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R3play Expo - Blackpool 6/7 Nov 2010 - Reviews and comments!
Turnarcades:
It's taken a few days to compile all our pictures and reflect on the event but here's my review of the R3play Expo 2010:
THE VENUE
Norbreck Castle's Norcalympia Hall was the setting, and I would say it was an ideal venue for this event. Blackpool is the UK's spiritual home of gaming so with it's abundance of hotels, easy accessibilty from all parts of the country and lots to do outside of the show, I couldn't have picked a better venue. Some members of other forums complained it should be more central, but even though somewhere like Birmingham is right on our doorstep, having a seaside event puts people in a better mood and I happen to know that places like the NEC are pricey, accessibilty is crap and Birmingham's a moody place at the best of times. Blackpool has a choice of hotels so all revellers had easy access by walking from their hotels and even though it was at the very northern end past the illuminations, this made parking easier for exhibitors and kept it out of the hustle and bustle of Blackpool's main golden mile.
The hotel itself was questionable quality, but they had lots of amenities and the Norcalympia Hall was clean and the perfect size. There was room for more exhibits but a bit of breathing space by the bar was handy with the volume of people at the show, and none of the exhibits had any pushing or shoving, even by people just watching others play. The stage setup was great and created a focal point for the show, and the additional corridor space made for a quieter experience when talking with the computer bods allocated rooms for their gear along the hallway. All in all a great choice of venue all round!
THE ORGANISATION AND ADVERTISING
The show itself was announced in plenty of time to organise exhibitors, make adequate press releases and promote the event, and a few friends of mine back home said they viewed ads for it in the least likely of places (a customer of ours found an ad in an in-flight magazine during the Summer!) It was a lot to handle though and with some uncertainties and changes (such as the last-minute pulling out of Gail Porter and withdrawal of some of the arcade cab exhibitors) I can understand why communication with exhibitors like us and lack of promotion in the couple of months before started to fall of a little. It's also why the floorplan changed so many times and some visitors were baffled by the lack of trader stalls as originally it was perceived to be more of a full expo with a 50% split of traders and exhibits. To be fair though, Console Passion covered most retro needs, retro t-shirts were available and we certainly had a lot of interest for cabinet orders.
Floor space allocation for the show was mostly OK, with things grouped logically (classic consoles on 1 row, multiplayer and modern gaming set to one side of the hall etc.), and although grumbled about feeling like they weren't part of the show, the cocktail cabinets, racing cabinets and pinball tables seemed very at home in the corridor behind the stage and the more techy people were allocated to rooms leading off there, which gave good opportunity to talk tech without being drowned out by the mic on stage; something I unfortunately lost my voice doing all weekend. Ours and Surface Tension's pitches seemed ideal from our perspective as there was plenty of room for visitors stopping by our stands and we could be seen from everywhere in the room, but I did get the feeling we were kind of dumped there as we had to daisy-chain power leads to get power to our machines. Not a bad layout overall, but the sponsors were treated a little too favourably and we found it difficult to promote our competition even though other competitions were promoted on the big screens. To be fair Dave did say he was grateful for the extra promoting of the show we did and would have liked to have helped us out more.
THE SHOW AND EXHIBITS
The best part about the whole event was the exhibits themselves. Tidy and well-serviced arcade machines, multiple common consoles to keep fond remembered games readily available, whilst rarer and less well-known machines were also left out with selections of games ready to try out. The N64 DD was a nice addition; Console Passion let you try out stuff before you bought (including a blue 'programmers' PS1, Tomy Viewmaster LCD games and other retro machines like Astro Wars and Scramble) and there were some setups that even seasoned gamers may not have experienced, such as multi-player Bomberman, Goldeneye and network-linked X-Boxes and PS2's.
The arcade side of things was a touch under-represented. There were some nice cabs from guys from the JAMMA+ forums as well as a nice selection of cocktail and candy cabs, but nothing really to shout about. Dave did say though that although the organisers offered to pick up and transport cabinets for free, some contributers pulled out with poor excuses and one collection of at least 10 machines didn't make it to the show. Even though a lot of visitors expected to play on some expected genuine machines, ST and us had enough on show to at least allow many of those games to be played with real arcade controls. Considering the initial interest here at BYOAC I would have expected a few more contributors and visitors, but then on the flipside of the coin this community wasn't asked directly so hopefully our input may change that for future events.
