STGWeekly@SoCal Regionals (Saturday, March 1st)

[Frenetic]

Whew! I'm happy to announce that STGWeekly@SoCalRegionals was a huge success thanks to the combined efforts of Softdrink 117, JelloMan581, and japtor. A lot of planning and hard work went into this event. Big thanks to the SCR organizers (thank you Shingin and Alex Valle!) and our sponsors (Rockin' Android, Nyu Media, n0rtygames, Flump Studios). Thanks to my STGWeekly co-hosts Aquas and Sodamachine--we've come a long way fellas! Here are pics, courtesy of Softdrink 117.

First some pics from Friday.
And then the pics from STGW@SCR on Saturday.

All apologies for not being able to put up the livestream, we thought we were going to have access to the stream network but alas that was not the case. Hopefully something we'll fix next year.

Thanks and kudos:
Softdrink 117: Without having you for the past two STGWLive events, this wouldn't have happened. We keep on making leaps and bounds due to your excellent graphic design skills which are only matched by your playing ability.

JelloMan581: Thank you so much for your willingness to come aboard. Your experience with the fighting game community helped us envision and realize the tournament/demo setup that was so important to draw new players in.

japtor: Thank you so much for coming onboard when we needed more help. Your patience and design of the tournament spreadsheet/software made the tournament flow very smoothly.

We're hoping to carry over this event to other fighting game touranments/gaming conventions. Stunfest & crew have really lit a fire underneath us in the US and we hope that this presentation will inspire other shmup enthusiasts across the US to hold their own tournaments/demos at places that they wouldn't otherwise think that shmups belong. By just being there we've made so many contacts and I can feel possibilities opening up (be sure to stay tuned for future STGWeekly events).

Go forth and spread the shmuplove.

Sincerely,
Frenetic

P.S. Fun things from the show (please add yours too)

Frenetic: "Uh, I dunno why I put Free Shumps."
JelloMan581: "Dang, it sure is stanky in here."
japtor: "I don't like olives and onions."
Softdrink 117: "What, Ikaruga needs an Xbox Live connection to play?"

I played some SFIV:AE and lo and behold a FTG player sits down next to me. I main Dan AND he picks Dan! I was able to show him a lot of my Dan setups/combos and he was genuinely in awe. I intimated to him that I also play shmups and if he is into succeeding against all odds like playing Dan, then he would be interested them in too. Later on he was right there playing on one of the shmup setups!

***ShmUpdate***

We've been graciously allowed to setup in the BYOC (Woods Cove) room this Saturday March 1st where we'll be holding a free tournament/raffle. Just try your hand at a game and you'll be entered into a raffle. The further you get after more tries, the more raffle tickets you'll get! The top scorers win prizes. We have free Steam game codes courtesy of Nyu Media and Rockin' Android, XBLIG codes from our own n0rtygames, as well as Cave games for the Xbox 360 donated by JelloMan581. We'll also be having high level death-defying demonstrations by our expert players.

Use your own sticks and push yourself to go as far as you can!

Hope to see you there!
Frenetic

***End shmUpdate***

Hi guys,

I was able to get a hold of level|up, SoCal Regionals organizers. They have graciously allowed us to bring Xbox 360 consoles at the event. This is a great opportunity to spread the shmup love. But we need your suggestions!

Since fighting game players use their own controls we'll have them plug into our consoles and use their own sticks/pads. As for prizes we should be getting codes from Nyu Media, Rockin' Android, and Rising Star Games.

What would you guys think would be the best way to advertise/draw people in to playing shmups? A tournament? If so, how should we run it? A prize raffle for people that put up scores? We'd love to use this as a springboard to have Wasshoi-Tougeki/StunFest event in the United States.

[Sinistar's visions]

Some thoughts:

The idea of a raffle based on baseline participation via scoring seems like a good motivator. Anything asking for more may drive off players already embroiled in fighting game competition. Perhaps a second tier of prizes for serious participation as incentive and the participation of shmup players from the local community. So, two levels of immersion.


Offering novice courses so that people can ease into the game play including super play runs through the day, highlighting the craft in motion.

Displaying the region free xbox 360 titles of the games being played.

[Softdrink 117]

A bit more info:

We can theoretically set up there for the entire duration of the event-- all three days, from February 28 - March 2. Right now we're trying to think of what to do and how to set things up. SCR itself is being held on the UC Irvine campus, at the Student Center Ballroom.

