Metro Atlanta Gaming Gathering, Tentatively Set August 9, 2008

Hello, everybody.

I am planning on holding another Metro Atlanta Gaming Gathering on or around August 9, 2008. It will be a general gaming gathering, as well as a social occasion on which forum members get to meet eachother. It will be similar to the last one, at which I think everybody had a great time. Here is the thread for that one.

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174295

WHERE?

My warehouse in Roswell, GA (suburb North of Metro Atlanta).

Why my warehouse? Because that is where all my cabs are. I have too many cabs to keep at home, so I keep them at work. Plus, it has a lot of convenient accommodations: we have numerous offices, a breakroom, conference, restrooms. It is clean and quiet and closed on the weekends. There is plenty of places there for gaming, gathering, socializing, even sleeping. (The only drawback is that there are no showers there, so if you need to take a shower, you will need to do so before you come.)

WHEN?

Tentatively set for August 9, 2008. It is a Saturday. Why wait till then? To allow people to prepare and to make any necessary arrangements. I would allow people to arrive as early as 8-9 AM, but the actual gaming may not get under way until a good bit later. The meet can go as late as people are interested, really. Some things can be carried over into Sunday if anyone wants to stick around and get some more gaming in.

WHO'S INVITED?

Any member of this forum who wants to. Special invitation is extended to everybody who attended Circa’s gathering in July of 2007 and anybody who attend the previous gathering here in March of this year.

Other forums members whom I have not personally met are also invited provided you get in contact with me first. (If you do not have any feedback or posts, I may request you provide me with other forum members who can be references for you. No offense, but I will have an awful lot gear around, and I don’t want anybody stealing it.)

FOOD/ACCOMODATIONS

There are many reasonably priced hotels in the immediate area. I can also offer a place to stay for a few members. (PM if interested)

Snacks, foods, and drinks can be provided throughout the day within reason. Lunch willl probably be take-out brought to our warehouse. We can then all go out for dinner. Feel free to make suggestions.

MY GEAR/SETUP

Cabs:

1. a 50" monitor showcase cab with Namco System 246
2. a 33" monitor showcase cab with Sega Naomi
3. a 33" monitor showcase cab with Sammy Atomiswave gun setup (hope to have sticks and buttons installed on it by the meetup)
4. a dedicated 1-slot MVS cab
5. a dedicated 4-slot MVS cab
6. an Ultracade cab with 195 games
7. a Maximum Force gun cab (which is plug-and-play with Area 51, Area 51 Site 4, and Zero Point)
8. a Zero Point gun cab (which is plug-and-play with Area 51, Area 51 Site 4, and Maximum Force)
9. a Gals Panic cab
10. a dedicated Sega Die Hard arcade cab with ST-V motherboard
11. a dedicated Pleiades cab

I also have a dedicated Beast Buster: Second Nightmare Hyper Neo Geo 64 project cabinet, which I am working on which will hopefully be operational by then.

Arcade Hardware:

Consolized MVS
Consolized Atomiswave
Consolized PGM

About 60 MVS games
A large assortment of other arcade games (a list of them can be found in my Wanted List in my signature below).

Home Systems:

I have darn near every home system that ever came out (including an AES), except for the Xbox 360 and PS3. (Sorry, this generation is too new for me to collect.) So if anybody wants to play one of these systems, you will have to bring it with you. I can post a more detailed list later.

GENERAL GAME PLAN

This is the by-product of random brainstorming. I need all the help I can get on scheduling things and planning out the day.

We will have 2-4 tournaments depending on time restraints and everyone's interest throughout the day. They will be for prizes (undecided at the moment), but I don't plan on them being terribly in-depth or intense. I would like everyone to feel comfortable with their skill level.

-Start with some light warm-up play/social blabber.

-Eat some lunch

-Have the first tournament

-Some more casual gameplay

Second tournament

-More game playing

-Dinner

-Third tournament

-Light gameplay until people start heading out...

TOURNAMENT INFO.

We can have several tourneys through the day: Both fighters and shmups. I will let you guys make suggestions, and we can vote on it.

GROUND RULES

1) There will be zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol. If you do drugs, have enough sense to keep that fact a secret from me. If you drink, I can accept that, but I won’t have any alcohol present on this occasion (except when we go out to dinner).

2) Don't come high/drunk/hung over.

3) Take a shower before you come.

4) Respect mine and everybody's hardware. I don't mind some intense gaming, but if you plan to abuse mine or anyone else's stuff, please don't bother to attend.

5) NO SMOKING INSIDE. If you must, just step outside.

ROSWELL

Roswell is a suburb of Metro Atlanta that is easily accessible by all Metro Atlanta major freeways. It is about 20 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. I will provide directions to all those who attend.

Please leave your opinions. I can't decide everything on my own and I think a collabrative effort will make this a better gathering.

Thank you for the PM invitation, Waseem.
I have to take Summer Quarter this year again.
Just the way my classes fall.

