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PAX EAST 2012 SUGGESTIONS THREAD

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Posts

  • The_PowerThe_Power Registered User regular
    This was my first PAX and excursion to Boston. I was happily by myself.
    Cons/Pros, in-betweens:

    --Likely popular panels happening at the same time. For me this only happened once: with Gearbox and Bioware Base both doing awesome things on Sunday. This made me sad, but I did get a lot of good out of their other presentations throughout the three days.

    --While I agree that lines were pretty horrible, (1) We were warned; and (2) Making an effort to check out what we can't check from home is a no-brainer. I have Borderlands 2 pre-ordered. I had no need to wait around to play and was content with watching other gamers play and directing any burning questions to exhibitors/devs. After all, they were there for us at all times. The whole indie section was amazing and I'm hoping it grows exponentially for future shows. MrGone1980 and I had similar experiences with this section. I loved every bit of it. Would be cool to see more Indie and less AAA games in the future, but that is my opinion.

    --On the other hand, why did Asscreed3 and LolliChainsaw and Aliens:CM had their demo sections covered while Borderlands 2, Spec Ops, Future Soldier and many others didn't? What is up with that? Again, would have liked to at least SEE if I knew I couldn't make the line. I think that would make a lot less people feel the hate creep up... I know I did.

    --Transportation ending at around midnight and dealing with cabs. Uuuuuurgh.

    --BCEC Food. Uuuuuuurghhhhhh! PAX East as a whole experience wasn't hard on my cash but man if I had to buy food at the con center, forget it. Everything I had planned money-wise would have fallen apart.

    --On Friday I got to check out around Boston, especially Quincy Market and on Sunday I attended the amazing Girl's Meet Up. Oh. Heck. Yeah. So, I think taking a break from PAX to see what else is around you should continue to be encouraged.

    Can't talk about many other features that I didn't get to see, like checking out tabletop gaming or console tourneys but I had the opportunity to do so very many awesome things. I chilled at the handheld lounge, tried the classic arcades, even tried console freeplay and all was very good. I was witness to a freeplay concert featuring Mass Effect cosplayers. Enforcers were helpful and gracious with me at all times. I have nothing but immeasurable praise for them. Friday night concert was incredible. Minibosses stole my heart. I even got to attend the Namco-Bandai Chicken & Waffle party. Outside the con on Sunday on my way to the Silver Line, I saw Link play a mean guitar. My biggest negative is that it all had to end at one point.


    "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."
  • WolfieeWolfiee Web/Graphic Designer and Illustrator MARegistered User regular
    CthulhuKat wrote: »
    "Oh, that reminds me! The way they checked IDs was really REALLY stupid. They didn't card anyone until they already spent an hour+ waiting in line. I remembered there were some kids further back in the Borderlands 2 line, and felt like shit knowing they had to endure that long wait for nothing. My brother and I brought that up to them before we were lead to our demo kiosks but, I doubt it did any good. Honestly, if you're going to age restrict the games, do it at the start of the line. Not the end.

    or even just have signs stating clearly that you need to be a certain age to play. How hard could it be to print a piece of paper with 1 sentence. "



    You need to be a certain age to play M rated games. This is not new, or news. You should know if you're of an age to play M rated games. And if you're not don't get in line in the first place. That's like going into a grocery store, shopping around, getting on line and getting mad at the cashier for IDing you for the beer you picked up. It's to be expected.

    Very true and a good point, but kids don't think of that sort of thing. To them, PAX is one big event where they get to run around and play any game they want. I agree that IDs should be check at the start of the line, or there should at least be a sign at the beginning to warn people who think all "rules" and "bets" are off at an event they paid for.

    0CsmwYt.jpg
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  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    i have been to PAX east all 3 years so far, and while it is getting better and bigger, the strain on enforcers is much more evident now. i heard more yelling from enforcers this year to make people stop running/shoving/etc. the larger crowds combined with the sloppy line set up makes for a very difficult time ensuring a spot.

    me and my friend were near the very front of the GB panel line, and when it came time to get into the hall it became a mad dash to the doors. we ended up several rows back despite being in the first 30 people in line.
    overall i wish the wait time for some things was shorter but i feel an hour wait isn't too bad. i did end up waiting almost 3 hours for borderlands 2, which felt like a mistake even if it was awesome.

  • mcjagger45mcjagger45 Registered User new member
    this years pax was my first convention i have ever been to and i gotta say this was a blast and im looking foward to next year

  • BigRedBigRed Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    clutch10 wrote: »
    Organize the media presentations in a different fashion. Can't tell you how much of a bummer it is to wait in line for an hour and a half, only to see a select group of media members ushered into the exhibit ahead of you. I don't remember this being as prevailent last year (my first PAX) as it was this year.

    Also maybe set up some sort of wristband or fastpass system, so that people won't be forced to sit in those long lines. Go to the exhibit, register your fastpass, then come back at the appointed time (rather than waste valuable time, yes, in line...sensing a theme to my gripes? :) ) The thing is, some of us opted for a one-day pass, and given the limited amount of time, it's a bit disheartening to eat up 1/3 or more of one's time waiting. I did have a great time this year, but just wanted to add my 2-cents...thanks for listening!

    Media shouldnt be cutting in lines, they are treated like normal attendees. The only thing they get is entry into expo an hour early on friday and access to the media room.

    Fast pass is a terrible idea and has been shot down many many many times.
    So instead of stand in line for a theater that is most fair to everyone, you have to stand in line to get a fast pass which not everyone might know about.

