Discussion: The 2012 Spring Freedom Player Summit
By
Arbiter Warrant,
Posted on: 2012-02-23 15:17 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
ARGH!!! and I can't buy tix till next week.. there BETTER be some left! 
and FPARN...
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"- Steve Moffat
Hopefully if you guys (devs/community people/marketing peeps) do a "what do you like/not like about CoH" survey like you did at the end of the last summit, you'll email all the VIPs (or somehow get it to us) so we can respond, yes?
Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991
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Nope, we hate you all.|
Originally Posted by Energizing_Ion
Hopefully if you guys (devs/community people/marketing peeps) do a "what do you like/not like about CoH" survey like you did at the end of the last summit, you'll email all the VIPs (or somehow get it to us) so we can respond, yes?
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(Real answer, we plan on a survey monkey survey after the event, so everyone who tuned in and watched will be able to participate.)
Andy Belford
Community Manager
Paragon Studios
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Monkey survey? All my brain keeps telling me is "Primal mastery set!" | (Real answer, we plan on a survey monkey survey after the event, so everyone who tuned in and watched will be able to participate.) |
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Nope, we hate you all.
... |
Well the feeling is mutual!
RAGEQUIT!
OH wait! I can't ragequit because there's no RAGEQUIT! button in the game or on the forums!
*yes this post needs more mad faces*
And thanks for the update Zwill
Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991
I just wish you hadn't made the food choice mandatory.
Had I known what you guys were serving, I'd have taken a "will bring my lunch" option. Not a huge fan of chicken, rice, and asian cuisine.
Oh yeah. Ticket bought. E-mail for badge sent.
Cue Jimi Hendrix:
Here I come baby!
I'm comin' to getcha!
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
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You know... maybe The FP needs another new member... Zwill.. otherwise known as Meme Boy? |
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Nope, we hate you all.
(Real answer, we plan on a survey monkey survey after the event, so everyone who tuned in and watched will be able to participate.) |
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"- Steve Moffat
I really hate that I can never make these things; especially with the 'make your case' panel coming up... so I'm making my case now.
I would like, primarily, to see a mechanics revamp to all of the Hazard Zones that would allow Villains access to them (by whatever means that Villains usually use to show up and cause mischief).
Use phase tech if you must; [for both player interaction and NPC diversity (or just allow them to be co-op 'neutral' zones).]
[Another possibility/option would be to auto-exemplar players in these zones in a similar fashion to how PvP zones are done.]
Expanding Villain options and zones using existing resources is a solid win, IMO.
Apparently, I play "City of Shakespeare"
*Arc #95278-Gathering the Four Winds -3 step arc; challenging - 5 Ratings/3 Stars (still working out the kinks)
*Arc #177826-Lights, Camera, Scream! - 3 step arc, camp horror; try out in 1st person POV - 35 Ratings/4 Stars
Benchpresser, I highly doubt they will be sold out of tickets by next week.
I'd go so far as to say I'd be amazed and flabbergasted if they were sold out by next week. (This doesn't mean that the OCR team or anyone else should go in and lower the number of tickets temporarily just to put me in that state.)
I do wish they had given us the event code for the hotel booking rather than us having to call to do it. Dinah's Garden has a nice booking system on their website that takes group rate codes into account as long as you know the correct code. None I tried today were valid.
As far as emailing the information for our badges, I'm curious as to whether or not they've gotten their mail server to play nice with Yahoo mail yet, or if I'll need to try to remember the password on the Gmail account I set up last time to mail that info.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
I have purchased my tickets. I am rather excited as I have never been to any comic/video game event before. I am curious about a few things in regards to what I just purchased, though.
I bought 2 tickets (via will-call) since my wife will be coming with me. However, I was only able to select 1 shirt size and 1 meal option. Will we be able to get 2 different sizes during the event? Will she be able to pick a different meal, if she so desires?
Looking at the hotel, the cheapest room is $109 a night. What is the deal attendees get? (Just asking in case someone else has already found out).
We often sit and think of you,
We often speak your name;
There is nothing left to answer,
But your photo in the frame.
-Anon.