The newer console stands like the Wii and PS3 showcases and efforts from Sumo Digital and Sega added a touch more professional feel and they all got involved with the show and offered some great competition prizes. There were plenty of competitions and a raffle to give people opportunity to go home with sme memorabilia and feel really involved with the show. The record attempts and game creator presences (Ocean team, Archer Maclean etc.) made it a very 'involved' experience.
THE PEOPLE
This was my only mixed opinion on the weekend as a whole. On the whole, the organisers and visitors were very friendly people and it was very nice to finally put some faces to names of fellow forum members like Franco B, fellow hobbyist vendors like ST, and important community bods like Andy Warne. Many current and former customers also made themselves known as well as new facebook enthusiast friends and others who had been following us and the home build scene for a long time. Coupled with this, Dave Moore and the guys from the CGEU were a pleasure, host and comedian Iain Lee was very genuine and perfect for this event and guys like Chris Wilkins (Retrogamer magazine) and ex-developer staff like Archer and Jim Bagley were very pleasant and had decent talks with us. On the whole, many people were very interested both in our machines and in the 'build your own' scene and it was great to introduce newcomers to it. ST were very helpful and we helped each other out over the weekend and it was nice to discuss both casual interests and product ideas with guys like Dan and Andy W, as well as Andy over at Console Passion.
However, there is also a slight negative about people involved in and visiting the event, which became apparent the moment we arrived and reared it's head several times over the weekend. The organisers and main contributors to the show were mostly from the same online community and most were severe purists. This meant that there was a very obvious 'clique' that at times was a little unwelcoming and even a few very casual punters commented on. Whilst many were friendly, a few of the more serious purists and those more strongly attached to the clique did seem to frown on the emulation side of things. This is fine and I understand as many times we've had to prove ourselves as real enthusiasts and not just a business, but some individuals were downright rude when attempting conversation and it became obvious from the few things said that our side of the retro scene was frowned upon. One of ST's cabinets was damaged whilst his back was turned and someone intentionally messed with one of our machines, which may or may not have been a bit out of spite that our stalls garnered a lot of attention and although there were several breakdowns elsewhere, none of our machines experienced either mechanical or software faults the whole weekend.
Some of this may be paranoia, but everyone can't be friends and it's a safe bet on who was responsible for these issues. Aside from that, the majority of the people there were a delight and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I had with everyone there.
AS A BYOACer AND AS A TRADER
It was a successful event for us and we managed to do some useful networking at the event. We received several orders and did not feel isolated with at least a few other traders being present and helpful. For the most part the whole weekend had a very trustworthy feel and although some had little regard for the hardware (like going a little hard on controls or stacking beers all over cocktail cabinets), there was a general air of trust with games being left out unsupervised and even general members of the public who had just walked in on the day were very considerate. Andy at Console Passion said he did experience a few items go walkies but suspected it was mostly likely misplaced items by kids at the event or the exhibitors swapping and lending stuff round that they failed to keep track of. I would certainly exhibit and have a trade stall again and it would be nice next time to see a few more BYOACers or collectors donate their cabinets for a show, as there were no raised eyebrows about the emulation issues from the big names at this show. All I'd say is keep it sensible and people will respect the home-build side of arcade gaming.
As a BYOACer, I was a little disappointed that more members did not attend or attempt to contact the organisers about exhibiting. This kind of show is all about the roots of gaming that has us all involved in this hobby so I think it's important we get involved, regardless of the hardcore purists and whether directly invited or not. I will hopefully be getting a little more involved next year if a repeat show goes ahead so hopefully more members will respond to requests and have an input.
PICTURES FROM THE EVENT
OVERVIEW
The event was a great experience overall, with a perfect location, correct balance of old and new, good organisation and there was plenty on offer all weekend that meant no-one really had to wait and there was plenty to keep you entertained for hours at a time. Most people were great and the whole north end of Blackpool had a good vibe as you bumped into many visitors and exhibitors in the hotels and promenade on the approach to Norbreck. From what I understand the hotel owners were happy for the business after a slow Summer season and the event itself achieved close to the intended 2000 visitors over the course of the weekend. This is a positive outcome which from what I understand has already pretty much confirmed there will be another R3play show sometime next year.
