-Layout. The top 3 floors were perfect, essentially. Not much you could do to improve them short of tearing down walls, but MCCA might not appreciate that. Floor zero was a cluster of epic proportions. Having a "satellite" food court the same size as your exhibit hall that was never more than 10% full...just stupid. The queue room was all but useless. Next time use the Merman theatre as a queue room in the morning. The main floor should be primarily devoted to exhibit space, perhaps forming a sort of L-shape from the stairs at the entry concourse and running around by the entrance to Merman. The rest of the space would be for tabletop (same size as this year) and whatever's left can be extra food space.
This I agree with, although I hadn't really thought about it until now. The satellite food court did seem like a waste of space, although it's a nice idea to have a place for people to bring their own food and eat, it could probably be a lot smaller or some how relocated. Level 0 space is at a premium. I thought the tabletop area was fantastic and wouldn't change a thing. Personally, I thought having it right next to the exhibits was great. We probably spent 50% of our time in tabletop, with the rest split between exhibits, freeplays, and panels. I think a lot of people did this.
I never saw anyone line up in the queue room. I'm sure that it had some function at some point (maybe for the concerts?) But I'm just saying that I never actually saw a human being queued up in it.
Food: I agree with a lot of what was said on both sides. Yeah, the food selection wasn't great and the prices were high, but I never expected anything else. We're coming to a gaming convention, not a restaurant show. We stayed a ways away from the convention center, down in the Back Bay area. We grabbed a bite before we head over in the morning and then grabbed dinner in the evening and returned to the con when we were done. It's not like we were throwing money around everywhere, but I suppose if you were on a stricter budget this would be problematic, especially considering the paucity of walkable food options near the convention center. I don't really have a suggestion here. PA can't do anything about the food, I'm sure there's a contract b/w MCCA and Aramark or whomever to handle that. The suggestion about bringing your own food might be the best.
I do have one suggestion re: food that I know is totally unachievable... when we were sitting playing tabletop it came up repeatedly how nice it would be to have a bar in the tabletop area where we could get drinks to bring back to the table. I'm sure this is problematic, especially considering all the borrowed games that were going around (nobody wants beer-soggied munchkin cards), but it would still be awesome.
Lines: The 3DS line really did fly. It looked long, but the wait was never more than 15-20 minutes. I waited about 30 minutes to play Child of Eden before I just walked away because I had seen literally 3 new people go up onto the stage to play the game and there were at least 12 people in front of me. There was too little time for me to spend 2+ hours waiting to play one game, just not worth it. But again, that's on the exhibitor. I wouldn't want PAX dictating exactly how every booth should be run.
D&D : Better communication was needed on how this is being run. My friend was given bad information from one of the D&D organizers about where to stand, and he ended up waiting 40 minutes and still not getting into the game he wanted because of it. Another time a similar thing happened. Basically he spent around an hour and a half waiting for D&D and never got to play. I'm not sure what the solution is here, as I'm passing on second hand information, but it definitely seemed like it needs some attention.
Console Free Play: I thought this was run really well. I was a little disappointed when I got booted off our PS3 after half an hour of playing Blazblue. It did not look that busy at the time. We didn't make a big deal out of it, I think it's better to have some sort of limit when it is busy so that people don't monopolize a system all day. A little annoying, but that's how it's gotta be. I don't think I would change it.
PC Free Play: Didn't play, so I don't have a review. It looked really busy to me all the time, but maybe I'm wrong.
All-in-all, my party and I had a fantastic time at our first PAX and will definitely be coming back!
My one complaint would actually be perhaps with the exhibitors themselves, rather than how PAX was set up. The lines to play a game/watch gameplay footage/try out the 3DS were monstrous. I know DNF's demo was 20 minutes, maybe it could be reduced to 15? I don't really have any foolproof ideas on how the wait could be reduced, but it's definitely something I'd like considered. I was completely deterred by the wait at many of the booths. Waiting in line an hour and a half for DNF was sort of fun in that I was talking to people working the booth, but that also means I lost out on a lot of other stuff. I don't know, maybe the only win-win solution is to bend space and time.
The 3DS line was far from monstrous. I played 3 times over the weekend and never waited more than 20 minutes. It was probably one of the best setup areas as the line was out of the way, moved quickly and the demos were nice and short.
