News

So I was munching on my breakfast sandwich while watching CnetTV and during the buzz report Molly was talking about how Apple is suing HTC for patent apps, and I happened to get this screen cap:



I thought this was absolutely hilarious, and I'm quite surprised ABC (the parent company) let this slip through. Boy am I glad there is still adult humor in the world.


Onto other news, our LAN is almost here. We're aiming to get setup late tonight to make sure when the doors open tomorrow (10am) that everything is already running properly. As such, we want to remind you to DOUBLE CHECK that you bring everything you need. It's always a pain to forget just one thing that would really help to have (such as a mouse pad). If you are not sure what to bring, take a look at the list we have in the event details. And please make sure that anyone coming both attending or spectating brings PHOTO ID including birth date. This is very important as we are allowing alcohol on-site as well as minors to be on-site. We want to allow adult enjoyment while not excluding minors (with the exception of consuming alcohol), so please be conscious of this.

If you have any questions feel free to post on our Forums.


Hope to see you there!

As the event is approaching even closer we are working on finalizing all the elements. As such we have calculated the estimated maximum times of the HoN and TF2 tournaments. While the HoN tournament could potentially result in a drastically longer tournament than TF2 (at maximum numbers) we are seeing more interest in TF2. As such we will be having the TF2 tournament on Saturday at 2pm, and the HoN tournament on Sunday at noon. If interest in HoN explodes, we will have the first half of the HoN tournament on Saturday (TBD, but after TF2) and the second half on Sunday, likely to continue at noon.

So, to re-iterate

TF2: Saturday 2pm
HoN: Sunday Noon (unless interest explodes)

As for the rules of each tournament, we are finalizing the server configurations for TF2, but they are likely to follow near ESL's 3v3 arena rules. However we are still sticking with the class limits of 1 per class, including 1 medic and 1 engineer (just to clarify). We will post further details when they have been finalized. We are also exploring the possibility of 1000fps servers for the TF2 tournament.

In terms of HoN, it is currently Banning Draft, but we are exploring a slight alternative to that. As for limitations, we are looking further into such, but as S2 has been diligently implementing built-in methods to prevent over-powered (as in un-counterable) strategies and as such we do not yet see a reason to limit items/heroes/strategies beyond what is built into the game, and beyond exploits. For those who might have missed it, it will be round-robin if 5 teams or less enter, and double elimination for 6 or more.


Onto the bad news. We regret to inform you, the public, that we are dropping BAWLS as a sponsor. This comes with great regret as BAWLS has been one of our longest sponsors. The reasoning behind this is due to BAWLS supposed internal restructuring with the possibility of sale of the company. As a result we have been unable to maintain contact and supply with the company. Should BAWLS supply return to Canada, we will seriously consider revisiting sponsorship with this fantastic beverage company. Sorry guys, as such we have no BAWLS for sale for this coming event.


Since the event is coming up real fast, we will be closing prepay this coming Saturday (February 27th) at 10pm. If you are sure you are coming we recommend you prepay while you still have the opportunity. If you or someone you know who is trying to prepay and is having technical difficulties with our site or paypal we advise you contact us immediately to correct any issues, best to post on the forums. It is also worth noting that our TF2 tournament is only 3 pledges away from hitting the 15 person threshold for the $150 prize pot, so don't forget to pledge for the tournaments you want to enter.

Hope to see you there!

As the event approaches we are continually working to make sure everything goes off smashingly. Furthermore, we look for new opportunities. For this coming event we are arranging for there to be food services on-site. While we are working on selling BAWLS on site, the food services will primarily focus around proper food and some snacks. The menu and pricing are not yet finalized, but here is a glimpse into what we are looking at so far.

Core dishes:
-Mac and cheese
-Cheddar cheese smokies
-Chicken caesar wrap
-Grilled ham and cheese
-Mini pizzas

Snacks:
-Candy
-Pop
-Chips


We're also rather fortunate to have another new game being released just in time for our event. On February 16th the new Aliens vs Predator will be released. As such I will also be prepaying for this game, and have already tried the demo. While some may criticize it for being a limited game, they may not realize the demo is only one map showcasing one game mode. Furthermore the demo only uses DirectX 9, whereas the full version will use DirectX 11. For those running a DX11 card and Windows 7, tessellation and other such features will look fantastic. I personally appreciate that the developers have returned to the darkness that was once felt in AVP1 and can't wait to see the madness of this game at a LAN.

The demo is still available on STEAM here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/34200/

The full version is also available on STEAM here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/10680/

For videos showcasing the game, check these out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJgdU_S5U-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp8J6EZA_38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1F1XRzJ5k


As for seating, we're running out of it! we only have about 16 spots left, so if you're thinking of coming then sign up. If you want to ensure you have a seat at the event, prepay. All prepaid attendees are guaranteed seats, otherwise it is first-come first-served. If you do prepay, don't forget to pledge the tournaments you want to enter too. Pledging costs nothing (but is only available to prepaid attendees) and results in larger prize pots.

Hope to see you there!

We have a great announcement for participants today! I was recently provided enough Heroes of Newerth keys to supply every prepaid person up to our 40 person capacity with a key. Even if you have a key already we will provide you with a key (but limit 1 per person from us). If you are likely to attend our event we recommend you prepay. It costs less, gets you a key right away, enables you to pledge for tournaments (which increases prize pots), and helps us determine how many are sure to show up. We are currently working on the best way to distribute these keys, but if you simply cannot wait, just contact me directly through the forums and I'll message you the key (should you be prepaid of course). This is a perfect opportunity to not only try this fantastic game out, but it also offers practice to those who are trying to get ready for our coming tournament.

For those who are unfamiliar with Heroes of Newerth, check out our fabulous outline of it at: http://www.lanified.com/games/details/11

Okay, so it's not exactly NEWS but it's pretty fortunate that the next Battlefield, Bad Company 2, is being released shortly before the LAN. It's release date is March 2nd 2010.

I myself have already prepaid, and can't wait to get fraggin all you baddies. For those who have missed it, there are tonnes of videos out there illustrating how the game plays. As with the first Bad Company, they have a proper single player experience, as well as what seems to be a properly developed multiplayer too. For those who may be concerned on the PC quality based on the COD: MW2 results, fret not. The developers have said they have two teams, one for Console development and one for PC development.

The beta for PC (at least on STEAM) starts January 28th 2010 (tomorrow). Prepaid players for the game gain entrance to the beta. I suspect working Friday is going to be a big pain.

Here are some videos showcasing the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5lnzScc6ZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLYdoodBh5w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30RbYzSk94A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1pBZy5zp8



Next, it looks like Blizzard is getting serious. As sourced by Tom's Hardware and a few other sites, Blizzard has opened the support page for Starcraft II. It is publicly available, and the listing of Starcraft II on the battle.net page is no longer greyed out. Furthermore various fan sites have been contacted requesting 5 users' information be provided, suggesting the distribution of keys soon following. For further details, check the source.

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/blizza ... ,9515.html



As for the third part of the news, we have posters designed for the March event. Check them out:

http://www.lanified.com/posters/LANified6_Web.jpg (the smaller web coloured version)

http://www.lanified.com/posters/LANified6_Print.tif (the lossless printer coloured version)