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Need a PC for PAX? (NSF56k)
slacktron
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi there, PC gamers.
I'm the proud owner of four modded, overclocked, competition-level computers with HDs packed full of games, and the sad fact is that I can only reserve one PC slot for myself.
As it is, I'm driving my van up from Eugene, so I can take one or all of them with pretty much the same level of inconvenience to myself. So... for those of you flying in from Timbuktu or wherever, who are really jonesin' to do some PC gaming but can't afford to fly your monitor/system in with you, I can loan you a couple of machines.
Here's how it will work:
--I'll arrive at the Meydenbauer Center early Friday Afternoon and park my van in the basement.
--You meet me in the PC gaming room, we go down to my van, pick up your computer, check it in, and you start playing.
--Sunday, at around 2:00 PM, you stop playing and help me carry the thing back down to my van.
The rules are simple:
Don't download or install anything without asking me first.
Don't delete or rename anything.
If you have anger management problems that you take out on your mouse/keyboard, bring your own.
Share: if you're going to be gone a while, let other people have a turn playing. I hope to keep all my systems close together, so there should be someone there to keep an eye on it while you are gone. Last year, I had zero problems with vandalism and theft, which is why I'm making this offer.
Here's the basic specs on the three systems:
Abit NF7-S motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 3200 (oc'd equivalent)
1 Gb of PC3200 RAM
Radeon 9800 Pro 128 Mb video
MX510 mouse.
Standard Keyboard (w/ windows keys removed -- I hate those things)
Plantronics headset
Installed games are:
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Unreal Tournament 2004
Far Cry
Halo
Battlefield: 1942
Battlefield: Vietnam
Desert Combat
Jedi Academy
Alien vs. Predator 2
System Shock 2
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Steam: Half-Life/Counterstrike (not sure if source will work, as I only have 1 license. I've got 4 licenses for original Counter-Strike, tho)
nethack
If you have a particular game you're crazy about (that is free, like Allegiance), let me know and I'll try to install it.
I'll post pictures later, but your choices are between the Red one (Vermillion), the Blue one (Cerulean), or the Silver one (Argent). Respond here or email me slacktronix-at-comcast.net
If anyone else wants to share their computers, by all means, post here!
I'm the proud owner of four modded, overclocked, competition-level computers with HDs packed full of games, and the sad fact is that I can only reserve one PC slot for myself.
As it is, I'm driving my van up from Eugene, so I can take one or all of them with pretty much the same level of inconvenience to myself. So... for those of you flying in from Timbuktu or wherever, who are really jonesin' to do some PC gaming but can't afford to fly your monitor/system in with you, I can loan you a couple of machines.
Here's how it will work:
--I'll arrive at the Meydenbauer Center early Friday Afternoon and park my van in the basement.
--You meet me in the PC gaming room, we go down to my van, pick up your computer, check it in, and you start playing.
--Sunday, at around 2:00 PM, you stop playing and help me carry the thing back down to my van.
The rules are simple:
Don't download or install anything without asking me first.
Don't delete or rename anything.
If you have anger management problems that you take out on your mouse/keyboard, bring your own.
Share: if you're going to be gone a while, let other people have a turn playing. I hope to keep all my systems close together, so there should be someone there to keep an eye on it while you are gone. Last year, I had zero problems with vandalism and theft, which is why I'm making this offer.
Here's the basic specs on the three systems:
Abit NF7-S motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 3200 (oc'd equivalent)
1 Gb of PC3200 RAM
Radeon 9800 Pro 128 Mb video
MX510 mouse.
Standard Keyboard (w/ windows keys removed -- I hate those things)
Plantronics headset
Installed games are:
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Unreal Tournament 2004
Far Cry
Halo
Battlefield: 1942
Battlefield: Vietnam
Desert Combat
Jedi Academy
Alien vs. Predator 2
System Shock 2
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Steam: Half-Life/Counterstrike (not sure if source will work, as I only have 1 license. I've got 4 licenses for original Counter-Strike, tho)
nethack
If you have a particular game you're crazy about (that is free, like Allegiance), let me know and I'll try to install it.
I'll post pictures later, but your choices are between the Red one (Vermillion), the Blue one (Cerulean), or the Silver one (Argent). Respond here or email me slacktronix-at-comcast.net
If anyone else wants to share their computers, by all means, post here!
slacktron on
0
Posts
I'll probably end up doing what i did last time, floating around to other people's comps and sampling them like delicious candies.
I'd love to take you up on your offer.
