An NA Vanafest?

[Morari]

We all want a Vanafest over here in North America (mostly).

What I'm not sure people realize is that we don't really have to wait for SE to give us one. We could have given ourselves a Vanafest whenever we wanted and we still can.

The FFXI community has matured over the years so I'm sure that it's well within the realm of possibility to organize and successfully operate a fan-based FFXI convention. Convention planning isn't exactly easy, but given some of the virtual challenges that we've had to overcome, I do not think that those real life challenges would be all that different.

From what I gather, it would probably be a smallish convention at first, and we may have to extend the reach to maybe both online FFs, or maybe a general FF-convention that centers on FFXI, but it's still feasible.

Also, if the complaints from the NA community can get an 18+ hour NM fight reduced to something manageable (sort of), just think at what an organized statement of goodwill and love by us could do?

(And of course, the same could be said for our EU comrades as well.)

[Indalecia]

ha

[Eanae]

East Coast!

[Moridam]

the only vanafest i remember them doing on the east coast was in goddamned rochester NY, which always seemed like a really weird/dumb choice. it isn't really close to anything, and you have to drive through upstate new york to get there (which was enough to put me off from wanting to go). if they actually did do another 'fest it would most definitely happen in california, so the idea doesn't really do much for me.

[Chocobunnies]

The FFXI community has matured over the years

Are you sure about that?

[Tarage]

They had a few over the years. I went to two of them. The first one was at the Santa Monica Pier and was actually pretty sweet. The second one was much more toned down and wasn't worth the cost. Don't know about the third, it spawned purple.

I doubt they will have another one over here because they don't think there is enough demand/they can make enough money to justify it.

[Indalecia]

We already had BG vanafest

We called it Failfest of '09.

Look it up

[Cairthenn]

[Therin]

The trouble with this idea is that the only two reasons to bother going to a Vanafest are for the development panel and the special events (concerts, etc.) and you're definitely not going to get either of those things with a fan convention.

[bechyni]

Let's be honest here if Pchans people put together a fan convention it would be divided into two section: people who don't use windower and those "filthy fucking cheaters who can't play a game without a hack".

[Ksandra]

We already had BG vanafest

We called it Failfest of '09.

Look it up

^ and I'm a fucking lazy ass for not organizing anymore afterwards. Shit was a lot of fun lol think you guys in fl had fun too~

[Spira]

The trouble with this idea is that the only two reasons to bother going to a Vanafest are for the development panel and the special events (concerts, etc.) and you're definitely not going to get either of those things with a fan convention.

haha i agree. a fan event would be fun but you would need something special going to draw people in. i suppose typical anime convention fluff would work, like cosplay contest with prizes, but theres very little you can offer from a live group setting.

well, live team ballista matches could be one, which is much more feasible now with test server..

i get the impression that it won't count for anything more than a group outing if it doesn't bring with it some kind of authority.

[Morari]

The trouble with this idea is that the only two reasons to bother going to a Vanafest are for the development panel and the special events (concerts, etc.) and you're definitely not going to get either of those things with a fan convention.

Well... Maybe I'm being a bit naive, but has anyone asked the dev team (or a quality representative) to come to a Fan Vanafest? (It's so tempting to call it a Fanafest, but that reminds me too much of VW to give a positive feeling.)

If it's a matter of ability, that can be worked with and scheduled around. If it's a matter of willingness, then that's another problem altogether. But at the same time, the dev team always seems to enjoy interacting with the fanbase (or maybe that's just the JP fanbase?) so willingness wouldn't seem to be an issue. There's also the idea of getting the community relations team involved in some way, since relating to the community is their job, I'm sure they'd have some ideas that would benefit both SE, a potential organizing committee and the overall playerbase.

[vagus]

Someone organize one for Vancouver, Seattle or Las Vegas and i'll consider going.

[isladar]

Hmmmyessss, if you were to put together some sort of, oh, what would the word be, ah... a "fanfest" in a city from the following list, I may, though of course make no guarantees whatsoever, begin to perhaps mull over the possibility of considering attending.

[vagus]

Hmmmyessss, if you were to put together some sort of, oh, what would the word be, ah... a "fanfest" in a city from the following list, I may, though of course make no guarantees whatsoever, begin to perhaps mull over the possibility of considering attending.

If you were to attend, would you wear your hawks jersey so I can spot you from a mile?

[Izzy]

If you were to attend, would you wear your hawks jersey so I can spot you from a mile?

I'd be real upset if she wasn't walking around in her Hawks jersey shouting, "SOOOOOOOOOOOO HANDSOMEEEEEEEEE" the entire time.

[Tarage]

Hmmmyessss, if you were to put together some sort of, oh, what would the word be, ah... a "fanfest" in a city from the following list, I may, though of course make no guarantees whatsoever, begin to perhaps mull over the possibility of considering attending.

You forgot the list part. Or was that a woosh?

[isladar]

I was taking the piss out of Vagus.