What we need:

Suggestions
Games, setups, and how to get people to play. Anything and everything that comes to mind would be greatly appreciated. We have some ideas already, but we want to hear your suggestions.

Players
Willing to do live demos, talk to people, and generally spread the shooting game love. We need to be able to put on a show, especially since this is our first time going into a major gaming event like this. Getting people interested is one thing, but it can be tough to break down the 'this looks impossible' wall. Frenetic and I have had some success with this by making it a little more personal, and giving people one-on-one coaching and advice while they were playing Futari for the first time. Plus, the more people we have, the faster we can setup/teardown and the easier it is for individual people to leave to go attend other parts of SCR (so we don't have to leave our stuff unattended).

If you're a SoCal player, please consider joining us. You don't need to be at superplay level or anything like that, but if you feel comfortable playing for a crowd then by all means please think about coming along. We'd love to have more help and support.

Gear
Even if you can't attend, if you're willing to loan us some equipment it could certainly come in handy. Mostly this is simple things like monitors or consoles. At the moment, we have at least the following:

2x Japanese X360 console setups + ports
1x Tateable monitor
1x Lagless (or close) projector for demonstrations
several arcade sticks
extension cords/power strips/cables/splitters/etc.

Obviously the more setups we can get going at once the better, since it's more people who can play.

This is a really big deal guys. This is an inroad into the fighting game community, which is huge in the US. Like Frenetic says, this could be our road to "Wasshoi USA." Let's make it a good show.

EDIT: Heh, Frenetic copypasted my stuff into the OP.

[dunpeal2064]

Time to find a bus or train that can get me here. No way I'm missing this

[duckzero]

Man. I fly out for FGC stuff now and then. I wish I was able to hit this up!

[Aquas]

We bounced some ideas in the #shmups IRC tonight (it's on EFnet if you still don't know about it.) And I think we liked them.

The ideas are for a variety of setups:

1. 2 player contest for who survives longest? Tournament style? (1 or 2 setups?) This way the players are stacked against each other and not lofty goals of immediately understanding a scoring system.
2. A single player score contest on a more simple kind of shmup? Caravan perhaps? To move things along.
3. Setup where an experieced player demo's a game.
4. A coaching setup with an experienced player.

[Softdrink 117]

We have some more ideas. It's starting to look like we will only be there for Saturday; however, there is a chance that we will be able to set up in the main room on Sunday, so we are trying to get in contact with the event organizers to confirm if that is a possibility.

Jelloman is confirmed to be coming along to help. We now have a total of five possible setups, and are definitely bringing at least three. More details about our plans in the next few days.

We'll be doing several live demos throughout the event. I can't speak for anyone else, but at some point I'll probably be attempting live clears of Ketsui, DOJ, and/or Mushihime-sama Maniac.

Still looking for more people who want to attend and try to help out!

[ilitirit]

SCR Trailer, for those who don't know about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L53NbjmH7I

[japtor]

Cool, I'm right around UCI. Doesn't sound like I really have any usable hardware for y'all (only have a US 360) but might be able to help out with some cables/wiring and general setup if I'm clear that day. Is there a set time of day yet?

We bounced some ideas in the #shmups IRC tonight (it's on EFnet if you still don't know about it.) And I think we liked them.

The ideas are for a variety of setups:

1. 2 player contest for who survives longest? Tournament style? (1 or 2 setups?) This way the players are stacked against each other and not lofty goals of immediately understanding a scoring system.
2. A single player score contest on a more simple kind of shmup? Caravan perhaps? To move things along.
3. Setup where an experieced player demo's a game.
4. A coaching setup with an experienced player.

For #1 would it be for 1 life or a credit? I'm just thinking for decent players the latter could last a while. Or maybe use lives as a handicap for different players.

[Frenetic]

We've narrowed it down to this coming Saturday in the BYOC (Woods Coves) room, also updated with info about the tournament AND prize support.

--F

[sojtrash]

You guys should stream it, no one really shows off STGs on twitch on a regular basis.

[trap15]

STG Live Stream Index

Yo.

[sojtrash]

oh. nice.

Never saw any on the homepage game list on twitch....they must be buried under all that LOL and Dota stuff

[trap15]

Yes definitely. I don't think I've seen an STG stream get more than 30 or 40 viewers at a time.

[Jelloman581]

You guys should stream it, no one really shows off STGs on twitch on a regular basis.

