CryoLAN Party 02/19-21/2010

[Izumo13]

I just wanted to come by and let everyone know about the new LAN party that I am planning for early 2010!

 

After years of working with MassiveLAN and attending over a hundred LAN events, I've decided to start up my own party. The location will be the South Lockport Volunteer Firehall, the same location of MassiveLAN 2006-2008.

 

We're going to be capping this event at 75 seats, which gives us a lot of advantages over the MassiveLAN events that have been held at the same location. We will be able to provide attendees with more space to spread out, with two computers per 8-foot table. By capping the attendance, we're also in a much better position to provide stable power to all attendees throughout the event.

 

Come visit us at www.cryolanparty.com . Register for the site, and be sure to put down WNYG as your affiliation! As a gaming group, Western New York Gamers will get some great benefits for the number of members it has at the event.

 

Also join our forums and join our discussions and read the official CryoLAN FAQ.

 

Watch for our pricing announcement soon, pre-pay options should be open before the end of September.

[Altimos]

just registered and paid yesterday

[scaz]

Why is this three days long?

[Izumo13]

It's three days because we know that a lot of people want an event to last long enough for it to be worth their time to travel to. We're expecting people from Detroit, MI and Watertown, NY, plus gamers from different parts of PA as well.

 

A lot of people are likely to just show up for two days, or even only on Saturday, since quite a few of our events will be on that day.

 

Basically, it gives your the flexibility to show up when you want, for as long as you want. You can even head home, sleep, and come back the next day without missing a lot of the party.

 

We've made a lot of progress with CryoLAN since my last post, so pay a visit to our site and check out our forums and FAQ. Also, this week keep in mind that we've got a giveaway of a great game, Metal Drift, for all of our pre-paid attendees who are paid up before 5:00PM this Sunday! If we get at least 5 people from WNYG, we'll be giving your entire group $5 off their entry fee per person!

 

EDIT 11/11/2009: We've got 8 copies of the game to give away, and there will be a drawing for those copies, just wanted to make that clear. We don't have an unlimited supply!

 

Check us out at www.cryolanparty.com.

 

Also, as a bit of a side note, I'll be attending a LAN party up on Grand Island this weekend hosted by LANminds. Check them out at:

 

gamers.allfragnolag.com

 

Check the forums there for information on this weekend's LAN party which runs from 6:30 PM Friday through Midnight on Saturday. That's 29.5 hours of gaming for just $5!

 

Space is limited, so let Kualtek know if you're planning on coming!

Edited November 11, 2009 by GPA_Izumo13

[ParoxysM]

Sounds like teh fun

[Izumo13]

Just to let eveyone know, if you're planning on coming to CryoLAN, the best place for you to pay for CryoLAN is at Game Player Anonymous during this coming weekend! Anyone who pays for CryoLAN in cash during the GPA New Years LAN Party on January 1-3 will recieve a $5 discount! This also stacks with the $5 group discount, so your pre-paid entry fee can cost as little as $20 during this coming weekend!

[experimental jason]

AKA Pyrostasis

 

Is WNYGC going to this as a group? or just as individuals?

[Izumo13]

Just another friendly reminder that CryoLAN is getting ever closer!

 

We've got tournaments this year for Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Warcraft 3, FEAR, and Metal Drift. We've also got a unique tournament called the "Meta" which will be multi-game event with great prizes! Plus random giveaways and other fun side-events as well.

 

By the way, no worried about case fans and Mt. Dew as main tournament prizes at CryoLAN. I'm guaranteeing that every tournament will have prizes for all participants which will be worthwhile, even if I have to hand out cash or NewEgg gift certificates to make it so! Come, play, win, and you WILL be rewarded!

 

The $5 group discount is still valid, so if you're going to get a group together it's not too late. Keep in mind that Altimos and Jbeggs are already signed up, so you really only need three more! Contact me at cryolanparty@gmail.com for more information if you're interested.

 

www.cryolanparty.com

[Tecboy]

Man I so wish I could make it, but my plate is so full right now with school and basement remodeling going on... :surrender:

 

 

Hopefully next time Izumo13!!

[experimental jason]

I went to this on Saturday. It was fun having so many people there--but there wasn't much gaming to be had.

 

At least 75% of people at any given time were playing single player games--mass effect 2, WOW, xbox, watching movies. Very puzzling to me.

 

Ah well, was okay. Played a AOE 8 player game, won some BAWLS. It was AOE2 though....which was kind of lame.

 

Needs some more direction ("okay, everyone's playing L4D2 now, then this game, then this") maybe.

[PurSuiT]

I wanted to make it out but have had way to much going on as of late. Glad too see they had a good turn out. I know Massive LAN this year should have some good tournaments that eFrag wll be putting on an announcing and there should be enough ppl from WNYG to get a some good games going on our own.

 

[WarSpartan]

I went to this on Saturday. It was fun having so many people there--but there wasn't much gaming to be had.

 

At least 75% of people at any given time were playing single player games--mass effect 2, WOW, xbox, watching movies. Very puzzling to me.

 

Ah well, was okay. Played a AOE 8 player game, won some BAWLS. It was AOE2 though....which was kind of lame.

 

Needs some more direction ("okay, everyone's playing L4D2 now, then this game, then this") maybe.

 

I've always been a proponent of "lets all play the same game ... at the same time ... ". Unfortunately no one really wants to do that at LAN's nowadays.

 

Worse some games have a player limit. L4D2 i'm looking at you.

