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Okae · May 12, 2006, 11:42 PM // 23:42

Hey All,

Just got back from E3 and wanted to share my experience.

The NCsoft booth, well not really a booth per se, but rather a large designated area was pretty nice. Odd thing though it was directly across from the WoW/Blizzard booth. I don't think it was wise for WoW to have a large screen with a trailer showing it's outdated graphics. As eye-candy is what really gets people salivating. I digress... NCSoft had a nice little GW:Factions set-up with gaming terminals where you could jump right into some good ol' GW action. I was told I could log into my account but decided to play the premade *gah* W/Mo-mending/healing hands they had already up on the rig I was on.

Towards the back of their area they had a stage w/ live performers which was pretty damn cool if I don't say so myself. If you've never seen two girls hoola-hooping together at the same time I highly recommend trying to find a show.

They also had two people people playing w/ fire balls and an assortment of other performances.

I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Gaile Gray, who by the way is very nice in person and not just in game

. She was a little camera shy... as you'll see in the pictures to come. She told me that the turnout has been great and the sales across the world have been outstanding. She also informed me that they are really trying [going] to slate a new chapter for us every 6 months. It was a short chat as I didnt' want to take up too much of her time... but possibly we'll see her chat up online w/ us in one of her new chars Rit/Ranger.

I'll have photos of their booth along with alot of other eye-candy to come

. I woke up late and forgot to pack a camera so I had to borrow one. So stay tuned for pictures.

Almost forgot... NCsoft has another MMORPG in the works called AION it looked extremely promising. If there's a booth or game you'd like more info on please let me know and I'll see what I can remember or if I have some nice pix of it.

God Apprentice · May 13, 2006, 12:00 AM // 00:00

I for one would like to hear more on AION

Former Ruling · May 13, 2006, 12:01 AM // 00:01

Post those pictures

Me wants to see GW booth.

Textural · May 13, 2006, 12:21 AM // 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Former Ruling

Post those pictures

Me wants to see GW booth.

There's a batch of photos on the main site gallery! ;D
http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/pho...php?imageid=19

Thanks for posting, Okae. One question though, was there more people at the WoW booth or the GW? =x

actionjack · May 13, 2006, 12:41 AM // 00:41

How did you get to go?
I wanna go too....
take me with you~

MMSDome · May 13, 2006, 12:49 AM // 00:49

looks like a good time, wish i woulda been here!

Man id love a nuice long chat with Gaile, she seems like a cool person

Count to Potato · May 13, 2006, 01:31 AM // 01:31

I just wactehd G4tv and saw E3 thats as close as i could get

Okae · May 13, 2006, 02:02 AM // 02:02

Let me answer everybody in one post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by God Apprentice

I for one would like to hear more on AION

They gave out mini product catalogs which I'll try and get to a scanner. For Aion it refers you to the following site: www.plaync.com/us/aion/

AION is simply a very clean game.. from the graphics/environment to the attention to detail they use in it. It plays very similar to GW (movement, speed, etc) but it's the little things in game that really makes it stand out. I'm not sure what class I was playing, but I was a dual sword wielding character who would pull his swords out of the scabbards off his back before fighting, very friggin cool. It was just a really clean game with a familiar

feel to it. I saw and tried quite a few games but none left me w/ as good of an impression as AION.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMSDome

Man id love a nuice long chat with Gaile, she seems like a cool person

I really wish I could have spoken longer w/ Gaile but e3 I'm sure is more business than fun for her. She really is nice and she's quite enthusiastic about GW. You meet alot of people in the industry who could give a rats ass about their game or the products they push. It was good to see someone who truly is vested in their game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Textural

Thanks for posting, Okae. One question though, was there more people at the WoW booth or the GW? =x

I noticed the people who were checkin out the WoW setup were moreso on the "reminisce" trip. They'd walk by crack a grin but then move along w/ their business. As I said before, eye candy is really where it's at. You gotta grab peoples attention with what's to come and what's happening now... unfortunately WoW is old news. Although I do admit their exhibit was well laid out from a marketing standpoint. The positioning of the Movie screen, the WoW display, the terminals... etc were done by the numbers for shuffling traffic and getting people to notice them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionjack

How did you get to go?I wanna go too....take me with you~

This year I went as a casual exhibitor.. it's good to know people in the industry. The years before I got to go because I worked for a company that specialized in creating and implementing marketing campaigns (including exhibition set-ups). It was nice to go and not have to sit through meetings, handshakes, and shuffling business cards.

CK0 · May 13, 2006, 02:18 AM // 02:18

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151167.html

"The NCsoft area was pretty loud. When I was trying out Guild War: Factions, the NCsoft guy on the floor was basically yelling into my ear. The guy doing the Gears of War presentation complained that he was really tired of the noise after two full days of it. True that other presenters were loud or even louder, like I thought Blizzard was at times when their trailer ran, but no one was as consitently loud for longer periods of time than the band that was playing for NCsoft." - radiodog

Okae · May 13, 2006, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by CK0

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151167.html

"The NCsoft area was pretty loud. When I was trying out Guild War: Factions, the NCsoft guy on the floor was basically yelling into my ear. The guy doing the Gears of War presentation complained that he was really tired of the noise after two full days of it. True that other presenters were loud or even louder, like I thought Blizzard was at times when their trailer ran, but no one was as consitently loud for longer periods of time than the band that was playing for NCsoft." - radiodog

Yeah, the band was pretty loud. Live instruments>video game speakers. The music they played was uhm.. tribal.. best way i could describe it. Did I mention the 2 girls hula-hooping at the same time.

