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BYOC - I have a pass but what did I sign up for
Doc Bacon
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Howdy All
I realise that this is probably a stupid question, but better to beg forgiveness now before I pack up my laptop to come to Melbourne
So I bought a BYOC pass when I bought my 3 day pass way back when and now I'm not sure what the deal is (and I can't seem to find much to help me).
What games are mostly played in BYOC area?
Other than my laptop what else should I bring?
any other clues for a new guy (who is way out of practice on LANs)
Cheers
Doc Bacon
I realise that this is probably a stupid question, but better to beg forgiveness now before I pack up my laptop to come to Melbourne
So I bought a BYOC pass when I bought my 3 day pass way back when and now I'm not sure what the deal is (and I can't seem to find much to help me).
What games are mostly played in BYOC area?
Other than my laptop what else should I bring?
any other clues for a new guy (who is way out of practice on LANs)
Cheers
Doc Bacon
0
Posts
Here's a useful wiki
An Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certified power strip is meaningless in Australia. Last year they were tagging and testing onsite so a defective power board should not get past the electrician. I don't know if power boards are acceptable at PAX Aus.
The Wiki article states the power budget is 3.5A which would mean at 230V each station could use 805W if we ignore power factor, or three seats per 10A circuit. In other words well on the way to a one bar radiator per person or sufficient power for a small minicomputer like a MicroVAX, etc. Therefore 3.5A seems too generous for Australia while it would be appropriate for the USA running at a lower 110V.
Last year UPS power supplies were not allowed although there were so few people that they could have been used without any issues. Paranoia won out on that one. Think there were negative noises made about 240V phones charges as well. Best to ask for clarification.
Last year the only open competitions I saw in the BYOC area were:
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Microsoft Minesweeper
High speed button pressing
I wasn't in the area all the time so there would have been other games
Hopefully there will be more this year.
Each person played whatever games they brought to the venue.
Cheers
Also as of the most recent BYOCs, power strips were not allowed, period.
I just made a few edits to hopefully at least make things less confusing for the areas where we don't have complete information.
Of course there are other things to expect like security and such. If you have people with you who do not have BYOC badges, do not expect them to get in.
The badges aren't labeled or named.
Last year there were a bunch of people playing League of legends, Dota 2. Team fortress 2, BF3, left 4 dead and world of tanks. I kind of spent close to an entire day playing kerbal space program aided by passing engineers... I guess you can call that multiplayer.
I'll reinstall L4D2 - any other suggestions?
I'll be bringing a Surface Pro 1 (I'll have to run many games at potato quality levels) but I was also thinking of bringing my Wii U. Has anyone brought consoles to play at PAX BYOC? Smash won't be out but if anyone was interested there could be some Mario Kart or another game to play. The problem is that I imported an America Wii U and use a travel adaptor to plug it in. This works fine at the power pack is universal but I was wondering if that would be a problem? There's also the problem of it taking too much space and blocking mine or others' power ports. I really wish I could find an Australian power adaptor to use, though. If any of this was a problem I might as well not bother bringing it.
Hopefully I can get my Surface set up to play some games, but there's so many panels and other stuff to check out I'm not sure I'd be there all that often (I'll basically be following Chris Roberts to his panels!). If I do find time to spend there I'd like to play Borderlands with people (ANY of the three games, but my preference would be the Pre-Sequel). Anyone up for some Borderlands?
Thanks for the input! I was thinking about it and I'm glad to know that I won't bring all that for nothing. It's actually nice knowing that all I will need to bring is my laptop/tablet hybrid. When I bought the BYOC badge I was trying to figure out the logistics of bringing my desktop and there is no way I'm risking my brand new rig for that! So it's low-res, ~30 fps for me!
Is there much swag at an event like this? I don't know if there is or not outside of Pinny Arcade. I'm just concerned that my messenger bag might not be able to take it! If there is, do people tend to store their swag at their seat in the BYOC so they don't have to lug it around?
It pretty much felt like your general dedicated LAN cafe, and so, outside of signing up for the competitions, there was no real directed play.
So I wound up mainly socialising with the guys sitting next to me, and using the internet for my own devices the entire weekend.
I'll have to walk past this year and see whether it's improved.
If you're getting this, that means you have purchased a BYOC spot at PAX Aus 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 at http://forums.penny-arcade.com/categories/pax-australia.
--- Getting There ---
Complete instructions for arriving and departing are available at:
http://hw1.pa-cdn.com/pax/aus/BYOC_Access.pdf
We strongly recommend printing that out and bringing it with you as a reference.
--- Basic LAN Party Information ---
If you've never been to a LAN party, be sure to bring the following:
BYOC Badge (in addition to your normal PAX badge)
Computer
Monitor (Please no bigger than 27" LCD)
Keyboard
Mouse (we recommend wired, just to avoid any potential interference)
Mouse pad
Ethernet cable (6 meters should be sufficient, but longer is always better)
Power cables
Headphones
Games CDs/DVDs, Windows CD, and backups for other programs you may need to install/reinstall.
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 limited!
Please be sure to enable virus protection on your computer before connecting it to our network. Any computers that are found with a virus will be immediately disconnected from the network until the matter is resolved.
--- PAX Aus Badge Registration ---
Your PAX Aus 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 registration@paxsite.com.
--- PAX Aus BYOC Schedule ---
The PAX Aus BYOC schedule is as follows:
Friday: 9:00am - 11:30pm*
Saturday: 10:00am - 11:30pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 5:30pm
* Early Access is provided to BYOC Attendees exclusively on Friday to offer time to setup your rig while still having the ability to storm the expo hall as it opens. Please be aware that access to the rest of the show is not permitted until 10:00am, and no attendee access to BYOC will be offered until 10:00am on Saturday or Sunday.
--- BYOC Contests ---
The BYOC staff will be running organized games throughout each day in the games on the list. Some of the activities will have signups ahead of time while others you can just jump in game and join us. Scheduled times will be available on site starting at check-in.
--- 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 iPods, tablets, portable game consoles, CD's, big 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 Ventrilo 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 Ventrilo before you come to the event. You can download the client at http://www.ventrilo.com.
If you have any PC related questions at all during PAX, please see the BYOC Help Desk (near the entrance of BYOC). 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.
See ya'll at PAX!
==============================================
A pdf of 'how to get your computer in the building' info has been sent to the BYOC folk so if you haven't got it might want to follow up with someone.
Looking at the MCEC web site it says:
Edited.... Moved my questions to PAX Aus 2014 questions thread.