FF poll?

[Ber]

<p>ok umm, well that thread got locked but i wanted to see if anyone had noticed...vegas and denver had shot up majorly from the 24-25th of august...on the 24th last i remember there were like 800 votes for vegas or something...now im no investigator or anything but umm thats like shooting up 5000 votes for vegas, and if i remember correctly like 400 for denver? <img src="/smilies/0320a00cb4bb5629ab9fc2bc1fcc4e9e.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> correct me if im wrong...but dosen't that seem weird? <img src="/smilies/1cfd6e2a9a2c0cf8e74b49b35e2e46c7.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>edited once i checked the other poll for correct numbers</p>

[Bunda]

well...if there`is a way to cheat, it would appear that someone found it, but Ashlanne did say it was fine to rquest help from guild members and friends...there are very large guilds in EQ1 maybe they got their guilds to vote? looks like the next fanfaire will be in vegas since the poll ends today...

[Ashlanne]

We are looking into what happened with the poll.  There seems to be something wrong with the poll system on these forums.

[Bunda]

Years ago they had a poll INGAME to help select FF locations..any way to go back to that?  Put a poll into all the SOE online games and let people vote between Denver, Orlando and Las Vegas..One vote per account with an option to vote for none of the above...

[Saign]

<p>Wow!  I went to work this morning and saw Denver ahead by perhaps 30 votes(this was at 6:00am MST).  I come home after work and find that Vegas got almost 4000 votes since then and Denver got a few.  Did everyone wait till the last day to vote?  I see Ashlanne is checking into this but obviously it looks like someone found an exploit in an SOE product(lol go figure).  I look forward to seeing what happened.</p>

[Ever-Befall]

<cite>Saigner wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Wow!  I went to work this morning and saw Denver ahead by perhaps 30 votes(this was at 6:00am MST).  I come home after work and find that Vegas got almost 4000 votes since then and Denver got a few.  Did everyone wait till the last day to vote?  I see Ashlanne is checking into this but obviously it looks like someone found an exploit in an SOE product(lol go figure).  I look forward to seeing what happened.</p></blockquote> I think it was happening over a period of a couple days, but someone went crazy with Vegas making it way obvious.  Orlando should win by default since our vote total wasn't inflated by manipulating the system <img src="/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Ber]

<cite>Ever-Befallen wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Saigner wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Wow!  I went to work this morning and saw Denver ahead by perhaps 30 votes(this was at 6:00am MST).  I come home after work and find that Vegas got almost 4000 votes since then and Denver got a few.  Did everyone wait till the last day to vote?  I see Ashlanne is checking into this but obviously it looks like someone found an exploit in an SOE product(lol go figure).  I look forward to seeing what happened.</p></blockquote> I think it was happening over a period of a couple days, but someone went crazy with Vegas making it way obvious.  Orlando should win by default since our vote total wasn't inflated by manipulating the system <img src="/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></blockquote>Lol <img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[laien]

Just let vegas win!!! VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS

[mattador]

what is u talking about hmmm vegas did win.  we just need to start planning what were gonna do there lai.  I heard the paladins were gonna have a party in thier room muahahaha.

[mattador]

... and the official announcement of the FF location will be ...???

[Ber]

<p>OK this is my opinion, just my 2c ...</p><p>Ashlane why did you change polls anyways? <img src="/smilies/1cfd6e2a9a2c0cf8e74b49b35e2e46c7.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> the first one was fine imo</p><p>IMO we should just do what the first poll says and let orlando win because it wasnt hacked or exploited...or didnt seem like it at least...plus it would make it easier for those of us who have to plan ahead of time...</p><p> Possibly we could go back to 2 FF a year and that way we wouldnt have this long debate ablout whether the west or east coast should have a FF...that way people wouldnt really try to expolit it from the other side because they know that would get their turn <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>So come on lets all vote "Berry" <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </p>

[Bunda]

The first poll was being manipulated too. If you watched the numbers, they would shoot up 60-80 votes in a matter if a few minutes. Thats when Ashlanne was posting that there was no conspiracy...Which actually there appeared to be, not on her part, but on someone elses... There needs to be an IN GAME poll like there was years ago, that way only one vote per account and the account has to be active... And I agree, we should go back to 2 FFs a year...One East coast and one west coast....

