How fast do the hotels fill up? I have always stayed with my brother away from downtown, but we kinda want to experience more of PAX this year. Badges can be had if you are willing to pay the price after the fact, but not sure how fast I need to get on the hotel? Can I wade through the queue and then the hotel line?
I don't know how fast hotels fill up, but there will probably be a room share thread. Last year I was able to get a room as late as June/July with a group at the Sheraton which is a block away from the center. So even if things sell out you can probably get in with one of those, also the green tortoise hostel is open right now and they let you back out a couple days before check in.
Hotels far away tend to fill up steadily but are easy enough to get a room for if you're vigilant in finding one. As for tickets, if it's any sign of how quickly they can go: I had been going since PAX 2005 and the only years I couldn't go were 2013-2014. Then again, I've been more busy so I wasn't really around when they went on sale. I'm hoping this year that's different and I'll actually have a chance to click the buy button if anything. They seem to go... quick now? It seemed like 10 years ago I bought my PAX 2005 tickets like 3-4 months after they went on sale. I'm sounding like 'that guy' but my, times have changed!
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nohomeJeromeEmerald City, WA Registered Userregular
It seemed like 10 years ago I bought my PAX 2005 tickets like 3-4 months after they went on sale. I'm sounding like 'that guy' but my, times have changed!
Purchased my first 3-day in 2008 at the door. Hard to believe that was once possible with how popular Prime is nowadays.
It seemed like 10 years ago I bought my PAX 2005 tickets like 3-4 months after they went on sale. I'm sounding like 'that guy' but my, times have changed!
Purchased my first 3-day in 2008 at the door. Hard to believe that was once possible with how popular Prime is nowadays.
It's a good thing their expanding the convention center. Hopefully that will takes some more pressure off.
Unfortunately, I doubt expanding will bring us back to those days when you could wait a few months before buying a pass.
Even with three PAXes in the country, they just sell out faster each year.
Plus, that expansion isn't going to be any time soon. Short term, it may be worth buying into club pa just on the off chance they offer badges in advance.
Sorry, but as someone who works swing, getting up at 8 to 9AM to camp the web site and twitter is a big deal, and that idea has crossed my mind.
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nohomeJeromeEmerald City, WA Registered Userregular
Unfortunately, I doubt expanding will bring us back to those days when you could wait a few months before buying a pass.
Even with three PAXes in the country, they just sell out faster each year.
Agreed. The demand has far outweighed the supply the last few years and will only continue to do so. Expansion will eventually allow more to attend, but it won't slow the rate at which passes are sold.
SkeleVader's spreadsheet shows 85 minutes for the complete sellout (multi and all single-day badges) last year but I have to believe that includes the entire checkout process. Unless you were in the queue within a few minutes of the link going live, your chances were almost nonexistent to get a full set, let alone any scattered singles.
Unfortunately, I doubt expanding will bring us back to those days when you could wait a few months before buying a pass.
Even with three PAXes in the country, they just sell out faster each year.
Agreed. The demand has far outweighed the supply the last few years and will only continue to do so. Expansion will eventually allow more to attend, but it won't slow the rate at which passes are sold.
SkeleVader's spreadsheet shows 85 minutes for the complete sellout (multi and all single-day badges) last year but I have to believe that includes the entire checkout process. Unless you were in the queue within a few minutes of the link going live, your chances were almost nonexistent to get a full set, let alone any scattered singles.
The interesting thing is that that didn't happen till 2012, kinda wondering what the cause was. It would be interesting to see data on how many people go to multiple PAXes, and then how many people access the website to purchase (not just those who are able to). Quick sell out times could just be a community that is adapting to a sense of urgency(like SDCC lines post twilight), we see the quick/er sellout time of last year and adapt accordingly.
So while they're more buyers than tickets, quick sellout times don't automatically mean a super high demand, we would need more data before we can say that conclusively and determine how a larger convention center would accommodate.
May PAX be upon you.
+1
nohomeJeromeEmerald City, WA Registered Userregular
Quick sell out times could just be a community that is adapting to a sense of urgency(like SDCC lines post twilight), we see the quick/er sellout time of last year and adapt accordingly.
Hadn't necessarily considered the urgency factor, but it makes perfect sense.