Yeah I never understood when I heard people talk about the 3DS line. My guess looking back is that it was the length of the line that looked daunting because there was no info on its speed. It was long, but moved incredibly fast and was very well managed.
zerzhul on
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That_GuyI don't wanna be that guyRegistered Userregular
You are making it seem like we are in the wrong for wanting to eat something that's actually edible. I would be fine with paying 7 bucks for a tiny-ass burrito if it actually tasted alright. My problem was that it was dry and flavorless. I am not asking for 5 star quizine. What I am asking for is decent tasting and portioned meals. Back on the burrito I had, it was dry, and was mostly shell and rice. I am not even going to start on the 7 corn chips and half oz of salsa.
Saying that the PA folks have no control over the food is silly. It's like saying a fair or carnival has no control over their food. They are paying big bucks to get these people here. They DO have a say in what is served if they choose to assert themselves. I don't want to have to walk half a mile to a mile in the middle of the day to find decent food. It's bad enough that every restaurant in 2 mile radius of the con had over an hour wait for dinner.
If it's "shitty", then don't buy it. The PA folks aren't like a fair or a carnival where the food comes from off-site. The BCEC has a contract with the food merchants, they are the ones who call the shots. Penny Arcade Megacorp is just renting out the space. It's like blaming Disney for the quality of the food at TDBank Garden when you bring your daughter there to see Disney on Ice. It's the venue's call, not the convention renting the space for a weekend. They're not going to hire a full restaurant staff. Plus, from what I hear Robert Khoo really liked the pulled-pork sandwiches at the food court.
Walking half a mile isn't going to kill you and you could probably use the vitamin D and exercise in-between being at a crowded convention center and playing video games.
Here's some actual advice:
If people really are upset about the food and they can't get into the city to have a real meal PAX will need something mobile. Boston has a great selection of food trucks. When I lived in Boston they had a gathering of all the best food trucks at SoWa market over the spring, summer and early autumn. I don't imagine these trucks are doing a whole lot during this time of year, as their season doesn't really start until the weather warms up a little more. They'd most-likely love to come and compete against each other on the PAX grounds.
It's the most realistic option I can think of, but nerds always find a reason to complain about things without ever offering reasonable suggestions.
You must have missed my fist post on the previous page. I already made the exact same suggestion to bring in more outside food trucks. I don't think you quite understand the point I was trying to make either. I don't want to get into a flame war here, so keep it civil. I won't imply you have the IQ and reading comprehension of a turnup and you should not imply I am a 300lb shut-in.
Saying the PA folks don't have a say in the food is just as silly as saying they don't. I get that they are just renting the place, but they even said in a news post that they were working with the Con folks to get more food. If they had no say in it, we would have just had the food court, and nothing on the lower level.
You must have missed my fist post on the previous page. I already made the exact same suggestion to bring in more outside food trucks. I don't think you quite understand the point I was trying to make either. I don't want to get into a flame war here, so keep it civil. I won't imply you have the IQ and reading comprehension of a turnup and you should not imply I am a 300lb shut-in.
Saying the PA folks don't have a say in the food is just as silly as saying they don't. I get that they are just renting the place, but they even said in a news post that they were working with the Con folks to get more food. If they had no say in it, we would have just had the food court, and nothing on the lower level.
I never saw anyone line up in the queue room. I'm sure that it had some function at some point (maybe for the concerts?) But I'm just saying that I never actually saw a human being queued up in it.
Queue room is primarily for waiting to get into the expo hall in the mornings. We were in the keynote queue on the first day, had a lazy morning on the Saturday, but were there on the Sunday. It seemed quieter than the queue room at Prime 2010, but I have no idea if that was typical or just Sunday.
I never saw anyone line up in the queue room. I'm sure that it had some function at some point (maybe for the concerts?) But I'm just saying that I never actually saw a human being queued up in it.
Queue room is primarily for waiting to get into the expo hall in the mornings. We were in the keynote queue on the first day, had a lazy morning on the Saturday, but were there on the Sunday. It seemed quieter than the queue room at Prime 2010, but I have no idea if that was typical or just Sunday.
They probably don't want to worry about about having to rotate things in or out when it's not in use so they leave it empty all day. Was it used by people looking for a space to chill or was it locked down when not in use?
They probably don't want to worry about about having to rotate things in or out when it's not in use so they leave it empty all day. Was it used by people looking for a space to chill or was it locked down when not in use?
A few people were lurking around during the day, but I think most people didn't know it was there.
There were large displays on the walls, so broadcasting video from around the show might be an option for later years, but AFAIK definitely considered more hassle than it's worth to change its usage every day (hell, I can't imagine the chaos of trying to change it over while people are emptying into the expo hall, or back again at 2am-ish).
