Gravis Gamepad for Tradeskilling

[andyhre]

At the advice of rangers on the Rangers Glade, I got a Gravis Gamepad. The key selling point was the ability to shoot arrows in combat without pressing the range-combat button over and over when, say, bow kiting.

It works great for that. My archery is up to 157 after languishing in the signle digits for a long time.

But it also works fabulously for tradeskilling. I've programmed two wrist-friendly adjacent buttons to be Ctrl-click and /autoinventory. So with the mouse in my right hand I only need to move the cursor from item to contained, and with the left hand I one-finger ctrl-click (which works on stacks OR on single item) to pick it up and to drop it (you can ctrl-click even when you drop a single item) and to hit combine (you can ctrl-click the combine button). Then, on a success, I slide my left-hanf index finger over slightly and one-finger /autoinventory (it's not even a hot key, it's simply the command "/autoinventory" stored as keystrokes attached to the button).

I powered through a bunch of Ohabah Truffles and Large (pottery) Bowls recently with significant ease of clicking, and no coffee cup stain on my control key.

There are other gamepads and according the the Rangers Glade, so you may want to check them all out, but I like mine a lot.

[Slippyblade]

Eh, seems like a bit of overkill to me. I simply use the prong from a pen cap and jam it into my keyboard locking the CTRL key down. Works swimingly.

[Trezark]

Heh, I just hold it down with my finger When tradeskilling I put an /autoinventory hotkey in the 10th box, and have the secondary key combination for that position set to control z. That way I can hold control down continuously and on a success I merely have to tap z.

Of course I am always on the lookout for an excuse to buy some new gadget...

[Laspeera]

Keep in mind that gamepads and other devices like this are against the EULA. I could really care less if you want to use one, but I do know of people with warnings on their accounts after their use of such items was discovered by a GM.

[andyhre]

This is explicitly NOT against the EULA.

As long as you are at the keyboard, SoE has approved things like this. They do not want people to get carpal tunnel, they just don't want people running macros all night.

[Slippyblade]

Andyhre is correct. You can use nearly any tools you want as long as these tools:

• Do not modify packet data
• Do not modify any EQ files
• Do not attempt to spoof anything to the servers
• And you are at the keyboard

Using a gamepad with an autofire or programable keys is totally acceptable. As is programs like Xylobot that simply record and playback keyboard and mouse strokes. They caveat here is that if you are using these tools, you'd better be at the console when a GM sends you a tell asking why you've been at the Brew Barrel for 4 hours.

Some programs like ShowEQ are illegal due to the way the disect the network packets, and most of the macro programs actually splice themselves into the EQ.exe. That is the main reason these are against the EULA.

Personally, I use Xylo a lot. It can do nothing that a person sitting there with keyboard and mouse can't do. It simply records and plays back a series of mouse/keyboard strokes. This allows me to set up my bags and components, record a combine, and the replay the combine. It doesn't do it any faster than doing it manually. Nor does it cheat the game, what it DOES do is save my wrist.

I've actually had a GM send me a tell in game before because I had been fishing non-stop in Cobalt Scar for about 5 hours and he thought that was odd. I was running one of my macro's and doing my homework at the desk. All good because I was present at the console. If I had NOT been present, I garauntee my account would have been flagged as a violation though.

[Tinile]

No macro program is ever ok, irregardless if you are at your keyboard.

[Lothay]

Discussions of macro-ing or programmable keyboards, mice or gamepads seems to devolve to ranting pretty often.

Discussions of the EULA are often heated.

I'm moving this to the PSR, and asking you to keep calm when discussing this topic.

[andyhre]

Wel, I am certainly sorry to have started something that has been labelled a Primal Scream.

[Slippyblade]

Andyhre, nothing wrong with a Scream. Actually, some of em are pretty darn funny, browse that section of the board sometimes. I've gotten quite a few laughs out of reading the Primal Scream areas.

Anyways... Tinile, where exactly are you getting your info that you feel allows such a statement? I need to go digging again, but the exact wording of the rule about macroing says that unattended macroing is forbidden. When I find the text again, I'll post up the reference.

[Chenier]

I like the idea of programming a hotbutton to do autoinventory with CTRL-<letter> and then use the pen cap/dime holding down the control button...that sounds cool...

No macros here, kids...just smarter hotbuttons and programmable mices...=)

[Hibashira]

I use a little clamp to clamp down the ctrl key. Works like a charm.

[Cantatus]

Someone once suggested the pop tabs from aluminum cans. Those work really well.

[Tinile]

I use pennies on my Cntl key

[tsbaity]

Originally posted by Slippyblade
Anyways... Tinile, where exactly are you getting your info that you feel allows such a statement? I need to go digging again, but the exact wording of the rule about macroing says that unattended macroing is forbidden. When I find the text again, I'll post up the reference.

From the EULA:
9. You may not use any third party software to modify the Software to change Game play. You may not create, facilitate, host, link to or provide any other means through which the Game may be played by others, such as through server emulators. You may not take any action which imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure. You may not buy, sell or auction (or host or facilitate the ability to allow others to buy, sell or auction) any Game characters, items, coin or copyrighted material.

In that a macro program is third party software and does indeed effect game play if you are staring at the screen, it is a no-no unfortunately.