I think Soda and Frenetic may be streaming, bandwidth allowing. We'll try to update this thread when there's more info. Man, SCR is going to be hype, so many games, so many streams:

http://www.socalregionals.com/schedule/stream-2/

The more the merrier, come and hang out, show your skills off to the FGC!

[Softdrink 117]

I am not Soda. I am Softdrink.



Also probably not going to have time to get a stream setup working on my laptop. Too much shit came up with school.

[Aquas]

Not the first time we've had confusion. Besides, I'm also a liquid form.

[Softdrink 117]

Wow, this was great. We tried to stream but unfortunately could not get anything working. I wish I'd had time to get some recording software set up on my laptop, but school was brutal the last few days leading up to the event so I never got the chance.

Took tons of pics and a fair bit of video though, so we'll try to get something out soon! Expect a more thorough writeup when I'm less exhausted, but basic highlights:
Live clears of Ketsui, Mushi1 Maniac, Futari BL Original, DFK 1.5 Strong, and almost Deathsmiles and Mushi1 Arrange.
One of our attendees cleared Futari BL Original!
Some of the people who played stayed for hours trying to improve their scores and learn the games. One guy even tried God mode.
Absolutely no complaints from any of the FGC people; if anything, there was a lot of positive energy. People seemed excited to see shooting games be represented like this.
The SCR staff let us have access to the projector screen and even let us put up a poster at the front desk for maximum exposure.
Level Up gaming suggested that we try to coordinate with them directly next time; there is a very real chance that they will be able to integrate us with the main event to some extent, or at least to promote our event as a side performance.

Huge thanks to Frenetic, Jelloman, and japtor. It was fun doing this with you guys. I was glad to be a part of it.

[sojtrash]

Nice, if you ever do a Norcal event, I might stop by

[n0rtygames]

Live clears of Ketsui ad almost Deathsmiles

There's something really wrong with this sentence!

Sounds like you guys put on a good show. Wish I was in America now, sounds really fun.

Don't delay on those videos now!

[Softdrink 117]

I wasn't the one playing Deathsmiles. Blame Frenetic for that one.

And I wish I didn't have school bullshit so I could make it out to Stunfest. But alas tis not to be.

[Jelloman581]

Yeah it was pretty draining, but it was fun! I'm sure some of the players in the BYOC room were like whuuuut, but there were quite a few closet shmuppers there who were familiar with titles like DDP, Futari, and Ikaruga. People asked questions, we answered. We showed people how to play games like Futari and SDOJ (with me giving wrong info: it was a ploy to make Softdrink work more lolol). The LevelUp crew were really supportive; I could see this becoming something greater down the line. Frenetic was pretty stoked about it all; I'm sure he'll chime in eventually.

Hey japtor, I finally got your Streetpass!

[japtor]

Hey japtor, I finally got your Streetpass!

Haha I forgot to mention it, I opened up my 3DS after I got into my car and was like "FINALLY!"

It was pretty cool seeing some people getting really into it, a few that seemed to have some experience, but also some others that were obviously new and kept sticking with it. Next year should be good with this year's experience and more planning ahead, it'll be interesting to see how it'll go if we can get into the main room.

[Softdrink 117]

I posted up the pics really quickly just so people can get some idea of what went on. None of these are edited or polished at all, just straight out-of-camera, so there are a few over/underexposed shots/duplicates/etc... I literally just uploaded all the jpegs from the camera memory card. I have RAW versions of everything, so when I get the time I'll go back and refine the good ones.

First some pics from Friday. It was my first time at any kind of fighting game tournament, was really amazing to be there... so much energy. Also way too many people in too small a room, but a cool experience nonetheless. At one point the fire alarm went off and the entire place was evacuated, hence the outdoor shots.

And then the pics from STGW@SCR on Saturday. I couldn't capture everything that went on since I was the one doing most of the demos (so I was busy playing shmups for most of the day). Some of these players came back two or three times, and one guy stayed with us for like four hours straight just playing Futari Black Label and trying to get the best score. It was pretty incredible to see how much people got into it.

The opening pic of that album is the poster we created for the event; I designed it and Frenetic printed up some copies. We signed each others posters and brought them back as souvenirs, and gave out the extras to some of the people who came up and played. We also had a flyer and a much larger poster that we were able to put up at the front desk to get people interested... although how effective that ended up being I have no idea.

Anyways, more writeup and documentation coming soon! Just been busy today sleeping and doing homework.