They probably don't want to worry about about having to rotate things in or out when it's not in use so they leave it empty all day. Was it used by people looking for a space to chill or was it locked down when not in use?
A few people were lurking around during the day, but I think most people didn't know it was there.
There were large displays on the walls, so broadcasting video from around the show might be an option for later years, but AFAIK definitely considered more hassle than it's worth to change its usage every day (hell, I can't imagine the chaos of trying to change it over while people are emptying into the expo hall, or back again at 2am-ish).
It could be used for livestreaming some the bigger events, like the Keynote, Q&As, and concerts. 'Course, having read through the Main Theater manager's logistics for just getting that space in order, I don't know how feasible it would be. I dunno. Just a thought.
Oh, and bring back line games! That was an unexpected treat (for me, anyway), at the first PAX East, and I was disappointed not to see it this year. Then again, I also liked having everyone line up in the same room, like this nerd critical mass, but I can understand why splitting up the Key Note and Expo Hall lines is a Smart Move.
They probably don't want to worry about about having to rotate things in or out when it's not in use so they leave it empty all day. Was it used by people looking for a space to chill or was it locked down when not in use?
A few people were lurking around during the day, but I think most people didn't know it was there.
There were large displays on the walls, so broadcasting video from around the show might be an option for later years, but AFAIK definitely considered more hassle than it's worth to change its usage every day (hell, I can't imagine the chaos of trying to change it over while people are emptying into the expo hall, or back again at 2am-ish).
Those could be used for displaying a lot of stuff. Were they being used to show the daily schedule? They could also be used to displays things like PATV or they could be sponsored like the NYCC 09 busses were sponsored by Adult Swim and the bus tvs showed AS shows. They could show interviews with exhibitors or demo reels. Stuff that people can watch while taking a breather from the floor.
Have the board games in the rooms upstairs that way there will be more room for exhibitors and the board games and we can still play them when the exhibit hall closes. Also there was to much wasted space on the food court and queue room.
--For everyone complaining about price: What did you expect? Forget about eating at concerts and sporting events where they would charge double the inflated price. For those bitching about the Westin's food prices: Its a 5 star hotel, things are ALWAYS expensive at these types of hotels. I'm kind of embarassed that I have to inform people of this. In all honest, I had a $150-$200 food budget, and I am greatful that I stayed underneath that. For those who had problems with food prices, I would suggest that you budget better for next year or don't attend if you cannot afford it. I think any complaints about food prices are ridiculous, as you would pay the same price anywhere else.
The convention center was some of the cheaper meals I had while in Boston, but just because I can afford it doesn't make the food good value. If I'm over to PAX East 2012, I'll definitely be looking harder into alternatives outside the convention center.
When at any event (i.e. parade, concert, sporting event, convention) has food EVER been "reasonable". The bottom line is that local establishments know that a lot of people are coming so they jack up the price. Value for dollar is crap at these types of events, and I think a lot of people complaining are having a difficult time with that point.
Maybe its just my experience, but I didn't expect to be a "Dollar Menu All Star" at this event. Some people need to wake up to the reality of these conventions, as they are NOT cheap to put on. Overall I think the event staff did an excellent job. Also, I heard that were allowed to bring their own drinks, were they allowed to bring their own food as well? If so, than there really isn't any excuses regarding food prices.
Some people just want the world, and don't want to pay for it. Its the society we live in now.
Obviously Firewater missed the topic. "PAX East 2011 Afterthoughts, Critiques, Suggestions". Debating and dismissing others thoughts is not on topic... Perhaps Firewater should open his or her mind to others opinions and offer constructive critisism rather than disparageing the well constructed critics of the community.
jhalldc on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratorMod Emeritus
edited March 2011
If you have a problem with somebody's post, please report it. Don't call them out in the thread. Doing that only invites problems.
Stage, key note, in queue room epic beginning to pax
Great idea. IMO the keynote should be the first event at PAX, should occur before the expo hall opens, and should not have any competing events in that time slot. Everyone in the queue room would queue up and listen to the keynote and then when it ends the hall would open. Perfect.
If next years pax east is on Easter weekend, consider making it Thurs-Sat or extend a day to Thurs-Sun. This way Saturday can be a travel day for some.
JDistheWP on
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whypick1PAX [E] Info Booth Manager~2' from an LCDRegistered Userregular
edited March 2011
Dates are already set for April 6-8. Doubt they could change it at this point, since it cuts into setup/teardown days.