    You cant see everything at PAX, you havent been able to for years. You have to pick and choose on what you want to do. The best way is to pick a few things to do throughout the weekend and do those, then do whatever comes along.

    <MoeFwacky> besides, BigRed-Worky is right
  • ArtereisArtereis Registered User regular
    You should not be able to buy a tiny booth and then have raffles that cause the crowds to take up nearly all the walking space. I hate those more than anything else.

  • nevermore13nevermore13 Registered User regular
    A lot of what I probably would have said has been mentioned so I will just point out a few things:

    -BCEC food is obviously overpriced unfortunately food is not controlled by PAX and hopefully the plan to build up the BCEC area that I keep hearing about is true so there will be more options.

    -AAA titles are going to have long waits, AAA titles are popular that is why they are AAA titles. I get that most of you who mentioned the long lines for these titles really want to play them. Lots of people really want to play them hence the long lines. I chose to play smaller games and therefore did not have to deal with lines of that length, but for popular titles unfortunately as I mentioned its inevitable.

    -Popular panels are put up against each other intentionally. Part of going to an event of this size is having to make choices. By offering multiple popular panels at once, you have options and the panel you want to go to may not fill up as early or at all. Imagine if no popular panels were put it against each other, lines would be massive (2+ hour waits would probably be the norm), and it is possible you might miss all those panels you wanted instead of just one or two.

    -On the M-rated games subject I will just mention the ESRB exists for a reason people should know to follow it. I hate to sound harsh but if they don't and get carded after waiting in a line they are to blame not the exhibitor.

    -Overall I think that this year was once again great just like the past two and possibly better. I personally don't feel that it was too crowded nor did I think the lines were any worse than last year, but it may have been the ones I choose to wait in.

  • CthulhuKatCthulhuKat Registered User new member
    "That's funny because the enforcer at the line for Borderlands 2 was holding up a sign on Sunday that read "Come back after 1:00" because there was already a 2 hour wait, plus a line waiting to get in the line. We left and came back at 1 (before getting in line for Gearbox at 1:30) to see if it got any better and it was still a 2+ hour wait. "

    I was able to walk up at ~2:30 (Right after I finished playing some SWTOR may have been 2:35?ish) and there were 3 open systems. I asked if I could hop on and was told yes. I walked by later (4:30ish) and they were half empty, no line.

  • lemonadeomnilemonadeomni Registered User regular
    Con:

    Jerry literally has the ability to appear out of nowhere. He walked right in front of me while I was quite literally saying, "I always forget what the bald guy's name is who runs Penny Arcade."

  • AlęxAlęx Registered User regular
    BigRed wrote: »

    Media shouldnt be cutting in lines, they are treated like normal attendees. The only thing they get is entry into expo an hour early on friday and access to the media room.

    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    PAX East 2012 [ ]
    PAX East 2011 [ x ]
    PAX East 2010 [ x ]
  • ZombiewskiZombiewski New JerseyRegistered User regular
    This was my third year at PAX East, and every year it gets better. There were one or two glaring problems, but they only stick out because the rest of the show is so awesome. If I repeat stuff that's already been mentioned I don't mean to beat a dead horse, I just think if people point out issues that bother them that stuff gets fixed next time 'round. For instance...

    IMPROVEMENTS
    -Bigger, more spread out Expo Hall. I never felt the crush that I did last year, even during super busy times on Saturday. Yeah, sometimes you have to thread your way through large knots of people, but after living in NYC that stuff is second nature to me. Plus the Enforcers did a great job of making sure people didn't make clots in paths and kept stuff moving.

    -More seating in the food courts. This is probably a BCEC thing, and I only ate at the center one night for dinner (The Whiskey Priest and some sports bar were right across the bridge. They were a bit spendy, but WAY better than convention food), but just passing by it looked like there was plenty of seating this year. Last year it was ass to elbow and a crap shoot as to whether you'd get a table.

    -TVs streaming events throughout the center. It was cool to watch the Omegathon in an impromptu "living room" with people who just pulled up a chair to watch the show. Some of the TVs could've been louder, though.

    -No booth babes, except for the kerfuffle I heard about on Friday morning. (Walking into the expo hall that day there were some aggressive booth babes passing out flyers, but I guess they were dealt with.) I don't mind sex or skimpily clad women (or men), but I find it insulting when companies think they need those things to get my attention. Bravo to PAX for keeping games front and center.

    -More vendors! Specifically more retro game vendors, selling games for reasonable-to-ridiculous prices. I managed to pick up three NES games for cheaper than what I'd pay at my local store, so, hooray!

    BADNESS
    -The madness with swag bags on Friday morning. Enforcers in the Queue Room were awesome and passed bags down the line, so that was nice, but we never got the show brochure, which had more information than the Guidebook app, and wound up skipping the 1st Q&A to try to get on a panel that I guess had been bumped off or moved or something.-

    -Watching some jerk try to duck under the rope for Borderlands 2 on Sunday. What convention did he think he had gone to? Or had he never heard of (or chosen to ignore) Wheaton's Law? The Enforcers got him out of line quickly. Also the only spot of dickery I witnessed all weekend.

    -BCEC's food is awful and overpriced. High prices I can take, just give me something tasty.

    THOUGHTS
    -I would love to loan my games to Tabletop and Classic Console. TT in particular I felt was a little light in breadth this year--it seemed like it had a lot of the new hotness, not so much classics or lesser known games. Maybe TT was just that popular this year.

