H3XU5.lan FAQ

[Gerrard]

I know there's an FAQ on the H3XU5.net site, but I thought I would write a fuller one here as well for new people to browse. It's also an excuse to avoid doing something more productive!

Fell free to point out what else should be added/modified. Rai can edit my posts anyway if need be.

What should I bring?

*optional

Computer/Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse (or laptop): -

Pretty essential really. If you're missing something, or if it's impracticable to bring everything, just post on the forums and someone will no doubt be able to help you out.
No networking gear is needed!

Games: -

You can go the NoCD crack route and not bother; it certainly helps not having to change the CD every couple of hours, but it's always handy to have the original in case there's patches or other problems with getting it to work on the network. Reinstalls happen quite often happen!

*4-way power extension: -

Not too critical, as most people only need 2, so chances are someone near you will have spare sockets if you need them. One of more common things to get left behind!

*Gamepad/Steering Wheel: -

Mainly for driving games. Some can be done with keyboard, often with amusing consequences! If you want some football action, then there's usually a console or two around, so bringing an Xbox controller will kill two birds with one stone.

Headphones: -

Obviously, 40 people with speakers would never work, so headphones are needed. It'll also help lower the background noise as you sneak around (in game).

*Mic: -

Not as vital as you would think. I don't think I've used mine at the last couple of LANs. Shouting across the room seems to do the job. With larger teams, we might attempt to set up some sort of voice comms.

Bedding: -

You will need to sleep there at some point over the weekend. I think the best JK did was to get through to Saturday night. Sleeping facilities consists of an empty room. Therefore, a sleeping bag is a minimum. Pillows are good as you can use them on the chairs that you'll be sat on for over 24 hours on! Some sort of airbed is also highly recommended. Duvets have also been known to make a good substitute.



*Ear plugs/Face mask

If you're a light sleeper and are easily disturbed by noise/light, than these might be useful. If you just pass out after drinking, then you can probably ignore these!

*Tent/Caravan: -

Tents are a possibility, as you can deploy a pop-up one on the balcony is you so wish. As for camping properly, I'm not sure. Rasher (the guy who runs these LANs) is only one I know that brings a caravan, and I'm not sure what the arrangements are with the race course are. I did very briefly consider getting a caravan after the first LAN due to the lack of sleeping, but it's been better since then.

Wash kit: -

Nobody likes to be the “smelly one”. For 3 day LANs, you can get away with a flannel and deodorant. For the 4 day ones, a shower is nice. There are showers there, but they aren't that good. They also might be locked for the weekend.

Clothes: -

Again, helps keep the smell under control. Depending on the time of year and where you are sat will determine whether you'll be hot or cold. 40+ computers can keep the room toasty, but a cold draught can quite easily cancel that out.

*Food/Alcohol: -

Unless you have something special, or you just happen to do some shopping before you go, it might be best to wait until you get there. Tesco is literally just up the road (about 10-15 minutes walk), and there will no doubt be someone sober enough to drive you up there if need be. There's also hot food available in the main room (see facilities below).

Cash: -

Mainly for the food there. There's always Tesco for cash withdrawal if necessary.

*Lots of free hard drive space: -

The more you have free, the better. It'll become obvious once you get there!

*Chair: -

If you're blessed with a big car, then you can bring your own chair. The ones there aren't that good for sitting on for such a long time.

Sense of Humour: -

Alcohol should help in this department! However, it's understandable that you might start getting stressed at 5am as you get killed by me from behind yet again in CoD4!

What games do you play?

The more popular ones played are: -

Left 4 Dead (1&2)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2nd is NOT played!)
Team Fortress 2
Grid
Goldeneye: Source (HL2 mod)
Flatout 2
C&C Generals: Zero Hour
Supreme Commander (Forged Alliance and 2)
Company of Heroes
Sins of a Solar Empire
Unreal (various versions)
Borderlands
BF2 (eventually!)
New for Lan #80
AvP (the newest one)

With the exception of the top two, the others can be had pretty cheaply now.

Is it serious?

Hell no! There's no competitions normally. It's all for a bit of fun. Drinking, chatting with mates and playing games. However, there might be the odd bit of rivalry between us and the other regular GameOn clan, [LIMBO] (being the two largest normally at these events), but it's never serious and is for bragging rights at best.

[Gerrard]

Where is it?

The LAN takes place at Uttoxeter Racecourse. Post code is ST14 8BD.



It's pretty well sign posted once you get into Uttoxeter. As mentioned in the picture, there's a big sign at the first left which you need to ignore. The second left if the one you want. If I can bothered at the next LAN, I might take some “street view” pictures to help, but so far I think it's only Rasta that's managed to get lost at this point! As for car parking, if there's nothing else going on there, then you can normally park just outside in Car Park A. However, on a couple of occasions now where there has been something else going on, we've been asked to move our cars to Car Park B.