[Telairee]

<cite>Bunda wrote:</cite><blockquote>The first poll was being manipulated too. If you watched the numbers, they would shoot up 60-80 votes in a matter if a few minutes. Thats when Ashlanne was posting that there was no conspiracy...Which actually there appeared to be, not on her part, but on someone elses... There needs to be an IN GAME poll like there was years ago, that way only one vote per account and the account has to be active... And I agree, we should go back to 2 FFs a year...One East coast and one west coast.... </blockquote> I think an in-game poll would definitely be a much better idea as far as fairness goes, and another upside of using the in-game poll would be that it would make more people aware of it.  If the only announcement is basically on the boards, many are missing out.  I know personally I told a lot of people about it last year who weren't even aware that there was one going on.  If you want more people to come, it needs to be announced in a place that everyone sees, like as you are logging in.

[mattador]

1) the people that care about it know about it. 2) Last year was east coast so this year should be in Las Vegas anyway. EZPZ done!

[Telairee]

>> 1) the people that care about it know about it. << That is not necessarily true.  Not everyone checks the boards.  The first time I went I stumbled upon it by accident.  And there's no harm in making sure that the information gets out to everyone rather than just the people who read the boards.  As for the rest, I don't mind one fan faire a year as long as it moves around a bit so I can see some different places.  My husband and I try to go to all of them, which gets to be tough if there are 2 a year, and this way perhaps the organization of them will not be so rushed so that we can find out where/when sooner.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Bunda]

After you have been to a few (I have been to 6) you notice that most of the people who attend Fan Faire are the same at every one. There are a few new faces, but by in large it's the same main core group. Back a few years ago they ran a IN GAME poll to help determine the location of the next fan faire...It did raise awareness of the event and lots of people showed up...I think it was the Spring 2003 Fan Faire and it was in Las Vegas. There were somewhere between 3000 and 4000 paid admissions and probably another 500-1000 people who just showed up for the fun of hanging out together... It was probably the best gamer event I have ever attended... If an in game poll will generate that kind of enthusiasm about this event, they could hold it in Alaska and I would attend...The crowd is what makes the event worth attending....But to have a good crowd, word has to be spread AND the location choiced have to be places that interest people, where there are fun things to do CLOSE BY, AND it has to be AFFORDABLE....

[Telairee]

Yes, I agree with all of that.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  I was just saying that in general an in-game poll I think would be better because it would reach and inform more people than just limiting it to the boards which not everybody reads, and perhaps that would help expand the 'core' group.  I think we have been to 4 fan faires so far and had a great time.  The best part was meeting the people we play the game with.  We met some people at fan faire from our server that we hadn't known before in-game and now we hang out with them from time to time.  For the people who haven't been to one yet, it is a lot of fun!

[Perzephone]

<cite>laienai wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just let vegas win!!! VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS</blockquote>LOL YES YES PLEASE! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I'm So down for Vegas BABY!

[Sassums]

<p>There is always some theory, and its always negative, anyone see that? hehe. </p><p>My first thought was that, people are a lot smarter then I thought them to be, they all waited until the last few days to put their votes in.  Which makes total sense, because it could/should give you the advantage, but if there was some exploit that SOE is looking into, well then, thats sad.  Exploit or not, people shouldnt cheat to get a fan faire location changed, I mean come on.</p>

[Bunda]

