Moans, Groans and maybe a bit of Love

[ShadowOrphan]

Would appreciate if you guys/gals could keep you ideas about how you experienced rAge to this thread.

Comments and suggestions on what you think could be done better, let us know. Things that went wrong, try to keep it civil.

Some might feel the expo smaller this year. Do keep in mind that we were at the bottom of an economic recession. Intel and a lot of game developers have laid of people during this year. Budgets were strained and very difficult to defend expenditure on expos like rAge. Personally I found the expo quite pleasing considering these constraints and actually spent a fair share of moola. I can only see rAge bursting at it seems next year with lots of companies trying to secure the limited amount of floor space that is available.

So some of you might have noticed that the network was not flawless as it was meant to be. On Friday when the problem became apparent (was not visible during pre-testing during the week because loading of this magnitude could not be simulated) I had to decide how to tackle isolating the source. The bottom section was limited to about 300 users minimum for each of the four groups in the lower section.

That means that you would not be able to see the DC++, vcweb server or other hosted servers. We replaced two core switches as a precaution but it became apparent that the problem was elsewhere. I made the decision to not disrupt the network further since my gut feeling pointed towards one of the two main switches.

Once everybody was out on Sunday, we proceeded to confirm my hypothesis. Unfortunately it seems that I was correct. One of the two main core level 3 switches was not 100% healthy. Due to the high cost of these switches and their scarceness we had no backups for these switches. The decision to leave the network as is without further interruptions was thus the correct one.

D-Link has undertaken to get a detailed report back on what was wrong with the switch. This might not be made public but rest be assured that this will not be repeated. Discussions on the network topology and safeguarding a reoccurrence have already started. The easiest way to describe the problem is a mistuned car. Perfect when you do 60 in town but you start to notice the mistuning when you do 120 up a hill.

On behalf of VC, NAG and D-link we apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. This unfortunate sequence of events will not be repeated.

Some things that you might want to consider in the future is not enabling IPv6 if you are not going to use it. It does cause quite a lot of unnecessary complications on a network. Unfortunately Windows 7 users also seemed to have more difficulty. That mostly depended on the build they were using.

As far as parking is concerned, we will look into having the parking passes available for download via this website for next year and address any issues that you may raise. VC specifically was not involved with this but we will communicate the matter properly.

On a positive note I must admit that I was really impressed by the honesty of some gamers. We had wallets with lots of cash returned, cell phones etc. You people rock and it does put back my faith in gamers. It was truly great to re-unite people with their possessions.

I also appreciate the understanding of the community while we were trying to resolve the issues.

No power problems also a really big positive for me. People sure brought some real monsters to the LAN.

I have already made notes on items that I wish to improve and am busy looking at a few other possibilities. If planning goes well, 2010 will rock you socks off like no LAN in SA has done before.

Seems that a huge percentage of gamers to rAge were first timers if we consider the questions from the registrations during check in. If you are considering coming to rAge next year, do keep your eyes out for the dates. Keep in mind that with the 2010 soccer the dates might be slightly different.

[Neodanzaiver]

Thanks for ensuring that the LAN ran as smoothly as possible.Being a attendee of all the Rage Lan's since its inception,the MINOR network issues experienced this year(with increased LAN capacity) goes to show how efficient and profesionall the VC crew really is.

[SL1C3R]

I was one of the attendees again at Rage and found that the problems that did occur were dealt with as quick as possible.So gratulations to the VC crew for a great Lan once again.As for the smaller than usual Expo side is unfortunate but should've been expected since we are in a recession.But overall i found the expo to still be a lot of fun with great specials and great previews of whats comming out.Can't wait for next years Rage

[Schattenjager]

I generally had a great experience at rAge, mostly there were so many golden little nugets for download on DC++ that I had little time for gaming, but who's complaining? :D

I did have some bad luck / network problems though one of which persisted for about 2 hours. First it was declared that my operating system or a virus I contracted was to blame (which would have meant I'd have to re-install my OS.... ) but because other PC's in my sub network were also not connecting to the network that didn't make sense, only after the problem seeimingly fixed iteself was the network or a port-scanner blamed for the problem.....
All in all however I found that the greater majority of the VC Admins were very helpful and quick to be of asistance.

