Getting Started With Macroquest 2
This is the first guide in my series on Getting Started with boxing in Everquest with MQ2. Much like the Isboxer series of guides this will break down exactly how to box in EQ using Kissassist as well as talk more indepth about what the program does and all of the different unique features it offers.
Note: I strongly recommend you read over my Isboxer vs MQ2 - which one is right for you? Guide. This explains the differences between the two programs and will help you decide which one you would rather box with. Kissassist is a much more laid back way of playing and I think the majority of people would find that way of playing preferable. However, Kissassist (botting) can not match the DPS you can do by playing (boxing). I go into this in much more detail in my Kissassist vs Isboxer DPS Comparison Guide.
For those of you looking to follow this guide it'll assume that you've already gotten the RedGuides compile of Macroquest2 installed and Mq2 working ingame. If you've done this part correctly you'll see a chat box similar to the one shown in my screen shot below on your screen & at character select.
You might see something slightly different depending on what ingame plugins you're using - my window has most of the default ones that come with the Red Guides compile enabled.
You can place this window where ever you'd like - I highly recommend keeping it somewhere that you can see as it's going to be an important window for us in the future. It's the window that tells you everything that's currently going on with Mq2.
Also, a helpful tip for everyone out there... There's a plugin that logs what goes on in this window as well. For those of you who enjoy the /log feature of Everquest as much as I do it'll be a great relief to hear it works for Mq2 just as well!
/plugin mq2log load
/mlog on
That's all there is to enabling the plugin/turning Mq2 log on. It's extremely helpful for debugging purposes which we'll get into a bit later for anyone who gets tripped up using Kissassist. Once you're ingame and have MQ2 on you're able to move onto the next step - learning Kissassist!
Kissassist is what you're going to be primarily using when it comes to boxing in Everquest with MQ2. There's many other different macros out there that you can use but this one is the easiest to setup and most user friendly that I have ever found... which is exactly why it's the one I am teaching you to use!
Boxing with Kissassist and Mq2 is significantly easier to setup and learn than Isboxer is. That said though, considering how much easier and simpler it is - it won't make you a very good player to depend entirely on this macro to play for you. Anyone out there who runs around and depends 100% entirely on kissassist to play the game for them will not be as good of a player as someone who controls each character individually, like you must do with Isboxer.
Note: This is my opinion but I have backed it up with a lot of different evidence that you'd have to refute first before trying to argue it with me. I'm including a link to my 'Why EQBC and Kissassist create an artificial skill cap for players' argument for any l33t Mq2ers that would like to argue the point with me.
To get started with Kissassist the very first thing you're going to want to do is target your tank and type /mac kissassist. This will generate an INI file which you'll find in the same location that you installed Macroquest 2. For me it's in my Downloads folder, you might choose a different location however.
The screen shot above is of my Kissassist folder. I've blurred the names for ingame privacy purposes except the file we're going to use which is the one I have highlighted. For those of you out there with characters on multiple servers you might want to take a gander at my format in the macro folder. When you auto create a Kissassist INI it doesn't create it with a server name - you have to Rename the file and do that yourself.
KissAssist_Tunare_TestChar
Kissassist_TestChar
Say you have two files with those names - if you're on Tunare it'll automatically load Tunare_TestChar when you type /mac kissassist while logged in TestChar. If you're playing on a different server, let's use Vox as an example, typing /mac kissassist on a character named TestChar will load the second file on the list - without a server specified. This is all completely optional and you don't need to add a server at all if you don't want to.
After you decide to add your server name to your character's INI file or not... the next step is to open the file and start learning! Double click the file and you'll see a list of options that are going to be similar to what's shown in the picture below.
For some of you, the file pictured above might look like complete gibberish; others who have at least some knowledge in computer science/coding will probably go 'ooooooohhhhh' and nod their head after seeing the picture. Regardless of which person you happen to be - I am going to break down almost every category shown in the screen shot above for you and share with you what it does.
Note: There are /commands which you can use ingame which will edit your INI file and save you time making it so you don't have to tab back and forth between game and INI file. I've created a list of every Kissassist /command which you can find by following the link provided.