But I can't drive!

Not a problem. Either post on the Hexus forum or on the GameOn's LAN Parties: Lifts section on their forum. Hopefully someone will be coming from you general direction to pick you up. Failing that, Uttoxeter train station is right next door, and someone will be able to pick you up from there.

What time does it start/finish?

The LAN starts at 5pm on the Friday, and finishes at 5pm on the last day (normally Sunday). However, that's just a rough guide. I personally turn up early because I normally book the day off work and I like to miss the worst of the traffic. I personally would like the LAN to start earlier on Fridays (like 1pm), help finish with the setup and then make a fuller day of it. A lot of people though still work the Friday, so don't get there until 8-9pm. The timings of the LAN whilst you're there are not defined, but I would say it's roughly: -

Friday 7pm: The party starts getting into full swing!
Friday 10pm: Just about everyone is there.
Saturday 2am: People will start getting tired and going to bed.
Saturday 4am: Most sensible people are in bed about now.
Saturday 7am: Anyone not yet gone to bed usually collapse around now.
Saturday 9am: Those early to bed start to get up.
Saturday Noon: Most people are back up.
Saturday Afternoon: Shopping trips to Overclockers or PC World for those bits people have forgotten, suddenly need or have broken whilst at the LAN!
Saturday Night: Same as Friday, but some people are likely to be a bit more “reserved” due to either feeling rough from the previous day, or because they have to drive back by the next day. I would say bedtime is an hour or so earlier than the previous night.
Sunday: Most will sleep longer due to exhaustion! Again, most will be up by noon.
Sunday 2pm-4pm: People will start to pack up during this time.
Sunday 4pm: Just about everyone is now either packed up or starting to.
Sunday 5pm: Most will have dispersed by now. Expect at least an hour of chatting beforehand!

With the 3 day LANs, there's a tendency to overcook it on the first night. We've all done it and felt worse for it for the rest of the LAN. It might be difficult to do, but if you can get to bed before 4am, then you should be OK. Likewise with alcohol consumption.

What facilities are there?

Pretty basic really; it's a racecourse, not a hotel! The toilets/sinks are just across the car park from the main LAN building. If the LAN is 40 people, then the sleeping area will be at the end of the main room (Sleeping Area 1 on the map). If the LAN is bigger (60), then the sleeping area was moved to across the car park, next to the toilets (Sleeping Area 2). The benefit with this setup is that the noise in the main room won't keep you up; the snoring no doubt will!

There is an Internet connection, but shared amongst 40 people+, it doesn't go very far. They have improved it, so browsing is much more realistic. We even managed to stream the F1 for a couple of computers at the last one. However, a Steam update whilst we are there can kill the connection pretty quickly! Power hasn't been a problem. The worst that's happened is that someone kicked the power lead to the network gear and killed the network! Cables are now routed through the false ceiling now.

There are fridges available, but normally get filled pretty quickly. Rasher's wife, Linda, and her mother(I think?) run a cafe at one end of the room. Burgers, toasted sandwiches, tea, coffee etc. can be had from here, and highly recommended!



Racecourse did you say? So will there be horse racing whilst I'm there?

Nope. However, there are various other gatherings some times. Past examples are a wedding reception, country and western gathering and the touring caravan club.

[Gerrard]

My mum has said that its a silly idea to go off on a trip with people I've never met to a place I've never been to, to play games with people who might be alcoholic, drug dealing, kiddie fiddler, serial killers. (Genuine quote!)

If you're reading this, then you're either a member of Hexus Forums, or friends of someone who is. You can tell by the pictures of previous ones, and the comments about them that you have nothing to worry about! We're all friendly and easy-going, and adding alcohol to the mix just makes it better! Even the most shy people get on all right (personally, due to alcohol). Don't think there's any alcoholics (difficult to tell at these events ), and certainly none of the other types. Although you might think otherwise browsing the GameOn forums.

What about security then?

In the LANs I've been to, I don't believe anything has been nicked. Considering the racecourse was filled with campers at the last one, some of whom popped in to see what all the noise was about, still nothing was taken. There's staff on 24 hours to make sure no-one can come in and walk off with something, although there's normally people up at all times anyway. I think the worse that happens is people lending things and forgetting, like USB sticks and CD's.

However, that's not to say there won't be practical jokes! Again, nothing serious and usually nothing will happen at your first couple of LANs anyway. Still, it's a good idea to get into the habit of locking your computer when you leave it.



Also don't let things auto login, like forums, or you could be posting some interesting things about yourself. So far, we at Hexus have been lucky in that no-one has bothered us too much, probably because we have the numbers! It's far easier to pick on the one lone new guy, especially if he happens to be ginger and a bit vocal on the forums!



OK, you've got my interest, what can I expect when I get there?

