603 replies to this topic

[W A R L O R D]

AdamBaines, on 26 August 2013 - 04:36 PM, said:

I think they will make a general announcement that invites are going out followed by the invite email. Thats just a guess though.

Thank you...we shall wait and see.

[Axex]

To bad, wrong continent, I'm in Europe.

Live stream?
Again, Nope.

12am PST equals 9pm CET.

Edited by Axex, 27 August 2013 - 06:58 AM.

[Lars Redgren]

So the event is free, but you have to get there, pay for a hotel (in SAN FRANCISCO - where hotels ain't cheap) AND take time off of work, and you're letting us know 45 days in advance, and it's on a Thursday.

Here's a better idea.

1) If you must have it in the US, have it in Atlantic City - they are strapped for cash these days and willing to cut a deal, and the hotels are going unfilled all the time.
2) Have it on a weekend.
3) Announce it 6 months in advance so there's plenty of time to plan.

Unless it is your plan for only the unemployed kids of rich people to attend. In which case, bullseye.

[borisof007]

Lars Redgren, on 27 August 2013 - 09:26 AM, said:

So the event is free, but you have to get there, pay for a hotel (in SAN FRANCISCO - where hotels ain't cheap) AND take time off of work, and you're letting us know 45 days in advance, and it's on a Thursday.

Here's a better idea.

1) If you must have it in the US, have it in Atlantic City - they are strapped for cash these days and willing to cut a deal, and the hotels are going unfilled all the time.
2) Have it on a weekend.
3) Announce it 6 months in advance so there's plenty of time to plan.

Unless it is your plan for only the unemployed kids of rich people to attend. In which case, bullseye.

1. They chose SF because the Bay Area probably has the highest population of their player base in a single area, and since Nvidia is most likely sponsoring the event in some fashion and they're headquartered in Santa Clara, it's close for them too
2. Weekends are probably much more expensive for space and planning for events
3. They didn't know that this date would be their launch date 6 months in advance. If you can't go, that's your fault not theirs. Not to mention the idea of a launch party probably didn't occur to them until 2-3 months ago at most, and it probably took 4-6 weeks to get everything together (space, food, alcohol, sponsors, equipment planning, tournament details, prizes, swag bags, etc.). Event planning is a monster of a job.

Also, I'd like to add, you could easily get a hotel in Oakland and take BART in to the city. Do some research before complaining.

Edited by borisof007, 27 August 2013 - 09:41 AM.

[DocBach]

borisof007, on 27 August 2013 - 09:37 AM, said:

Also, I'd like to add, you could easily get a hotel in Oakland and take BART in to the city. Do some research before complaining.

Whatever you do, try to avoid Oakland, and the BART. Last event people were pretty good at making ride shares and the like via the threads.

[Lars Redgren]

borisof007, on 27 August 2013 - 09:37 AM, said:

1. They chose SF because the Bay Area probably has the highest population of their player base in a single area, and since Nvidia is most likely sponsoring the event in some fashion and they're headquartered in Santa Clara, it's close for them too
2. Weekends are probably much more expensive for space and planning for events
3. They didn't know that this date would be their launch date 6 months in advance. If you can't go, that's your fault not theirs. Not to mention the idea of a launch party probably didn't occur to them until 2-3 months ago at most, and it probably took 4-6 weeks to get everything together (space, food, alcohol, sponsors, equipment planning, tournament details, prizes, swag bags, etc.). Event planning is a monster of a job.

Also, I'd like to add, you could easily get a hotel in Oakland and take BART in to the city. Do some research before complaining.

1) When you have some facts to back up these statements, get back to me.
2) Of course weekends are much more expensive. That's because a lot more people are available to go.
3) Ridiculous ad hominem aside, they knew that their launch date would be in late September at least 3 months ago, so if they're announcing the party 45 days in advance, it means they either weren't planning one or did a very poor job of it. I do event planning, and I'm having an event this weekend that I've been prepping for and advertising for 6 months.

Many big events are advertised a year out, or at least 6 months. To top it off, you have to APPLY to go to this event, cutting your travel planning down even farther, assuming you're accepted. I don't think this is a good idea, for any of a number of reasons. I get the limited space. I get needing to keep the numbers small. But having to apply to go? And then PGI expecting you to pay your own way? No. Hold a random drawing. If you're culling people via application, the least they could do is offer something other than to play in a MWO tournament and drink. You can buy plenty of booze for the cost of a plane ticket and hotel room in SF, and your rig at home is probably better than what they will have for you at the party if you can afford to go.

For the record, I've been to SF. It's a beautiful city, great public transport, good food, but terrible traffic, the hotels are often booked solid, and it you're in a wheelchair it's a nightmare.

Edited by Lars Redgren, 27 August 2013 - 12:05 PM.

[borisof007]

Lars Redgren, on 27 August 2013 - 11:24 AM, said:

1) When you have some facts to back up these statements, get back to me.
2) Of course weekends are much more expensive. That's because a lot more people are available to go.
3) Ridiculous ad hominem aside, they knew that their launch date would be in late September at least 3 months ago, so if they're announcing the party 45 days in advance, it means they either weren't planning one or did a very poor job of it. I do event planning, and I'm having an event this weekend that I've been prepping for and advertising for 6 months.

Many big events are advertised a year out, or at least 6 months. To top it off, you have to APPLY to go to this event, cutting your travel planning down even farther, assuming you're accepted. I don't think this is a good idea, for any of a number of reasons. I get the limited space. I get needing to keep the numbers small. But having to apply to go? And then PGI expecting you to pay your own way? No. Hold a random drawing. If you're culling people via application, the least they could do is offer something other than to play in a MWO tournament and drink. You can buy plenty of booze for the cost of a plane ticket and hotel room in SF, and your rig at home is probably better than what they will have for you at the party if you can afford to go.

