July 2026 Version Update

It can possibly lead to mercing and other AltBotCringe activities though. Not saying all 'boxers' are like that on any server but it's definitely a consequence of it though.

Same, between this and the reality that the 2-3 people I played with had no long-term intent to keep playing is when I went from dualbox to working on others boxes. If I didn't join the evil team rocket, I would have been soloing 10k+ gallimaufry a day instead of the 50k+ because they all did stop or break from the game.

My old LS mates don't play anymore or perma-afk in prime5 R30 glow. Only within the last month have I seen anyone shout Sortie that wasn't JP. I don't recall seeing anyone ever shout R20+ clears to date.

The talk here makes me want to start a linkshell dedicated to Odyssey clears because I genuinely miss the style of gameplay Maletaru is talking about. I'm just not seeing the opportunity here and am not interested in transferring servers just yet.

I always encourage people to form groups.

The ones that do, end up having to do all the research, all the leading, all the who does what on what job when.

It's exhausting for the one that has to do it. But groups that share that responsibility are so very few.

Call it sour grapes if you want, but have seen more Ody groups die out than ones that succeeded. On the small servers there are just not enough people with the same kind of mindset required to get clears like that.

Odyssey in particular does not lend itself to forming linkshells around it. You need a 6-person static, and you also need those 6 people to be willing to gear up multiple jobs per NM just to get one clear.

The ones that have already cleared it hated it and never want to touch it again. Then you have one or two people that can and would put in the effort, and a gazillion others that just want someone else to do all the work for them.

It doesn't add up. Seen it in Sortie too. Once a group is comfortable they can carry one extra person that isn't pulling their own weight. There is no shortage of people that want the "not having to pull my own weight" role. I personally see it as taking advantage, and instantly lose all respect for that person.

Ayyyyyyyy Paulu!, I remember you from my Shiva days xD

Mercenary service is not against the ToS unless real money is involved. If you earned your gil legitimately, who the *** am I to tell you how to spend it? Similarly, who the *** am I to tell you how many accounts to play if you're genuinely piloting them yourself?

Multiboxing isn't the real issue here. Automation is what is causing the bulk of the damage.

Oh no, automation.

Anyway.

The Alpha and the Omega. The root of all evil and the answer to all your prayers.

What a super convenient line you drew!

I wonder what those players are doing instead of grouping up. Hmmmmm if only we could find an answer to this great question.


Whoops, I accidently predicted the future...


I actually agree with this:

Except, you don't need to have an Odyssey linkshell. You have a linkshell, with people in it, and you make friends with them and do stuff together, like UNM, GF, HTBF, Omen, Delve, Vagary, whatever. Then, when you want to do Odyssey, you can pick some of those friends you made who have a similar situation as you and do Odyssey together.


Nope. Again, it depends on the person (hence, I'm not making broad statements and pretending it applies to everyone) but I found Ody incredibly fun and have repeated it LOADS of times. I prefer to do Ody over basically anything else. Many of my friends in-game and also lots of people on this forum have said that Ody bosses were their favorite content.

This was me 2006-2014. "You need help opening doors in the necropolis? I'll be right there.".

"lets get you that testimony so you can try Maat again."

"..3 mage door..", "Avatar clears", on and on.

Playing the game to play the game. Formed lots of connections and had a blast. I just don't see the opportunity for this anymore.

I quit the game 3 times now since 2017 and its literally FFXI-loneliness that sends me fading back into playing other games until the itch comes back.

I'm not saying that to justify multibox, botting, w/e. Cheating is cheating, but if I'm being used as a case example, I'd like to share my experience.

Same. I used to joke that my super power was being able to summon people for any content/group that required someone because of all the bonds/connections I made. Sadly, all of those are gone since most quit the game after SE's "no more content" back in RoV and the rest trickled out over the next year or two.

Seeing a lot of people return to the game and either quit a month or two later or start getting 5 accounts doesn't really give me the motivation to since I'm just likely building up someone's future bot or wasting time as they quit.
Not to mention there's no real chance for this anymore since 1-99 is basically solo, the story is solo and people just end up soloing cp/ep/limbus/sortie instead of making pts.


Also same. Though more taking extended breaks rather than quitting, but twice since 2014. Which is wild since I basically lived in XI from 05-14.
The sad part is, the lack of other good mmos is what pushes me back to XI but then the lack of people doing things together in XI pushes me back to the other mmos and the cycle repeats.

Just curious where you draw the line?

This is kind of a dumb discussion tbh, but we are bored I guess

I havent particularly thought about it too deeply, but something that automatically engages and disengages sure does sound like "botting"

You are manually engaging on the master character, so player input is required. Similar to gearswap automatically equipping a WS set when a player inputs a WS.

