I found out that they overlapped PAX East directly with the GAMA Trade Show this year, which is going to put a hit in tabletop expo. GAMA is the yearly event where publishers sell their wares to distributors and individual hobby/game/comic shop owners, so they take it pretty seriously. I know Fantasy Flight won't be at PAX b/c of it, and Steve Jackson Games will have a reduced presence.
I would be kind of surprised if there were no FF presence at PAX East. GAMA and PAX East only overlap the Friday, and the conventions have a different audience.
Well that's directly from one of their main sales reps that I chatted with yesterday. I've known him for a while so it's *possible* he might have meant that he personally wouldn't be able to go, but I'm almost certain he meant that the company would have to focus on GAMA and was not attending PAX. Outside of Gen Con, FF doesn't have a huge con presence anyway. They probably don't even have two booth setups.
Ro, what hotel you staying at? Since the Westin sold out faster than I could fart, I'm at the Renaissance this year.
Of course the year I finally decide to cosplay something, I'm not at the host hotel. Maybe Boston will have an Indian summer so I can walk there without freezing :-P
Keep watching for rooms. My friend was able to snag a room at the Westin today because someone cancelled. I believe he said he used the onPeak site. Don't give up on a close hotel just yet!
I think I'll most likely not be going. It ended up being too much hassle to organize people so if anyone is looking for 3 day passes I got a couple.
I'm looking for one. I already have mine, but I've been acting as an agent of sorts for friends to get badges from the second-hand market. So far I have one client.
I think I'll most likely not be going. It ended up being too much hassle to organize people so if anyone is looking for 3 day passes I got a couple.
I'm looking for one. I already have mine, but I've been acting as an agent of sorts for friends to get badges from the second-hand market. So far I have one client.
Sweet I'm just waiting for an email to verify whether ill be going then I'll PM you.
I just purchased my Bolt Bus tickets. If I learned anything from planning this trip, it's that hotel room > badges. I am currently staying at the Hilton Logan Airport, far from choice accommodations.
There are always hotels openning up around now if you can hound the onpeak page. I've been juggling my reservations a bit as a backup plan (though I'm hoping to roomshare with coldguy at the moment).
While getting into the Westin would be nice, after repeated years of hearing people get bumped, I think I'll just stay where I am. At least at the Renaissance I can wave my Marriott gold card dick around should any trouble arise.
Of course the year I finally decide to cosplay something, I'm not at the host hotel. Maybe Boston will have an Indian summer so I can walk there without freezing :-P
Well our hotel is right across that bridge and a little to the side. It's not too bad of a walk.
I also recall the BCEC having a checked back service in the actual convention center. I may just take advantage of that for our games.
The Promegathon would be a modified Omegathon with only Promeganauts. That means professional gamers, or at least higly skilled ones. Here is how I think it should go down.
Promeganauts must compete in all of the major competitive non-luck game categories.
Fighting, racing, RTS, FPS, arcade, puzzle, Euro, and dexterity. (did I miss any?)
Everyone plays in every category. In each competition they awards points using an F1 Grand Prix scoring system.
First place 25 points, Second place 18, Third Place 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0...
Everyone plays all the games, and the only elmination is mathematical elimination.
At the end, the two players with the most points compete head to head in a previously unknown (to them) fair direct versus game of skill. That game must be one that no self respecting Promeganaut should lack skill in. Each year the lineup can change, but each selection will be a fair game in each genre.
Almost all pro gamers these days specialize in one genre. This kind of system would find the best all around gamer. That is someone who I would really give more respect to than someone who won a championship for just one game. I also secretly believe I would have a shot, maybe. No, I wouldn't.
Here's are two example lineups.
Street Fighter 2, Forza, Starcraft 2, Quake Deathmatch, Dig Dug, Magical Drop, Puerto Rico, Jungle Speed. - Final Game - Space Wars
Soul Calibur V, Virtual Racing, Total Annihilation, Counter-Strike gungame, Space Invaders, Tetris, Power Grid, horseshoes. - Final game - Duck Hunt
Bushido Blade 3, Initial D, Multiwinia, Ricochet, Zookeeper, Tetris Vs., Yomi, Darts. - Final Game - Dance Dance Revolution.
Here's the one I would win:
Soul Calibur 2, Stunts 4D Racing, (the RTS round is a bye), Quake 2 Lithium Deathmatch, Kaboom!, Advance Wars, Pizarro, 100m Hurdles. - Final Game - Outlaw!
Promeganauts must compete in all of the major competitive non-luck game categories.
Fighting, racing, RTS, FPS, arcade, puzzle, Euro, and dexterity. (did I miss any?)
MOBA. Say what you will about the category, but it's indisputably major, competitive, and non-luck.
Yes, the team-based nature differs from other games chosen, but given your scoring system all that means is that the winning team gets points and the losing team does not, so I see little reason to exclude team games altogether.
Besides, what kind of all-around gaming pro can't work in a team?
