Fan Faire 2009 Overview! [Archive] - EQ2 Forum Archive @ EQ2Wire

Ashlanne

06-23-2009, 07:25 PM

<img src="http://www.station.sony.com/images/community/fanfaire09/ff2009_600.jpg" width="600" height="212" />It's 2 days until <a href="http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire" target="_blank">Fan Faire 2009</a>! Are you ready for some fun? Soon gamers from all over will descend upon Las Vegas to join SOE employees in days of massive online gaming fun. No matter which SOE game you play, there will be something for everyone who attends even those who have yet to try our games.Online registration has already closed, but you can still attend the Fan Faire through walk-in registration which begins June 25, 2009 at 4pm Vegas Time!The Community TeamThe following members of the Community Relations team are scheduled to be at Fan Faire, as well as a host of folks from the other SOE teams and departments!Rich "Greeblen" SchmelterAimee "Ashlanne" RekoskeCraig "Grimwell" DalrympleTina "Kytherea" DelzerRobyn "Naylie" ValleeAaron "Gnobrin" BisnettMidori "Momochi" McDanielSusan "Soffrina" RummaniJen "Minerva" WilcoxLydia "Zatozia" PopeTiffany "Amnerys" SpenceJason "Pex" RyanChristie "Kiara" RenzettiJoel "Raijinn" SasakiPaul "Virrago" WilliamsTony "RadarX" JonesRoger "Draakull" PilneyGordon "Gordo" Dapkus Schedule:Thursday, June 25: <ul><li>4pm – 8pm - Early Bird Registration and Badge Pick-Up: Bring your photo ID and pick up your badge! Walk-ins can register too! </li><li>4pm – 8pm - Vendor Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store Open: Check out the latest Phat Lewt from SOE, and visit our many vendors! </li><li>4pm – 8pm, 10pm – 1am - Crossroads Lounge: Chill out with friends (or post messages for them), check out SOE games and enjoy refreshments. </li><li>8pm – 10pm - Welcome Reception: Chill out with fellow players, and chat with the dev teams! All-Access passholders only. Light appetizers will be served. Cash bar available with valid ID. </li><li>10pm – 1am - Late Night Gaming: Play trading card games and more! Check back soon! </li></ul>Friday, June 26:<ul><li>10am – 7pm - Registration and Badge Pick-Up: Bring your photo ID and pick up your badge! Walk-ins can register too! </li><li>10am – 9pm - Game Room Open: You'll need to sign up to reserve a game room computer. Space is limited! </li><li>10am – 7pm - Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store Open: Check out the latest Phat Lewt from SOE and visit our many vendors! </li><li>10am – 9pm - Crossroads Lounge: Chill out with friends (or post messages for them), check out SOE games, enjoy refreshments. </li><li>12pm - Silent Auction Begins: Bid on your favorite banner/other SOE items. We'll announce the winners Saturday afternoon! </li><li>10am – 11am - Station Launcher: Panelists - Dan Kinney, senior director of Platform Client Applications and the Station Launcher dev team. This session will discuss the work done on the Station Launcher over the past year, highlighting the development process that is being used to update the application. An in-depth demonstration will focus on the features in Station Launcher version 1.1.0, and the team will gather feedback for the future. </li><li>10am – 11am - Podcast: Panelists - Alan Crosby, Aimee Rekoske, Yivvits and Mr. Bubble, and folks from OGR. Find out what goes on in a Podcast! Brenlo and Ashlanne will be there to talk about the SOE Podcast. Dellmon and Zanadi from Online Gaming Radio will share tips with you, and we must not forget the creators of the Star Wars Galaxies podcast. All seven will answer questions and talk about their own podcasts. </li><li>10am – 11am - Behind the Scenes with Customer Service: Panelists Ima Somers, Tim Vick, Ethan Nason and Jameson Wright will be presenting a behind-the-scenes look at SOE's Customer Service and Technical Support departments, and also answering questions about the service from the audience. If you have a "bad" name though, make sure to cover up your badge! </li><li>11am - 12pm - Legends of Norrath™: Legends of Norrath™, SOE's flagship online trading card game is fast approaching release number seven with Storm Break! Set for release on July 9 with more than 280 new game cards and exciting new loot for EverQuest and EverQuest II, this set tells the third and final chapter of the Ethernauts saga. The panel discussion at Fan Faire will give you the first peek at the new gameplay, card art and loot cards available in this set! Plus, attendees at the panel will receive five (5) free booster packs of Storm Break to be awarded when the set releases! Don't miss it! </li><li>11am - 12pm - Free Realms™ - Art from Concept to Completion: Panelists - Rosie Rappaport, Sebastian Strzalkowski, Matt Case, Floyd Bishop, Kelsey McNair. From the vivid landscapes to clothing and characters, creating the look and feel of Free Realms is no small task. Join the Free Realms art team as they detail the process of creating a game from the first concept drawings to final renders. </li><li>11am - 12pm - The Agency™: Panelists - Dan Meyers and Steven Kramer. The Agency is a fast-paced action shooter based in a persistent world! Join SOE Seattle for a behind-the-scene look at new gameplay and the latest in development. </li><li>11am - 12pm - Community Relations: Panelists – Some of your favorites from the SOE Community team. Hear what goes on with the Community Team from podcast to forum moderation; learn what goes on behind the scenes and the SOE Community philosophy. </li><li>12pm – 2pm - The Matrix Online Player Gathering: If you registered for Fan Faire as an MXO player, please join us in this room at noon for a special event. </li><li>1pm – 2pm - Book Signing by Master Artist Donato Giancola and Other Special Guests!: Get your EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition book signed! </li><li>2pm – 3pm - The History and Future of Pirates of the Burning Sea™: Panelists: Janice Von Itter, Russell Williams. In the first year and a half of Pirates, we've made changes reactively, tactically, and proactively. With Skirmish, our latest new feature, we've now moved into the next level of change – strategic. Come hear about the history of Pirates and what we're planning for the future. </li><li>7pm - Third Annual Community Address from John Smedley: Special news, announcements and more! Don't miss out! </li></ul>

Ashlanne

06-23-2009, 07:26 PM

Saturday, June 27:<ul><li>10am – 7pm - Registration and Badge Pick-Up: Bring your photo ID and pick up your badge! Walk-ins can register too! </li><li>10am – 9pm - Game Room Open: You'll need to sign up to reserve a game room computer. Space is limited! </li><li>10am – 7pm - Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store Open: Check out the latest Phat Lewt from SOE and visit our many vendors! </li><li>10am – 9pm - Crossroads Lounge: Chill out with friends (or post messages for them), check out SOE games, enjoy refreshments. </li><li>10am – 11am - EverCracked! - The World Premiere: Fan Faire welcomes you to the world premier of EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest. The film, hosted by veteran video game developer and personality Jace Hall, includes the history of EQ with never-before-seen footage and interviews with industry moguls and longtime players. EverCracked! details the events, products, personalities and art that graced the world of Norrath over the years, with many tongue-in-cheek moments that befit EverQuest's own sense of fun and humor. </li><li>10am – 11am - Free Realms Trading Card Game: If you haven't yet gotten around to the card duelist job in Free Realms™, you're missing out on a great gaming experience! Come by the Free Realms Trading Card Game panel, and the folks from Denver will tell you how to play this exciting new card game and maybe reveal some tips and tricks on beating Sam Potts, Brody Sparfist and even Shifty the Shuffler! </li><li>10am – 12pm - G.I.R.L. - Gamers in Real Life: It's the 2009 G.I.R.L. Challenge! Teams of 4-5 will have to come up with a video game concept that best represents G.I.R.L. Details to be revealed at event. Women and men are invited. Champagne will be served with valid ID. Sign-up at info desk prior to event – space is limited. </li><li>10am – 11am - Station Voice™: Panelists - Dan Kinney, Josh Kriegshauser and Dave Verrati. This session will discuss the features, capabilities and future of the Station Voice offering that is available in multiple applications from SOE. </li><li>10am – 11am - ZAM: Panlists - Jeffrey "Allakhazam" Moyer, Andy "Illia" Sharp, Ryan "Draknorr" Bohmann, Amy "Calthine" Lanam. The Past and Future – 10 Years of Allakhazam and ZAM </li><li>11am – 12 pm - Fantasy Art with Larry Elmore: Find out about the life of an Illustrator, breaking into the industry and more! </li><li>11am – 12 pm - Pox Nora™: SOE's eastward expansion continues with the acquisition of a small studio called Octopi in Tucson, Ariz. These brainiacs have created an awesome game called PoxNora®, which just released its 10th set, Rise of Serkan™. Haven't played PoxNora yet? Come by the PoxNora panel at Fan Faire and meet the newest addition to the SOE family! They'll teach you how to play PoxNora and get you started with a free starter pack just for attending the panel! </li><li>11am – 12 pm - The Business of Online Gaming – Hardware, Software and Virtual: Panelists - Harlan Beverly and Chris Norden. This panel discussion will investigate how hardware, software, and virtual goods interact to drive the business of online gaming: Hardware's impact to the online world extends from the costs of running online games (infrastructure) to the benefits of hardware vendors and ad revenue for ad sponsored games. Software costs from development and distribution to the benefit of online purchasing through Sony PS3 online store, Sony Station, Steam, and Microsoft Xbox 360 Store, Direct-to-Drive and more. And virtual goods and economies, from free-to-play to item bartering and stores like Linden Labs, QQ, PoxNora, BattleForge, and Battlefield Heroes™. </li><li>1pm – 2pm - EverCracked! - 2nd screening: Fan Faire welcomes you to the world premier of EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest. The film, hosted by veteran video game developer and personality Jace Hall, includes the history of EQ with never-before-seen footage and interviews with industry moguls and longtime players. EverCracked! details the events, products, personalities and art that graced the world of Norrath over the years, with many tongue-in-cheek moments that befit EverQuest's own sense of fun and humor. </li><li>1pm – 2pm - Book Signing by Master Artist Donato Giancola and Other Special Guests!: Get your EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition book signed! </li><li>2pm – 3pm - The Agency™: Panelists - Dan Meyers and Steven Kramer. The Agency is a fast-paced action shooter based in a persistent world! Join SOE Seattle for a behind-the-scene look at new gameplay and the latest in development. </li><li>2pm – 3pm - Of Skirmishes and Swashbuckling: Pirates of the Burning Sea Phase 2: Panelists: Janice Von Itter, Russell Williams. The new Swashbuckling and Skirmish systems are fun and exciting new experiences in their own right, but the overall goals for both are more global in nature. We'll be discussing the genesis of both features, what we hoped to achieve in the near term and where we're going next. </li><li>4pm – 6pm - Bringing the DC Universe to Life Online: Panelists - Senior Producer Wes Yanagi, Creative Director Jens Andersen and Executive Creative Director and legendary Comic Book Artist Jim Lee! Creating an online world that encompasses and stays true to the entire DC Universe is no small task. In this panel, the creative team behind DC Universe Online will discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing this legendary comic book universe to life in an online game world. Bring your poster from your goodie bag and stick around for Part II! </li><li>4pm - Silent Auction Ends: Hope you won your favorite items! </li><li>8pm - Grand Banquet and Costume Contest: All-Access passholders only. Full buffet dinner will be served. Cash bar available with valid ID. </li></ul>Sunday, June 28:Guest Check-Out: Be sure to find out your check-out time! View the full <a href="http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/schedule.vm" target="_blank">Fan Faire Schedule</a> for additional activities and updates.Thursday, June 25th:Thursday is arrival day for mostly everyone.The Early Bird Registration and Badge Pick-Up tables will be opened from 4pm to 8pm. This will ensure that everyone can grab their badge, or register and grab one right after they check in. Unfortunately, we will have no method of giving out the badges after 8pm. If you miss the cut off you will need to wait until Friday morning to get your badge.Crossroads will be open from 4pm to 8pm and then from 10pm to midnight.Sign up for the Tournaments will be at the information desk Thursday evening.Starting at 8:00 PM there will be a welcome reception at the in Bally's Event Center. SOE dev team members and more will be present to welcome everyone as they arrive and everyone will be able to chill out and chat casually about the games we love to play.In the late evening from 10pm to 1 AM, there will be a late night gaming session. Come chill out and play Legends of Norrath, Free Realms the Trading Card Game, Pox Nora and more. You must be an All-Access Fan Faire pass holder to attend.Friday, June 26th:Friday is the first full day of action at Fan Faire and there will be plenty of activities for everyone to participate in. Registration and Badge Pick-Up will open at 10:00 AM and run until 7:00 PM.The Game Room is opening at 10:00 am and running until 7:00 pm. The Vendor Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store will be open form 10:00 am to 7:00 PM, and Crossroads will be open