Player input required = not botting?

OK, so if you have to turn on a program that then automatically WSs every time you hit 1k TP for 2 hours, is that not a bot because it requires a player input to start?

You probably don't agree, OK. So turning 1 player input into 6 character actions isn't a bot (for you). Where's the limit?

If I hit a macro and it uses 8 songs, is that not a bot?

What if I have a very well-designed macro that executes every spell my BLM needs to cast for Ongo? I hit 1 macro and it casts every spell, uses every JA, and executes every WS for the boss? Not a bot because I input a command to launch it?

So long as there isn't logic being executed by a program, it's not a bot?

What if I have a macro that does /targetnpc -> /attack -> wait 10 seconds -> WS, repeatedly? Is it OK to do this for a single mob? How about 5 mobs? Wouldn't that be able to kill Apex mobs for hours and hours on end? Is it "not a bot" when you use it for 1 mob, but it becomes a bot at...5 mobs? 10? 1 hour? Apparently not, because it requires player input.

(i'm not saying it's a problem but it's facetious to say otherwise. it's a bot. player input is required yes but i fail to see how engaging on 1 char manually and thus your 5 or whatever others do at the same time programmed by a script reading game data is not a bot... but then again there's a whole subset of folks convinced, and convincing others that their Vana' diel sky-net bot 5000 is simply just a "tool")

Why of course! They pay sextuple the amount of money you pay to SE, of course they are of higher standing on the client hierarchy ladder & would feel more entitled to whatever they decide to do in the game than some peasant who only pays for one account!

I guess I'm caught on the difference between manually engaging one character and six. Does an angel get its wings every time a multiboxer alt tabs or something?

Edit: I always considered botting to be AFK gameplay, but we're just calling everything automated a bot.

I wonder that too. I know what they're *not* doing.

Playing XI. Smart ***.

As others said, it's been beaten to death in a million threads here already, that said...




These quotes sound an awful lot like what attackwithme does...using external software to imitate human activity, perform repetitive tasks, automate gameplay, or automate user input to the game.

Define "AFK gameplay" and answer some of my questions above. If someone hits a macro and then does 8 songs, they could conceivably get up and walk away from their screen to pour themselves a drink while those songs go off. Bot because AFK?

If someone hits a macro that kills 5 Apex mobs inefficiently by the use of a long Windower macro, but watches it at their screen, not bot because not AFK?

If someone uses the same macro but goes AFK while the 5 mobs die, bot now?

Is the Ongo use case the same as the Apex mob use case?

Seems like the "player input" and "AFK" determinations aren't very useful ways to delineate, to me.

Those definitions define gearswap just as well as attackwithme.

As for all your questions, I feel like you're agreeing with me? There is no line between attackwithme and a well written macro other than SE authored one of those systems?

ok im kinda with you here but this is where it gets hairy for me ;



Again I really don't care what you do, but ppl acting like they're the sweatiest man in Adoulin bc they can press play on automation software that does literally everything for you is not really the same as alt-tabbing a 9boss sortie run... no matter how much you want to convince yourself it was just your skills and not the "multibox tool" (...aka bot)

If alt-tabbing to a different program to press play while you go grab a snack somehow fits your definition, then I think I understand.

I'm not sure if people are genuinely convinced they aren't botting and are just trying to innocently pull the wool over other people's eyes, or it's all just some weird feign.

Well, you might be a little mistaken on the agreeing part, but the biggest differences are:

SE created one
In-game macros can't be executed across clients (obviously)
In-game macros can't tell someone else what to do
In-game macros have a limit of 6 actions and then stop
In-game macros can't have any loops or self-refer

These limits make basically everything you've referred to impossible, for various and sundry reasons.

IDGAF if you bot to avoid tedious actions you don't want to do, like alt-tab or whatever, but it's very clearly and definitely botting. It's like, the textbook definition of botting.

I'm sure you (plural) aren't only using send and attackwithme either. In order to effectively 6-bot, you need to make use of at least a baker's dozen addons, scripts, and plugins. Add all that automation together: there's absolutely no chance in hell it's not a bot, even by the most charitable definitions.

Press play on automation software that they paid/pay a subscription to use. On top of 6 XI subscriptions to not play it. Then pretend they're "alt-tabbing bro".

Sounds a lot like an addiction to me.

At this point I'm recommending everyone stay away from XI. Just watch the cutscenes on YT, there you go, done.

I do not believe it is possible to alt tab a 6box 9boss sortie run.

Are you using gearswap?

Male uses windower and gearswap just for the superior alt-tab and to Leaden Salute statues from a million yalms away without engaging.

Then calls everyone else a botting cheater.

A hypocrite, in other words.