PAX Prime 2014 BYOC General Info

Dreggor

Hello all!

PAX is approaching quickly and I just wanted to let all of the BYOC attendees know that group seating will be going up in the next few weeks. SOOOO start thinking about who you would like to group up with for some primo seating in the BYOC area.

NOTE! YOU MUST HAVE A 4-DAY PASS OR 4 INDIVIDUAL DAY PASSES! BYOC WILL SUCK FOR YOU OR BE NON-EXISTENT IF YOU SCREW THIS UP.

Group Seating Details:
GROUP SEATING OPEN DATE: (I am shooting for around July 1)
GROUP SEATING CLOSE DATE: August 15 at midnight
Group Seating Requirements:

• Your party is considered a group if you have SIX or more people.
• Your group must check-in to BYOC on Friday together. No longer a requirement
• Groups must pre-register seating assignments prior to PAX, or else seats will be based on first come first serve availability.
• Requests are taken on a first come, first serve basis.
• Passes for ALL 4 days of PAX! (recommended to maximize fun, but not a hard requirement)

To request group seating, use the seating chart below to choose your seats and email pax_pc at paxsite dot com
Include the following information when requesting:

• Group Name
• Number of People (include handles too)
• Desired Location

BenQ Monitor Loaners

We've partnered with BenQ to bring monitors to PAX just for you. And we're not talking about some used leftovers, these are brand new, blazing fast 24" BenQ RL2460HT models. Go ahead, do the research. Industry leading 1ms response time, ZeroFlicker capabilities to eliminate traditional LED flicker, BenQ's Black eQualizer which lets you crank up the brightness on dark scenes without overexposing the bright ones, not to mention RevolutionEyes monitor technology only from BenQ. For more information, click here to get the scoop.

These monitors are available absolutely free for the duration of your time at PAX, all you need to do is fill out this form to reserve one for yourself.

The Form!

hobbseltoff

Is the minimum size going to be 6 again?

Dreggor

hobbseltoff wrote: »

Is the minimum size going to be 6 again?

Yessir.

JackDavion

Do you want a list of names or handles for the group?

LeoWashington

I have a group of 4 people, is there any chance we might not be able to sit together?

cely

LeoWashington wrote: »

I have a group of 4 people, is there any chance we might not be able to sit together?

You won't qualify for group seating because you don't have the minimum of 6 people. You have two options:

1) Everyone in your party gets in line at the same time so you can all choose seats next to each other when you check in at BYOC.
2) Find another group of people that you can group up with to get you to 6 or more people.

strttrkn

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

BigRed

Dreggor wrote: »

Please note that the WSCC has a strict policy on weapons this year. Please do not bring any of the following with you into the center or it will be confiscated:

Knives
Leathermen or other multi-tools
Weapons (duh)
Cutters of any kind.

Uhhhh... this isnt boston. Id like to see where on the WSCC site this is posted, or a confirmation from them on why this has changed.

Edit: also I see nothing about this in the FAQ on the site or elsewhere.

cely

strttrkn wrote: »

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

IIRC they let us in early around 8am on Friday morning like normal. You just can't get in early Sat-Mon. Were you setting up on Saturday morning?

BigRed

BigRed wrote: »

Dreggor wrote: »

Please note that the WSCC has a strict policy on weapons this year. Please do not bring any of the following with you into the center or it will be confiscated:

Knives
Leathermen or other multi-tools
Weapons (duh)
Cutters of any kind.

Uhhhh... this isnt boston. Id like to see where on the WSCC site this is posted, or a confirmation from them on why this has changed.

Edit: also I see nothing about this in the FAQ on the site or elsewhere.

I will just leave this here.
http://therapetrainhasnobrakes.com/Stuff/BYOCLeatherman.png

If its a new PAX rule that no multi-tools are allowed, don't cite WSCC and their new "Weapons policy" that doesn't exist. Also if its a PAX rule it needs to be on the FAQ on paxsite.

strttrkn

cely wrote: »

strttrkn wrote: »

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

IIRC they let us in early around 8am on Friday morning like normal. You just can't get in early Sat-Mon. Were you setting up on Saturday morning?

Nope. They usually do let us in at 8am on Friday, but last year the convention center people wouldn't let them let us in on that Friday. Not sure what happened there, but I just want to plan for the correct time to be there.

zByrd

Will group seating registration be announced on any of the official twitter accounts? I have a pretty big group who'd like to sit together so I'd like to know when registration goes live ASAP.

Dreggor

I am going to try to catch everyone up in one post:

JackDavion wrote: »

Do you want a list of names or handles for the group?

Required info will be:
Group Name:
Number of People:
Desired Location:
Handles:

cely wrote: »

LeoWashington wrote: »

I have a group of 4 people, is there any chance we might not be able to sit together?

You won't qualify for group seating because you don't have the minimum of 6 people. You have two options:

1) Everyone in your party gets in line at the same time so you can all choose seats next to each other when you check in at BYOC.
2) Find another group of people that you can group up with to get you to 6 or more people.

All correct.

strttrkn wrote: »

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

Stay tuned for more info on this topic. This always seems to turn into a debacle but we are trying.