Obviously you missed a post in this thread regarding cost mitigation for tight budget people. The cost is the cost, people need insight in their budgets. The discussion evolved to people bashing the PAX Staff for allowing such "treachery", and I decided to defend them. I also provided suggestions on how to counter act high food prices/poor food quality.
I would consider the post you quoted jhalldc more of an after thought. So.... with that being said I think you can figure out the rest. Maybe.
Stage, key note, in queue room epic beginning to pax
Great idea. IMO the keynote should be the first event at PAX, should occur before the expo hall opens, and should not have any competing events in that time slot. Everyone in the queue room would queue up and listen to the keynote and then when it ends the hall would open. Perfect.
I know right, It seem perfect Keynote starts at 9:30 , expo and other venues open at 10:00 the keynot ecan adress 1000+ people at one time. Stream through the tvs out side th event. EPIC
Obviously you missed a post in this thread regarding coat mitigation.
I agree, we need more coat mitigation. On the topic of coats, I found that the temperature in the BCEC overall was pretty level. The expo hall was a bit cool and some of the rooms were a bit warm, but I wasn't doing to clothing on/off dance like last year.
It'd be neat to see the keynote and otherwise in the queue room for simultaneous lines but there was a main theatre overflow room where all of the stuff was broadcasted on the second floor with chairs and a PA system. I was stationed there for a bit Saturday night and it was nice to be able to catch a bit of Paul and Storm's set as well as VGO.
Obviously you missed a post in this thread regarding coat mitigation.
I agree, we need more coat mitigation. On the topic of coats, I found that the temperature in the BCEC overall was pretty level. The expo hall was a bit cool and some of the rooms were a bit warm, but I wasn't doing to clothing on/off dance like last year.
Awww such a cute little let out picking out spelling errors whilst not addressing the point.
How adorable!
Also, it seems that making posts about personal responsibility seem to be frowned upon in these forums. I wish I could live in a world where I could reject reality and replace it with my own.
Obviously you missed a post in this thread regarding coat mitigation.
I agree, we need more coat mitigation. On the topic of coats, I found that the temperature in the BCEC overall was pretty level. The expo hall was a bit cool and some of the rooms were a bit warm, but I wasn't doing to clothing on/off dance like last year.
Awww such a cute little let out picking out spelling errors whilst not addressing the point.
How adorable!
Also, it seems that making posts about personal responsibility seem to be frowned upon in these forums. I wish I could live in a world where I could reject reality and replace it with my own.
Firewalker - if you had read my previous posts on the thread you'd see that I agree with you on the food issue. I think that people could have planned for what they should have realized were high costs. Me picking on your spelling error was just a joke, and my comment on tempature was a legitmate comment - your typo actually reminded me that I wanted to mention it.
I can understand you being a bit sensative because you are feeling attacked in this thread. But dude, no reason to jump down my throat about it. Sorry if I rubbed a raw nerve.
I mean I probably just shouldn't make anymore point here, nerds are entitled to world, and want to pay nothing for it. This is why the stereotype exists, and I am tired of being lumped in with those who ruin it for people for all intents and purposes live a regular life and just game as a hobby.
To those suggesting that Tabletop be moved upstairs...
WHERE?
There's no way I want to see tabletop jammed into a multitude of cubbies like it was in 2010. Trying to find tablespace and what section to go to to play was a pain. I think it was pretty great that Tabletop was right on the main floor and that there was so much going on there, from demo to free-play to tourneys. If anything, I'd like to see it even bigger next year.
gilby123 on
"Where would we be without the agitators of the
world attaching the electrodes of knowledge to the nipples
of ignorance?" - John Lithgow, 3rd Rock from the Sun
Tabletop was excellent where it was, for the simple reason that I don't think I would have ever experienced or tried it out, had it not been right there in front of me in the evening.
PS My suggestion for next year is: Avoid the Quesadilla from the Mexican court upstairs. It was badly made, badly prepared, badly served, and tasted like nothing. I threw half of it out. The guy in front of me watched his be picked up, have all contents (honestly) pour out onto the floor, and then be folded up and handed to him. I was like:
Have the board games in the rooms upstairs that way there will be more room for exhibitors and the board games and we can still play them when the exhibit hall closes. Also there was to much wasted space on the food court and queue room.
Pretty sure board games were open until 1:30am Fri and Sat. Great GREAT way to spend the night at PAX. And those tables were FILLED. So exciting to see so many people playing games I love.
To those suggesting that Tabletop be moved upstairs...
WHERE?