Well, when you turn up, the first person you'll probably meet will be Rasher: -



Depending on what time you turn up on Friday will determine what sort of state he'll be in to greet you! He'll have a seating plan and will be able to point you in the right direction: -



Rai will normally have a seating plan already posted beforehand, so you can find out who you'll be sat next to. It's not set in stone, and should there be some problem, it won't be any problem to swap people around.

Again, depending when you arrive will determine how many of us will be there. Almost certainly I'll be there as I seem to be the first Hexus person to turn up. Assuming we're not halfway through a game, we'll be happy to help you unload and set you up. Now would be a good time to reserve some sleeping space and find out if anyone's going to Tesco/wants to go/wants something from there.

You'll get a chair, half a desk and a network cable. Whether you put your rig on the desk next to your monitor, behind it or on the floor is up to you. I've yet to see a desk collapse due to heavy rigs! Once you'll all set up, then it'll just be a case of finding what everyone's playing and joining in. If it's still fairly early and a bit quiet, then it might be an idea to find what versions everyone's games are at, and prepare as necessary.

There's also a rather special concoction called “Juice”, made by a couple of the regulars. It is a most potent cocktail that I would recommend you try at least once (unless you have health problems; consort with them beforehand). Good idea to do this on the first night so you have plenty of time to recover if need be!

[Gerrard]

So who can I expect to see there?

The regulars from team H3Xu5: -

tiggerai – aka Rai or Tigs



Should be obvious which one she is; she'll be the attractive one out of us 'orrible lot!

rastmanblues – aka Guy

[Struggling to find a photo] Found one!



Sit next to him at the LAN and expect to have bought a new car by the next LAN! Convinced me to get an ST220 and at the last LAN was trying to convince Madduck at getting a new car!

MadduckUK – aka Lee



Not as scary as he looks in most of the photos!

Gerrard – aka Gerrard



Not as camp as I look in most of the photos!

alsenior – aka Al

Managed to get carpet burns on his face IIRC, and other humorous alcoholic incidents!

Dave87 – aka Dave



Gets the piss taken out of him for being short. Mainly by rasta!

Gatekeeper – aka GK

OK, I've given up going through all the threads to find pictures of the other guys. Could have sworn there was one of Al when he looked rather hammered.

List of previous H3XU5 attendees: -

GameOn #74 (15-17 Aug '08)

tiggerai
rastamanblues
MadduckUK
Gerrard
JK Ferret
alsenior
cptwhite_uk
(7)

GameOn #75 (7-9 Nov '08)



Top row: -

finlay666
Gerrard (2) [Still went despite having to go to a Rememberance Parade the Sunday morning!]
Gatekeeper
rastamanblues (2)
dave87
alsenior (2)
sumanji

Bottom Row: -

JK Ferret (2)
tiggerai (2)
tigerboyce
MadduckUK (2)
(11)

GameOn #76 was a Xmas meet.

GameOn #77 (20-22 Feb '09)

tiggerai (3)
rastamanblues (3)
MadduckUK (3)
Gerrard (3)
JK Ferret (3)
alsenior (3)
Gatekeeper (2)
dave87 (2)
TheAnimus
(9)

GameOn #78 (28-31 Aug '09. 4 day bank holiday)

rastamanblues (4)
MadduckUK (4)
Gerrard (4)
JK Ferret (4)
(4)

GameOn #79 (20-22 Nov '09)



Salazaar, alsenior (4), TAKTAK, MadduckUK (5), Gerrard (5), stevie lee, tiggerai (4), Gatekeeper (at the back;3), chilli, rastamanblues (5), Reign (chilli's brother, who didn't know he was coming!)
finlay666 (MIA due to car breakdown on the Friday)
(12)

GameOn #80 (5-7 Mar '10)



tiggerai (did not turn up due to having to house sit )
Gerrard (6)
Salazaar (2)
Disturbedguy
stevie lee (2)
dave87 (3)
rastamanblues (6)
Gr44
MadduckUK (6)
TheAnimus (2)
finlay666 (2)
snootyjim
TAKTAK (2)
alsenior (5)
Gatekeeper (4)
(14)

GameOn #81 (3-5 Sep '10)



rastamanblues (7)
MadduckUK (7)
tiggerai (4) (Sat only)
Salazaar (3)
finlay666 (2)
DisturbedGuy (2)
(6)

GameOn #82 (5-7 Nov '10)



MadduckUK (8)
Gerrard (7)
alsenior (6)
tiggerai (5)
Gatekeeper (5)
Salazaar (4)
finlay666 (3)
stevie lee (3)
(8)

GameOn #83 (4-6 Feb '11)

MadduckUK (9)
Gerrard (8)
Guy (8)
tiggerai (6)
Gatekeeper (6)
Salazaar (5)
finlay666 (4)
dave87 (4)
DisturbedGuy (3)
TheAnimus (3)
BEANFro Elite (1)

(11)

[MadduckUK]

only had a quick look but this seems brilliant

its so long since dave came to a lan that the only pic available is in b&w

[Guy]

Awesome, awesome guide

Only thing I would say is the showers really arent that bad, well IMO I didnt think they were that bad, and a shower in the morning really does help you feel alot better/less hungover/groggy etc.