    -I don't know whether it was planned or just kismet, but I thought having tables by Borderlands 2 to act as a sort of "line before the line" worked really well. People who really wanted to wait could do so without milling around aimlessly or blocking the hallway, and it generally assured that if you waited your turn you'd get a spot.

    -Using empty rooms for queues for panels was a great idea.

    -Loved loved LOVED the mini-museum case in Classic Console. I hope it makes a return next year with new stuff. Or even its own room!

    Soul Silver FC: 0045 5822 7430, White FC: 0175 2366 9720, White 2 FC: 1636 2031 2006
    My NES blog and my Pokemon Snap tumblr.
  • thr4sherthr4sher Registered User regular
    some byoc suggestions...

    the fact that we had enforcers basically running a coat check type system so we could safely leave our gear in the lobby while we were loading/unloading/parking was AMAZING. My friends and I won the CS:GO tournament on sunday, and our MVP got a headset/KB/Mouse for prizes. someone stole the keyboard he won right off the table soon after while he went to the bathroom. Vapok and the other enforcers did their best to find it but the thief was long gone. I made this suggestion to Vapok and he seemed to love the idea, figured id post it here though just to be safe. there should be another coat check type setup inside the byoc so people can safely leave prizes they win while they play/explore. there was a ton of extra space in the byoc, a few extra tables an enforcer or two, and a roll of tickets could prevent things from "walking off".

    Also, it was a little loud in the byoc since we were basically separated from the expo by a piece of cloth. wasnt a huge problem, everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, but sometimes it was hard to hear announcements over the expo crowd. Maybe if at all possible get the PC area moved a little further away from the expo next year?

    thats all I have. pax was a blast as always.

  • ChimneyImpChimneyImp Shifty Eyes BostonRegistered User regular
    Seconding more maps. The BCEC's 2nd floor hallways look exactly the same, it's not easy to navigate. Also seconding "street signs" for theaters at intersections - it would be a great help.

    I noticed navigating the Expo hall, say trying to find a group of friends, was made much easier by all the tall booths and banners hanging from the ceiling that worked as landmarks, despite how huge the Expo Hall is. Can we get a few easy-to-see things in the Tabletop area next year? Just single-colored banners hanging from the ceiling, or having some reference for freeplay other than the numbered tables that WotC had in their area, would make it much easier to find people.

    Actually, now that I think of it, numbering the freeplay tables would be really useful. You could text/ tweet "Dominion at table 144" to meet up with people.

    Also, detailed maps of the expo hall hanging in the expo hall, please! Same thing for Tabletop. Even with the map in the guidebook, it was particularly hard to find the smaller booths, since they didn't have anything above then you could see from a distance.

    The water fountains were almost unusable at times because of low water pressure, probably due to Can someone suggest to the BCEC that they replace the head with the ones that make the water always take the same arc no matter the pressure? The Westin has them, the BCEC doesn't.

    Overall, this year was incredibly well run. I never even got to use my line games because almost everything started on time and lines were so well managed. I even saw Khoo looking calm and standing still, which is strange because I hear he's half human, half shark, and dies if he doesn't keep moving.

    Z04due2.png
  • ScorpiusScorpius Registered User regular
    Loved the fact that Games on Demand was here this year, and the Paint and Take. I didn't get to paint a mini due to it being busy and my own schedule but I loved seeing it.

    I loved the Enforcers as always.

    It didn't seem like there were more people this year to me, but that may be because I wasn't interested in the AAA video games. Spent lots of time looking at the smaller booths on the Expo Floor, or watching other people demo games on well placed monitors. Props to those booths with popular titles that set up accessible watching screens.

    I also noticed a considerable improvement in the attitude of BCEC employees this year. While I never had a serious issue last year, this year it seemed like they were going out of their way to be friendly.


    I did almost get hit by a closing shuttle door on Sunday night. Driver was the opposite of apologetic so I walked instead of waiting another 30 mins. It would be nice if there was a shuttle that looped between the BCEC, South Station and North Station.

  • PainePaine Registered User regular
    Having been to every PAX East so far, the only thing that I felt really was worse this year was the panel line management. Unlike last year, most of the Enforcers were not very well informed about the capacity or current state of their lines, leading to people being turned away from "full" lines that didn't fill the theater or standing in line only to not get in. At the Runaway Guys' panel, the snake-back-and-forth line turned into a mob as soon as the first line started going, leading to massive line cuts with no Enforcers in sight. (This may have been due to the higher-than-usual proportion of children at that panel.)

    6nOrszL.png
  • CoolMarquis97CoolMarquis97 Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    CthulhuKat wrote: »
    "Oh, that reminds me! The way they checked IDs was really REALLY stupid. They didn't card anyone until they already spent an hour+ waiting in line. I remembered there were some kids further back in the Borderlands 2 line, and felt like shit knowing they had to endure that long wait for nothing. My brother and I brought that up to them before we were lead to our demo kiosks but, I doubt it did any good. Honestly, if you're going to age restrict the games, do it at the start of the line. Not the end.

    or even just have signs stating clearly that you need to be a certain age to play. How hard could it be to print a piece of paper with 1 sentence. "



    You need to be a certain age to play M rated games. This is not new, or news. You should know if you're of an age to play M rated games. And if you're not don't get in line in the first place. That's like going into a grocery store, shopping around, getting on line and getting mad at the cashier for IDing you for the beer you picked up. It's to be expected.