I think 2012 is when publishers started treating PAX a bit more seriously and made big announcements. While an terrible game, PAX Prime 2012 was where the adventure of Duke Nukem Forever finally started to come to a close.
That's a good point Bobkins. I don't remember exactly when but didn't League of Legends do their competition in 2012? I could be wrong there. I just remember that it was around that time that everything exploded. I'm glad for PAX's success but it does kind of suck that it is so... sudden, you know? You think that given the amount of years this convention has been happening that they might try to give people a heads up or do several waves of ticket sales so people that can't be around a certain time can get another chance? Just throwing ideas around. I know that spreading PAX out to multiple conventions was their idea to perhaps distribute the PAX crowd out but I think more often than not people are going to multiple PAX events per year (if they can afford it). I think my personal PAX highlight was getting to see the talk that Hideo Kojima gave in the theater one year (I cannot remember year-to-year right now, I've been to so many at this point). Regardless, PAX has always been a great event and I've always felt like people there are just nice and welcoming in all directions. I've said it once, I'll say it again, I just hope tickets are a possibility for me this year. I just am afraid it's becoming like Comic-con in terms of ticket sales but, this is an event that has literally been part of nearly half my life (going since I was 15 [Exceptions being PAX Prime 2013/14], now 24); so there's sentimental/nostalgic value on top of it just being an all around fun time. So many friends I've made, not to mention the tournaments I got to play in. Really fun times.... PAX prime 2015 cannot come sooner now! It'll be the first PAX for me in several years if I can actually get tickets this time.
What time do tickets usually go on sale? Are tickets starting up on the weekend a possibility?
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
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SkeleVaderYour Friendly Dark Lord of DestructionRegistered Userregular
Prime selling out was not sudden at all. If you go back and graph the sellout times for a few years before 2012 you will see it was trending to be an immediate sell out in 2012.
The issue was sell outs breed sell outs. Each year Prime would sell out faster, so those people that missed out would make a note to check the site earlier the next year. This lead to a faster sell out and those people that missed would make a note to check the site earlier the next year.
+3
I3izzyNonofficial member of the F5 brigadeFG, ORRegistered Userregular
I also feel the fact that when channels like G4 started broadcasting from PAX it increased the exposure of the event.
Being the only real event of its kind that is open to the public it, the demand is high. This is about the only place the public can play a wide number of games before they are released.
ClubPA here, and got badges both last and this year with them. Odd story - I "borrowed" a couple of their strips a few years back for use as an Air Plan cartoon on the Aircraft Carriers I was on, and guilted myself into throwing some money back to them. The badges were a welcome bonus, I admit.
That said, I also have a batch of friends from Seattle and British Columbia that I go to PAX every year with, and we all watch out for each other when BadgeWatch rolls around - kind of an unofficial watchbill rotation. I have a job that lets me keep an eye on the twits, and with the push notifications and my trusty Pebble, the last 2 years I have been able to buy on my cell phone without issue.
Made my W reservation last September. Strolling distance to the WSCC, and Purple Wine bar!
I'm all for Club PA having an early shot at badges, it seems like a decent enough way to give back. My only disappointment is that it apparently happened during the brief window when I wasn't a subscriber... ah well, I slipped up.
well this settles it, i have been meaning to sign up for club PA forever, i finally did, even if i cant use this offer this year, it would be nice not to stress about tickets for next year (i try to go to 2 of the 3 each year), and my 9-5 job with clients in front of me does not leave a lot of f5'ing time.
well this settles it, i have been meaning to sign up for club PA forever, i finally did, even if i cant use this offer this year, it would be nice not to stress about tickets for next year (i try to go to 2 of the 3 each year), and my 9-5 job with clients in front of me does not leave a lot of f5'ing time.
Don't get your hopes up to much for Club PA members getting badges, there is no guarantee
well this settles it, i have been meaning to sign up for club PA forever, i finally did, even if i cant use this offer this year, it would be nice not to stress about tickets for next year (i try to go to 2 of the 3 each year), and my 9-5 job with clients in front of me does not leave a lot of f5'ing time.
Don't get your hopes up to much for Club PA members getting badges, there is no guarantee
I think they just say that to prevent people from signing up solely for priority access to badges, considering that it happened last year as well.
well this settles it, i have been meaning to sign up for club PA forever, i finally did, even if i cant use this offer this year, it would be nice not to stress about tickets for next year (i try to go to 2 of the 3 each year), and my 9-5 job with clients in front of me does not leave a lot of f5'ing time.