There is one issue I had that I would like to raise here because this seems like the only place I can.
In the August or September (I forget which it's the one with Halo ODST on the front) issue of NAG there was in advert for a competition the competition was for a R20000 ASUS computer upgrade where you could win a N295GTX graphics card, Rampage motherboard and an i7 CPU.
In the magazine it was advertised that you could enter by spending R50 at the stand and handing in the entry form at the Incredible connection stand.
So I went and bought myself a 4Gb flash drive, which I didn't need, for R105 just so I could enter. But when the draw came at 1:00pm I found out that the rules had changed on Friday and that entry to the competition was made free.
Now I wouldn't have been so ****ed off about it if I hadn't been told by the staff at the Incredible connection stand that the competition everyone was filling in free white pamphlets for was a diffent competition than the one I was intending to enter for. I wouldn't have even bothered with trying to enter for the competition if I knew so many people would be entering, I wanted to enter because the odds were better when people had to spend money to enter.
Basically in the end it didn't turn out too bad since I went and complained to the big-wig of ASUS there and he ended up buying my 4Gb flash drive from me.
My point is just that all this hassle could have been avoided if the rules of the competition, as stipulated in the NAG, were sticked to as they should have been and if the incredible connection staff were better informed. That's basically the only moan and groan I have about my experience at Rage.

[Retic]

My time at rage was awesome there were some problems. But they were often to insignificant to mention..
So kudos's to the people who organized it this year. Thanks. was really fun

[ShadowBurn]

Liked :
-The network was awesome(stable and fast, where I sat)
-DC Server
-Security
-VC Website(Very informative)
-Lights being turned off at night time.
-Coffee & Cappuccino good(and not to expensive)
-Not testing our LCD Monitors


Disliked :
-Snacks not allowed to be brought in(we needs our smarties)



Ideas:
-Maybe more than one entrance for the initial checking of the PC. like one where it is now and one at the back entrance.
-Parking ticket be replaced by the armband that lets you in and out of the expo(the orange one) we had this year. so 1 armband for multiple access.

[JP_]

I would like to give thanks and huge big ups to the guys and girls involved in setting up testing and maintaining the network as well as the people helping at the check in desks and power testing stations. A network that size is never an easy thing to maintain and you guys did an awesome job so on behalf of myself and my clan (Delta Squadron) we thank you.

Not really any complaints from our side you explained the network issue and its out of your control so you cant be blamed for that. The VC guys were always helpful and keen to solve whatever issues some of the teams had in the VIP section so thanks for that.

Overall rage was awesome and next year i will be back for Round 3 :P

gg wp.

[easy]

LAN:

networking but you explained what the problem was... was the switch next to me that was the problem... Almost whole Friday's lan lagggggged mad. Then... you must look in the future to do something about the people that is leaving the dotA games. You can't play a game where ppl just leave as soon as they die 3 times.... It made playing dota at rage impossible. NO COD5 SERVERS???? :"( Other then that i was very happy with everything.


Expo:

Expected more... Maybe of the lag of games that is out it could not be as big as last year or the year before.... but really why host a stand with COD4 when its 2 years old? it was there in 2007... time for a change?


Will be seeing you next year again!

[Vexo]

Everything was awesome. I had no network problems. The VC Website rocked this year. Cant wait for next year

[Wesleydn]

some advice for the beds.
the blow up beds are a good idea. but can rage have a compresser(sorry for spelling) or summing. they can charge R10 or so to blow a bed up. thats like R500 extra denpending on who brings beds. but it makes it alot faster to blow them up.

[Pulse]

Lol, if you read the rules given by the vc crew for rage, you not even supposed to bring any sort of bedding, so yeah dont think thats gonna happen...

[ShadowOrphan]

Thanks for the comments. Some suggestions that warrant thought and will be considered.