    This is not to be expected. They were letting kids play anything from Max Payne to The Witcher 2. Why have kids be allowed to some games and then reject them for others. Why not either just have every M rating game check for id's or just completely get rid of it. Or at least allow kids with parents who have an ID to be able to tell Staff that it is okay for their sun to play.

    CoolMarquis97 on
  • clutch10clutch10 Registered User regular
    BigRed wrote: »
    clutch10 wrote: »
    Organize the media presentations in a different fashion. Can't tell you how much of a bummer it is to wait in line for an hour and a half, only to see a select group of media members ushered into the exhibit ahead of you. I don't remember this being as prevailent last year (my first PAX) as it was this year.

    Also maybe set up some sort of wristband or fastpass system, so that people won't be forced to sit in those long lines. Go to the exhibit, register your fastpass, then come back at the appointed time (rather than waste valuable time, yes, in line...sensing a theme to my gripes? :) ) The thing is, some of us opted for a one-day pass, and given the limited amount of time, it's a bit disheartening to eat up 1/3 or more of one's time waiting. I did have a great time this year, but just wanted to add my 2-cents...thanks for listening!

    Media shouldnt be cutting in lines, they are treated like normal attendees. The only thing they get is entry into expo an hour early on friday and access to the media room.

    Fast pass is a terrible idea and has been shot down many many many times.
    So instead of stand in line for a theater that is most fair to everyone, you have to stand in line to get a fast pass which not everyone might know about.

    You cant see everything at PAX, you havent been able to for years. You have to pick and choose on what you want to do. The best way is to pick a few things to do throughout the weekend and do those, then do whatever comes along.

    Ummm...the media DID cut into lines. I saw it myself; I was second in line for the next session in a particular line, and they let in maybe 8 or 10 media members ahead of us. So they most definitely weren't treated like normal attendees. Look, I get it - the devs are more interested in having a journalist write an article on a game than having an ordinary joe like me take up a spot in their screening room. But please don't make me (a paying customer, after all) feel like a second-class citizen compared to them.

    I'm not naive enough to think I can see everything at PAX. But if I'm only able to spring for a 1-day pass, I should be able to see at least a couple of the marquee titles. With the length of lines this year, it just wasn't logistically possible. I don't have the answer to how to fix it, but that doesn't mean I'll just accept it as "well, that's just the way it is."

  • TennbergTennberg Boston, MARegistered User regular
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

  • AlęxAlęx Registered User regular
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    The developers are there to make money. Media badge or not, the press will jump lines.

    PAX East 2012 [ ]
    PAX East 2011 [ x ]
    PAX East 2010 [ x ]
  • rnicollrnicoll Registered User regular
    Laemkral wrote: »
    As for why the exhibition hall closes at 7, it's because you're asking every company to tell its employees to work an extra 3 hours now to stay open until 10. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of working 12 hours a day, never mind the showing up early for setup and staying after close to put everything away for the night.

    Also, they're probably working 12 hour days already. I've met up with someone who was working on a booth at PAX after the show, before, and it was 2-ish hours after the hall closed before they'd actually finished and could leave. Then of course the same people may be on panels or helping with company parties later...

  • ottoman673ottoman673 Registered User regular
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    Media outlets do this at Gamescom.
    Media outlets did this at Leipzig.
    Media outlets do this at Prime.

    Media = Revenue. Individual Gamer = $60.

    Anyway, serious suggestion time:

    1. I know there's a massive debate about it already in threads below, but: set UNIVERSAL dress guidelines for cosplay, costumes, etc. - for exhibitors and attending cosplayers alike. Why? Because then you don't have to deal with the shitstorm fallout of sending the Lollipop Chainsaw girl home while attendees walked around with excessive boobage or too short of skirts.

    2. Never let that sad fucking excuse of a man named Nathan Barnett into PAX, ever again. I don't care if he signs his life away to regain entry - that man is a disgrace to the community, who finds it fun to detract from other people's experience by crashing panels. Fucking pathetic. That lifetime ban better hold up.

    3. While I imagine the food distributors are more than likely contracted by the MCCA, make a push to get food trucks in the area of the BCEC. Maybe not on the premises, but set something up shortly down the street, or near the Seaport, etc. The con food wasn't bad.. except for the fact that i paid $6.00 for ONE slice of pizza. Come on now, really? I found myself wasting valuable show time to either flee to the 7-11 or go to South Station for reasonably priced meals that actually filled me up.

    4. You know what's not cool? Seeing tabletop/ccg vendors in the main expo hall when there's a massive fucking tabletop HQ just mere steps away.

    5. The massive amount of advertisements in the swag bags can really be cut down, especially when they're similar adverts to what people pass to you on the expo floor.

    Things I liked this year:

    1. The Bioware room was a great idea, as was the Kickstarter Lounge.

    2. ACAM was phenomenal, as always.

    3. Everyone seemed to be complaining about Friday morning, and not getting their swag bag/being herded into the queue lines. ...when? I walked in through the front right doors, immediately walked all the way to the back, and grabbed my swag bag. No problems. Proceeded to get in line with great people and bust out some Four Swords.

    4. To the Enforcer that was managing Rock Band Freeplay: You sir, did a GREAT thing. You kept that line nice and organized, and had a practical queue list running to keep things flowing smoothly. Last year, people putzed around selecting songs, etc. You avoided that. Congratulations.