猿も木から落ちる
All this talking of going down to vans in basements is starting to freak me out.
This is a really cool thing you're doing, but damn... Doesn't this creep anybody else out? Instead of candy, it's computers.
most of all, most of all
someone said true love was dead
but i'm bound to fall
bound to fall for you
oh what can i do
Cerulean has also been spoken for via email.
Only Argent remains! Speak now or be left watching over someone's shoulder.
Again, I wouldn't worry about security. I'm not going to blame you if the computer disappears. The whole point of having the PAX enforcers are so that you can leave your computer and enjoy the rest of the convention. Plus, if we can be sure to get all these systems together, somebody is bound to playing at all times.
Off topic: There really needs to be a 64 person game of Allegiance this PAX.
I'll be using this one, named Mr. White. It's pretty bright, so it should be fairly easy to find me in the PC freeplay room.
Apotheos, you get to ride Vermillion. I just slapped a fresh coat of red paint on this one, so it now can go fasta.
Cerulean has also been taken by a non-PA forumer who I talked into going to PAX.
Is there no one who will show Argent some love?
My day job is programming for the University of Oregon.
Before I graduated, though, I had a job building computers. It was pretty fun, so I've kept those skills alive by way of hobby.
I've put together some systems for my friends, and with the extra cash (modest as it is) I built up my own home network. Every other week or so, we all get together and LAN or play on-line out of my garage.
That's why they all have the same software and similar hardware: it's just too hard trying to maintain a different setup for every computer. All the hard drives are pretty much interchangeable.
Some day, I dream of running a LAN-arcade, but it's hard to give up them paychecks from the U of O.
You would need a partner to build a lan-arcade. There is always having a co-owner, or even, multiple-co owners. Ground kontrol is that way.
I think it would be neat to have a lan-arcade that also had a decent size of linked arcade games as well to go along with the theme.
just a thought
-vis
I've never been to a con like this before. How does it work in terms of security? Are we locking this rig to a table? Do I need to camp in the LAN room all day long? Do I need to hire a thug to watch it?
猿も木から落ちる
Don't worry. I'll lock these down myself. My systems; my problem. All I need is other attendees to reserve PC slots so we can all play together. The bummer about last year was that although the room was pretty full, not everybody had the same versions of the same games, so there weren't that many people playing against each other. This way, we're guaranteed to have at least four computers that are compatible.
If 2 vs. 2 doesn't work out, I've got cooperative mods for Half-Life, FarCry, Serious Sam, and System Shock installed (btw, no coop mod for Halo? WTF Gearbox?).
Security-wise, what they did last year was have enforcers at a desk in front of the room. You had to sign your computer in, then you were given an IP address on the network.
There were only two doors in and out, so they just kept an eye on those chokepoints. When you left with your computer, you had to sign it out and they compared signatures. Although it's possible someone could have swiped a mouse or headset, I don't think anyone could get away with a computer or monitor.
The efficiency of the enforcers, combined with the general coolness of Penny Arcade attendees resulted in nothing getting stolen. From the PC room, anyway.
I'm not sure what they are going to do with the $10 computer registration fee. Maybe take your picture and paste it to your system?
I love Ground Kontrol. It warms my heart to know that oldschool gaming is alive and well in Portland.
That networked LAN arcade thing is a slick idea. Although everybody has computers at home, they hardly ever have the chance to play in teams in the same location. Although things like Teamspeak can compensate for the "in the same room" communication advantage, the social atmosphere is absent. Plus, with a series of LAN arcades, none of the players would have a hardware advantage (say, an MX 440 vs. an X800) and you'd be guaranteed hack-free play. So you could have contests based upon pure skill and luck, like those console people have it. But with PC games.
I'd pay for that.
I would still PC game.. ALOT...
-vis
The last thing I'd want a "borrowed" system to do is keep anyone from going out and seeing the rest of PAX. Trust me, I'm going to have the systems padlocked to each other and will let the enforcers know that all four of those belong to me. Really, I don't see security being a concern.
And the nice thing is that you always have a chair waiting for you if you want to cool your heels.
I don't know if you can change your registration to include a PC slot or not. Maybe Khoo knows?
Edit: to capitalize the name of some nobody
Anyhow.
robert and slacktron, it is much appreciated.
Besides i can't let argent go by (him?, her? It's?) self.
Thanks again.
-vis
Edit: i kept calling argent, arlean.
All machines spoken for. I'll start up a new thread on what games and versions I'll have installed.