Ossuary, I'll leave the questions about differences for your wife's shirt and meal options to someone with experience in that. There are ways to do that, I'm just not sure what they are (it may involve emails to the cohcommunity@paragonstudios.com email address or something similar).
As for the rooms, the rates we got for the first Freedom Player Summit was $10 off of the normal rate. The Garden Rooms were $99/night and the Deluxe Rooms (1 or 2 beds) were $109/night. I would expect that the rates would be the same this time. You can call Dinah's Garden on their 800 number and they can confirm it for you.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Anyone know the distance, travel time, and cost to and from the San Francisco airport to the hotel?
(Sometimes, I wish there could be a Dev thumbs up button for quality posts, because you pretty much nailed it.) -- Ghost Falcon
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Which one? There's two.|
Originally Posted by mousedroid
Anyone know the distance, travel time, and cost to and from the San Francisco airport to the hotel?
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SFO (San Francisco Intl. Airport) and
SJO (Mineta San Jose Intl. Airport)
SFO is north of Dinah's, about 25 miles on the 101.
SJO is south of Dinah's, about 14 miles on the 101.
Travel times will probably depend on time of day and traffic conditions.
As to cost. Well, if you have to get a cab or something, dunno. Honestly. It's my first trip to Cali in roughly 20 years (ohgod, did I just say that aloud? GET OFF MY LAWN!)
If you're getting in around a certain time, one of the people actually getting a car and driving might be willing to give you a lift for a couple bucks in gas money.
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
Which one? There's two.
SFO (San Francisco Intl. Airport) and SJO (Mineta San Jose Intl. Airport) SFO is north of Dinah's, about 25 miles on the 101. SJO is south of Dinah's, about 14 miles on the 101. Travel times will probably depend on time of day and traffic conditions. As to cost. Well, if you have to get a cab or something, dunno. Honestly. It's my first trip to Cali in roughly 20 years (ohgod, did I just say that aloud? GET OFF MY LAWN!) If you're getting in around a certain time, one of the people actually getting a car and driving might be willing to give you a lift for a couple bucks in gas money. |
Meant SFO as it had better flight options, which is a shame since San Jose is so much closer. Anyway, event ticket and flight are booked.
I would be surprised if I can catch a ride with anyone else as I am scheduled to arrive at SFO at 9:04 AM on Saturday morning and my flight home is at 12:25 AM on Sunday morning. Might look into a rental car.
(Sometimes, I wish there could be a Dev thumbs up button for quality posts, because you pretty much nailed it.) -- Ghost Falcon
mousedroid, I'd recommend looking at prices on Hotwire for rental cars. I've gotten some pretty good deals there the last few trips to California I've made.
I have a Full Size car for around $17.95/day this trip. None of the other travel sites or car rental sites gave me anywhere near that good of a price. I couldn't even get an Economy car for that rate from them.
Flying into SFO at that time is going to cut you pretty close on time to be able to get your luggage from bag check (if you have any), go through the rental counter to get your car and get to the site to get your registration done (picking up your badge and swag) and get to the Opening Ceremonies on time.
Luckily, it isn't football season so there are no football games to have to navigate traffic. The Dinah's Garden Hotel site should have driving instructions for coming from SFO.
EDIT: Looking at Hotwire, you can get better rates than what I got depending on when you book. Their prices fluctuate so sometimes it's best to check a few times. Right now I'm seeing prices for a Full Size car for 12.95/day all the way down to 7.95/day for an Economy car. That was priced for SFO going from 9:00 AM to 12:30 AM Sunday morning (yes, you'll need to be at the airport before then to turn it in and go through security). I just had to give an end time for returning the car and that time was in my memory. Once you book it you will see which rental agency it is. Hotwire rates like that give you the Big 6 Rental companies. Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Budget, Enterprise and National are the Big 6. You aren't getting a rental from a fly-by-night outfit or some two-bit local company. These are the big national chains at cheap rates. You also have to factor in some additional fees for this, so the final price for the full size comes to 41.99/day. Always check the final rate for comparison. For example, the same Full Size car from Enterprise is nearly 50/day before the fees are added.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check Hotwire.