There's no way I want to see tabletop jammed into a multitude of cubbies like it was in 2010. Trying to find tablespace and what section to go to to play was a pain. I think it was pretty great that Tabletop was right on the main floor and that there was so much going on there, from demo to free-play to tourneys. If anything, I'd like to see it even bigger next year.
If I recall correctly there were some empty rooms on the 1st or second floor. The room used for theater overflow was pretty large too. If you could move the theater overflow to the main floor. I guess I enjoyed more of the separated feeling of the past year just because it was a bit lower noise/traffic.
Tabletop was excellent where it was, for the simple reason that I don't think I would have ever experienced or tried it out, had it not been right there in front of me in the evening.
That is a thought I hadn't considered. I wish there was a way to get the best of both worlds, just the acoustic profile of the TT area made it a bit rough for me to focus. I don't know how I would have handled games that were a bit more intense than what I played. I guess I'm torn on the issue.
Have the board games in the rooms upstairs that way there will be more room for exhibitors and the board games and we can still play them when the exhibit hall closes. Also there was to much wasted space on the food court and queue room.
Another issue is that the expo hall has to be containable. So where the partitions in the building are is a huge factor in figuring out how the space could realistically be used.
I feel abliged to make my comments on this, and I already have. So instead, I'll copy and paste what I have written on my blog so I don't have to write it again. *clears throat*
What Sucked
I have a few things that I absolutely hated about PAX East this year.
The shuttle system was our only way to the hotel and to the convention center. Of course, they made it so that the shuttles start and stop running at different times, making them quite inconvenient. I didn’t like scheduling my day around those shuttles.
This one is for exhibitors, especially VALVe. When you’ve got an exhibit, please avoid putting your exhibit behind closed doors, especially if it’s just a trailer or some uninteractive gameplay footage. It creates lines, makes your lives harder and makes the Enforcers’ (Event Staff) lives harder.
The concert/omegathon round started a good 30 minutes later than it should have. In addition, Paul and Storm’s act took a good 20 minutes to set up, mostly because the BCEC’s unionized staff would have slapped Penny Arcade with a fine should they make the Enforcers do actual work instead of just yelling at people.
What didn’t suck
It wasn’t all that bad, though. Here’s what I did like:
The convention center is gigantic, which would seem confusing, but it honestly wasn’t. Its hallways are very easy to navigate and the show floor and queue room were right where you’d expect them to be: Right in the center.
The people were awesome. I felt that I was among some of the most awesome people in existence (which I definitely was).
Other than the aforementioned lines for Portal 2, most of the other lines were still very good. I was able to get to the concert a few minutes late and still get guaranteed a spot in the theater, which was quite close to the front, if I may say so.
This was what I was able to come up with on the spot at the time of writing.
This one is for exhibitors, especially VALVe. When you’ve got an exhibit, please avoid putting your exhibit behind closed doors, especially if it’s just a trailer or some uninteractive gameplay footage. It creates lines, makes your lives harder and makes the Enforcers’ (Event Staff) lives harder.
I'm fairly certain this is done primarily to reduce demand for t-shirts
This one is for exhibitors, especially VALVe. When you’ve got an exhibit, please avoid putting your exhibit behind closed doors, especially if it’s just a trailer or some uninteractive gameplay footage. It creates lines, makes your lives harder and makes the Enforcers’ (Event Staff) lives harder.
I found that it was a heck of a lot easier to see and hear the footage in the enclosed area than if it was outside and had to fight with the noise from the other booths, actually. The sound levels were lots lower and still very audible since the noise from outside was cut down too. Compare that with the DNF trailer that had to be pumped up because it got so much louder from the ambient noise levels and surrounding booths. Having seats for a little while didn't hurt either (and this is also true for the Rockstar booth for LA Noire).
Next year please have mailing tubes available if you are selling posters. I would have bought several PA posters if they had come with a tube. A rubber band is not sufficient for getting a poster home on an airplane. It's not even sufficient for carrying a poster around in the expo hall.
A poster is not like a t-shirt that you can just stuff in your bag. It's got to travel a long way in cars, airplanes etc.. You will note this is fundamentally the same trip it would take if you had sold the poster on the internet and mailed it.
Jaelus on
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratorMod Emeritus
Next year please have mailing tubes available if you are selling posters. I would have bought several PA posters if they had come with a tube. A rubber band is not sufficient for getting a poster home on an airplane. It's not even sufficient for carrying a poster around in the expo hall.
A poster is not like a t-shirt that you can just stuff in your bag. It's got to travel a long way in cars, airplanes etc.. You will note this is fundamentally the same trip it would take if you had sold the poster on the internet and mailed it.
