One thing I definitely saw at Evo was that it’s good to be focused on a core set of games so that you can do this right. Adding on other games is good but can really sacrifice the core games. Best of 1 happened for a reason: too much was going on. =\
Exactly. And since this is kind of the first major here, lets stick to 4, maybe 5 games. Then we can see if we can handle more in the coming years
So who’s gonna decide what games and all?
Whoever does so please post fast so I don’t waste valuable minutes NOT training in them.
My two cents:
3S
Marvel
CvS2
GG
and possibly a 2v2 Smash Bros. tournament
It seems to me Tekken and VF players are few, and the ones that do exist don’t seem to really play Marvel, 3S, or CvS2.
If we had a 2v2 Smash tourney I would train everyday from now until the tournament.
MvC2, ST, CvS2, 3S.
I vote MvC2, 3S, CvS2, TekkenDR
I think maybe what should happen is someone should make a poll and we just vote the shit out of it. MvC2, CvS2, 3S, and ST seems like it should be the best lineup but not everyone agrees.
Killer Instinct!
Wow, There is like 300 times the VF and Tekken players then there is Smash players, I dont even see this crap even being played at PSU, thats just gross.
Lots of people love to sign up in advance even if they’re not going to go. Make them pay to sign up and see how it goes. Lots of those mythical sign-ups will just go POOF.
Yeah there aren’t many Smash players but 2v2 Smash looks so sweet.
In fact, I don’t play Smash but I will learn if there’s 2v2.
Then welcome to the grand finals b/c i see maybe 3 other people doing the same as you…
“KOF Voice” PICK OUT YOUR PARTNER!!
There’s obviously a lot of enthusiasm for this event, but some key questions remain unanswered:
Size and Scope
Should this be a large Northwest tournament or an actual major? As much as we all want the latter, we cannot ignore the primary obstacle that has always hindered this region’s ability to host such an event: geography. The closest scene is NorCal, and that’s roughly 600 miles away from Portland. Head east or southeast and you’ll find a gaming wasteland stretching across several states.
Traveling to the Northwest is expensive, especially for the average gamer. Based on this and other factors, hosting an actual major does not seem very practical. Instead I think we should focus on organizing a regional tournament similar to NWR, with an open invite to anyone from outside the Northwest. Keep in mind that every other major in the US began in a similar manner.
Location and Date
So far PSU is the best venue, but not everybody wants to go to Portland. The host city or state generally has the highest percentage of players, and that’s in part why Seattle was always the center of the Northwest scene. In order for anything to happen we need every region on the same page, and that means building a consensus on location. I applaud Portland for being aggressive, but the fact that Sam is ready to make an announcement is worrisome because we have yet to see any tangible feedback outside of this thread.
In addition, we need to figure out an ideal time frame. The date will have a major impact on both attendance and any possible lineup (see below). If it’s between now and January, Winter Break seems like an obvious choice. Problem is, not everybody is available at the same time. There are pretty big gaps between semester, quarter, and high school schedules, so we need to determine if any of them overlap.
Lineup
Game selection will depend on both logistics and the health of an individual scene, and even the popular games can present some problems. Above all else, whoever has final say should be in touch with every active player base and NOT succumb to their own bias.
As was already mentioned, the four Capcom games form a good starting point. MvC2 has always been the core of the NW scene, but hardware can be an issue. We need to round up as many working Dreamcasts and sticks as possible, or else this could become a nightmare.
Super Turbo has undergone a massive rise in popularity throughout the Seattle area, but which system will we use? Odds are the hardcore ST crowd will not accept either SFAC or CCC2. Should we use HD Remix? There’s no guarantee that it’ll be arcade perfect. Even if it is, do we know when it’s coming out? Should we use PS3 or 360? Going with a next-gen platform could attract new players, but also raises a lot of compatibility issues for stick users.
CvS2 and 3rd Strike are considerably less troublesome. I know a lot of people don’t like them, but we shouldn’t ignore their ability to attract players from outside Seattle.
After that, there isn’t an obvious choice for 5th or beyond but some are better than others. Guilty Gear AC comes out in the US within the next few weeks for only $30, and the Seattle GG scene is still alive and well. The only issue is whether or not they’re willing to drive to Portland. Some are but it might not be enough to justify adding AC, whereas hosting a tourney in Seattle will guarantee a good turnout.
Tekken’s viability is entirely dependent on timing. As I already mentioned, DR is in a major decline and everybody’s waiting for T6. I can see a good turnout for one last DR tournament, but only if it’s within the next few months. Otherwise, T6 will not work with a console tournament and the PS3 release is at least 7~10 months away. Seems ironic that Tekken has one of the most active scenes in the Northwest yet is of questionable compatibility.