But they will.. Many players are high school kids, Mommy and daddy aren't going to let them go too far away from home, so they could maniplute the poll to keep it close to home Players who don't want to spend a lot of money will try to manipulate it to keep it close to home. It's very expensive to travel these days...Las Vegas would cost my wife and I about $1000 for the weekend, Denver would have been about $1400 and Orlando would have been about $1200. A few hundred dollars determines if we even attend...... There used to be 2 fan faires, one east one west, people know that they could attend at least one every year that wasn't so far away. Now SOE has changed the rules, and made a game of chosing the fan faire... Do you think for one minute that as competitive as the players here are that they aren't going to use every advantage they have to try to win? And with every "game" come exploits and cheaters...Just like in EQ2, there are cheaters here. If SOE insists on making a game out of selecting a FF location, then they owe it to us all to make is as fair as possible to do so...ESPECIALLY that there are hundreds of thousands of players, but only a small handfull 2-3000 will attend. IMO the very best thing SOE could do would be to go back to 2 FFs a year and chose the locatons themselves based on player demographics and the cost involved. I am surprised that they let the players choose since when you get right down to it, it's a business decision and there is a lot of money to be spent...Since when do companies allow customers to make internal financial choices for them? Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of having input...but the infighting, bickering and cheating that goes on isn't worth it. An in game poll would eliminate that. So would 2 FFs a year....

[Saign]

<p>Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that it's always the same core group of folks that manage to go to Fan Faire.  That is correct but I think one of the main reasons that is is because Sony keeps having the durn thing in the same location.  I mean look at it this way, if someone can't make it to one location one year how would anyone expect it may be different for any year after that.  By switching the location around to lend a little variety you still will get the main core of folks because those are the folks who are going to go NO MATTER where it is and also allow some folks the opportunity to go to an event that they otherwise probably will only be able to attend sporadically.  Also if we are trying to satisfy the main group of folks who will always go, then that is frankly a little sad because that core is not the only folks who play this game.</p><p>This is just my 2cp so flame away all you want.  Move the event around and more folks will attend overall thru that process.</p>

[ocam]

<cite>Saigner wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that it's always the same core group of folks that manage to go to Fan Faire.  That is correct but I think one of the main reasons that is is because Sony keeps having the durn thing in the same location.  I mean look at it this way, if someone can't make it to one location one year how would anyone expect it may be different for any year after that.  By switching the location around to lend a little variety you still will get the main core of folks because those are the folks who are going to go NO MATTER where it is and also allow some folks the opportunity to go to an event that they otherwise probably will only be able to attend sporadically.  Also if we are trying to satisfy the main group of folks who will always go, then that is frankly a little sad because that core is not the only folks who play this game.</p><p>This is just my 2cp so flame away all you want.  Move the event around and more folks will attend overall thru that process.</p></blockquote>You are quite mistaken. I have been to Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, Baltimore and Atlanta, and They have also been held in Boston, SanFransisco, Minneapolis, San Diego and several other cities...And yes, the core people DO travel all around to these locations to attend. The only SAD fact is that they have reduced the number of Fan Faires from 2 to one a year making it hard for a lot of people who would like to attend to do so.

[mattador]

Just to be safe they should have it every year in las vegas because that town is made for this convention and then ppl would know where it was going to be every year!

[Bunda]

I love Vegas, but even Vegas would get boring. I love seeing new places. I think there should be a couple of easy rules.. 1) The Fan Faire continues to be west coast/east coast every other year 2) if it's held in a temperate climate it's done in a WARM month 3) They try to keep costs down as low as possible 4) They give plenty of advanced notice of where and when it will be held...

[Raki]

<p>Orlando FTW!</p><p>You know you guys need a tan.</p>

[ocam]

Orlando is just to darned expensive, however I will accept Orlando over a cold miserable Denver any day. What would be outstanding would be Vegas in May....Still cheaper but not quite so hot... But Orlando if Vegas is out. I have attended 6 of the last 8 events. I won't go to Denver in March...I will just schedule my vacation in Vegas...

[mattador]

lol my guild was talking about going to vegas reguardless of where fan faire decides to be also.

[Ber]

<cite>Perzephone wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>laienai wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just let vegas win!!! VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS</blockquote>LOL YES YES PLEASE! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I'm So down for Vegas BABY! </blockquote><p> you know its not so smart to say that in my thread, I WANT ORLANDO TO WIN... <img src="/smilies/2e207fad049d4d292f60607f80f05768.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>so keep that to your own thread if you want</p>

[Rawlden]

<p>My solution:</p><p>Have the Fan Faire in Vegas in odd numbered years and somewhere else in even numbered years.</p>