The FedEx store in the Convention Center sold poster tubes. When I went in on Sunday to mail my copy of Munchkin Zombies back home, though, they were completely sold out of the smaller sizes. Maybe warning FedEx to stock up on more poster tubes could be a good move.
Well what I would suggest if for the tournaments, at least for TF2, they had said before that they were going to record the matches in Source TV for the finals at least. But they never set it up. =(
How about an area for festival like games (slingshot, small rides, e.t.c) gamescom does it inside, and comic-con did it outside last year and it looked like a lot of fun.
2011 East was my first PAX and there was very little that could be done to make me happier. Cant wait for next year. I actually got to make someones day when I showed up to sell my extra Fri+Sun passes AND ACTUALLY SOLD THEM AT COST. I hear this was a problem for many who bought from the forums.
The Enforces were exceptional with attendees but on more then one occasion I watched in horror as they went off on BCEC (or whoever employs them) staff. I've heard nothing but good things about the Enforcers and my interactions with them were great but I think this should be addressed. Edamame guy you know who you are. YOU KNOW!
THE NINES on
"Edamame?! You know, Soy BEANS?! Well if you dont have it why is it ON THE BOARD?! TAKE IT OFF THE BOARD!!" -Edamame Enforcer
The only really true critique I have is for PAX to make a better, more accurate map! I was so confused on where the hell I was. Not to mention the place is huge, so when you're lost, it's that much more confusing.
I missed Animal Style while trying to find the Jamspace... I did catch Bit Shifter, though.
TheRobotGuy on
Fuck You Bottle is the name of my Jonathan Coulton cover band.
Have the board games in the rooms upstairs that way there will be more room for exhibitors and the board games and we can still play them when the exhibit hall closes. Also there was to much wasted space on the food court and queue room.
Last year they had tabletop games split up in a bunch of rooms, and I have to say, as a tabletop person, it was a disaster; people had no idea what was going on...some people had no idea that there was tabletop gaming at PAX.
Considering how many thousands of people were playing at any one time, I think people are going to need to accept tabletop where it was....even splitting it up, you couldn't fit it elsewhere in the convention centre without taking out a theatre or two.
In addition, Paul and Storm’s act took a good 20 minutes to set up, mostly because the BCEC’s unionized staff would have slapped Penny Arcade with a fine should they make the Enforcers do actual work instead of just yelling at people.
I'm going to note that Paul & Storm took almost no time to set up (the guys can do it in like, 40 seconds) - the issue was VGO took so damn long to tear down.
It was mentioned somewhere else that the bands were asked to aim for about a 45 minute set. Paul and Storm and JoCo both succeeded in this. VGO failed pretty hard; with their tear down it was almost 2 hours, and they took 45 minutes for each of the band and the chamber orchestra sections.
It was just excessive, and needs better control next year. I really do think that concert needs another pop rock act (Freezepop? LemonDemon? Bo Burnham? they're all local), and VGO should have their own concert.
Posts
This I agree with, although I hadn't really thought about it until now. The satellite food court did seem like a waste of space, although it's a nice idea to have a place for people to bring their own food and eat, it could probably be a lot smaller or some how relocated. Level 0 space is at a premium. I thought the tabletop area was fantastic and wouldn't change a thing. Personally, I thought having it right next to the exhibits was great. We probably spent 50% of our time in tabletop, with the rest split between exhibits, freeplays, and panels. I think a lot of people did this.
I never saw anyone line up in the queue room. I'm sure that it had some function at some point (maybe for the concerts?) But I'm just saying that I never actually saw a human being queued up in it.
Food: I agree with a lot of what was said on both sides. Yeah, the food selection wasn't great and the prices were high, but I never expected anything else. We're coming to a gaming convention, not a restaurant show. We stayed a ways away from the convention center, down in the Back Bay area. We grabbed a bite before we head over in the morning and then grabbed dinner in the evening and returned to the con when we were done. It's not like we were throwing money around everywhere, but I suppose if you were on a stricter budget this would be problematic, especially considering the paucity of walkable food options near the convention center. I don't really have a suggestion here. PA can't do anything about the food, I'm sure there's a contract b/w MCCA and Aramark or whomever to handle that. The suggestion about bringing your own food might be the best.
I do have one suggestion re: food that I know is totally unachievable... when we were sitting playing tabletop it came up repeatedly how nice it would be to have a bar in the tabletop area where we could get drinks to bring back to the table. I'm sure this is problematic, especially considering all the borrowed games that were going around (nobody wants beer-soggied munchkin cards), but it would still be awesome.