Still, that’s a pretty good lineup if all 6 can work. Sorry SNK fans, but the more I think about it, the less good reasons I see for adding an SNK game. I’d change my mind if the NW SNK scene could get organized, but as it stands…we just don’t know how many of you are out there. Plus, which game are you going to play? KOF 98? MOTW? NGBC? There were a ton of SNK side tourneys at Evo this year, but they all consisted of the same 20 people. Odds are this event won’t have a console freeplay.
On a similar note, I don’t foresee any real demand for VF5. We thought about playing it in Seattle but it never caught on. Vancouver’s scene is pretty much dead, and I dunno how many people play in Portland.
I’m also baffled by the random push for Smash. It’s not a question of turnout, since the NW Smash scene is quite large. It’s just a completely separate scene. Adding Smash would be like adding Halo or Fight Night. Yes, they’re popular games with active tournament scenes, but it’s a separate crowd from 2d players. It makes sense for Evo to add Smash for economic reasons. With us, there’s just no need for it. And on top of that, why 2v2? Doubles tourneys are always inferior to singles. Trust me, I ran one last year during PAX, and it wasn’t very fun. The main problem is Friendly Fire. Turn it off and the game is horribly broken. Turn it on and each match is just two 1v1 fights on the same stage.
In the end, I think aiming for a serious major is a bad idea. Remember guys, we still don’t know if ANY regional tournament can really succeed like they used to. The Northwest scene ain’t what it used to be. Ever since Lanwerx shut down, there’s been a lot less communication between Washington, Oregon, and BC. A lot of players have either left the region or moved on, with nobody to take their place. Without local support, this event will never happen on a scale we desire.
I’ll be there of course to represent King City. Tekken should be a must, people play tekken here, and I could try to talk to at least Team Mexico to see if they wanna come up, kent, Black dennis also, if they’re down for tourneys at Tilt, i’m sure they’ll come to PSU, if it’s in seattle i’m not sure. I could always rent a car and take some people, but Portland sounds more convenient for everyone, and it’ll be more organized if run by Ross(Fighting game Guru), i’ll try to talk to LTB for this.
PS: PDX Tourney coming soon, look for the new post.
PS#2: Pablo-the-Mex has the greatest avatar EVER.
Rob had to lay out the EPIC POST…
Made me realize a lot of shit.
Good shit, Rob!
I agree with some of the things that Rob is saying. I mean gross as it sounds…Smash has a big scene but It’s way different then our usual 2d crowd. I know a couple of tourney peeps for this game. I ran the idea to them, they almost shit themselves and will give full support to see this take off on a good start.
Tekken is in a quiet state.
Does anyone know about ST:HD Remix is going to be arcade perfect?
Is there really a SNK scene?
SNK scene’s is pretty underground.
Everyone likes playing their games…but for some reason…they just don’t get the same recognition and respect they deserve except from like…Mexico and Pakistan and other random countries that still hold tourneys/regionals for them.
Japan usually only does it for the newest SNK game if it’s worth playing.
As for saying “no one plays smash” apparently no one reads my posts about that.
Woodinville gets HUGE turn outs for their monthly smash tourneys, and they have the best Mario and Luigi players in the state and are top 10 in the country for their prefered character, so I’m sure they could flex the jesus juice and help convince people to attend.
I’m going to post on smashboards a bunch and talk to friends I know who play smash and see if they’d be interested. Most of them like 1v1 format, but they also have set in stone team-mates for 2v2 events. So, I’ll look into that as much as I can.
And even though CvS2 is still in debate for being on Evo’s card next year…since it’s going to be the Season 2 game…it needs to be there. Plus Olympia’s CvS2 scene would probably come as well and I could get probably a dozen or so people to come for CvS2, Marvel and 3S if not more.
To Preppy: Good idea about signups.
-SH
Regarding your Smash thinking, Rob pretty much nailed it in the epic post, and its been said multiple times. A lot of people play, but its a complete different scene. It doesn’t really belong with what we’re trying to run IMO.
and I’m convinced Tekken would get a good turnout. The scene is pretty dormant right now, but (based on what I’ve seen in however long I’ve been in the 3D scene) people would definitely come out for a bigger tournament. Especially if people from out of town were gonna show.
It seems like its kinda picking back up again w/ all the online stuff that just came out also…
Just cause it’s a different scene doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong.
If it draws people and gets us more “fame” or gets us more “noticed” or whatever we’re trying to do, fighting game wise… it would help.
-SH
I’d definitely be interested in coming if there was some kind of MBAC tournament. While I’m down for a tournament that’s sorta in my neck of woods, I’d need more of an incentive to be assured that the long trip back would be worth it, compared if this tournament were to be somewhere closer like Seattle. =)
I’d love to have the smash players join us, it’d be very beneficial to our scene. However, for an event like this, I think we should keep it to a bare minimum. If they had no other place to go for tournaments, I’d be more inclined to include it, but since they already have an established tournament scene, I don’t think they’ll be sad if we don’t include smash in the lineup.