Pwnboxer feature request - per game modifier masks

[Iru]

Moving forums and posting further explanation as asked...

The core idea behind FTL is that the multi-boxing software handle identifying the active master by using per-source key modifier mappings for each each game, so that a single macro can tell who to select based on the modifier used: alt, ctrl, shift and combinations thereof.

Pwnboxer does this by providing a mechanism to map a specific key press in one game into a different specific key press in another. Unfortunately, this puts the burden on the user as they have to manually create each map. For a 2-box system this isn't necessarily a burden but it becomes exponentially more cumbersome as the number of games increases, e.g.

"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 3
"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 6
"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 3
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 6
"1" on Game 2 -> "Ctrl+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 6
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 6
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 3
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 6
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 3
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 7
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 1
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 3
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 4
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 5
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 6


If Pwnboxer instead - or as well as - had a mechanism for specifying a modifier map per source game, users could do the mapping once and have it apply to all keys being broadcast, e.g.

Game 1 -> "Shift"
Game 2 -> "Ctrl"
Game 3 -> "Alt"
Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl"
Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt"
Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt"
Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt"

Press "1" in Game 1 and pwnboxer would automatically send "Shift+1" to Game 2-7. Press "1" in Game 5 and pwnboxer would automatically send "Shift+Alt+1" to Games 1-4,6 and 7.

Does that make more sense, Tim?

[Lindline]

I see where youre going with this, but wouldnt it be an issue to have everything you press get modified by default... like say hitting F4.

[Poyzon]

...like say hitting F4...

This would make me giggle like a school girl. Unless it were me, of course.

[Tim]

I see what you are saying, but that doesn't really support the "FTL" type of setup, because if you switched focus to a different game window, what you propose wouldn't account for that change.

The key remapping of pwnboxer is there so you can have perfect control of which keys you want remapped. This could be changed of course to allow blanket-type of modifiers, but you would still have to enter I'd guess 30-40 entries.

Even so, if Game2 always had the SHIFT modifier, then it would not be able to act differently if you had Game3 or Game4 window focused and controlled.

[Iru]

Originally Posted by Tim

Even so, if Game2 always had the SHIFT modifier, then it would not be able to act differently if you had Game3 or Game4 window focused and controlled.

You have the order backwards. The mask is selected based on the game in focus, the source, not the game receiving the key press. It's then used for every other game. If you change focus to a new Game then that's game mask is sent with the key press to every other game.

Game 2 in your example then can behave differently because it know whether it was Game 3 or Game 4 that has the focus.

As a better example, here's what I have to set up today, assuming that I want Game 2 to behave differently based on the game I have in focus:

"1" on Game 1 -> "Shift+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 3 -> "Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 2
"1" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+1" on Game 2
"2" on Game 1 -> "Shift+2" on Game 2
"2" on Game 3 -> "Alt+2" on Game 2
"2" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+2" on Game 2
"2" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+2" on Game 2
"2" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+2" on Game 2
"2" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+2" on Game 2
"3" on Game 1 -> "Shift+3" on Game 2
"3" on Game 3 -> "Alt+3" on Game 2
"3" on Game 4 -> "Shift+Ctrl+3" on Game 2
"3" on Game 5 -> "Shift+Alt+3" on Game 2
"3" on Game 6 -> "Ctrl+Alt+3" on Game 2
"3" on Game 7 -> "Shift+Ctrl+Alt+3" on Game 2
etc

If instead I can say:
Game 1 source -> use "Shift" for all games
Game 3 source -> use "Alt" for all games
Game 4 source -> use "Shift+Ctrl" for all games
Game 5 source -> use "Shift+Alt" for all games
Game 6 source -> use "Ctrl+Alt" for all games
Game 7 source -> use "Shift+Ctrl+Alt" for all games

Then I have reduced the (num games - 1)^2 rules per key, 36 in this example, required to set up FTL down to (num games - 1), 6, rules total.

[Ualaa]

With IS Boxer, the software has keymaps for automatic FTL keys.
The wizard gives you 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, -, and =.

If you press F4, that is an F4 press, but does not use the modifiers to determine FTL.

You can copy the keymaps made by the wizard, to have FTL on other keys too.
I have FTL enabled for Shift J and Shift K, which I use for targetable buffs.
Between these two keys, I can unload a ton of buffs (especially with one of my mixed clases teams) on a target.

[Tim]

Thanks Iru for the clarity!

One of the big things behind Pwnboxer is its extremely simplistic but powerful set up. I like the idea so let me rummage around the ole brain a bit to think of a really easy way to add what you've mentioned to enable a normal user a viable (not complicated) way to do this, as well as potentially some other things, to enable these more powerful features but yet in a super simplistic way.

Let me know if you have any other great ideas! A large amount of our updates lately have been specifically due to user feedback just like yours!