Lines: The 3DS line really did fly. It looked long, but the wait was never more than 15-20 minutes. I waited about 30 minutes to play Child of Eden before I just walked away because I had seen literally 3 new people go up onto the stage to play the game and there were at least 12 people in front of me. There was too little time for me to spend 2+ hours waiting to play one game, just not worth it. But again, that's on the exhibitor. I wouldn't want PAX dictating exactly how every booth should be run.
D&D : Better communication was needed on how this is being run. My friend was given bad information from one of the D&D organizers about where to stand, and he ended up waiting 40 minutes and still not getting into the game he wanted because of it. Another time a similar thing happened. Basically he spent around an hour and a half waiting for D&D and never got to play. I'm not sure what the solution is here, as I'm passing on second hand information, but it definitely seemed like it needs some attention.
Console Free Play: I thought this was run really well. I was a little disappointed when I got booted off our PS3 after half an hour of playing Blazblue. It did not look that busy at the time. We didn't make a big deal out of it, I think it's better to have some sort of limit when it is busy so that people don't monopolize a system all day. A little annoying, but that's how it's gotta be. I don't think I would change it.
PC Free Play: Didn't play, so I don't have a review. It looked really busy to me all the time, but maybe I'm wrong.
All-in-all, my party and I had a fantastic time at our first PAX and will definitely be coming back!
Yeah I never understood when I heard people talk about the 3DS line. My guess looking back is that it was the length of the line that looked daunting because there was no info on its speed. It was long, but moved incredibly fast and was very well managed.
You must have missed my fist post on the previous page. I already made the exact same suggestion to bring in more outside food trucks. I don't think you quite understand the point I was trying to make either. I don't want to get into a flame war here, so keep it civil. I won't imply you have the IQ and reading comprehension of a turnup and you should not imply I am a 300lb shut-in.
Saying the PA folks don't have a say in the food is just as silly as saying they don't. I get that they are just renting the place, but they even said in a news post that they were working with the Con folks to get more food. If they had no say in it, we would have just had the food court, and nothing on the lower level.
What about a turnip?
Queue room is primarily for waiting to get into the expo hall in the mornings. We were in the keynote queue on the first day, had a lazy morning on the Saturday, but were there on the Sunday. It seemed quieter than the queue room at Prime 2010, but I have no idea if that was typical or just Sunday.
They probably don't want to worry about about having to rotate things in or out when it's not in use so they leave it empty all day. Was it used by people looking for a space to chill or was it locked down when not in use?
A few people were lurking around during the day, but I think most people didn't know it was there.
There were large displays on the walls, so broadcasting video from around the show might be an option for later years, but AFAIK definitely considered more hassle than it's worth to change its usage every day (hell, I can't imagine the chaos of trying to change it over while people are emptying into the expo hall, or back again at 2am-ish).
It could be used for livestreaming some the bigger events, like the Keynote, Q&As, and concerts. 'Course, having read through the Main Theater manager's logistics for just getting that space in order, I don't know how feasible it would be. I dunno. Just a thought.
Oh, and bring back line games! That was an unexpected treat (for me, anyway), at the first PAX East, and I was disappointed not to see it this year. Then again, I also liked having everyone line up in the same room, like this nerd critical mass, but I can understand why splitting up the Key Note and Expo Hall lines is a Smart Move.
My NES blog and my Pokemon Snap tumblr.
Those could be used for displaying a lot of stuff. Were they being used to show the daily schedule? They could also be used to displays things like PATV or they could be sponsored like the NYCC 09 busses were sponsored by Adult Swim and the bus tvs showed AS shows. They could show interviews with exhibitors or demo reels. Stuff that people can watch while taking a breather from the floor.
Obviously Firewater missed the topic. "PAX East 2011 Afterthoughts, Critiques, Suggestions". Debating and dismissing others thoughts is not on topic... Perhaps Firewater should open his or her mind to others opinions and offer constructive critisism rather than disparageing the well constructed critics of the community.
Great idea. IMO the keynote should be the first event at PAX, should occur before the expo hall opens, and should not have any competing events in that time slot. Everyone in the queue room would queue up and listen to the keynote and then when it ends the hall would open. Perfect.
I would consider the post you quoted jhalldc more of an after thought. So.... with that being said I think you can figure out the rest. Maybe.
I know right, It seem perfect Keynote starts at 9:30 , expo and other venues open at 10:00 the keynot ecan adress 1000+ people at one time. Stream through the tvs out side th event. EPIC
I hope they bring it back next year for everyone.