Role=Assist (Changes your character's role with Kissassist. The only role I am going to go into a lot of detail about with this guide is Assist)
CampRadius=30 (Tells you how big you'd like your Camp Radius to be the higher the number is the larger your camp radius)
CampRadiusExceed=400 (Tells you how far you'd like your character's 'grace' distance to be before turning off returntocamp all together. If you leave it set to 400 that means he can only run 400 yards away from your camp)
ReturnToCamp=0 (This will make your character return to the spot you specify after each fight 1 is on 0 is off) Note: This is one of the more 'botty' features of MQ2. Do not use this around other players unless you're ok with someone complaining that you use MQ2
ChaseAssist=0 (This tells the character to always /afollow the person that you're assisting 1 is on 0 is off)
ChaseDistance=15 (This determines the distance that you want to follow at)
MedOn=1 (This will determine whether or not you want your character to med. Leave it to 1)
MedStart=95 (This will determine what percentage you want your character to start medding at - 95 is great since this will make use of medding between pulls, getting the most out of every second).
MedCombat=0 (This will change whether or not you med during combat. 1 turns it on and means you'll be medding during combat)
LootOn=0 (This turns Auto loot on or off - just leave this off imo, the ingame Advloot works just fine)
RezAcceptOn=0|90 (This determines whether or not you'll accept a Rez and what the lowest value rez % is that you will accept - I like to change this value to 90 and not 96 because some classes don't get a 96% rez and it's annoying having to click that box. The lost EXP doesn't bother me =P)
AcceptInvitesOn=1(This will automatically accept any group invite they get when you have the macros running. I leave this on)
GroupWatchOn=0 (This will make your Tank/Puller stop pulling and wait for the group to med up).
CastingInterruptOn=0 (Will try to interrupt casting to help save mana. I'd recommend you leave this off).
EQBCOn=0 (This will turn EQBC on/off. If you're using Isboxer I don't recommend you bother with EQBC. If you're only using MQ2 you'll need EQBC. For more information on EQBC and setting it up head over to the MQ2 Redguides forums).
IRCOn=0 (I'd recommend leaving this off, it's outdated information).
MiscGem=8 (This determines which spell gem will be your Misc Spell Gem. Meaning that this will be the spell gem that Kissassist memorizes spells to temporarily.
MiscGemLW=0 (This does basically the same thing as MiscGem except it does it for spells that have longer cooldowns).
MiscGemRemem=1 (Toggles rememming the original spell that was in the MiscGem slot when the macro was started).
HoTTOn=0 (Enables the Health of Targets Target window).
**BARD ONLY** TwistOn=0 (This is a Kissassist command that is only useful to Bards. You don't see it in my picture above since the INI wasn't generated on a Bard).
**BARD ONLY** TwistMed=3 (This is the spell gem that Kissassist will use when your Bard is low on mana and trying to med).
**BARD ONLY** TwistWhat= 1 2 3 4 (This is the order of which you'll want to twist spells using Kissassist. Based on the numbers I am using it will twist 1, 2, 3 and then 4).
CampfireOn=0 (When activated you'll place your campfire assuming you're not on a hill or somewhere you can't place a campfire)
CharInfo=Shadow Knight|65|GOLD (Tells you your class, level and subscription status)
DefaultUI=TRUE
DPSMeter=1 (This will turn on/off the DPS meter that runs after each fight)
ScatterOn=0 (This randomizes the return to camp location to help make you look less botty).
ConditionsOn=0 (This turns conditions to ON when set to 1. More is explained about that much later).
Key:
The commands are all designed like this:
0 = Off
1 = On
## = The value (for macros without off/on settings)
If you see a 1 next to it that means it's on, if you see a 0 next to it that means it's off. The rest of the numbers correspond to specific values that you can increase or decrease. Experimentation. Lots and lots of experimentation is how you learn it all.
These are all of the different Kissassist Commands that are found in the top portion of your INI file. I left a few of the ones out that I don't use or have any clue what they do/they don't do anything I think is important. Redguides has a good writeup about all of this too that'll likely be updated more frequently than this page. You should check their forums for the most up to date information - this is a boxing guide first and foremost don't forget!
Over time I may add links to certain commands to go more indepth about each of the commands shown above. If you'd like to keep learning more about Kissassist and how to use it follow the link below to move on to the next page that'll contain even more information!
Continue to Learning more about Kissassist (Part 1)
Continue to Learn more about MacroQuest 2 Macros & Useful Features
Don't have MQ2 yet? Check out the RedGuides Compile of MQ2