    5. To the rest of the Enforcers: Thank you for all the hard work. Trust me, it didn't go unrecognized, and you've motivated me to want to sign up either for Prime or for East 2013.

    PAX East 2012 Checklist: [x] 3 Day Pass [x] Time off Work [x] Flight [x] Hotel
  • GausGaus Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Alęx wrote: »
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    The developers are there to make money. Media badge or not, the press will jump lines.

    It's still pretty terrible. I was waiting in line for a few hours ( because the demo was a 30 minute demo ) and they let a media guy jump in. I totally understand why they did it, but everyone in line had the feeling he just used his media badge to jump the line. He didn't ask any questions about the game, or even make eye contact. He just played, took his t-shirt and left. Maybe he's just a terrible journalist. ( probably just a blogger )

    I know PAX thinks of itself as a convention for gamers, but it feels like it's changing into something else.

    Gaus on
    Professional assassination. It's the highest form of public service. - Chiun
  • thespianthespian Registered User regular
    d0ughb0y wrote: »
    I've worked at a company that does a convention every year. Not nearly on the same scale as this, however we also attend conventions that are this be for our entire industry and we run booths.

    If you're doing that for your job, you're at work the whole time. If you're on the floor or if you're out to dinner with clients/customers, or you're cleaning up... you're WORKING. Labor laws? ROFL. Longer hours means more pay? Nope... salary. You do what your job requires.

    When you leave the hall, you're going out to dinner or you're going back to your hotel bar. You're not 'going home to spend time with family'. Anyone that does these knows that you're going to be putting in 16-18 hour days to set up, to do the con, and to break down. You relax when it is over, not for a few hours each day.
    Speaketh not of what you do not know. I have worked booths all three years at PAX: the first two I got hourly pay. This year all I did was demo Dominion for 8 hours to get my pass. You do not know what every exhibitor does, so that is invalid.

    Second, the comment about Convention Staff was about BCEC staff, who do indeed go home to their families.

    I think you read this pretty quickly and responded in high dudgeon. I had already pointed out the 8 hour, full day work of the exhibit hall, but you made a few snap responses here that are incorrect.

    S.

  • aerynkellyaerynkelly nothing to see here, move along Registered User regular
    I'm sure I'll have more thoughts as I get time to digest the experience a bit, but primarily, please, for the love of everything PAX and gaming, don't put BYOC next to League of Legends again. It wasn't so bad near the front of BYOC (near the PC freeplay area) but at the back table where I was I couldn't hear anything on my own PC over all the racket. It drove me out of BYOC most of the time. That said though, I can't thank the BYOC Enforcers enough, you guys rock! (All Enforcers rock, but BYOC is coolest ;) )

    fss_overall.png
  • Lady LilybellLady Lilybell Geeky Crafter & Baker South Shore, MARegistered User regular
    - Panels starting 15 to 30 minutes past the posted start time sucked! This just leads the panel to run over 20 to 25 minutes past the posted end time.
    *I look at Gearbox's direction for making the announcement the panel was being let in early. Only to have everyone stand up & squish in tight for an hour. The room had been empty for awhile before the panel.*

    5FzIdZ6.png
    I ♥ making awesome crafts! I ♥ my Cookie Brigaders!
  • ZombiewskiZombiewski New JerseyRegistered User regular
    Also: The Protomen were tits. So glad I got to see them as I missed their last concert that was close to my home.

    And I want to second the guy from the Draw a Strip panel: I'd love to see Anamananananabananarammaguchi.

    Soul Silver FC: 0045 5822 7430, White FC: 0175 2366 9720, White 2 FC: 1636 2031 2006
    My NES blog and my Pokemon Snap tumblr.
  • PsykusPsykus Registered User regular
    I wish there was a way to get a convention map/guide on the first day outside of getting a swag bag. Due to all the other free stuff in the bag, the lines were absolutely massive on Friday and I really didn't want to wait in line just to get a map, though I got one later on Saturday when the free stuff had ran out and the lines were non existent. Having a map for the first day without waiting in massive lines would have been nice.

  • clutch10clutch10 Registered User regular
    Gaus wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    The developers are there to make money. Media badge or not, the press will jump lines.

    It's still pretty terrible. I was waiting in line for a few hours ( because the demo was a 30 minute demo ) and they let a media guy jump in. I totally understand why they did it, but everyone in line had the feeling he just used his media badge to jump the line. He didn't ask any questions about the game, or even make eye contact. He just played, took his t-shirt and left. Maybe he's just a terrible journalist. ( probably just a blogger )

    I know PAX thinks of itself as a convention for gamers, but it feels like it's changing into something else.

    Totally agree. What's more, it seems like anyone with a camera and/or microphone qualifies as "media."

    People can quote stats to me all day, about the revenue generated from a plebe like me vs. a media outlet...I always imagined PAX was above that sort of attitude. And if that's truly the case, then why make the show available to the public at all? Why not make it open to only the media? That would really increase their revenue numbers!!

    Even though I had a good time (and fully expect to return next year), I can't help but echo your feeling that it's changing into something else.

  • ottoman673ottoman673 Registered User regular
    clutch10 wrote: »
    Gaus wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    The developers are there to make money. Media badge or not, the press will jump lines.

    It's still pretty terrible. I was waiting in line for a few hours ( because the demo was a 30 minute demo ) and they let a media guy jump in. I totally understand why they did it, but everyone in line had the feeling he just used his media badge to jump the line. He didn't ask any questions about the game, or even make eye contact. He just played, took his t-shirt and left. Maybe he's just a terrible journalist. ( probably just a blogger )

    I know PAX thinks of itself as a convention for gamers, but it feels like it's changing into something else.