The only downsides to the event were the apparent clique intimidating some people and the shaky organisation in the few weeks up to the show. There's also nothing can be done about the purists as they have their own opinion but the few bad apples who go out of their way to annoy or damage stuff we could do without. I found out a couple of former competitors were in attendance at the show who intended to cause problems but as they failed to present themselves in person it is not a concern and hopefully they can now see the level of commitment we have to our work and the hobby as a whole - if they don't then tough really and just don't bother coming next time!
I'll sign off by saying all our guys thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend, made plenty of new friends and relished the opportunity to geek out with like-minded people. We are 100% in for future events and were glad to have been part of the whole experience!
You can check out the rest of our pictures and videos by adding us as a friend on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=14410&id=100001605484104
LeedsFan:
Yeah that's one thing I didn't mention before. The fact that people were so trusting just leaving cartridges piled up next to systems so people could swap games in and out at leisure.
I set my DK cab up so that it could not be exited to Windows at all from the CP. I even removed the mini keyboard and mouse from the cab so if someone did have a nosey inside the back door they couldn't affect anything. Not I thought anyone really would do that, but it seemed you had a problem when you went out to lunch. :angry:
I seem to recall there was a problem between exhibitors regarding the coin-op expo in Northampton last year. I didn't go to that one (wish I had really) but I suppose there will always be a bit of rivalry in some quarters. It can be healthy at times regarding competition but people need to accept that we all contribute to the gaming and retro scene and none of us is going to go away.
For a first show this was an astounding success. It can only get bigger. I'm only a hobbyist but I intend to take at least three Mame based systems next year.
I'd be interested in what Andy at Ultimarc thought too. He doesn't sell full systems ofc but does supply unique parts for the hobbyists. Not sure if there would be enough of those type of punters for him to have a stand there though. The BYOAC type of machine wasn't too prevalent really. Aside from Turnarcades and Surface tension I think there was only one other Mame based system (apart from mine) which was that little black and yellow bartop right in front of the stage. I didn't see any other emulation based machines there but I could be wrong.
ark_ader:
I totally agree with Craig, it was a perfect place for the venue, and we had adequate room to play around in. The 40 odd players in the 1941 game was a blast that was on the stage, and all the old consoles (including that battle mech setup (with all the switches and levers all hooked up to an original xbox was pretty cool. It took like forever to start it up, but the guy who brought it was really nice and gave a tutorial on how to work it.
Craig's machines were next to those low height coffee table arcade cabinets that were really badly designed. The control panels were not very stable and there was virtually no legroom on the big one, so much so that you would get some nasty neck and lower back pain (I did) after playing on them for a typical session. The smaller one control panel was so bad, that the top of the panel would fly up if you pulled up on the joystick. The rep that was there was a nice enough guy though. The rubic cube seats were cool. I could not see myself playing counter stike on it.
But there were consoles, and more consoles, and a Famicom. A Japanese Gamecube that looked like a HTPC, and countless others I have owned or have played on during the 30 odd years. I was amazed that so many carts were just left in boxes and loads of discs laying around to play on. We spotted four PS2s with HDD game loaded on. The guy who worked them took fright we were poking around, and said he had an original of the Time Crisis game we were playing. We then asked him if he had the rest of the 160 games installed on the HDDs in his backpack... :laugh2:
Craig's Machines were pretty cool, all finished and painted, as they looked much better in real life than in previous photos. The controls were very responsive, and the layout was evenly spaced , so it wasn't uncomfortable to play on. It would have been nice to see more bartops but maybe next year eh Craig?
I liked the ROMS disclosure you had in the lower left of the cabinet. Considering what was ripped on other machines at the show, nobody took any notice or even cared. Marvelous!
Looking forward to next year, especially the tombola.
If the organizers are listening...Can we have a place for the Talks next year that isn't in a public place? I could not hear that Dropzone guy for the life of me through all that heavy rain on glass during his interview. ::) Thanks.
ark_ader:
--- Quote from: LeedsFan on November 12, 2010, 05:26:06 am ---Yeah that's one thing I didn't mention before. The fact that people were so trusting just leaving cartridges piled up next to systems so people could swap games in and out at leisure.