[Guy]

*4-way power extension: -
One of more common things to get left behind!

Guilty

What games do you play?

The more popular ones played are: -

Left 4 Dead (1&2)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2nd unknown at this time)
GRID
Goldeneye Source
Flatout 2
Team Fortress 2
C&C Generals: Zero Hour
Supreme Commander
Company of Heroes
Sins of a Solar Empire
Unreal (various versions)

Added a few in there, also if I see plants v.s zombies in there, there WILL be trouble

rastmanblues – aka Guy

[Struggling to find a photo]

Sit next to him at the LAN and expect to have bought a new car by the next LAN! Convinced me to get an ST220 and at the last LAN was trying to convince Madduck at getting a new car!

Mwhahahaha Ninja hacks/usually the one with the camera ftw.

Also yes that reminds me I need to badger Lee into getting a new car, how does a rotary suit you? Or something a little more conventional, hmmm 4 pot turbo RWD, I have an idea

Dave87 – aka Dave



Gets the piss taken out of him for being short. Mainly by rasta!

It may not come out in the pictures but the above person really is shorter than the average primary school child. In said shot above he is actually standing on a chair.

[Salazaar]

What an ace guide! I feel like I'm almost prepared for this now.

[finlay666]

I might have a way for us to play MW2 at the LAN

[MadduckUK]

I might have a way for us to play MW2 at the LAN

does it involve kidnapping a member of Infinity Ward's staff?

GUYS, WE SHOULD TAKE A GROUP PIC AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND NOT THE END THIS TIME, WE NEED TO REMEMBER

[handscombmp]

Looking good for my first LAN. Nice and helpful
Can't wait.

rastmanblues – aka Guy
Sit next to him at the LAN and expect to have bought a new car by the next LAN! Convinced me to get an ST220 and at the last LAN was trying to convince Madduck at getting a new car!

Hope i'm not sat next to him then.

If he manages to convince me to upgrade from my Audi S5 i dread to think what i'll end up with. Probaly something like a Audi R8

[Salazaar]

does it involve kidnapping a member of Infinity Ward's staff?

Involving a meticulously executed urban assault on IW headquarters followed by a desperate helicopter chase...?

[Gerrard]

Looking good for my first LAN. Nice and helpful
Can't wait.

You might want to pay up then. There's only one place left.

Non-H3XU5 Regulars

These are the people you will no doubt see and meet. However, you are most likely to recognise their names in games.

Linda and her mother (?)



Responsible for all the food. Get to know her; get to love her for the bacon sarnies first thing in the morning.

Jessica



Rasher's daughter. Here doing her best Hitler impression.

Luke aka Smiles (usually preceded by “You were killed by Team mate...”)



Rasher's son. Not uncommon to be seen running around the room at full speed with his parents trying to calm him down.

Platinum

Regular at Hexus as well as GameOn. Often heard, seldom seen! One of the creators of Juice.

Wedgeh

The other creator of Juice.


Wedgeh on the left, Plat on the right.

djdawson

I can't actually remember which one is dj and which one is wedgeh! It might be him in the above picture.

Mattscoo



A formidable foe in C&C Generals.

Benneb



The only person I think I've seen to bring a steering wheel; as such he's a demon at Grid.

Betty Swallocks



Another regular on the Hexus forums.

Beanz



Often seen taking photos during the LAN.

Azreal



Usually the loudest snorer by far. If you see him approach you with some gaffer tape, RUN!

The Ginger Kid (TGK)

Luckily for us, he turned up to his first LAN at the same time we did. As such he's been taking all the flak for the last 4 LANs. His picture is above; the one where he's taped to the railings with a banana.

[Guy]

GUYS, WE SHOULD TAKE A GROUP PIC AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND NOT THE END THIS TIME, WE NEED TO REMEMBER

This! So for all those who have Lan shirts, wear them on the Friday, and we can get a team photo where we all don't look like were homeless!

Hope i'm not sat next to him then.

If he manages to convince me to upgrade from my Audi S5 i dread to think what i'll end up with. Probaly something like a Audi R8

I'll see what I can do

I'm sure your looking for a change anyway

[tiggerai]

I've only got halfway through - as I'm at work and don't want them asking questions! but it's brilliant so far! Good work Gerrard!

[tiggerai]

This! So for all those who have Lan shirts, wear them on the Friday, and we can get a team photo where we all don't look like were homeless!

If you've got a plain black t-shirt instead then that would be great... as we'll match!