Don't get your hopes up to much for Club PA members getting badges, there is no guarantee
I think they just say that to prevent people from signing up solely for priority access to badges, considering that it happened last year as well.
That's still a trend, not a guarantee that it will happen next year.
Hotels far away tend to fill up steadily but are easy enough to get a room for if you're vigilant in finding one. As for tickets, if it's any sign of how quickly they can go: I had been going since PAX 2005 and the only years I couldn't go were 2013-2014.
@zwitterion I wouldn't really worry about hotels as much as badges. The far away hotels are only a few blocks. My husband and I stay at the Westin each year and it's never been a problem getting a hotel. I do badges first then hotel.
So glad I have an IT job. Can keep PAX site open on one of the three monitors and just have it refresh in the background. I am still having issues trying to setup the refresh monkey alert. Anyone have experience with that extension?
So glad I have an IT job. Can keep PAX site open on one of the three monitors and just have it refresh in the background. I am still having issues trying to setup the refresh monkey alert. Anyone have experience with that extension?
I use refresh monkey but don't even bother relying on the alert. I rely on my eyes watching the registration link change from coming soon to buy tickets. Page refresh every 10 seconds, fuck your work badges are more important. PAX is love. PAX is life. Welcome home buddy.
Went to PAX south and now I am hooked on PAX. Plan on going to Prime and South again next year. Might decide to go to East but not sure. Going to be dead broke with all these trips lol
Yah I am currently trying to figure out the alerts on refresh monkey too
Don't rely on the alerts. The alert will fire if literally anything changes in the source code of the page itself. You don't want to have a heart attack on your morning dog walk because someone changed some source code for a link or image that has nothing to do with registration. I believe it also fires if anything on the page is dynamically refreshed (ie adds, banners, etc as they are technically "different" each load) :P
Like I said, use refresh monkey to save your mouse and keyboard from wear and tear. Use your eyes to confirm the reg opened and your speedy, excellent honed mouse skill to progress past that.
I got it setup for 30 second refreshes but I believe you can set it to have it alert you for a specific part of the page changes. I was able to isolate what the sold out block is on the code. I just can't verify since it doesn't change at all lol. So till then I will rely on my eyes but going to try configuring it on another page to verify that it works. If I get it to work I will post an update.
+1
bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
Yah I am currently trying to figure out the alerts on refresh monkey too
Don't rely on the alerts. The alert will fire if literally anything changes in the source code of the page itself. You don't want to have a heart attack on your morning dog walk because someone changed some source code for a link or image that has nothing to do with registration. I believe it also fires if anything on the page is dynamically refreshed (ie adds, banners, etc as they are technically "different" each load) :P
Like I said, use refresh monkey to save your mouse and keyboard from wear and tear. Use your eyes to confirm the reg opened and your speedy, excellent honed mouse skill to progress past that.
I'm using page monitor and it would alarm on those image changes as well. The key is to use a monitor that lets you pick a specific section or line of HTML to watch.
The two I know of that do this are Distill Web Monitor and Page Monitor. Distill is easier to configure, Page Monitor has more obnoxious alerts included and can be set to keep alarming until you ACK the alert (it also claims to do page diffs).
That being said, they will fail if the site suddenly bogs down due to an influx of traffic, which is what happened to me last year. Those few seconds cost me a pair of four day badges. So while they are helpful, they are far from foolproof.
OK, I've taken the oath and have joined the watch.
My 15 year old is not excited. WTF. Kid plays Dota2 until his eyes bleed and he doesn't really feel PAX this year? I think the only logical explanation must be alien abduction. My 9 year old is psyched, on the other hand, so I'll be on board for badges.
Posts
I don't know how fast hotels fill up, but there will probably be a room share thread. Last year I was able to get a room as late as June/July with a group at the Sheraton which is a block away from the center. So even if things sell out you can probably get in with one of those, also the green tortoise hostel is open right now and they let you back out a couple days before check in.
Purchased my first 3-day in 2008 at the door. Hard to believe that was once possible with how popular Prime is nowadays.
It's a good thing their expanding the convention center. Hopefully that will takes some more pressure off.