So, we'll see.

If I do get to come, I have finished that stick I was working on.
Lots of stuff to be played on my laptop if you'd like.

Not to take away from the cabs.
Just offering.

But, like I said in the other thread, I have a knack for double booking when I have things going on. I don't do it consciously. It just seems to happen.

So hopefully things'll work out this time.

Thanks!

OMG, you still misspelled my name.









It is Waseem.

Bibliophile said:

OMG, you still misspelled my name.









It is Waseem.

Click to expand...

I'm also awful with names.
Guess I didn't mention that.

Thanks for the head's up PM.

I'm gonna try my best to make it to this meet up.

My votes for tournament games.....

~Last Blade 1 or 2 ( something different over the expected KOF98' )
~MOTW
~DoDonPachi or ESP Ra.De.

Dinner ideas....

Anyone else like Indian food ? I love it and there's two India Chefs restaurants in Roswell that are both great and very reasonably priced. One on Holcomb Bridge just south of Alpharetta Hwy and one a little north of Mansell on Alpharetta Hwy.

Just a suggestion if anyone else likes it.

Sorry dude, I won't be able to make this one that's the weekend of my dad's birthday.

Abasuto said:

Thanks for the head's up PM.

I'm gonna try my best to make it to this meet up.

My votes for tournament games.....

~Last Blade 1 or 2 ( something different over the expected KOF98' )
~MOTW
~DoDonPachi or ESP Ra.De.

Dinner ideas....

Anyone else like Indian food ? I love it and there's two India Chefs restaurants in Roswell that are both great and very reasonably priced. One on Holcomb Bridge just south of Alpharetta Hwy and one a little north of Mansell on Alpharetta Hwy.

Just a suggestion if anyone else likes it.

Click to expand...

Indian food would be ace.

Cant really see everyone wanting it though.

Ill be there.

It is a long way off so I can't be sure, but all indications are I can make this one.

That's the weekend before the kids come back so, barring any major issues, we should be there with bells on! I'll be able to help out with some minor host(ess) duties since, as everyone should know, I'm not a gamer. I'll do some baking beforehand and can also possibly make a few trays of food which ought to get us through until dinner. I'll help out with snacks and drinks in exchange for internet access. With adequate directions, I can also serve as the go-getter if anything is needed out in town.

We will most likely be arriving late morning on Saturday and staying over until Sunday. We'll have a hotel room so if anyone needs to shower, just give me a head's up and we'll do our best to accommodate people. Check-out is usually by 10 or 11am so we'll have to make sure everyone is done by then (I highly suggest bringing a towel and minor toiletries from home since hotels are finicky about providing lots of extras).

I think that covers most of my end. If anyone has suggestions or requests for specific food items, please PM me. Conversely, if you have a serious aversion to something, let me know so that I can label the trays accordingly.

Aku Tenshi said:

That's the weekend before the kids come back so, barring any major issues, we should be there with bells on! I'll be able to help out with some minor host(ess) duties since, as everyone should know, I'm not a gamer. I'll do some baking beforehand and can also possibly make a few trays of food which ought to get us through until dinner. I'll help out with snacks and drinks in exchange for internet access. With adequate directions, I can also serve as the go-getter if anything is needed out in town.

We will most likely be arriving late morning on Saturday and staying over until Sunday. We'll have a hotel room so if anyone needs to shower, just give me a head's up and we'll do our best to accommodate people. Check-out is usually by 10 or 11am so we'll have to make sure everyone is done by then (I highly suggest bringing a towel and minor toiletries from home since hotels are finicky about providing lots of extras).

I think that covers most of my end. If anyone has suggestions or requests for specific food items, please PM me. Conversely, if you have a serious aversion to something, let me know so that I can label the trays accordingly.

Click to expand...

Aku Tenshi, thanks for the help. It is greatly appreciated.

BTW, don't worry. We do have internet access on the premises so worry not about that.

If you bake any goodies, I would greatly appreciate it, and I am sure everyone else would as well. But, at the same time, it is not necessary. I would only suggest that you don't bake or bring anything with pork (ham, bacon, sausage, etc) in it, as I do not eat pork, and I know of at least one of member who will be present who also doesn't eat it. Other than that, I am flexible.

Bibliophile said:

Aku Tenshi, thanks for the help. It is greatly appreciated.

BTW, don't worry. We do have internet access on the premises so worry not about that.

If you bake any goodies, I would greatly appreciate it, and I am sure everyone else would as well. But, at the same time, it is not necessary. I would only suggest that you don't bake or bring anything with pork (ham, bacon, sausage, etc) in it, as I do not eat pork, and I know of at least one of member who will be present who also doesn't eat it. Other than that, I am flexible.

Click to expand...

That's an easy request to accommodate as I know many people who also adhere to that dietary restriction. Usually I try to make large trays of food however, I'll pare it down for the gathering since I know we'll all be going out to dinner and people won't want to waste time over food when they can be gaming!

