make a macro that does multiple skills every time you press it.

 

I assume the rules are similar for TOR, although I'm not sure. There's a fine line between normal macros and automation/botting, though, and you don't want to bot.

 

@ the people who say all macros are allowed just because the TOR keyboard lets you do it - that's not an excuse and that's not a legitimate justification.

[AMKSED]

Yes, they're going to ban people while they were in partnership with Razer to make macro-able keyboards.

 

Nice question.

[dreadpirateandy]

Yes, they're going to ban people while they were in partnership with Razer to make macro-able keyboards.

 

Nice question.

 

Like I just said, that doesn't mean a damn thing.

 

You can and should use the keyboard however you're allowed. WoW is a good example, they do not permit using macro keyboards for automation. Macros okay, automation not okay. Even their WoW keyboards that are macro-capable.

[Nouga]

Yes, they're going to ban people while they were in partnership with Razer to make macro-able keyboards.

 

Nice question.

 

Well i know this is another genre, but there is an official Starcraft 2 Keyboard on the market that is fully capable of macros, still you're banned if you use macros in SC2

[Akaidian]

Like I just said, that doesn't mean a damn thing.

 

You can and should use the keyboard however you're allowed. WoW is a good example, they do not permit using macro keyboards for automation. Macros okay, automation not okay. Even their WoW keyboards that are macro-capable.

 

No idea why game companies are against the use of automation so much. If you're smart enough to know what you want to happen exactly in ever situation and want to remove error from that happening, more power to you. You understand the game better. Its like the difference between racing in something like spec miata and a real GT series. Engineering should play a part.

[dreadpirateandy]

No idea why game companies are against the use of automation so much. If you're smart enough to know what you want to happen exactly in ever situation and want to remove error from that happening, more power to you. You understand the game better. Its like the difference between racing in something like spec miata and a real GT series. Engineering should play a part.

 

And I have no idea why players insist that botting should be allowed. No. It ruins games.

[Akaidian]

And I have no idea why players insist that botting should be allowed. No. It ruins games.

 

I'm not talking full on botting. I'm talking i know my rotation, and its boring regardless of if I'm hitting 1 button or 4 simply because its linear and is a ROTATION. I also know when to use interrupts and my trinket etc, but I want to ensure I don't waste them at stupid times either.

 

I'm talking about setting up things to protect against mistakes that I wouldn't make if I was calm and collected. Not making an auto leveler.

[dreadpirateandy]

I'm not talking full on botting. I'm talking i know my rotation, and its boring regardless of if I'm hitting 1 button or 4 simply because its linear and is a ROTATION. I also know when to use interrupts and my trinket etc, but I want to ensure I don't waste them at stupid times either.

 

I'm talking about setting up things to protect against mistakes that I wouldn't make if I was calm and collected. Not making an auto leveler.

 

This is why automation macros are not allowed. Give a mouse a cookie and he'll want a glass of milk. Let players do just a few things and they'll want more, push the boundaries, break the boundaries, and make a general mess of the game.

 

Automation == botting. ANY automation == botting. Setting a macro to do 2 actions per 1 keypress is botting. No exceptions.

[Colobulous]

Great, now I can't use a macro to post vent server information because automating that is apparently botting.

 

But here's the thing...if they allow you to combine two actions in one keypress, that's because it was intended, not because it's cheating.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Colobulous

[Sai-to]

 

Automation == botting. ANY automation == botting. Setting a macro to do 2 actions per 1 keypress is botting. No exceptions.

 

 

Well, good thing that macros aren't automation then.

 

Automation would be my character acting without me telling it to. Macros are not automation, and are definitely not botting.

[AxelJacobs]

Personally I go by the the rule of thumb that if there's a pause for the GDC in the middle of your macro you're in the danger zone.

 

Shut up.. you don't know what you're talking about. The only macros that are bannable are ones that allow you to play AFK, or create in-game glitches to bypass filters, such as the global cooldown.