For the record, I've been to SF. It's a beautiful city, great public transport, good food, but terrible traffic, the hotels are often booked solid, and it you're in a wheelchair it's a nightmare.

It's not a far fetched idea that Nvidia is helping to sponsor the event, along with Razer (since they did the last one in Santa Clara and their logo is on the event page http://mwomercs.com/events just as Nvidia's is). And just because more people are available to go on a weekend doesn't mean that it won't cost PGI more since it's a free event for people to attend. Just because you're far away and can't go doesn't mean it's not better for the people that can either afford to go via plane/hotel or the people that happen to be local. You have to find a balance between event cost and people that can attend. Holding it on a Thursday was probably either the most economical for them, or perhaps even the only available date that their multiple sponsors could all come together at the same time. It may also have been a move to weed out people that weren't as hardcore as PGI would have liked, or to perhaps keep it as local as possible to reduce the number of folks that had to cancel last minute due to traveling issues.

If you want to have a launch party, you're going to want people there that are going to best represent your community and player base, thus the application to go instead of a random drawing of those that throw their hat in the ring, so to speak. I would rather have as much of PGI's money go into development of this game than to pay for people to fly out, it's a useless expense when they can get someone to pay for their own way, local or not, that's just as much of a representation of the community and said player base. It's a waste of money to fly people out. It's very similar to what Google did for their explorer program. People had to apply to buy one, because there was a limited amount and they wanted to make sure whoever got one was going to best represent it in the public eye. That's part marketing, part making sure that people are truly interested and don't back out.

I'm sorry if this is too short notice for you, and if you don't have the money to go. But, perhaps, you could organize your own launch party on the east coast since you're into event planning, get the space, advertise it, get sponsors to bring the PC's in, get food and drinks, and then invite people to come, and pay for all of it.

[lashropa]

SAYF, on 26 August 2013 - 04:07 PM, said:

Has anybody heard back from PGI whether they were invited or not??

Thanks!

Not yet... anyone else?

[AdamBaines]

lashropa, on 27 August 2013 - 09:23 PM, said:

Not yet... anyone else?

Not I. I'm hoping, but not holding my breath that I get an invite.

[DocBach]

I'm pretty sure that if they give them out we'll all know here with people posting and bragging, unless they purposefully decided to give invites out to people who aren't forum dwellers like us.

[Scav3ng3r]

Man, I really wanna go XD I couldn't attend the Nvidia event due to drivers license complications, but now that I got that all sorted out, I am totally able/willing/wanting to drive up to San Fran! It's been years since I was up there last, and I do enjoy the bay area, and I enjoy a nice drive as well! Plus, I haven't been truly "out of town" in ages. Totally planning on going up Wednesday, and staying till Friday.

[DevilCrayon]

If you can stay til Sunday, my local game shop tabletop group (what I just met last week) will be having their monthly game in Oakland.

[Scav3ng3r]

Ha, if I get an invite, that is most definitely something that I would be interested in!

[W A R L O R D]

I cant take it anymore.....just tell us already!!!

[CarnifexMaximus]

DevilCrayon, on 29 August 2013 - 09:42 AM, said:

If you can stay til Sunday, my local game shop tabletop group (what I just met last week) will be having their monthly game in Oakland.

Are you talking about End Game, in old town? I have been wondering if they have a group that meets to play TT there. I have never played it, don't know anyone that does and I want to try it out. If you guys can take on a noob I would love to come try out some 31st century chess.

[mack sabbath]

CarnifexMaximus, on 29 August 2013 - 02:06 PM, said:

Are you talking about End Game, in old town? I have been wondering if they have a group that meets to play TT there. I have never played it, don't know anyone that does and I want to try it out. If you guys can take on a noob I would love to come try out some 31st century chess.

Tyranids can roll dice?

[Roadbeer]

Lars Redgren, on 27 August 2013 - 11:24 AM, said:

{Words}

West Coast envy much?

[DevilCrayon]

CarnifexMaximus, on 29 August 2013 - 02:06 PM, said:

Are you talking about End Game, in old town? I have been wondering if they have a group that meets to play TT there. I have never played it, don't know anyone that does and I want to try it out. If you guys can take on a noob I would love to come try out some 31st century chess.

Yep, at End Game. They have a monthly game, it's usually posted on the events calendar.
http://www.endgameoa...event-calendar/

There were a couple new guys and me, who hasn't played in ages, there last week and they were friendly and helpful.

Edited by DevilCrayon, 29 August 2013 - 03:19 PM.

[AceTimberwolf]

SAYF, on 29 August 2013 - 01:38 PM, said:

I cant take it anymore.....just tell us already!!!

AT PGI's OFFICE


On a Serious note tho because of my Job, I can be anywhere in the world if I need to be and can usually get away with it for a while. Tho If i get to go to this even i gotta be back in LA on Friday morning. Still down for Cigars and Drinks after the Launch Party tho!

Edited by AceTimberwolf, 30 August 2013 - 01:07 AM.

[Scav3ng3r]

AceTimberwolf, on 30 August 2013 - 01:04 AM, said:

AT PGI's OFFICE


On a Serious note tho because of my Job, I can be anywhere in the world if I need to be and can usually get away with it for a while. Tho If i get to go to this even i gotta be back in LA on Friday morning. Still down for Cigars and Drinks after the Launch Party tho!

Well... car pooling with you is out of the question then ;P I'm prolly gonna stay till saturday. If I get an invite. If not, disregard!