We hope to post all relevant information to the LlamaLAN 9 event here, please visit this thread regularly to check for updates, if there is any information you feel should be added here let us know by e-mail, forum PM, an IRC PM, a message in the IRC channel #llamalan on QuakeNet, or through an IM like MSNM and we will endeavour to make the appropriate amendments.
This information may duplicate what is said on the website but we'll try and keep everything together here in one place.
When
The event will run from Friday the 22nd of February 2008 with doors opening at 10 o'clock in the morning through until Sunday the 24th of February 2008 at 6 o'clock in the afternoon, by my calculations this will make it a 56 hour event from doors open to the power going off.
Where
The event is to be held in the hall of the 41st Medway Scout troop headquarters the address is :
The Scout Hut
Mafeking Road
Walderslade
Chatham
Kent
ME5 9HG
Grid Ref:TQ757631
Lat: 51:20:25N (51.3403)
Lon: 0:31:21E (0.5225)
and the obligatory Multimap link http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi? ... 000&icon=x
if you switch to 'aerial photo mode' you will see the building to the east of the nothern end of Mafeking road with the grey roof.
Cost
For the event to run we need to cover the hall hire cost a month before the event, if we don't have sufficient funds by that date then the event is in jeopardy and may not happen, to date this has never happened, but we cannot emphasise enough that this cut off date is not flexible and that we cannot afford to subsidise this event from the organisers' own pockets. Remember that LlamaLAN is a non-profit making organisation, and money we make goes directly to the costs of running the LAN, any surplus goes on prizes, and improving the LAN for future events.
For this event the cut off date is Tuesday the 22nd of January at 12 o'clock midnight
The cost of the event will be £15.00 (plus PayPal charges) per participant if booked and paid before the cutoff date, between the cutoff date and the LAN starting the cost will be £17.50 (plus PayPal charges). Anyone wishing to pay on the door will pay £20 per participant. Visitors are welcome to observe the proceedings and socialise during daylight hours but anyone wishing to stay overnight will be classified as a Spectator. Spectators will be subject to a £7.50 charge, this will entitle them to participate in the games played on the big screen such as 'ProjectorGames', and any fun tournaments we deem appropriate, but not to use a participant's computer or compete in any of the other tournaments, anyone doing so will be asked to pay the difference to become an on the door participant.
What to bring
- Your computer (if it isn't yours then ask the owner's permission before borrowing it)
Monitor
Power cables for the above (obvious but I've forgotten them in the past)
Keyboard
Mouse
Joystick or other gaming controller (if you have one or need one)
An installed and working network card with an RJ45 type connector (I have a few available if you don't have one)
Patch Lead (we have plenty but bring one if you want to, you never know, we might run out)
Headphones (No speakers are permitted, the noise generated is too much to bear)
Mains adaptor (4-way minimum) - enough for your PC, monitor, joystick & mobile phone charger
Game CD's (you never know when you need to re-install)
System CD's (in case something dreadful happens and you need to reformat/reinstall)
Appropriate clothing to last the duration of the event: bring stuff for any weather - we never know what the building environmental controls will be set to!
Deodorant
Shower gel and/or soap (to wash with of course, but there are no showers at the venue)
Razor (if applicable)
Shaving foam (if applicable)
Towels
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Bedding: Inflatable mattress or roll mat along with a sleeping bag and a pillow. Double sized beds may be deflated by angry people trying to find some space to sleep!
Munchies: an absolute must
A Tent - (optional) but not a bad idea if you fancy an undisturbed night sleep
Although everyone will have a different mixture of their games and everyone prefers one game over another, as part of your profile you can dictate what your favourite games are, we are in the process of updating the list of available games if you find that one of your favourites are not on the list then please let us know, the order is important and these count as your vote towards what games will prevail at the LAN. If you don't update the list then your choice may not be selected, we find this is the fairest way of selecting which games get played, the rankings as they stand are http://www.llamalan.co.uk/?Section=list ... EventID=13. Here is what I consider 'essential' for this particular event.
- Team Fortress 2 (Big Team Tournament)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (Big Solo Tournament)
Half Life 2 team Death Match (Big Team Game)
Armagetron Advanced (Big Team Game and Free)
Warsow (Big All v All Game and Free)
Call of Duty 4 (not an organised game but has a big following at LlamaLAN 9)
Please read up on Steam games being played in offline mode, there is NO Internet connection at the venue, please make sure that all your games will play whilst you are disconnected from the Internet BEFORE you get to the event
Rules
I feel that setting a few guidelines should help prevent misunderstandings as to what is acceptable behaviour at a LlamaLAN event, some of these rules originate from the venue we use others are purely and simply common sense and courtesy. So here they are ...
- No smoking in the venue, there is a covered porch at the front door with an ashtray
No Warez over the LlamaLAN network infrastructure, with this in mind we ask that you disable File and Printer sharing for the duration of the event, in the future we hope to gain support and sponsorship from game publishers and so it is appropriate that we discourage the distribution of illegal material.
Please show consideration for the age and sensibilities of others when viewing material on your PC.
Show consideration for others who may be trying to sleep, the sleeping area is for sleeping so please keep noise to a minimum in that area.
Damage to the venue, the venues property, or the personal property of other attendees is not acceptable and will not be tolerated, we feel it appropriate and sensible that any damage will be paid for by the person who caused it.
For those of an appropriate age the consumption of alcohol is permitted, please do so with due consideration for those around you, accidents happen whilst under the influence of alcohol and so be extra careful, the rules about breakages still apply if you're drunk.
Most importantly have fun, the rules are there to protect you and your property and prevent unwanted and avoidable accidents
Gamers' Agreement
Running a small LAN party requires a lot of give and take by both the organisers and the participants. So to help the situation along we have devised a "gamers' agreement" which we hope will help things to run smoothly. It sets out what we will do as organisers to make the event work, and what we need from you to help it to happen. Based on the feedback from the previous events we have drawn up the following, hopefully is will address some of the issues raised and demonstrate that we learn from our mistakes and from your feedback.
Before the event ?
We will ask through a voting system what games you want to play, we will refine that choice to a small number which we will concentrate of for the time that the LAN party is running. Help us by voting for your games, by accepting that not all the games you chose will be played, and please participate in the chosen selection as much as possible.
We will publish a timetable showing when the games will be played
During the event ?
We will run 'big games' of the selected games, we will endeavour to run them to the advertised timetable, we will announce them in good time. Help us by joining in when the games are announced.
To encourage an atmosphere of competition each participant will be assigned to either the red team or the blue team and we will play for the honour of our teams. Help us by accepting which team you are placed, and that you may not necessarily be playing with your friends. Please join the correct side in the servers and play for the whole team. These are just for the big fun games, not for the tournament.
We will endeavour to provide you with the fastest network at our disposal. Help us by not clogging it up during the heavy gaming times, during big games and tournaments, there will be plenty of free-for-all time where network performance is not as much of an issue.
We will actively encourage and advertise the games
After the event ?
We want to keep improving the events. Help us by giving us positive feedback, what worked, what didn't, and most importantly what can we do to improve the situation.
By signing up to this event you are agreeing to the terms outlined above, if you feel that you cannot abide by this agreement then possibly LlamaLAN is not the event for you. This agreement exists to make the event the best it can be. If you have any feedback on this agreement please speak to us in the forums or in the IRC channel.
Regards
CyberDrac