 

On average if I go to a LAN for 10 hours I usually only get 2 (3 if im lucky) solid hours of multiplayer gaming. This seems to happen at any of the LAN's i go to lately, no group in particular. But I must admit I havent been to a "big" LAN in a while so dont know if thats the standard with them now.

 

I know I've caught flak for suggesting it in the past, but I still think any LAN party should pick at least 1 game where they say "we're gonna play a large chunk of [Named Game]". Come prepared - we're using patch version "x". Let everyone fill in the rest as usual, but at least have 1 game where everyone is expected to jump into. Of course pick a game that everyone should have an opportunity to play / the most people can have access to. Vote maybe ?

 

Nowadays it just seems like there are too many options, and not enough overlap. This leads to a lot of downtime.

 

The modern LAN party

[Tecboy]

WarSpartan, I do hear you, but having been to/hosting/or basically having something to do with LAN parties for the last 16 years, the classes that I see are:

 

1) that some people just really get out to play the "current" games and meet new users (the average user)

 

2) some will splinter off and do whatever they want to do (WOW, Leaching anyone)

 

3) some come out to "get away from the missus" I think might be related to #2 (per what "experimental Jason said" of those 75% it would be interesting to see how many of that group are married/have kids/or both and play solo games at lan parties because that is the only time they can?) (Luckily my wifey is not one of THOSE wives!)

 

4) others just want to come out to see what stuff the others are using.

 

5) And then there are those who come out to just start crap. Luckily we don't have hardly any of those

 

Generally, all of us seem to be some ratio of the first four...

 

I have seen them all and have had confrontations with some (# 5's) in the past. But all in all I really do enjoy going to and or hosting these events (or I must be one hell of a sadist!!)

 

When I have tried in the past to make an announcement about playing X game at some certain time, there are ALWAYS people who are not ready due to "insert random problem here" and then that just screws up everything... (such as not having X game or latest patches, reboots, hardware problems, etc...) although we seem to manage quite well overall!

 

I'm not trashing your post at all, just making general observations... about the difficulties of game to player synchronization!

 

When I host, the posting will have a comment about who wants to play what, and we try to get some of those games in. (although, February's Unreal Tourney 2K4 was a pleasant retro surprise!)

 

Sorry to ramble on, just my 2 cents

 

~Tecboy (Jeff)

[WarSpartan]

Yep I definately understand your post tecboy. I think wnyg is mostly comprised of the #1 - #4 gamer. And that's totally cool. The social aspect of it all is nice, and my post wasn't in any way to dis wnyg. I personally find I enjoy the wnyg lans the best out of all the ones I frequent in the area.

 

I find the same type of "clique" gaming goes on at all lans nowadays. Biggest factor I'd say is that theres now such a huge range of good games available nowadays. So many different tastes in gaming. Some popular ones have player limits which are sometimes under the LAN size. Then theres always the "who has which game that day" bit as well.

 

As for gamer types I'd offer an option #6:

- Comes to play with / against others type. Wants to play most of the day. Socialize some yes, but mostly play. Fun gaming, good natured banter and ribbing, teaming up to bring down the top players, coming away with fun "war stories". I love the war stories part, lol.

 

I find I'm that #6 type. LAN's for me have always been about digging into the multiplay with others. Sometimes I get bored / bummed waiting for games to get rolling. Even when you try advertising a game that you know everyone can get rolling quick n easy it's still hard to get that cohesion going. Whether its taste, availability, etc, its just not an easy thing to get most of a lan rolling on a game, unless everyone has it installed and ready.

 

I think thats why we see so much L4D2 played. It's the one game that right now almost everyone has and they have it installed, and its updated and ready to go pretty much at any time. Yes L4D2 is fun and has its own merits (though I still dont enjoy scavenger - boo !), its mostly easy to get everyone rolling on.

 

I think the best suggestion nowadays, is have at least 1 game that we can all agree on to play as a "backbone" / "backup" game for an upcoming LAN. Maybe even have a server running for it that folks can jump into between other games or when its primetime for the game. One with a wide range of appeal and availability. Everyone can still splinter as they desire, but in those downtimes when everyone is prepping another game, those of us with no game going atm, can jump into it and play away.

 

L4D2 has become that kind of game for the LAN's. But the 8 man limit leaves some twiddling thumbs too often

 

Again theres just too many shinies nowadays I think. And I definately understand its not easy to get a spur of the moment game going.

 

So thats my 3 cents. More cents for me !!!

 

Ramble on Goodness knows I do, lol.

[PurSuiT]

Think we got off topic but I wanted to add that what L4D and L4D2 added was the ability to hope into a 4 or 8 player game quickly at LANs, it just works. I have given up at installing anything new at a LAN as being the FNG and being spawn killed is no fun at all. I have also given up at suggesting games and figuring out dedicated servers as it is to time consuming and there is always those ppl that if the server does not have their config or “special mod” on it, they just throw up there own server anyways. Not sure why they did not just put one up in the first place, saves me lots of time. So if I got the game installed and I feel I am reasonably adapt at it I will join in, other wise I will surf the web, checkout shares or play a single player game. So at that next LAN I WANT I WANT I WANT to see some Quake4 played, so someone other then me MAKE ME A SERVER!!!! and it better work 100% to MY SATISFACTION. j/king about that last part. No one but Bob, Klass and I got into Quake 4 that much. ...anyways....

 

My pick for a good FPS that supports large numbers of ppl, that 85% of the ppl at LANs have installed/or could have installed quickly, that is cheap and appeals to the largest audience, I would have to say hands down it would be TF2.