BigRed wrote: »

Dreggor wrote: »

Please note that the WSCC has a strict policy on weapons this year. Please do not bring any of the following with you into the center or it will be confiscated:

Knives
Leathermen or other multi-tools
Weapons (duh)
Cutters of any kind.

Uhhhh... this isnt boston. Id like to see where on the WSCC site this is posted, or a confirmation from them on why this has changed.

Edit: also I see nothing about this in the FAQ on the site or elsewhere.

Put in the oh so eloquent way that only BigRed can deliver, however he is correct. I did copy a bit too much from the East thread, I will confirm these issues and be sure to keep everyone posted. I am unsure if this is something PAX is going to adopt accross all the shows or not.

zByrd wrote: »

Will group seating registration be announced on any of the official twitter accounts? I have a pretty big group who'd like to sit together so I'd like to know when registration goes live ASAP.

I will attempt to get this tweeted out once I get confirmation on the seating arrangement.


I think I am caught up but if I missed something feel free to tag me ( @Dreggor ) or drop me a PM and I will check in.

Ravenger

Dreggor wrote: »

Hello all!

We have a few basic tools in BYOC we can lend out so the rule is "if in doubt, leave it out"

NOTE! YOU MUST HAVE A 4-DAY PASS OR 4 INDIVIDUAL DAY PASSES! BYOC WILL SUCK FOR YOU OR BE NON-EXISTENT IF YOU SCREW THIS UP.

So I can't do BYOC period without 4 days of passes?

zerzhul

I was under the impression that you could BYOC as long as you have at least one single day pass, but you can only BYOC on the days for which you have passes. Hopefully someone can address that question in an official capacity.

Dreggor

zerzhul wrote: »

I was under the impression that you could BYOC as long as you have at least one single day pass, but you can only BYOC on the days for which you have passes. Hopefully someone can address that question in an official capacity.

@Ravenger‌ @zerzhul‌
We have just confirmed with PA that the rule that was in place for East was not intended and has been struck from the initial post.

If you have 3 days of passes (or two for that matter or even one) and have a BYOC badge you may come into BYOC for the day(s) you have PAX passes for.

hobbseltoff

Dreggor wrote: »

hobbseltoff wrote: »

Is the minimum size going to be 6 again?

Yessir.

Awesome, thanks.

Alphonsis

Just for clarity, the line about need a 4day or four 1day passes was struck out, but in the lower portion of the OP under group seating requirements it still says passes for all 4 days of pax. This is a bit confusing.

Dreggor

Alphonsis wrote: »

Just for clarity, the line about need a 4day or four 1day passes was struck out, but in the lower portion of the OP under group seating requirements it still says passes for all 4 days of pax. This is a bit confusing.

OP updated.

Group seating will go live later today. Have a great holiday everyone!

Dreggor

Group Seating is live!!! Be gentle...

cely

Please delete this post @zerzhul

cely

Please delete this post too @zerzhul thanks!

zByrd

Any word on when we'll know if our group was approved or not?

Dreggor

Seating chart updated and all requests I have so far are included.

I will update the chart as often as I can, but it will usually be at least a few days between.

sprootie

Thanks, Dreggor - we all appreciate your work organizing this!

Alphonsis

haha, I totally missed the reply that seating was going up that day. Oh well, sent my request today.

Thanks Dreggor. ^_^

Dreggor

All requests are processed and reflected in the new chart. If you do not see your request in there AND do not have an email from me please resend your request.

There have been very few conflicts this year, you guys are taking it easy on me.

zByrd

I know this doesn't really matter, but could you please fix the typo in the word "coffee" in our group name? It's bugging me more than it should.

Dreggor

zByrd wrote: »

I know this doesn't really matter, but could you please fix the typo in the word "coffee" in our group name? It's bugging me more than it should.

Lol, no worries. It's all set and will be reflected in the next update.

Dreggor

Chart updated.

Please contact me if your group or change is not reflected in the new seating chart.

JackDavion

Are we going to do a poll for BYOC tournys at some point?

cely

Dreggor wrote: »

strttrkn wrote: »

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

Stay tuned for more info on this topic. This always seems to turn into a debacle but we are trying.

Any news on this @Dreggor‌ ?

S2000Gan

they should also only let byoc into the expo hall from the annex for like 20-30 mins after the hall opens imo.

Dreggor

cely wrote: »

Dreggor wrote: »

strttrkn wrote: »

I have a dumb general BYOC question (forgive me if I should put it somewhere else), but are they going to let us into the convention center early again to get our gear setup? I know last year the convention center personnel wouldn't let the BYOC folks in early like we've done every other year. A ton of us got there early like normal & had to stand outside for 2 hours until 10am. I know that the amazing Enforcers were working hard to resolve this (you guys rock!), but it was a bit of a mess since the "guys in green" wouldn't let us in. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just a planner and am the organizer of our group, so I like to be prepared as much as possible beforehand to organize my guys. Thanks!

Stay tuned for more info on this topic. This always seems to turn into a debacle but we are trying.

Any news on this @Dreggor‌ ?