I set my DK cab up so that it could not be exited to Windows at all from the CP. I even removed the mini keyboard and mouse from the cab so if someone did have a nosey inside the back door they couldn't affect anything. Not I thought anyone really would do that, but it seemed you had a problem when you went out to lunch. :angry:
I seem to recall there was a problem between exhibitors regarding the coin-op expo in Northampton last year. I didn't go to that one (wish I had really) but I suppose there will always be a bit of rivalry in some quarters. It can be healthy at times regarding competition but people need to accept that we all contribute to the gaming and retro scene and none of us is going to go away.
For a first show this was an astounding success. It can only get bigger. I'm only a hobbyist but I intend to take at least three Mame based systems next year.
I'd be interested in what Andy at Ultimarc thought too. He doesn't sell full systems ofc but does supply unique parts for the hobbyists. Not sure if there would be enough of those type of punters for him to have a stand there though. The BYOAC type of machine wasn't too prevalent really. Aside from Turnarcades and Surface tension I think there was only one other Mame based system (apart from mine) which was that little black and yellow bartop right in front of the stage. I didn't see any other emulation based machines there but I could be wrong.
--- End quote ---
Ahh that was your mini DK machine?
We were really interested in your airflow design for that cab. We noticed how hot it was at the back and we wanted to know if you had a fan at the top on the cab, or just the one out the back.
Loved playing on it, and all the four way games that was on it like Mr Do and Frogger.
Thanks for bringing it. :cheers:
LeedsFan:
--- Quote from: ark_ader on November 12, 2010, 07:46:05 pm ---
--- Quote from: LeedsFan on November 12, 2010, 05:26:06 am ---Yeah that's one thing I didn't mention before. The fact that people were so trusting just leaving cartridges piled up next to systems so people could swap games in and out at leisure.
I set my DK cab up so that it could not be exited to Windows at all from the CP. I even removed the mini keyboard and mouse from the cab so if someone did have a nosey inside the back door they couldn't affect anything. Not I thought anyone really would do that, but it seemed you had a problem when you went out to lunch. :angry:
I seem to recall there was a problem between exhibitors regarding the coin-op expo in Northampton last year. I didn't go to that one (wish I had really) but I suppose there will always be a bit of rivalry in some quarters. It can be healthy at times regarding competition but people need to accept that we all contribute to the gaming and retro scene and none of us is going to go away.
For a first show this was an astounding success. It can only get bigger. I'm only a hobbyist but I intend to take at least three Mame based systems next year.
I'd be interested in what Andy at Ultimarc thought too. He doesn't sell full systems ofc but does supply unique parts for the hobbyists. Not sure if there would be enough of those type of punters for him to have a stand there though. The BYOAC type of machine wasn't too prevalent really. Aside from Turnarcades and Surface tension I think there was only one other Mame based system (apart from mine) which was that little black and yellow bartop right in front of the stage. I didn't see any other emulation based machines there but I could be wrong.
--- End quote ---
Ahh that was your mini DK machine?
We were really interested in your airflow design for that cab. We noticed how hot it was at the back and we wanted to know if you had a fan at the top on the cab, or just the one out the back.
Loved playing on it, and all the four way games that was on it like Mr Do and Frogger.
Thanks for bringing it. :cheers:
--- End quote ---
When I first built that cab it had a mini-ITX board with Intel Ion processor using on-board graphics. They have passive cooling on the processor and so it never even got warm. But unfortunately on-board graphics just weren't enough. I'd compiled my own Mame with a permanent black bezel all round to make the screen area smaller to fit the cab. That coupled with scanlines was just a little too much for the on-board GPU and so games wouldn't play at 100%. So I pulled it out and used an Athlon XP 2400+ system I had spare with Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card. (I could have just got an old PCI card for the Intel board but I'll save that now for another project ;))
With this system it did get hot in there. And this was before I put that fan on the rear door! There were no case fans at all previously. Once I put that fan on the back door it helped a lot. I don't think it gets "hot" any more, just warm. I can tell when I place my hand on the side of the cabinet near the base. It's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. That's the only case fan by the way.
Having said that it was running for 10 hours solid which it never is at home. It broke down right at the end of the first day and I attributed it to overheating. But it was the U360 PCB breaking where the USB lead plugs in. It was completely my own fault as it was my bad design inside which caused it. Basically the USB socket where the lead plugs in was being pushed against every time it was played on. This put great strain on the pins on the PCB and they eventually gave way. I only discovered it once I got the cab home and investigated further. All fixed now though. :P