[PROMETHEUS]

This is cool!! This looks like what we had in Stunfest a few years ago, projector and a bunch of setups to play with a few small tourneys. Centering it around Futari BL is definitely a freaking great choice, such a good and appealing game and everyone is focused on the same. You have managed to get quite a bit of people playing the tourney which at the time I don't think we did, really, mostly just people who already played shmups, others just played outside of tourney I think. Great job guys :D Go USA!!

SoftDrink, to hell with school! Tell them its a professional project or something!! :p

[Frenetic]

***please see first post for ShmUpdate***
PROMETHEUS, Stunfest has been a real inspiration for this event. We in the US after seeing Stunfest were duly impressed and at the same time jealous that there wasn't an that highlighted shmups in the US. I'm racking my brain and trying to make contacts to make a Wasshoi in the US happen. Hopefully we'll be able to follow in you and your organizers' footsteps soon.

Sincerely,
Your shmuppers in arms

This is cool!! This looks like what we had in Stunfest a few years ago, projector and a bunch of setups to play with a few small tourneys. Centering it around Futari BL is definitely a freaking great choice, such a good and appealing game and everyone is focused on the same. You have managed to get quite a bit of people playing the tourney which at the time I don't think we did, really, mostly just people who already played shmups, others just played outside of tourney I think. Great job guys Go USA!!

SoftDrink, to hell with school! Tell them its a professional project or something!! :p

[1up]

wow, that looks really awesome. Nice setups and good to hear people were positive.

[Jelloman581]

We also had a flyer and a much larger poster that we were able to put up at the front desk to get people interested... although how effective that ended up being I have no idea.

There was a twitter post that I added you to (prob didn't do it right, damnfangled tweeters), that someone thought the poster up front was very cool (can't find it now!). I could have sworn I heard one of the announcers during Marvel finals mention "shooting games" when they talked about the weekend in general. So yeah, I think it worked!

Great job on pics! Don't forget to send me a copy of the poster digital flyer. Send the flyer as well!

Edit: woot! found it! From One Frame Links, an FGC site!
https://twitter.com/OneFrameLink/status ... 0021027840

[Softdrink 117]

Jelloman: Thanks for the link, that's pretty great... They actually went and found the original source from my flickr account. Sweet. And that's awesome to hear that we got a little bit of name-drop during the main event... exciting stuff!

I'm planning to post the print-size files on dropbox or mega or something... just haven't gotten around to it yet.

This is cool!! This looks like what we had in Stunfest a few years ago, projector and a bunch of setups to play with a few small tourneys. Centering it around Futari BL is definitely a freaking great choice, such a good and appealing game and everyone is focused on the same. You have managed to get quite a bit of people playing the tourney which at the time I don't think we did, really, mostly just people who already played shmups, others just played outside of tourney I think. Great job guys Go USA!!

SoftDrink, to hell with school! Tell them its a professional project or something!! :p

Thanks so much PROMETHEUS. It really means a lot to hear that you're as excited about this as we are; your work with Stunfest has pretty much been our inspiration for these events. I'm amazed at how quickly things have moved with these events... Who knows, maybe someday we'll fly you over here for something.

And yeah, I'll do my best to get a compilation video together soon! If anyone has suggestions for background music for the video, I'd love to hear them!

I have a total of 33 clips of between 30 seconds and 2-3 minutes, and my goal is to create a short clipshow video very much in the style of the Stunfest compilation that DamDam put together. But I'd love suggestions on what music to use.

Other quotes:
Jelloman: "Be sure to take your vitamins, SCR flu is a real thing." Later, "Man, I just walked in there and I'm already coughing."
japtor: *After pulling a nasty, rusted, gunk-encrusted JLF out of his stick (which is the one pictured near the end with the buttons that look like they are melting)* "So that's why I wasn't playing very well."
Me: *After beating the stage five boss of Mushihimesama Arrange playing blind* "I think I just cleared with three stock... that was unexpectedly fast. Wouldn't it be hilarious if there was a TLB or something?" *TLB Aki comes out.* "Well shit."
*When TLB Aki starts using the Ultra patterns* "WHAT? You don't do that. Cave is trolling me so hard right now. You don't make a mode with Maniac patterns and difficulty scaling everywhere except the TLB, that's just not right. You just don't DO that." *Suddenly I make it to the next form and all the new patterns come out* "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?" *I game over, of course*

[ratikal]

Nice job guys. I was wondering, have you guys considered coming to MAGFest? I think there would be huge potential there, and we would have many months to plan something big...