Lets Get to Healing · May 13, 2006, 02:29 AM // 02:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Count to Potato

I just wactehd G4tv and saw E3 thats as close as i could get

Ahh me too had to TiVo it.

AOTS + Xplay = Heaven. 2 of the best shows ever made. Heat index was pretty retarded, seeing as most of the stuff would be Volcanic or Scorching.

Cronos Khan · May 13, 2006, 03:02 AM // 03:02

Quote:

Towards the back of their area they had a stage w/ live performers which was pretty damn cool if I don't say so myself. If you've never seen two girls hoola-hooping together at the same time I highly recommend trying to find a show. They also had two people people playing w/ fire balls and an assortment of other performances.

Yeah, last year they had that as well, people called it on of the best performances of e3 2005. Now, I'm glad to hear that they did the same thing, good job NCSoft.

I so wanted to go this year, but classes and finals bind me down faster than crippling anguish...

actionjack · May 13, 2006, 03:08 AM // 03:08

But can you take me with you next year?
I promise I will be goooooood )

Mtank325 · May 13, 2006, 03:24 AM // 03:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Okae

Yeah, the band was pretty loud. Live instruments>video game speakers. The music they played was uhm.. tribal.. best way i could describe it. Did I mention the 2 girls hula-hooping at the same time.

Quote:

E3 06: NCsoft nailed for noise
[UPDATE]: Publisher fined $5,000 for blasting noise, exec responds by blasting Sega, ESA.
By Staff, GameSpot
Posted May 12, 2006 2:33 pm PT
LOS ANGELES--Apparently, the Electronic Software Association (ESA), the organization that owns E3, means business when it comes to enforcing regulations intent on making the show floor a more user-friendly place to do business.

Schmidt addresses the crowd.This afternoon, the organization fined Austin-based NCsoft, creator of Auto Assault and Tabula Rasa, $5,000 for violating certain expo regulations, according to an NCsoft rep.

The company is promoting its upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game Tabula Rasa via a stage show featuring musical sets played by Mutaytor. This is the second year in a row that the game company has used a musical act and stage show to promote its games.

"We've been doing our best to comply [with regulations]," the rep told GameSpot News. "We think there are a lot of booths louder than ours," he continued. However, the rep was not able to comment on whether the speakers in the NCsoft booth were, in fact, facing inward toward the booth--a new requirement of exhibitors this year.

[UPDATE]: As Mutaytor finished its set with fire-swallowing and dragon dancing, the audience was implored to get as loud as it could, and the booth shook with reverberations from the music.

Once the band wrapped up, NCsoft vice president of strategic development Fred Schmidt took the stage and addressed the fine. He blasted Sega (which inhabited a neighboring booth during the show), saying they had three people with decibel readers monitoring NCsoft's booth for the slightest infractions. Schmidt said the company made every effort to keep the noise within five decibels of the restricted limit, and for the most part did that successfully.

Schmidt then turned his attention to the ESA, essentially saying this whole experience has the company reconsidering its annual E3 presence.

"We're not sure we're on the same plane with this organization… We have been harassed for three days straight, and I'm not sure we're coming back here, but we are going to have a party next year--real near here--and we hope you all will come."

Schmidt then said he requested E3 show management's presence at the booth, held up a credit card and said if they wanted his money, they'd have to come and get it from him. When nobody came on stage to take his card, Schmidt said the ESA didn't want to discuss it in public "because it's much better to have it in private of course--beat 'em up behind the scenes. But I'm sure I'll get the bill somewhere."

Schmidt finished his speech by shouting, "Rock n' roll, people!" to the cheers of the crowd, and then informed them that a Guild Wars PvP tournament and award show would be the publisher's final events of the show.

A bit too loud then, eh?

VGJustice · May 13, 2006, 03:37 AM // 03:37

NCSoft's amps go to 11.

Mimi Miyagi · May 13, 2006, 04:19 AM // 04:19

NCSoft must be into live bands. They had a live band at the pre-release party (AC/DC cover band) that was loud as hell too.

http://www.hellsbelles.info/

Kalki · May 13, 2006, 07:02 AM // 07:02

Although I wasn't at E3, I say turn the music down, and just play some games. Maybe it's just cause I get headaches easily.

Okae · May 13, 2006, 10:23 AM // 10:23

Almost forgot to mention this, but the game that seemed to be getting the most attention (read: hype) was Webzen's upcoming title called Huxley. It's an MMOFPS. You read right a fps with a MMORPG twist. I didn't get to try it because people were literally in line waiting for a terminal to open up.

They also had perhaps the most aggressive marketing tactics by handing out the flashiest give-aways. They were giving away little red lcd flashy W's and small inflatable rafts.

Rayea · May 13, 2006, 10:35 AM // 10:35

hm..were they fined for the noise, or the booth babes?

(considering all i read about lately in the trad mag is how they are now banned....oh dear....now some males will Never Ever get to meet a femail up close...*wicked gleam in her eye* hehehe....shame though, i mean, you gota have ether a serious exhibitionist streak or a thinck skin to work those booths, what with the drooling, the pawing and the fact that you, the girl, cant get near the game at all ^^)

QuuTip · May 13, 2006, 12:49 PM // 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Schmidt

Schmidt said the company made every effort to keep the noise within five decibels of the restricted limit, and for the most part did that successfully.

+10 decibel means roughly double as loud