OBD Multibox is a LUA script AddOn for World of Warcraft that assists multi-boxers and multi-instancers as they control multiple characters from a single set of inputs. OBD Multibox seamlessly duplicates multiple characters' action bars to a to a single reference window to simplify player control, especially for characters of different classes.

Status: Complete (News)

Download: Full download

Installation and Operation:
Please note that OBDMultibox does not actually duplicate keystrokes or allow remote character control. For the AddOn to work, you must have World of Warcraft installed on your computer, and a hardware or software multi-box or multi-instance setup configured. (I use AutoHotkey, but the AddOn should be helpful no matter what method or program you use.) To install the AddOn, simple extract the contents of OBDMultibox.zip into the /Interface/Addons/ folder of your WoW installation folder.

Masters and Pets
OBD Multibox supports fast switching of character control, but it initializes multi-character control using a Master/Pet dynamic. Choose one character to act as leader, and have your other character(s) add him as a Master. To do this, enter the command "/obd addAsMaster name" where "name" is the lead character's name. You need only enter this command once for any given character, and he will permanently be added to the pet's Masters list.

Once all of the pets recognize the leader as a valid Master, switch to control of your leader and enter the command "/obd invite name" where "name" is the other character's name. Repeat this for any other characters you want to control. This command sends a group invite to each of your "pets," and also initializes an OBD instance between them. Your master and each of his pets will switch to the action bar you've associated with OBD Multibox (by default it's number 2), and all of the pets will begin sending regular action bar updates to the master. This also sets up Follow Button control with all of the pets.

Replicating Action Bars
The primary purpose of OBD Multibox is to replicate action bars across all of your controlled characters. Your Master's action bar will appear as normal, but the action bars of your pets will be super-imposed over it. If you have only one pet, his action icons will appear slightly smaller than the normal button size, and partially transparent (to distinguish them from the Master's). As you add more pets, their action buttons share the same space, shrinking until four followers' buttons could all fit in the space of one normal button.

These action buttons display the actions currently mapped to your pets' action bars, and they update in real-time so you can watch as your pet cycles through a spell sequence, and check quickly to see which spell he's on.

For best results, I recommend mapping the major abilities of each of your characters to only half of the spellbar, and leaving the other half empty. For instance, I use the odd numbered buttons for my Master and the even buttons for my Pet(s). You could just as easily divide the bar into left half and right half. Either way, this gives you the clearest visual indication of your characters' status, and allows easier sorting.

Follow Buton
OBD Multibox also supports a Follow Button to save keyboard shortcuts. One of the most crucial controls for any multi-boxer, the Follow Button makes it simple to track all your pets and keep them following your master wherever he goes.

The Follow Button is a small circle that can be easily relocated on your screen. It is only visible when you have established an OBD Multibox instance (that is, when your Master has invited at least one character to join him as a Pet). The button begins as Red, indicating your Pets are not currently following you. Clicking the button automatically causes all active Pets to perform the command "/follow name" where "name" is the name of the character who pushed the button. Note that characters must be inside a certain range to successfully begin following.

The Follow Button acts as a constant indicator, though. When all of your pets are following you, the button turns green. If any of your pets fails to begin following you, or stops following you along the way, the button immediately turns red.

Known Issues:

• Command-line entry is sometimes erratic. All of the functions available at the command-line can be triggered with a similar "/script" command, but you'll have to look in the source to figure out exactly what.

• Pass mouse-clicks from Master to Pets.