Console / LAN gaming 2013 (Feedback & Suggestions)

[Fevenis]

Another successful year behind us! Please let me introduce myself: My name is Matt Brown, and I was the Video Game Manager for Kumoricon 2013. This year we introduced a Wii U setup along with running official tournaments in our LAN area. I can safely say that I think LoL will one day dethrone Smash Bros as our largest tournament based on the interest this year.


What did you enjoy about gaming this year?

What did you not enjoy? Where can we improve?

Any other feedback you feel is relevant?

[GregAtlas]

This was my first year actually taking the time to do a little gaming in the game room due to the league tournament (though I love me some smash brothers, the schedule always interferes with other things I want to do).

I would like to see it spread out a little more. This would help with air flow quite a bit and being able to have more capacity for spectators and hopefully less area noise. Air flow is a pretty big deal because it was often hotter in there than it was outside, meanwhile the next room over where I found my team for LoL was nice and cool but hardly ever used it seemed (I just went in there to cool off and that's how I found my team XD)

Loved being able to play Project Diva forte while cosplaying Kaito despite failing on easy (it was my first time after all and the Luka before me also failed on her first try too)

Would love to have some sort of headphone/microphone setup plus ventrilo server for league games. It was almost impossible to communicate with the team; Especially if you were on the blue side where the computers were disjointed along the wall, not to mention the noise.

I know we talked about this and it is on the agenda, but I am looking forward to seeing a large spectator screen. Just have to remember to place it where the players can't see.

I'd like to see more variety in games and maybe see some arcade or pinball machines. I know Ground Kontrol had a lot of their games at PAX but perhaps someone could approach them to see if they would support Kumoricon as well.

I'd like to see something around the level of what Sakuracon achieves with their game rooms and since it is the same company that runs both cons I would hope that maybe there are some strings could be pulled to get some of those resources together.

Most of the other things I would have to say, you already know and already have plans to improve upon and sounds really awesome. Hopefully there will be enough staff next year to support such a task. I wouldn't mind staffing if it didn't mean being exempt from the tournaments or having to miss photoshoots or having an insane schedule like what I had at Sakuracon (especially since I live quite a distance and can't usually afford a hotel). Overall, I highly applaud your effort and hard work this year, especially with what you had to work with.

[laharlsama]

As great as the con was for gaming this year It can and will be so much better. many meetings are going to be attended and many ideas are going to be put out, and hopefully agreed upon given the flow I can almost guarantee it will have a better room, and am 100% certain it will be a bigger event, with sponsors, and backing.

[Shin Star]

I'm kinda repeating what I said elsewhere, but for anybody else:

1. Swap Video/LAN gaming with Tabletop gaming's rooms, and expand Tabletop by removing the wall that the panels were held. I walked into Tabletop once and the room was much bigger than Video gaming's. There was also complaints about Video/LAN gaming too hot (not enough air flow/AC/no fans) and Tabletop gaming was too cold.

2. Use the fans that were used at Video Gaming last year when we were in the garage, because it was also way too hot in there. I saw vendors and attendees sweating alike (including myself.) Maybe actually make a little bit more use of the room too? I felt like they didn't take advantage of all the space. Maybe it was because registration is there too. I only noticed like 2 fans down there too.

3. Actually give us a projector and not just a projector screen for video gaming.

Loved being able to play Project Diva forte while cosplaying Kaito despite failing on easy (it was my first time after all and the Luka before me also failed on her first try too)

Ah so you were that person! I'm glad some Vocaloid cosplayers got to play it lol. I wish I had it on a separate station from pop'n but had to work with what I had.

[GregAtlas]

Loved being able to play Project Diva forte while cosplaying Kaito despite failing on easy (it was my first time after all and the Luka before me also failed on her first try too)

Ah so you were that person! I'm glad some Vocaloid cosplayers got to play it lol. I wish I had it on a separate station from pop'n but had to work with what I had.

Yeah, I was the dork that collapsed on the ground when his character on the screen did while someone else was playing. lol ^w^

Now if only I could actually dance. XD

[AuraZero]

I'd like to see something around the level of what Sakuracon achieves with their game rooms and since it is the same company that runs both cons I would hope that maybe there are some strings could be pulled to get some of those resources together.

I simply want to dispel this idea, as the two cons are run by separate entities with extremely different attendance numbers, different funding, separate equipment pools, and different leadership/staff. You will see some staff work both cons, but they are definitely not the same company. That being said we appreciate the success of Sak's game room and strive to grow Kumoricon's video gaming room to be as successful as Sakuracon's.