I knew I'd be cutting it close in the morning, but I am not too worried if I miss part of the Welcome or Keynote address. Besides, that was the earliest direct flight I could find from the east coast.
ETA: Booked the car at the $7.95 rate, which saved me like $30 vs. what booking through Yahoo would've cost. I also checked my flights and I could've gotten them for $7 cheaper through Hotwire and would've saved another $3 by bundling the flight and car through Hotwaire, but cest la vi, I can live with the extra $10.
Oh and no, I won't be checking any bags since I'll only be in CA for about 15 hours.
(Sometimes, I wish there could be a Dev thumbs up button for quality posts, because you pretty much nailed it.) -- Ghost Falcon
From the hotel's website here are the hours of the restaurant/bar.
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Hours of Operation Dinner Monday - Thursday 5:00pm - 10:00pm Friday 5:00pm - 11:00pm Saturday 5:00pm - 11:00pm Sunday 4:30pm - 9:30pm Bar Monday - Thursday 4:00pm - 11:00pm Friday 4:00pm - 12:00 midnight Saturday 5:00pm - 12:00 midnight Sunday 4:30pm - 12:00 midnight |
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That is one of several reasons I fly in early morning on Friday and don't leave until as late as I can on Sunday.|
Originally Posted by mousedroid
Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check Hotwire.
I knew I'd be cutting it close in the morning, but I am not too worried if I miss part of the Welcome or Keynote address. Besides, that was the earliest direct flight I could find from the east coast. |
To get a flight from Texas I'd be lucky to get a flight that arrived before the Pummit starts. Since Registration opens at 8:30 (I think that is what I read on the BPT site after booking) I prefer not being rushed.
Of course, not everyone has the ability to take off for Friday or rent a hotel room for multiple nights. Since this is my only vacation each year, I splurge a bit. I'm just wondering what I'll do for a vacation if this ends up being my last trip to a CoH event.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Nylonus, those are the hours of operation for the Trader Vic's Restaurant and Bar.
There is also Dinah's Poolside Grill Restaurant where breakfast and lunch are served from 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM every day.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
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Well, I normally would've flown out Friday and home Sunday, because I hate being rushed too, but the week before this I'll be travelling to Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Comicon, and the week after this I'll be flying to Dallas for Frightmare Weekend, so I'm trying to A) minimize my time away from home and B) minimize my expenses. |
Originally Posted by Texas Justice
That is one of several reasons I fly in early morning on Friday and don't leave until as late as I can on Sunday.
To get a flight from Texas I'd be lucky to get a flight that arrived before the Pummit starts. Since Registration opens at 8:30 (I think that is what I read on the BPT site after booking) I prefer not being rushed. Of course, not everyone has the ability to take off for Friday or rent a hotel room for multiple nights. Since this is my only vacation each year, I splurge a bit. I'm just wondering what I'll do for a vacation if this ends up being my last trip to a CoH event. |
Until this morning I had no intentions of even attending the Pummit because of the bookend trips mentioned above, but when I realized I could do it in such a short span of time and for relatively little money, I figured what the heck. Also because I'm convinced that the one weekend this fall that I've already made plans for is whe the fall Pummit will take place; if they even have one.
(Sometimes, I wish there could be a Dev thumbs up button for quality posts, because you pretty much nailed it.) -- Ghost Falcon
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Understandable.
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Originally Posted by mousedroid
Well, I normally would've flown out Friday and home Sunday, because I hate being rushed too, but the week before this I'll be travelling to Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Comicon, and the week after this I'll be flying to Dallas for Frightmare Weekend, so I'm trying to A) minimize my time away from home and B) minimize my expenses.
Until this morning I had no intentions of even attending the Pummit because of the bookend trips mentioned above, but when I realized I could do it in such a short span of time and for relatively little money, I figured what the heck. Also because I'm convinced that the one weekend this fall that I've already made plans for is whe the fall Pummit will take place; if they even have one. |
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Ticket: Check
Hotel Room: Check
I'll be in town on the 27th if there is a unoffical players meet and greet planned.
See y'all there!
Toons i'm most seen playing: Hero : xanthicsnow, Pyro Quiver, Californian. Villain: Nox Carbine
I will be there if Creyhal can give me a ride again. Looking forward to butchering more Lady Gaga at the karaoke event!