    Totally agree. What's more, it seems like anyone with a camera and/or microphone qualifies as "media."

    People can quote stats to me all day, about the revenue generated from a plebe like me vs. a media outlet...I always imagined PAX was above that sort of attitude. And if that's truly the case, then why make the show available to the public at all? Why not make it open to only the media? That would really increase their revenue numbers!!

    Even though I had a good time (and fully expect to return next year), I can't help but echo your feeling that it's changing into something else.

    If anything, the criteria to be media became more strict this year. Trust me -- i tried.

    PAX East 2012 Checklist: [x] 3 Day Pass [x] Time off Work [x] Flight [x] Hotel
  • KrisnyrKrisnyr Registered User new member
    This was my first PAX. My friends have been going since this started here three years ago. Since I didn't have much to base it on I will give you my list of pros and cons for this year.


    Cons: Booth Babes. Now, I get why some people would want them there. They are attractive practically naked woman near games. My problem is not so much how they dress (for some like the lollipop chainsaw that was a big issue for me but not every booth babe was skanky) but the fact that most had no clue what the product was and was clearly only there to attract the younger guys to their booths. Another thing was that they would talk about a product and try to push it but seemed to be saying things as if it were scripted. That really stopped me from seeing certain games. I wanted to take pictures of things (tank/cosplay stuff) but couldn't because of some of the booth babes who were prancing around half naked for attention. Honestly, I get it but it was irritating.

    While I was happy with most of the enforcers, I was not too pleased with some on the expo floor near the Riot area. I got the whole queue line for the spin to win but they were completely unorganized and unfair. People were blocking the walk way trying to stay close for when the line opened up but some enforcers and Riot people where nasty and clearing some people out but others they allow to stay closer so they can get first dips on getting in queue. My group and I were out of the way trying to figure out of next stop when they come over being really rude. Mind you we were out of the walkway and the people that were crowding around making their own line were not talked to but herded to the newly opened queue line. It was really ridiculous. I think they could have done that better. Clear the walkway before they started lining up again or tell people how long the wait would be and call out before it would open. Something would have been better than the crap they pulled. Also, Just giving things out at random would be better than spin to win. At the end of Sunday they only had the $5 riot point card, tattoos and water bottles. If you landed on anything other than a bottle you got a $5 card. Just start handing then out it would have been much better than a 2 hour line for swag and attitude.

    I am on the same boat as most with the long lines, so-so panels, things running late with no notice to us, terrible WiFi, pricey mediocre food, unfair treatment to those who DID wait hours and for closing the expo area so early.

    The Pros: The table top area was amazing. I can't say enough about the game rental places and the magic tournaments. It was awesome. The concert on Saturday night was another big highlight for me. I was surprised how well that went. Especially for some of the dancers up there from the omegatron. It was very well done. Create a strip was hysterical. It was a get Pax but I am hoping with Pax being in boston for the next 12 years that it will only get better.

  • AlęxAlęx Registered User regular
    ottoman673 wrote: »
    clutch10 wrote: »
    Gaus wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Tennberg wrote: »
    Alęx wrote: »
    Developers let media skip the lines because of the schedules we have to keep. Most developers understand that we have tight schedules to stick to and absurd quotas to meet.

    Not to mention the money press generates. A regular attendee has the potential to land them $60. Media outlets land them millions of dollars.

    If this were an expo geared toward media, then that wouldn't be a problem. However, it's a gamers expo. You have no right to jump in front of an hour long line just so the developer can get a mention on your blog.

    As I mentioned in another post, either give media passes their own dedicated day before or after PAX (and make them use normal attendee passes on the actual days) or eliminate the media pass entirely. There were far too many instances of media pass holders thinking they were on a pedestal at this year's PAX East.

    The developers are there to make money. Media badge or not, the press will jump lines.

    It's still pretty terrible. I was waiting in line for a few hours ( because the demo was a 30 minute demo ) and they let a media guy jump in. I totally understand why they did it, but everyone in line had the feeling he just used his media badge to jump the line. He didn't ask any questions about the game, or even make eye contact. He just played, took his t-shirt and left. Maybe he's just a terrible journalist. ( probably just a blogger )

    I know PAX thinks of itself as a convention for gamers, but it feels like it's changing into something else.

    Totally agree. What's more, it seems like anyone with a camera and/or microphone qualifies as "media."

    People can quote stats to me all day, about the revenue generated from a plebe like me vs. a media outlet...I always imagined PAX was above that sort of attitude. And if that's truly the case, then why make the show available to the public at all? Why not make it open to only the media? That would really increase their revenue numbers!!

    Even though I had a good time (and fully expect to return next year), I can't help but echo your feeling that it's changing into something else.

    If anything, the criteria to be media became more strict this year. Trust me -- i tried.

    Indeed. The following items were required to even have a chance at a media badge this year.

    Business License for Media Outlet
    Letter on Company Letterhead from Editor
    A photocopy of your business card
    Photocopies or links of two (2) articles written by you in the past 3 months
    Photocopy of a drivers license or other government id

    Last year was worse, TBH. Just about anyone and their grandma could earn media access with a wordpress blog or youtube channel.