As for baking, it's something I love to do. I'll try to keep everything simple and hand-held since it makes clean-up easier. I don't mind helping out at all. It gives you the opportunity to actually spend more time gaming than keeping up after everyone. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm not just a third wheel.

Aku Tenshi said:

That's an easy request to accommodate as I know many people who also adhere to that dietary restriction. Usually I try to make large trays of food however, I'll pare it down for the gathering since I know we'll all be going out to dinner and people won't want to waste time over food when they can be gaming!

As for baking, it's something I love to do. I'll try to keep everything simple and hand-held since it makes clean-up easier. I don't mind helping out at all. It gives you the opportunity to actually spend more time gaming than keeping up after everyone. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm not just a third wheel.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer. Any extra bit of help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

Although, to be honest, at this sort of gathering, I enjoy talking and socializing with people just as much as gaming. I think at the last meet I spent little time gaming and more time talking to other members, which is just fine with me. I learned a lot from Dan and Jeff and other members.

Bibliophile said:

Thanks for the offer. Any extra bit of help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

Although, to be honest, at this sort of gathering, I enjoy talking and socializing with people just as much as gaming. I think at the last meet I spent little time gaming and more time talking to other members, which is just fine with me. I learned a lot from Dan and Jeff and other members.

Click to expand...

Cooking and baking are things I like to do plus it's the only way I can think of to help out. You've got enough to deal with setting everything up and I'd like to be able to help out where I can.

As for food, I just need to know if anyone has any allergies or major aversions. I can get a set of disposable trays and chafers for really cheap (yay graduation sales!) and those come with the little fuel pots to keep the food warm for a while. Obviously, one of the chafers will be kept cold. Each chafer is broken up into two sections so I can make 6 trays of food. They're small-ish trays but I don't think I'll be feeding an army so we should be alright. Better to eat it all than to have lots of leftovers with nowhere to store them.

So far, this is what I've come up with:
cold pasta salad
meat & cheese tray (rolls and condiments on the side)
baked chicken tenderloins and baby red potatoes
baked ziti w/meatballs
baked rotini alfredo w/chicken (broccoli on the side)
steak fajitas w/various peppers and onions (tortillas and condiments on the side)

chocolate chip brownies
assorted cookies (sugar, choc. chip, PB, oatmeal)
rice krispie treats

assorted sodas, water, juice, tea


Those ought to give us enough fuel to keep going! If anyone has ideas or really dislikes something on the list, please let me know. I'd rather change it or pare it down than to have a bunch of leftovers.

Don't worry about drinks, or any snacks that can be had at a supermarket (cookies, crackers, chips). I will take care of those. However, anything that needs cooking or baking would be a good idea. When the time comes close, you and I should probably communicate in detail so that we each know what the other is providing so we don't overlap eachother.

bah! I will not be able to attend this year, as I will be out of town in early August (visiting the homies in Detroit). This will be the first one I will miss . Perhaps I can come up again for the next gathering!

ive never been too one, ill try to make it......................

Don't know if I can make it, but damn all that food sounds killer! Oh, nice cab set ups too, lol!

I might be able to go, I'll see if I can get a carpool going with some of the other AL members.

radiantsvgun said:

I might be able to go, I'll see if I can get a carpool going with some of the other AL members.

Click to expand...

Great! Hope to see you there.

I noticed you put the ground rules up. I thought that was common knowledge, so I'm wondering; did you ever have a get together, and someone showed up high/drunk ect?

No. I had a get together back in March, and everything went smoothly.

Also, about every 2-3 weeks about five of us here in Atlanta (Craig, Andy251203, Giancana, sometimes Le Geek, and myself) get together for some gaming, and we have never had a problem like this.

The only reason I put ground rules there are because I copied the format for my thread from when Circa2113 had his gathering in July 2007. He had the rules in his thread, and I copied them because they made good sense and were good rules to have "just in case." Sure, I would think they are common knowledge, but sometimes it is better to announce the rules first, lest there be any doubt.

What about a Windjammers tournament? I should finally be able to make this one.

caleb1883 said:

What about a Windjammers tournament? I should finally be able to make this one.

Click to expand...

Sounds good, but I have never played the game yet. Guess I better start practicing.

Glad you will be able to make it this time.

I need to practice as well. I used to be unbeatable, but I never had any competition. I went on a 30 something game winning streak one afternoon with six of my friends, and we finally quit because no one could beat me. But none of them really play video games except one of them, and they don't really play the game. I remember though I used to be able to get to at least stage 4 on single player without losing, and a few times I got to the final stage without losing.

Update

Craig and Andy and I have installed new buttons and sticks on several of my cabs, including but not limited to the 33" showcase cab.

Plus, that 33" cab is set up for six button play for both Naomi and CPS2/CPS3. Thus, we will have an awesome cab for the fighter tourneys.

Time to take suggestions for fighter tournament games.