Tatterdamalion 50 AR/Dev Liberty /Defiance 1.0 for Life...uh Death!!!!
Genghis Connie 50 MA/SR Liberty /What do you mean Hami ignores Defense?
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I haven't spoken to Red_Gren yet, but I assume he'll likely be looking at arranging something for Friday evening. It's traditionally been a Justice Server dinner, but we've always welcomed all players, Devs and OCR members.|
Originally Posted by xanthicsnow
Ticket: Check
Hotel Room: Check I'll be in town on the 27th if there is a unoffical players meet and greet planned. See y'all there! |
Once he starts working on it I'm sure he'll start a thread and link to it from one of the official threads.
I do know that I'll be having a Fred's Steak sandwich for lunch Friday and if you are there you are welcome to join me. I'm sure others will be there as well. Schaub's Meat, Fish & Poultry at the Stanford Shopping Center.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Last year, we held the first City of Heroes Freedom™ Player Summit, where our players not only got to learn about all the great new content we've been rolling out this year, but also had the chance to talk and interact with developers, and be heard in the design process. The event was a ton of fun for Paragon Studios and our player community, and this year we want to make the Freedom Player Summit even more interactive and exciting! Hopefully you've all marked your calendars for April 28, 2012; today, we're happy to share the full details and schedule with you so you can plan your trip to the event!
Venue
Dinah's Garden Hotel
4261 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA
Tel.: (800) 227-8220
The 2012 Spring Freedom Player Summit will again be held at the tropical Dinah's Garden Hotel in Palo Alto, California.
Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets, and will be at the online-discounted price of $40. (Tickets will be available in limited quantity at the door for $50, Personal Check only) Tickets to the Freedom Player Summit include full access to the event, a City of Heroes Freedom T-shirt, dinner, and a promo code which we'll announce at a later date.
Once you have purchased your ticket, please be sure to e-mail cohcommunity@paragonstudios.com with the following:
- Subject: FPS Attendee Badge
- Your name and your character's name
- An image of yourself or a screenshot of your character that you would like to appear on your badge. Please try to provide photographs against a solid background.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.If you need accommodations for the weekend, please contact Dinah's Garden Hotel for special rates for attendees!
Schedule of Activities
We learned a lot from the previous Freedom Player Summit, and we've taken player feedback into account in planning the 2012 Spring Freedom Player Summit. We're pleased to announce that panels for the 2012 Spring Freedom Player Summit will be single-track--meaning no split rooms with limited seating; no need to decide which panels to attend; and for the viewers on Ustream, no need to cross your fingers that we'll stream the panels you want to see! This event, all attendees and viewers will be able to watch all of the panels!
What else are we doing this year? Well, we noted that the "Design a Costume Set" workshop last year was a big success, producing some great dialogue between players and developers, and being the inception of the upcoming Retro Sci-Fi Pack. This year, we wanted to expand on these interactive panels, with another "Design a Costume Set" workshop, plus one we know you'll love: a "Design a Power Set" workshop, where you can give help design a future City of Heroes Freedom Power Set! Players will also be given the chance to 'make their case' on which City of Heroes zone should be revamped! All this in addition to some of our other popular panels last year, including the Paragon Market™ panel and the Story & Endgame panel!
Here is the full schedule of activities:
Welcome 10:00 AM
Keynote 10:10 AM - 10:45 AM
Paragon Market Panel 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LUNCH! 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
(It's recommended you finish before 1:15 PM so you can get good seating at the next panel!)
Design a Power Set Workshop 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM
Design a Costume Set 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Make your case - Zone Revamp 4:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Story & Endgame Panel 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Cocktail Hour with the Devs 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Dinner & Karaoke 7:30 PM -11:00 PM
And of course, what would a Freedom Player Summit be without awesome prizes awarded at the end of the night? We've partnered with the amazing folks at Logitech, Killer Technology, and Nvidia to pack our prize table full this year with peripherals, network cards, graphics cards and more to give away to some lucky players!
The 2012 Spring Freedom Player Summit is going to be a blast, and we hope to see you all there!