    PAX East 2012 [ ]
    PAX East 2011 [ x ]
    PAX East 2010 [ x ]
  • AlęxAlęx Registered User regular
    clutch10 wrote: »
    People can quote stats to me all day, about the revenue generated from a plebe like me vs. a media outlet...I always imagined PAX was above that sort of attitude. And if that's truly the case, then why make the show available to the public at all? Why not make it open to only the media? That would really increase their revenue numbers!!

    Even though I had a good time (and fully expect to return next year), I can't help but echo your feeling that it's changing into something else.

    PAX is above that sort of attitude. 2K Games, Ubisoft, and Rockstar... not so much.

    PAX East 2012 [ ]
    PAX East 2011 [ x ]
    PAX East 2010 [ x ]
  • aikoeaikoe Registered User regular
    Krisnyr wrote: »
    Cons: Booth Babes.
    I had totally forgotten about this. Booth Babes aren't allowed at PAX, but that sure as hell didn't stop me from seeing them. I saw at LEAST three scantily-clad female cosplayers who were very clearly being sponsored. Two of them had on bottoms so skimpy they were more ass cheek than clothing. I know at least one of the girls had to change, but I didn't hear if anything happened to the others.

    I also saw several women at booths, who weren't cosplaying but were wearing tiny skirts, shorts, and/or tops. Now, I'll give it to them, I talked to a few of them and they clearly knew their shit and weren't just standing around being objects (though they were certainly doing that too). The others I can't vouch for. But regardless of the fact that those women knew what they were talking about, I feel they were really pushing the line.

    One other, very related thing: I saw a girl whose skirt was so short I could see her underwear. She was an attendee. She was not cosplaying. Can we extend the Booth Babe rule to include a general dress code? If I can see your ass when you're not even bent over, you should probably go home and change.

    PAX East 2014: 3-Day Pass [X] | Hotel Room [X] | Transportation [X] | Time Off [X] | Costume [ ]
    NEED TWO ROOMS IN THE WESTIN ON THURSDAY NIGHT! Please PM me!
  • YodaTunaYodaTuna Registered User regular
    Kiashien wrote: »
    Wolfiee wrote:
    5. Organization. This is probably because of the ridiculous amount of people this year, but a lot of the organization for the lines, at least for panels, weren't very organized. Sometimes we never knew where the line began and ended and we were often moved around. As mentioned above, we would get in line really early for some panels (in fear of missing out), which sometimes granted us a front-row seat. However, there were many times where we would sit down in a line and then get moved to another room a few minutes later. This often resulted in a ton of people, who were BEHIND us, rushing to get in the front. This is unfair to those who were waiting longer. I also had a friend complain about a lot of people being confused as to where the line would start, causing them to just cut in front discretely. Again, unfair. I don't like waiting 2 hours only to have someone come in 5 minutes before the panel starts and get a better seat than me. Sounds whiny and babyish, but I can't help it.

    Lines were screwed up due to Convention staff this year is my understanding. They're working on it, but it wasn't Enforcer's fault. Also, you weren't supposed to be allowed to line up at all until X minutes before the start to dissuade people from lining up 2 hours early. Again, more inter-staff confusion is my understanding.

    I'm gonna disagree with you here. The actual convention staff was far less prevalent this year than last year. The only thing I ever saw them do was check badges at the doors. They never did any line management. Last year they did, and it was awful, because those people are assholes. They seemed nicer this year though. Enforcers were running line management and honestly doing a poor job at it. I know they are volunteers, but maybe they need to get some paid enforcers there with a better sense of hierarchy and coordination. Several panels I went to started over a half hour late. I don't know who's fault that is, but it should be the enforcers job to let us know about these things.

    One thing that bothered me was that the Twitter feeds for the lines didn't seem to be as frequently updated as last year. I almost didn't go to the State of the Game panel because I thought it would be packed (didn't know Day9 wasn't going to be there) because I was running late. I just happened to decide to walk by the line about 5 minutes before the panel started to double check the situation and there was barely anyone in line. If I hadn't bothered to check, I would have missed the panel for no reason. Wouldn't have been a problem if Twitter was as consistently updated as last year.

    I will commend Ubisoft for their line management for Assassin's Creed (on Sunday anyway). They only let people like up every 15 minutes so they didn't have 4 hour lines. Went up at a 15 minute interval and got in line no problem and only waited a half hour to see the presentation.

  • TraitoriousTraitorious Registered User regular
    Add me to the more maps around the convention center group.

    Would also like to see additional food options (trucks, temporary setups in queue hall by outside vendors, etc) in/around BCEC. I stayed in the Hilton Financial hotel, so I could make an excuse of dropping stuff off to also get some non-$10 lunch/dinner away from BCEC. I'd rather not have to do that though.

    The media thing is touchy. I liked last Prime how a lot of developers had a kiosk specifically for media so there was less (at least to me it seemed like less) media favoritism then this past weekend. I think that is one of the better compromises as to keeping this expo about the gamers and not the media. PAX was setup to be the anti-E3 after all.

    One thing that I'm not sure would be possible logistically/infrastructure-wise is having monitors in the expo hall area showing upcoming panels, tournaments, raffles (if PA could get info from companies doing raffles), and other stuff. Granted the official and third-party apps are beyond great, but having something just there and in your face without having to always check your phone/tablet would be nice.

    After seeing how Boston's roads are laid out; I'm not sure this suggestion would be implemented, but could the 8am-10am and 6pm-8pm shuttle time frames have buses leave every 15 minutes instead of 30?

