Summary
The registration was worlds smoother, the food was exponentially better, and we were told that the simpler session schedule helped people feel that they didn't have to miss out on things they wanted to see. The PvP tournament was a great addition that will most definitely be repeated. LBR looked good (our servers had a few hiccups, but our dev members acted quickly), and it seemed like people had fun with the new art. We made sure there were more PCs available in the gaming pit, and there were other PCs showing other games as well, like the SIMS, Motor City Online, and Earth and Beyond. The contests were a nice addition, and I’m sure many of you will be interested to know the winner for the name of that four-armed demon… MOLOCH!
We also acted on a lot of the feedback we received last year, including many requests from people for better ways to meet their friends from their shards. The tables at lunch were separated and marked as shard-specific, giving folks an easy way to find and meet up with others from their shards, and the shard hospitality suites we reserved and scheduled for shard meetings were well-received… but not used by most of our attendees. We'll give that whole process another look before we try it again. We also left out the loud bands this year, and that seemed to really help people socialize and enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere. The UO Chat area was a nice way to keep the more intimate feel of the smaller sessions from last year while not taking people too far away from what’s happening on the exhibit hall floor, and there were a few time periods set aside for players to host their own sessions as well.
Here's another thing worth mentioning - last year, we had some issues with people getting the wrong shirt sizes, etc, so we decided this year to go with mousepads instead. (Plus, the mousepads were nice and dark and perfect for Todd and Austen's autographs!) However, we were remiss in updating this info on the website, so some people were initially disappointed by the change. While we still think the mousepads turned out to be a great choice, we understand the importance of setting the correct expectations. Feedback noted for next time!
If you have more thoughts for us, or ideas for ways we can make future events even better, we'd love to hear it! We will put up a feedback form soon to make it quick and easy.
Photos by Amy Sage and Rand Kiessig << Table of Contents