We are waiting to hear back from the WSCC and PA on the confirmation, but generally BYOC badge holders are allowed into the PC room / BYOC area at 8:00am on Friday from the street directly into the annex. However, it is still fuzzy about how / when you will be allowed into Expo. There is an escalator from PC into Expo but there is mixed info as to if they will let BYOC'ers directly into expo at opening time or if they must wait until Queue Room is finished emptying.

Seating chart has the final update, if there are any issues please contact me but no new requests will be accepted at this time.

I know that the BYOC events team is working on a bunch of communications out to you guys, so I would stay tuned for that.

Dreamwish

Hey all,

PAX is fast approaching (nearly 10 days!), and hopefully I can answer some of your questions about what'll be happening during PAX. But first, some general information (which may answer some of your questions)

The usual stuff:

BYOC runs the length of the show. For those of you that may be new this year, the BYOC staff will be running official contests and competitions throughout the show, but of course you are free to participate as you like. Nothing is mandatory, though hopefully everything is fun. There will be a mix of games and non video game activities, just like years past.

A list of games that you may want to have installed is below. This isn't exhaustively comprehensive (we like spontaneity too), and this isn't a guarantee that all of these games will be used in tournaments, but merely a list of suggestions.

Spelunky
Warsow
TF2 Blind Frag
Goat Simulator
Monaco
Age of Empires 2 HD
Battlefield 4
Payday 2
NeoTokyo
Natural Selection 2
Chivalry
Trackmania Nations Forever
XCOM
Kerbal Space Program
CS:GO
Hearthstone
DayZ
7 Days to Die

The new stuff:

The BYOC Cup (working title)

An idea we're trying this year is to run a competition that encompasses everything the BYOC team puts on. Sort of like a decathlon, but with games (and more than 10 events). There will be an intentional wide variety of competitions encompassing several different genres. From platformers to musical chairs to strategy to scavenger hunting. We may even play QWOP.

The goal here is to bring a level of connectivity to the tournaments that already happen in BYOC. Placing well in a tournament will award you a number of Cup points, and at the end of the show the individual (maybe individuals) with the highest point totals will awarded something from the high end of the BYOC prize pool.


Hopefully that gives you all a little information about what's coming. I'll try to check in on this thread and answer questions that you may have. Cheers!

Dreggor

BTW: Dreamwish is the Master of BYOC events. I get you guys in seats and he FORCES you to have fun!

bitterfun

Why is it I never find these threads until it's after the said date. I did, however, accept the twitter feed before the event this time!

Dreggor

Hello again all!! We are only a few days from PAX and I have some exciting news to share.

I have added a section to the main post about a Monitor Loaner program for BYOC attendees. These are not some used hunks of junk, these are top of the line BenQ brand spanking new 24" LED monitors. Check the original post for more info. We realize that monitors are the awkward thing to haul into PAX and we were able to strike a deal with BenQ to save all of you some frustration.

I will also update the seating chart with it's final iteration later this evening and start entering all of the info into the LanFest system. You guys are amazingly organized, almost half the room is pre-assigned! In the next few days I will try to get everyone confirmation on the Load-In process, I don't think it has changed but I am trying my hardest to make sure that PAX staff and the Green-Coats are all on the same page.

We are so close to PAX and I have not even had to change my avatar to BadCop, you guys/gals have been great!

Rowejob

On the BYOC tickets can I return one to go back for resale or do I have to sell them myself?

Dreamwish

The schedule of BYOC events (albeit subject to change if problems / things come up):

Friday:
Start of yet unannounced weekend long event (conclusion TBA) (11:00 am) - BYOC Cup event
Trackmania Nations Forever (12:00 pm)
Spelunky (2:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
Battlefield 4 (5:00 pm)
Warsow (7:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
Hard Drive Shuffleboard (9:30 pm) - BYOC Cup event

Saturday:
Start of Scavenger Hunt (10:00 am) - BYOC Cup event
Payday 2 (11:00 am)
TF2 Blind Frag (2:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
Soundboard Musical Chairs (4:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
QWOP (7:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
NeoTokyo (9:00 pm)
Scavenger Hunt Conclusion (11:00 pm)

Sunday:
Age of Empires 2 HD (11:30 am) - BYOC Cup event
Start of MS Paint Contest (2:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
Chivalry (3:00 pm)
Monaco (7:00 pm) - BYOC Cup event
Natural Selection 2
MS Paint Contest Conclusion and Judging

Monday:
Yet to be announced game (10:30 am)
Goat Simulator (11:30 am) - BYOC Cup event
BYOC Cup Award Ceremony (2:30 pm)
Raffle (3:00 pm)

shdwcaster

Question about the loaner monitors (which is an awesome thing to have, BTW!). For us 4-day die-hards showing up around 8am Friday and not wanting to tear down until after the final Omegathon event has ended on Monday, will those monitors be available the whole time?

Mostly I'm concerned that someone's going to be tapping me on the shoulder at 3:30 Monday afternoon saying "Time to give up that monitor", but admittedly I'd also like to not be waiting to power up my rig Friday morning.