We will be looking at doing things differently next year so we will be looking at sleeping areas etc. We are already busy with planning and doing the whole introspective analysis, but unfortunately we won’t be making anything public since a lot of paperwork etc needs to be put into place before we commit.

I was expecting a few comments on the goodie bags. Truly glad everybody liked the vcweb because Ivan spent many hours playing around trying to get that perfect feel and functionality. I think the DC server will also become a regular thing since it allows me some control on the network and takes away the need to try and hack into PC’s.

Some oversights with the entrance fencing that will be looked at. This was done on short notice and I only saw the design on Friday morning which did not leave us with a lot of time to fix it. Have some ideas that will hopefully make checking in a lot easier and hopefully somewhat faster. Might be interesting to consider that if you have a steady flow of gamers for 10 hours we need to process a gamer every 16 seconds (2200 gamers this year). With that in mind I think our ladies at reception did a brilliant job.

One of the aspects that we will try and address but cannot be guaranteed is that the food variety available (giving that we are not allowed to bring in food) at least caters in some degree for diabetics as well. I appreciate the pricing is steep, I had to buy for my whole crew, but that is a battle we will unfortunately not make any progress on.

[Cleric]

Oh yeah, loved getting the T-Shirt etc in the care-package. Kinda forgot about it until now.

[easy]

Maybe have extra sizes of the t-shirts... not everyone can fit into a large :'(

[Pulse]

I only just checked my care-package today :O
Thanks for the shirt, was hoping to get a shirt this year and mine is an extra-large, yay :P

[Gen_ Wolf]

I didn't get a care package :(

[BattleMoose]

I didn't get one either. :-(

[ShadowBurn]

Yeah thanks for the lucky packet, I thought the mouth wash was very original and funny.

[Tober]

2200 gamers this year

2200, WOW. Was this including the Telkom guys in the basement?

Those little Rage 2008 badges were nice last year. Except for the mouth wash, you can maybe include some foot spray as well.

The vcweb helped allot.

I had a great time. Thanks

[Tryxst3r]

Servers went down twice whilst we were there. And I must admit, I was impressed. VCWeb acted accordingly, and each incident lasted less than 30 minutes. Can anyone please enlighten me on why the server went down (for the sake of curiosity)? Someone said something about one of the switches blowing?

So well done all, and thanks for such a great event!

[Oeaks]

I guess this is a bit late but I just wanted to give my thanks for the event.

The VCweb guys were helpful, and I had no trouble getting set up. I really enjoyed myself. It was worth the short trip and 5 hour flight back home.

Here's to hoping I can make it next year as well.

[DigiBanks99]

Firstly, rAge was great! Not Legendary though. This will not be the rAge I will remember like 2006 and 2008.

I think something that was most disappointing to me was the fact that there was not a great variety of hardware sales stores. In the past you could hardly turn without seeing some store with millions of desirables. More effort should be made to reach the smaller hardware retailers. Just a thought.

And secondly, AnimeworX used to be synonymous with rAge, but they've been absent for two years now... I don't know what caused this, but it would be wonderful if relations with them can be fixed and they can bring us more joyous anime and comic pleasure, 'cause be honest, the anime shop this year just did not have the spunk. They are welcome to stay, the more the merrier, but get AWX back.

Then, why was Nintendo not present, or was their stall so dull or small I did not notice?

The LAN was brilliant, except for the network issues. My COD4 kept saying connection interrupted... The other LANners rocked and gaming was awesome! I only realised that when you truly do need an admin they were nowhere to be found, but I could just have been really unlucky in my timing...

Just get 2006's standard back or improve on it and 2010 will be the Legend I will remember!

[sharkbait]

awe, every1 :D i wana go to rage! but no pc.....

[phant1m]

@Digibanks99 i think some of the key factors in last years rage not being the greatest had to do with the recession, in being that a lot of companies had to pull out leaving tidemedia with voids that they had to fill quickly.

This year will hopefully be better and I just hope they have more press events lined up.

[DigiBanks99]

Yes, I understand that, but I was just providing my input.

