The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
2024 BYOC Megathread
Hello PC folks!
It's time for another PAX East, and with it another BYOC!
BYOC tickets are available here. SOLD OUT
A couple important COVID-related notes:
- There will be no masking or vaccination mandates for PAX East 2024. For more information on our policies, visit our Safety, Security, & Wellness page. With that being said, it’s strongly recommended that attendees wear a mask and keep up to date with vaccinations, including booster shots if eligible, as these are the best methods to keep yourself and others from getting sick.
- Masks will no longer be required while in the venue.
Anyway, apologies for the delay, but group seating registration is now (finally) open!
Group Seating Requirements:
- Your party is considered a group if you have THREE or more people - yes we're dropping it to 3 this year, as capacity is lower and we want to ensure as many people as possible are able to sit together, if desired (pairs, have no fear, we rarely, if ever, have any trouble finding 2 seats together during check-in).
- Groups must pre-register seating assignments prior to PAX, or else seats will be based on first come, first served availability.
- Requests are taken on a first come, first served basis.
- Passes for ALL 4 days of PAX! (recommended to maximize fun, but not a hard requirement)
- If you have multiple BYOC badges, those count as seats (group members) so if you have 3 BYOC passes in your "group" (regardless the number of physical bodies) you qualify for group seating.
To request group seating, use the seating chart below to choose your seats and email pax_pc@paxsite.com
- Include the following information when requesting:
- Group Name
- Number of People (include handles too)
- Desired Location (include a backup location, too, as we can't promise we'll be able to keep the chart up-to-the-minute updated)
Click here to view the Seating chart!
Please note the seating chart is not final and subject to change. (This is actually always the case). If the seating chart does change and we have sufficient notice, we will give any groups who request it the opportunity to re-pick their seating. If we don't have sufficient notice, we will choose new seats for your group, doing our best to mimic what you chose in the old seating chart.
The seating chart above is most definitely not to scale. For those of you who have attended in the past, we will be in the same vicinity as past years (but not exactly where we were last year). We will still be using the 8 foot tables from last year instead of the usual 6 foot tables from the pre pandemic times. (while still maintaining 2 attendees per table to encourage a little social distancing)
The case mod area has been removed as there has been little interest at the past several shows.
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****PATCH YOUR PC BEFORE YOU ARRIVE****
If you're getting this, that means you have purchased a BYOC spot at PAX East to bring your computer and play on our dedicated network alongside a couple hundred friends you haven't met yet. To help make sure your BYOC festivities go smoothly, we've put together this little information packet for you. If you ever have any questions, feel free to email us at pax_pc@paxsite.com or to help ensure others benefit from your question, post in our forums.
Getting There (Thursday)
If you're travelling by car and getting there between 9:00am and 12:00pm on Thursday, our BYOC Early Load-in can be found here. Pull into the Westin / BCEC area at the base of the giant media wall. Follow this road (East Side Drive) all the way past the building, and down and back up the ramp (West Side Drive). Keep following the road until you get to Level 1 Southwest. This will be the first glass vestibule you come to on your right hand side.
We will have signs posted where the load-in area will be and there will be Enforcers inside the building manning a security station that can hold your equipment for you while you park your car.
If you have your BYOC Badge AND you are staying at the Westin, you can make use of the Westin skybridge. Once inside, use the escalator going down right in front of the skybridge entrance inside the BCEC and follow the path through North Lobby and around the Northwest corner of the building. Keep following the hallway until you get to "Southwest Lobby B2" just past the food court. From there you can make use of the elevator down to the PC Room level (Level 0 / Hall B2).
Note that BYOC opens at 9:00am on Thursday, one hour earlier than the rest of the show. Obviously, that's pending our ability to make sure things are totally ready for you, but our goal is you'll be able to set up your rig with plenty of time to hop in the Expo Hall line, if you were so inclined.
Getting There (After Thursday)
If you are not able to come on Thursday, BYOC move-in gets a little more complicated as we no longer have access to the BYOC entrance, meaning your only path is to come in through the main entrance. If you're coming before 10:30am on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you'll need to follow the main line through the north lobby and to the left, and just follow everyone to the queue hall. Once in the Queue Hall, you'll need to hang out there until 10:00am, at which point you can head over to the BYOC area on the other side of Tabletop.