  • jdixon1972jdixon1972 Registered User regular
    Alex is right. If the developers don't wont to be there to display their warez to the average gamer, then they don't need to be there. If the media are so interested in these games, they can either get regular passes like rest of us, or wait and go to E3 or CES. Those places are media whores anyway.

    I greatly agree with the map ideas though. I would always find myself turned around after getting off escalators. Adding actual room numbers to the maps in the swag book, and adding more maps at escalator exits or corners would help alot!!!!

    As for wireless and networking issues. That's something the BCEC would have to take care of. I don't think there wireless systems have been adequate any of the past 3 years and it doesn't look like there doing anything to help it. Their website promotes over 113 access points, but the average wireless router, either personal or commercial, usually supports 10 to 40. So, let's assume it's 40. That's roughly 4500 simultaneous connections. The downside to that many connections is, no matter what kind of router it is, the more users on a single router, the slower the connections will be. As for ethernet networking (console free play, pc free play, etc.) I'm not exactly sure how that works. Again, from the BCEC website, it states they have T3 lines running on a fiber backbone. T3's are fast but why use them when you can go all fiber??? Internet speed should be highly important for a venue that is in the middle of a high tech city such as Boston. However, it's a done deal that the BCEC will expand at some point, so hopefully this will somewhat be rectified before Pax's 10 year contract runs out.

  • Thin Red PasteThin Red Paste Way out in the sticks.Registered User regular
    Bioware's off-floor space seemed like something that could be beneficial (although I got the feeling it was largely off-floor to keep the ending shitstorm off-floor [which is a good idea itself]). There were a lot of vacant meeting rooms around the convention center, maybe companies that feel like they're going to be showing the "really huge" games and expecting monstrous lines *coughmaxpaynecough* could put in an application to use one of those as an alternate location for their demos, and keep congestion down on the expo floor?

    Or maybe I'm just bitter because I didn't get to play max payne.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Yeah, cell phone service was very hit and miss. I have AT&T and had almost zero service on the exhibition floor and couldn't connect to any WiFi on my iPhone. I suspect it was because the exhibition floor was more or less underground and on the bottom floor of a four floor building, but still it was pretty tough when you got split up.

    WiFi in the hall was terrible, but my 3G connection through Verizon was excellent the whole time, as was my wife's (iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus, respectively). It's really AT&T more than the building.
    Conando wrote: »
    Should have went to the burrito bar, guy. Those were good. The food quality would be a BCEC issue, and not anything the Penny Arcade fellows could do something about, though.

    The stuff downstairs was quite good as well, at least the sausage and peppers and the pulled pork were. The rest.. not so much.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • elderbotelderbot Registered User regular
    I spent almost the whole weekend in tabletop.

    Good:
    Enforcers - I was really impressed this year. They were noticeably friendlier and more helpful than the past two years. Multiple enforcers, especially the TT Tourney guys, went out of their way to help me over and over again. Thanks, guys!
    Table top layout - This was a much better setup than last year. It looked as though there were a lot more tables setup.
    Omegathon Final round - Crokinole was truly epic.

    Bad:
    Food - I wouldn't mind the price if the quality were just a touch better.
    Dead space - That queue room needs to be repurposed after the morning. The giant unused space is just sad looking. There's no doubt the PAX community can dream up a safe, fun, and cheap way to use this space for everyone's benefit.

    Suggestion:
    Can we put up some flags or table markers in Tabletop freeplay to make locating games easier? The suggested mode of finding pickup games was Twitter, but without better location markers it could be a bit hard to tell people exactly where you were. How about tall colored flags marking the rows?

    Concerts: I love the musicians that were there, but a few more new acts would be appreciated.

  • chocojoshchocojosh Registered User regular
    Oh yeah, one more thing. I don't really know if PAX investigates or cares about which vendors rent space on the floor, but I really could have done without the booths with surly looking comic book guys selling their retro games for absurdly high prices, I'm talking higher than you'd pay literally anywhere else including eBay or Amazon.com. Thankfully I don't think I witnessed a single person patronizing any of these idiots, but get rid of them.


    Actually, I totally disagree on this. Yes I KNOW I could just buy old games on eBay, Amazon, or elsewhere (my favourite is Something Awful). It was actually one of the high points of my weekend to see all the old games and show them to my girlfriend and friends who didn't grow up playing nearly as many obscure games as I did. I pretty much immediately fangasmed over seeing Dragon Warrior 3 for Game Boy Color, with Final Fantasy Legend 1, 2, and 3, all at the same booth. Didn't buy them because the price was just a bit too high, and because they didn't have cases. Also, that booth the service seemed really crappy when my girlfriend went back on Saturday to buy a plushie, but that happens often enough at conventions and the other booths were much friendlier.

    I actually did pick up one of those retro NES/SNES/Genesis consoles, mainly sold on the fact that we could plug in actual controllers, and then spent another $80 on some controllers and old games, which were admittingly more expensive than I'd pay online, but I was at PAX and it was part of the experience to buy them with all the free swag. Maybe economically unsavvy, but hey, my money and you don't need to be offended by it.


    On the pro side, just want to give another shout-out to the enforcers. I've been attending cons for almost 10 years, volunteered at a few of them at different levels, and these volunteers are simply the best I've seen. Not always completely knowledgable, but we even had one admit with a smile that there was some confusion Friday morning with the lines and the swag bags (we simply took them when we saw them laid out 20 minutes later, and jumped back in our place in line).

This discussion has been closed.