Awww such a cute little let out picking out spelling errors whilst not addressing the point.
How adorable!
Also, it seems that making posts about personal responsibility seem to be frowned upon in these forums. I wish I could live in a world where I could reject reality and replace it with my own.
I can understand you being a bit sensative because you are feeling attacked in this thread. But dude, no reason to jump down my throat about it. Sorry if I rubbed a raw nerve.
I mean I probably just shouldn't make anymore point here, nerds are entitled to world, and want to pay nothing for it. This is why the stereotype exists, and I am tired of being lumped in with those who ruin it for people for all intents and purposes live a regular life and just game as a hobby.
WHERE?
There's no way I want to see tabletop jammed into a multitude of cubbies like it was in 2010. Trying to find tablespace and what section to go to to play was a pain. I think it was pretty great that Tabletop was right on the main floor and that there was so much going on there, from demo to free-play to tourneys. If anything, I'd like to see it even bigger next year.
world attaching the electrodes of knowledge to the nipples
of ignorance?" - John Lithgow, 3rd Rock from the Sun
PS My suggestion for next year is: Avoid the Quesadilla from the Mexican court upstairs. It was badly made, badly prepared, badly served, and tasted like nothing. I threw half of it out. The guy in front of me watched his be picked up, have all contents (honestly) pour out onto the floor, and then be folded up and handed to him. I was like:
Gaming blog
@lamournumerique
Pretty sure board games were open until 1:30am Fri and Sat. Great GREAT way to spend the night at PAX. And those tables were FILLED. So exciting to see so many people playing games I love.
Steam ID: Obos Vent: Obos
If I recall correctly there were some empty rooms on the 1st or second floor. The room used for theater overflow was pretty large too. If you could move the theater overflow to the main floor. I guess I enjoyed more of the separated feeling of the past year just because it was a bit lower noise/traffic.
That is a thought I hadn't considered. I wish there was a way to get the best of both worlds, just the acoustic profile of the TT area made it a bit rough for me to focus. I don't know how I would have handled games that were a bit more intense than what I played. I guess I'm torn on the issue.
Another issue is that the expo hall has to be containable. So where the partitions in the building are is a huge factor in figuring out how the space could realistically be used.
I'm fairly certain this is done primarily to reduce demand for t-shirts
I found that it was a heck of a lot easier to see and hear the footage in the enclosed area than if it was outside and had to fight with the noise from the other booths, actually. The sound levels were lots lower and still very audible since the noise from outside was cut down too. Compare that with the DNF trailer that had to be pumped up because it got so much louder from the ambient noise levels and surrounding booths. Having seats for a little while didn't hurt either (and this is also true for the Rockstar booth for LA Noire).
A poster is not like a t-shirt that you can just stuff in your bag. It's got to travel a long way in cars, airplanes etc.. You will note this is fundamentally the same trip it would take if you had sold the poster on the internet and mailed it.
The FedEx store in the Convention Center sold poster tubes. When I went in on Sunday to mail my copy of Munchkin Zombies back home, though, they were completely sold out of the smaller sizes. Maybe warning FedEx to stock up on more poster tubes could be a good move.
The Enforces were exceptional with attendees but on more then one occasion I watched in horror as they went off on BCEC (or whoever employs them) staff. I've heard nothing but good things about the Enforcers and my interactions with them were great but I think this should be addressed. Edamame guy you know who you are. YOU KNOW!
I missed Animal Style while trying to find the Jamspace... I did catch Bit Shifter, though.
Last year they had tabletop games split up in a bunch of rooms, and I have to say, as a tabletop person, it was a disaster; people had no idea what was going on...some people had no idea that there was tabletop gaming at PAX.
Considering how many thousands of people were playing at any one time, I think people are going to need to accept tabletop where it was....even splitting it up, you couldn't fit it elsewhere in the convention centre without taking out a theatre or two.
Thes.
I'm going to note that Paul & Storm took almost no time to set up (the guys can do it in like, 40 seconds) - the issue was VGO took so damn long to tear down.
It was mentioned somewhere else that the bands were asked to aim for about a 45 minute set. Paul and Storm and JoCo both succeeded in this. VGO failed pretty hard; with their tear down it was almost 2 hours, and they took 45 minutes for each of the band and the chamber orchestra sections.
It was just excessive, and needs better control next year. I really do think that concert needs another pop rock act (Freezepop? LemonDemon? Bo Burnham? they're all local), and VGO should have their own concert.
Thes.