from 10:00 am to 7:00 PM.By visiting each of these locations you can visit a great number of vendors, jump in game and say ‘Hello from Fan Faire!” to your online buddies, and hang out with SOE employees and your friends while you enjoy refreshments at Crossroads.Community Address: At 7:00 pm on Friday, see what's new at SOE! To kickoff the 2009 SOE Fan Faire, SOE President John Smedley will provide opening remarks to more than 1500 video game fans at the Bally's Las Vegas. The third annual "Community Address," will be streamed online allowing both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide to get the very latest updates from SOE.Not attending Fan Faire? Don’t worry you still have a chance to hear the address via the Live Webcase. To register for the webcast, <a href="http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/index.asp?eventid=32136171" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> To close out the day, following the Community Address we will celebrate the EverQuest 10th Anniversary with a Birthday Bash! There will be live entertainment, light snacks and complimentary bar until midnight. Additional food will be available for purchase.Saturday, June 27th:Registration, Badge Pick-Up, the Game Room, Bazaar, Phat Lewt Store, and Crossroads will all be open on Saturday from 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM. This will ensure that if you have not had a chance to stop by each area on Friday, you can check them out in your free time on Saturday and share in all the action.The Grand Banquet will begin at 8:00 PM and will provide a full buffet dinner for attendees. At the banquet the SOE Fan Faire Costume Contest will take place.Event schedule and times are subject to change. Please check the schedule when you arrive at Fan Faire to be sure you have the most accurate information.Fan Faire Resources<ul type="disc"><li><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/station/posts/list.m?topic_id=11500013774" target="_blank">Vegas Fan Faire Preparation</a> - What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! But… What you leave at home stays at home! Here are some tips on preparing for the 2009 Vegas SOE Fan Faire to keep you from leaving something important behind. </li><li><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/soefanfaire2009/" target="_blank">Flickr Group for Fan Faire!</a> - All attending Fan Faire 2008 are welcome to share their photos with the community through the newly created Flickr group. </li><li><a href="http://twitter.com/soefanfaire" target="_blank">Twitter</a> – Do you Twitter? Get updates on your mobile phone and on the web! Follow us at twitter.com/soefanfaire. </li><li><a href="http://youtube.com/SOEVideos" target="_blank">YouTube</a> - Watch and subscribe to see the latest SOE videos and trailers on YouTube. Find us at YouTube.com/SOEVideos </li><li><a href="http://eq2players.station.sony.com/news_archive_content.vm?id=3145&section=News&locale=en_US" target="_blank">"Virtually" Attending Fan Faire! </a>- Once upon a time, people went on vacation and were pretty much out of reach until they got home. Can you believe it? Oh em gee. Nowadays you can't go out to eat, to a movie, or even into...eww...the little elves' room, without hearing someone talking on a cell phone or sending a text message. Here are some tips on staying connected while at Fan Faire. </li><li><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/station/posts/list.m?topic_id=11500014004" target="_blank">Fan Faire Maps</a> - For all those attending, here are a few maps of the inside of the hotel where the events will be taking place. Feel free to use these to map out strategies for maximizing seeing as many panels as possible, or print them out so you reduce the risk of getting lost during the three day celebration </li><li><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/station/posts/list.m?topic_id=11500014021" target="_blank">Fan Faire Looking for Group</a> - To help you find members of your guild and server faster and easier! </li></ul>As you can see, the 2009 SOE Fan Faire looks to be a fun-filled event with plenty to do for everyone who plays any SOE game and just likes to have fun in general. Throughout the course of Fan Faire, there will be many opportunities for EQII players to meet with the team and talk about the game.We look forward to meeting with everyone who’s coming to Las Vegas! If you can’t make it, be sure to watch the <a href="http://www.station.sony.com/en/community.vm" target="_blank">Community</a> website and make use of the resources listed above for daily updates!See you at Fan Faire!