[Chris3252]

i guess its time to join the forums been going RAGE from 2006 just wanted to say Rage 2009 was great love the Lan always going to them just only problem for me is the Food its hella expensive nothing more great job guys keep it up :)

[Karnalli3]

My Rage experience was Good. The Dome Toilets is not that good.

Toilets on the bottom floor LAN area was constantly flooded with pee on the floor.
we bought some food and well.......enough said....we had more runs to the toilet than Kallis in a good day and night cricket game......comes back to the toilets......

Over and above that, great experience, we did not have any network issues. Maybe during the time we went out for a quick shower at our BnB.

This year will be my 5th year in a row, can't wait......I will be camping outside our local checkers hyper on the night of the 32st of August so I am first in the row to buy our tickets.......this year will go even faster!!!!!!!

GG to all the VC admins, organisers and everyone having a finger in the pie to organise rAge!!!!! look for this name Karnalli3.......see you there

[Chevron]

For the oaks using laptops, do you guys just cut off your two pin and replace it with a three pin that can be used for RAGE?

I'm weary to do this in case I have to send my laptop in for some or other reason.

I'd think the most likely option would be to use a 2pin to 3 pin adapterm but rules say no adapters and if you were to use an adapter and saw it off where would you actually get this done?

[Karnalli3]

For the oaks using laptops, do you guys just cut off your two pin and replace it with a three pin that can be used for RAGE?

I'm weary to do this in case I have to send my laptop in for some or other reason.

I'd think the most likely option would be to use a 2pin to 3 pin adapterm but rules say no adapters and if you were to use an adapter and saw it off where would you actually get this done?

what you can do, buy yourself a 2pin to 3pin converter, then looking at the plug from the front, the earth, it is plastic , cut it with a stanley knife so it will fit into a red plug, if you know what I mean, cut the top half away, this way you keep your charger original. Works for me.......

[tinykey]

okay plz this year keep the CSS Comp people away from the COD4 ppl because the cant behave them self and noise level to high that we can hear what going on in our own game ..

[tinykey]

okay maybe u can tell me what the price for it

[Chevron]

okay maybe u can tell me what the price for it

Depends what "it" you are talking about...

[Tankiouse]

This year will be my 5th year in a row, can't wait......I will be camping outside our local checkers hyper on the night of the 32st of August so I am first in the row to buy our tickets.......this year will go even faster!!!!!!!

Doent the tickets go on sale on the 1st of august?

[willbeonekenobi]

This year will be my 5th year in a row, can't wait......I will be camping outside our local checkers hyper on the night of the 32st of August so I am first in the row to buy our tickets.......this year will go even faster!!!!!!!

I think you should take a look at your calender. There ARE NOT 32 DAYS IN AUGUST. NO MONTH HAS 32, and tickets go on sale on the 1st! Still I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tankiouse]

Hey maybe he is working with the jewish or muslim calender?

[Guardien]

NAG LAN tickets go on sale on the 1st August, which this year falls on a Sunday. The total number of tickets that will be available for sale are 2080, they cost R300 per person, and there is a limit of five per person that can be purchased. Computicket bookings will be open online after 24h00 on Saturday 31 July 2010.

[uberclops]

TICKETS!!!

Allowing people to buy 5 tickets each? Seriously? All tickets sold out in 1 day and now the only way to get tickets is to buy from ^$&%tards who are charging R600 each.

We've already found 20 people who are selling about 60 tickets... And now we who really wanna go can't while these stupid %&*$heads try make a quick buck.

Really not impressed.

[cypher]

TICKETS!!!

Allowing people to buy 5 tickets each? Seriously? All tickets sold out in 1 day and now the only way to get tickets is to buy from ^$&%tards who are charging R600 each.

We've already found 20 people who are selling about 60 tickets... And now we who really wanna go can't while these stupid %&*$heads try make a quick buck.

Really not impressed.

I agree fully... if I find one of them they will be reported!

[Z1OC]

thats good report them they should not be able to go ever!!!!

I had the same problem last year, but i got a ticket somehow for the right price.
If you find someone selling it for a higher price, let the NAG team know.