Even with three PAXes in the country, they just sell out faster each year.
Sorry, but as someone who works swing, getting up at 8 to 9AM to camp the web site and twitter is a big deal, and that idea has crossed my mind.
Agreed. The demand has far outweighed the supply the last few years and will only continue to do so. Expansion will eventually allow more to attend, but it won't slow the rate at which passes are sold.
SkeleVader's spreadsheet shows 85 minutes for the complete sellout (multi and all single-day badges) last year but I have to believe that includes the entire checkout process. Unless you were in the queue within a few minutes of the link going live, your chances were almost nonexistent to get a full set, let alone any scattered singles.
The interesting thing is that that didn't happen till 2012, kinda wondering what the cause was. It would be interesting to see data on how many people go to multiple PAXes, and then how many people access the website to purchase (not just those who are able to). Quick sell out times could just be a community that is adapting to a sense of urgency(like SDCC lines post twilight), we see the quick/er sellout time of last year and adapt accordingly.
So while they're more buyers than tickets, quick sellout times don't automatically mean a super high demand, we would need more data before we can say that conclusively and determine how a larger convention center would accommodate.
Hadn't necessarily considered the urgency factor, but it makes perfect sense.
Just a nerd into anything Nintendo, anime, MCU, Star Wars, and board games/card games.
Also a computer scientist and a streamer.
The issue was sell outs breed sell outs. Each year Prime would sell out faster, so those people that missed out would make a note to check the site earlier the next year. This lead to a faster sell out and those people that missed would make a note to check the site earlier the next year.
Being the only real event of its kind that is open to the public it, the demand is high. This is about the only place the public can play a wide number of games before they are released.
Yes
Yes. I did it last year. It might vary from hotel to hotel, but hotels are usually much more accommodating about cancellations than airlines.
That said, I also have a batch of friends from Seattle and British Columbia that I go to PAX every year with, and we all watch out for each other when BadgeWatch rolls around - kind of an unofficial watchbill rotation. I have a job that lets me keep an eye on the twits, and with the push notifications and my trusty Pebble, the last 2 years I have been able to buy on my cell phone without issue.
Made my W reservation last September. Strolling distance to the WSCC, and Purple Wine bar!
Don't get your hopes up to much for Club PA members getting badges, there is no guarantee
I think they just say that to prevent people from signing up solely for priority access to badges, considering that it happened last year as well.
That's still a trend, not a guarantee that it will happen next year.
@zwitterion I wouldn't really worry about hotels as much as badges. The far away hotels are only a few blocks. My husband and I stay at the Westin each year and it's never been a problem getting a hotel. I do badges first then hotel.
That would be an interesting stat to see. When it's crunch time for badges, how many posts/pages per minute get posted to this forum?
I think I recall in years past, that it's not uncommon for me to refresh the forums and have their be 5 new pages in a few hours if that. Haha.
LOL it is when you come back expecting to see just a couple posts like last week.
I use refresh monkey but don't even bother relying on the alert. I rely on my eyes watching the registration link change from coming soon to buy tickets. Page refresh every 10 seconds, fuck your work badges are more important. PAX is love. PAX is life. Welcome home buddy.
Don't rely on the alerts. The alert will fire if literally anything changes in the source code of the page itself. You don't want to have a heart attack on your morning dog walk because someone changed some source code for a link or image that has nothing to do with registration. I believe it also fires if anything on the page is dynamically refreshed (ie adds, banners, etc as they are technically "different" each load) :P
Like I said, use refresh monkey to save your mouse and keyboard from wear and tear. Use your eyes to confirm the reg opened and your speedy, excellent honed mouse skill to progress past that.
The two I know of that do this are Distill Web Monitor and Page Monitor. Distill is easier to configure, Page Monitor has more obnoxious alerts included and can be set to keep alarming until you ACK the alert (it also claims to do page diffs).
That being said, they will fail if the site suddenly bogs down due to an influx of traffic, which is what happened to me last year. Those few seconds cost me a pair of four day badges. So while they are helpful, they are far from foolproof.
My 15 year old is not excited. WTF. Kid plays Dota2 until his eyes bleed and he doesn't really feel PAX this year? I think the only logical explanation must be alien abduction. My 9 year old is psyched, on the other hand, so I'll be on board for badges.