Promeganauts must compete in all of the major competitive non-luck game categories.
Fighting, racing, RTS, FPS, arcade, puzzle, Euro, and dexterity. (did I miss any?)
MOBA. Say what you will about the category, but it's indisputably major, competitive, and non-luck.
Yes, the team-based nature differs from other games chosen, but given your scoring system all that means is that the winning team gets points and the losing team does not, so I see little reason to exclude team games altogether.
Besides, what kind of all-around gaming pro can't work in a team?
Yes, I considered MOBA, but it's a team game. I think you need a separate Promegathon for teams. How do you determine what single player is best at MOBA when playing on a team?
Yes, I considered MOBA, but it's a team game. I think you need a separate Promegathon for teams. How do you determine what single player is best at MOBA when playing on a team?
IMO, you don't. Split the points equally between the winning team, and don't give any to the losers.
I think it would be a big mistake to leave team games out altogether, but having a separate team competition is a reasonable solution.
MOBAs as they are currently implemented are basically in the same effective genre as RTSs.
Mechanically, yes. That said, the way in which those games are built around team-based interactions results in very different gameplay, and that is more important than the genre distinction.
Yes, I considered MOBA, but it's a team game. I think you need a separate Promegathon for teams. How do you determine what single player is best at MOBA when playing on a team?
IMO, you don't. Split the points equally between the winning team, and don't give any to the losers.
I think it would be a big mistake to leave team games out altogether, but having a separate team competition is a reasonable solution.
If you split the points equally between the winning team, then you would have to play a very large number of games, shuffling the teams each time, to figure out who has the greatest winning percentage. That would take up all the time in itself.
Why do you need to figure out who has the greatest winning percentage?
This is an all around gaming competition. There is only one person who is the winner at the end. If you include a team game, you still need to rank the players individually for that game.
Since there are only likely to be a few MOBA pros, team structure will determine a lot. What if I'm the worst at MOBA, but I get put on a team with four people who know what they are doing? The other team has one person who knows how to play properly. We'll probably win. Dividing points evenly unfairly puts me ahead of the good player on the opposing team. If you keep shuffling the teams randomly and playing more possible team combinations, you can eventually determine which players are the biggest difference makers. It won't take long to separate the pros from the scrubs, but it will take many games to figure out the precise ranking of every individual player.
Comments
Ro, what hotel you staying at? Since the Westin sold out faster than I could fart, I'm at the Renaissance this year.
I also recall the BCEC having a checked back service in the actual convention center. I may just take advantage of that for our games.
The world needs a PROMEGATHON
Prometheus Omegathon?
Promeganauts must compete in all of the major competitive non-luck game categories.
Fighting, racing, RTS, FPS, arcade, puzzle, Euro, and dexterity. (did I miss any?)
Everyone plays in every category. In each competition they awards points using an F1 Grand Prix scoring system.
First place 25 points, Second place 18, Third Place 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0...
Everyone plays all the games, and the only elmination is mathematical elimination.
At the end, the two players with the most points compete head to head in a previously unknown (to them) fair direct versus game of skill. That game must be one that no self respecting Promeganaut should lack skill in. Each year the lineup can change, but each selection will be a fair game in each genre.
Almost all pro gamers these days specialize in one genre. This kind of system would find the best all around gamer. That is someone who I would really give more respect to than someone who won a championship for just one game. I also secretly believe I would have a shot, maybe. No, I wouldn't.
Here's are two example lineups.
Street Fighter 2, Forza, Starcraft 2, Quake Deathmatch, Dig Dug, Magical Drop, Puerto Rico, Jungle Speed. - Final Game - Space Wars
Soul Calibur V, Virtual Racing, Total Annihilation, Counter-Strike gungame, Space Invaders, Tetris, Power Grid, horseshoes. - Final game - Duck Hunt
Here's the one I would win:
Soul Calibur 2, Stunts 4D Racing, (the RTS round is a bye), Quake 2 Lithium Deathmatch, Kaboom!, Advance Wars, Pizarro, 100m Hurdles. - Final Game - Outlaw!
Yes, the team-based nature differs from other games chosen, but given your scoring system all that means is that the winning team gets points and the losing team does not, so I see little reason to exclude team games altogether.
Besides, what kind of all-around gaming pro can't work in a team?
I think it would be a big mistake to leave team games out altogether, but having a separate team competition is a reasonable solution.
That said, the way in which those games are built around team-based interactions results in very different gameplay, and that is more important than the genre distinction.
Since there are only likely to be a few MOBA pros, team structure will determine a lot. What if I'm the worst at MOBA, but I get put on a team with four people who know what they are doing? The other team has one person who knows how to play properly. We'll probably win. Dividing points evenly unfairly puts me ahead of the good player on the opposing team. If you keep shuffling the teams randomly and playing more possible team combinations, you can eventually determine which players are the biggest difference makers. It won't take long to separate the pros from the scrubs, but it will take many games to figure out the precise ranking of every individual player.