If you're coming after 10:30am, come through the North Lobby and to the right, following that past the Food Court. Immediately on the opposite side of the food court here will be elevators and escalators to take you down directly into the PC Area.
Yes, those maps are very fancy, and yes we worked very hard on them. Thank you for noticing.
Basic LAN Party Information
****PATCH YOUR PC BEFORE YOU ARRIVE****
If you've never been to a LAN party, be sure to bring the following equipment:
PAX Badge
BYOC Badge
Computer
Monitor (Please no bigger than 27" LCD) and connecting cable
Keyboard
Mouse (we recommend wired, just to avoid any potential interference)
Mouse pad
Ethernet cable (25 feet should be sufficient, but longer is always better)
Power cables (but no extension cords or power strips. Maximum of two power connected devices)
Headphones
Game DVDs, Windows Installation (just in case), and backups for other programs you may need to install/reinstall.
We suggest printing off this list checking each item as you pack it. If you end up forgetting something, talk to an Enforcer and we might be able to help out.
****PATCH YOUR PC BEFORE YOU ARRIVE****
Pre-PAX Prep
Please update/patch your games before coming to PAX. This includes updating Steam, Impulse, Origin, and such. You will have access to the Internet, but bandwidth is extremely limited...you'll almost certainly get faster downloads at home.
PAX East Badge Registration
Your PAX East BYOC badges should be mailed to you shortly if you haven't received them already. Should you have questions or issues with this, please contact pax_questions@paxsite.com.
PAX East Schedule
The PAX East BYOC schedule is as follows:
Thursday: 9:00am - 12:00am
Friday: 10:00am - 12:00am
Saturday: 10:00am - 12:00am
Sunday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Tournament Schedule
The PC Tournament Schedule can be found on our schedule page here. Note this does not account for the various BYOC events, which brings us to....
BYOC Contests
The BYOC staff will be running organized games throughout each day. Some of the activities will have signups ahead of time while others you can just jump in and join us. Some of the games may be announced on the Penny Arcade forums, others may be a secret. Some of them will make sense and seem like reasonable games that reasonable people would play, and others..........uh, let's move on.
Security Information
There's a lot more to do at PAX than just play PC games, and we want you to be able to go do all of these things secure in the knowledge that your computer and peripherals are safe and sound. To that end, we probably put a much higher emphasis on security than most other LAN parties. Before you enter the PAX BYOC area, you will have to quickly register your computer and any monitor you're bringing into the computer area. We've gone to great lengths to keep the security processes in check, and as such, please keep your BYOC badge as visible as possible when entering the room.
While we will make every attempt to keep all equipment in the room safe, be aware that there is little we can do to prevent phones, tablets, portable game consoles, wads of cash, and other small items from walking off. We strongly suggest you keep such items out of plain view and use some common sense when it comes to your own security. If you're coming with a laptop, we also STRONGLY recommend you invest in a laptop lock. Seriously.
Voice Chat Information
We will have Discord servers available for tournaments and public gaming. While we will have the client available on our file server, it is recommended that you download and install Discord before you come to the event if you think there’s a chance you’d like to use it. You can download the client at https://discordapp.com/.
If you have any PC related questions at all during PAX, please see the BYOC Help Desk. If they're not able to provide a solution, they'll be able to direct you to the right people to get your problem solved.
Speaking of, if you haven't joined the official PAX Discord, you totally should. discord.gg/officialpax.
Internet Connection and Gaming
At a large venue such as PAX, bandwidth may be limited especially during peak times such as check-in. Please make sure you patch your games and system prior to arriving to save a little frustration on site.
Teardown
Nothing good lasts forever, and Sunday at 4pm we'll start the BYOC Loadout. If you've got access to a car, the easiest way is to use that same entrance just upstairs from BYOC. Get your equipment all packed up, take it up to the entrance, we'll keep an eye on it for you, grab your car and bring it around, and load up.
In Conclusion
We hope you have a great time at PAX! If you have any questions on any of the above (or beyond), feel free to reply to this email and we'll help however we can.
- PAX PC Team