[GregAtlas]

I suppose you're right. I don't know where I saw that they were the same company that ran both events, but it was years ago and I suppose my memory is completely wrong. Would still be interesting if some of the higher ups might be able to pull some strings with Sakuracon's higher ups to maybe pool some resources, but I doubt that would happen.

Could still ask Ground Kontrol to see if they have any left over arcade machines not being used for PAX. Assuming there is room for arcade machines.

[TyrianMollusk]

Video game room was way too hot.  Sometimes we checked in to play and just left because of the smothering heat.  I also thought swapping video gaming and tabletop would be a smart move.  I'd suggest putting CCGs and video games together in that big room with the high ceiling and overzealous a/c.  The video game space was definitely cramped and limited the people flow.
 
Video game room was also really noisy.  So much so that it actually detracted from events in the adjoining rooms (where the ballroom dance lessons were running).  Hanging some cloth things around (even just the walls) would probably help absorb noise.

We stopped by to watch the SC5 tourney, and it was really difficult to see.  It might be worthwhile to move tourney machines somewhere where you have a bit more spectator space while such events are running.

I think the TVs were way larger than necessary, especially when you are sitting people right next to them (which makes a big screen video game kind of annoying).  Something closer to the monitors on the PC side would probably do the job just as well for most games.

I don't know about other people, but I wouldn't mind separating the music/dance games from the rest.  It would be fun if they were spread out over the con space.

That Ikaruga machine you had set up was pretty cool to see.

I don't think it was you guys, but whoever put that loud, obnoxious Yu-Gi-Oh machine in the tabletop space should be drawn and quartered.

[GregAtlas]

Actually, I personally don't think switching the card gaming and the video gaming would help much. It would probably end up being louder and have the same heat issue as proven in previous years where exhibitor hall and artist alley have been in there. Plus, there were a couple times when I popped my head in the card gaming area and they seemed to have the perfect amount of space for their attendance. A little additional control over the temp controls might be nice for when there are less bodies in the room, though.

I think what would help is if there weren't panels being held in the adjacent rooms; then we could spread the games out a bit to the mostly un-used space. When the league tournament was just getting signups set up, I actually went into that other room to see what was going on and oh man the ice cold a/c was such a nice reprieve. That room could probably be easily split in two where one side could be rock band and music games and the other side could be PC gaming; leaving consoles with the space that was set up this year.

The convention turning into a 4 day convention should make for some interesting setups possible. On the bright side, at least the game rooms had net available to them this year unlike when they were in the garage.

Oh, and while I didn't experience it much myself, During the league tourney I watched some people's pings skyrocket for sometimes what seemed like minutes at a time. I know that being at a hotel and there isn't much control over such things, but perhaps next year's setup could be improved, especially if Riot themselves are getting involved.

[Nayruenthusiast]

I'd like to see the Smash Bros tourney get a little more time if possible. Each heat always gets pushed 15-40 minutes anyway. But it'd be nice to show up for your heat or the finals and actually play. This year was MK banned which is great. Maybe a little more organized? The rules changed from single to double elimination half way through my heat which gave people more play time but people who lost already left and didn't get their second chance. Also if you join Video Game or tournament staff can you participate in tournaments? Because I'd like to join but I also love the tournaments. I made 4th in Brawl this year!

[Takazaki]

As great as the con was for gaming this year It can and will be so much better. many meetings are going to be attended and many ideas are going to be put out, and hopefully agreed upon given the flow I can almost guarantee it will have a better room, and am 100% certain it will be a bigger event, with sponsors, and backing.

I want to say sorry for the, when me and my buddies were settign up we noticed that would be an issue and we did try to spread things out, we had to work with what we had

[Penguin4478]

Yeah, I would like the Smash Bros. Tourney to maybe get more time in it as well. From what I noticed many people were slightly disappointed or frustrated that heats weren't double-elimination.


Also I don't even know what was up with the system on the brackets because I won the tournament with both of my "lives," for sake of a better term, still in use. It was double elimination after the preliminary heats and I hadn't lost a single match. However, in the championship game, they told me I only had one chance and I had to win that match, and if I lost I got 2nd place without my second chance. So I don't know how they were going about with the actual bracket and whatnot because from what I could tell organization was a problem...


Also, the room was very crowded when spectating was needed. Chairs were everywhere, it was hard to navigate around, etc... I'd definitely love to see maybe bigger TVs so that spectating area can be enlarged a little, but if you can't manage that in your budge then it'd probably also be good to just get a bigger room size. The garage that few years ago was good, but I understand Artist's Alley and vendor's hall work much better down there with all that room.

[Nayruenthusiast]

There should definitely be more fighting game tournaments. Specifically Blazblue: Chronophantasma, Persona 4 Arena, Skullgirls and Killer Instinct.