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I remember getting to the Art Museum, and being told there was no stamp, or the person wasn't there yet, or something along those lines. Being that I had set time out, along with my friends, to walk around downtown to find the locations, it was rather discouraging.

The first year was extremely rocky, I will admit, but we had signs posted that the off-site locations were only open certain hours.
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I honestly don't recall seeing any, but if you say there were signs, I'm sure there were.

If you do bring this back, just please make it closer to the convention center. I, personally, didn't like having to stray that far from the convention center.

No offense to anyone, but I didn't have a good experience the first time round on it.

I remember getting to the Art Museum, and being told there was no stamp, or the person wasn't there yet, or something along those lines. Being that I had set time out, along with my friends, to walk around downtown to find the locations, it was rather discouraging.

Perhaps, if it is brought back, make the locations a bit closer and make SURE that someone is there 24/7? Or put a set of certain hours when the stamps will be available? (IE: 10AM-3PM) I dunno, just my 2 cents.

*snip*

As we admit, there were a lot of problems this year because of the new system. The first post in this thread will show you that we ARE trying to fix a lot of the organization issues we had this year. We just need better planning, which we sorely lacked this year because the system was new. Hopefully, we'll have enough active staff to do everything planned.

I know you're trying to get things fixed, sorry if it sounded like I was angry or accusatory. >_< Didn't mean it to be like that.

Just trying to give suggestions to how I might personally have/would try to fix it.

*snip*

Is this your friend?! o_O

Yep, that's him. : D I didn't drag him there all the time, he went on his own a good amount. But I brought/called him over when he did the "Confessionals Here" sign.

You should have came inside the hentai room. Jesus did. XD

I did every so often. (When strange noises are heard, one must go look, no?)

XD And it just so happens that the FanimeCon Jesus is my friend. I dragged him over to the Hentai room multiple times throughout the Con.

You should have came inside the hentai room. Jesus did. XD

I did every so often.

XD And it just so happens that the FanimeCon Jesus is my friend. I dragged him over to the Hentai room multiple times throughout the Con.

Over by Hentai and Yaoi chatting with friends. : D Fun times, fun times.

...get rid of the signs then people glomp blindly. ...

Actually, I found this year there was less random glomping. >_> Dunno if that's to be attributed to the lack of signs or not, but I personally found it better this year.

Probably because people are afraid of someone calling the cops on them.

Perhaps. I dunno why, don't think anyone can say exactly WHY either. Just stating what I saw. Perhaps the lack of the signs kept things a bit calmer? I dunno.

...get rid of the signs then people glomp blindly. ...

Actually, I found this year there was less random glomping. >_> Dunno if that's to be attributed to the lack of signs or not, but I personally found it better this year.

*snip*

The check out area was facing the direction the entrances were in. It was closer to the one near the artist alley.

I don't know what we can do about forcing people to take turns without babysitting them. I guess it got a bit confusing at the Brawl areas about who got to play next.

The problem with tying the controllers to the system is that there aren't any dedicated systems for any games, and sometimes zip tying the controllers will block the DVD from being removed. We need to be able to change games and move controllers to other systems when we need them since we were often short on controllers (especially GC ones). The only way I see zip tying working again is if we don't have as choices for what games and consoles to play, and the plethora of choices was one of the only things we did well at this year.

I don't expect staff to babysit. That's a waste of people who could be helping out elsewhere. It was a bad on the attendee's part. And understandable about the shortage for controllers and what not, but if you have popular games like that, in my opinion, it would make sense to just zip tie the controllers to that system since they're liable to be used all con.

As for the sign, I dunno, I NEVER saw it. I'd seriously recommend making more if you continue the system next year, even if it's just someone bringing a few pieces of posterboard in bright colors and writing something along the lines of
"CONTROLLER/GAME CHECK-OUT THIS WAY
              <-------
"

Or something of that sort. It was a shame I didn't get to play this year, but not the end of the world. But I'd definitely like to see something changed next year. It seemed like you had a great selection of games and consoles, you just didn't have the staff and since it was a new thing this year, something was bound to go wrong. Oh well.

Hopefully all I've said makes sense?

Yes, this was the first year it was used. We tried to make it obvious because the check out table was facing the entrance. If you looked at that area, it would be quickly obvious that we rented out controllers (not to mention, didn't you see our huge collection of controllers in the middle?).

I'm sorry you didn't get to play, but even if you somehow didn't see the check out area, you should have at least asked a staff member about how you could have played. You could have also asked to share a controller with someone who was playing. We encourage people to share controllers so there's less checking in and out involved. I'm sure most people would have been willing to share.

Which entrance? There was more than one to the area, and I entered through both doors multiple times.

The other issue is that when it gets busy, it's harder to see what's going on in the middle. So, no, I didn't see the controllers, nor did my friends, and we were each there at different times. I figured it wasn't up to the staff to control the systems, but rather the players, as it seemed to be in the past, you simply showed up and more or less waited for your turn. I did ask at one point to share a controller, but the people were all over the place with whose turn it was to play and what not. *shrug*

I'd really recommend NOT checking controllers in and out next year. For the big games : SSBB, some of the other fighting games.... (my mind just drew a blank right now.... >_<  ) just zip tie the controllers to the console like you have in the past? I'm not exactly sure why you changed that system. (Stuff got stolen 07 or something?) I think it's pretty safe to say I wasn't the only one confused by the system this year.

From what I've read, gaming was pretty under-staffed this year; not trying to rag on you guys; just trying to hopefully get things changed for next year.

Big signs so people understand the check out system. Some people were complaining they didn't know how it worked this year and didn't get to play.

Yes. I was one of those people. Perhaps someone can clear this up for me? Was this the first year the Check-out system was in place? If so, it needed to be better advertised. I REALLY wanted to play SSBB this year, and it literally seemed to me that the only people playing were ones that had their own controllers. And I did walk around the gaming area multiple times throughout the con, never saw the sign to check things out. I only FINALLY found out about the system at closing ceremonies.

If you do the check out system again, BIGGER SIGNS. And have them facing each direction, so people will ALWAYS have a chance to see them.

@ jobiberry, Mister_E, and Sunara Ishi:

Thank you guys soooooo much for the photos! : D

I'm still looking for more of any of the earlier listed costumes.
To recap,
Mudkip and Lucario - Pokemon (They'll be seperate ones. >_> Can't wear two costumes at once.)
Beelzenef - Ouran Cat Puppet
Eiji - Prince of Tennis
Cyclops and Wolverine - X Men.

Thanks again guys!
~Xeluu

My stay at the Marriott this year was SUPERB. My father travels a LOT for his job, so I was able to put in his membership code/number and was given treatment as a silver member. When I checked in on Thursday the valet guys were nice and patient, and quickly brought a luggage cart. (I had a LOT of stuff with me. >_>) Check in was fairly quick, and the room was wonderful. The only real complaint I have is that the king bed we had transfered motion really well. (>_< That wasn't a fun night.) Elevators were a problem as usual, but no worse than before.

The housekeeping ladies were wonderful. On... Friday or Saturday, I can't remember which, they had to check three times before cleaning our room. >_< We kept leaving and coming back at inopportune times.

I'll be staying at the Marriott again next year. It was definitely a wonderful stay.

[Water]

I enjoyed this year, but as usual feel the need to point out the pros and cons of this year. I might reiterate a bit on what I mentioned at closing ceremonies.

Pros:
- Water. Good job this year, it was either '06 or '07 where they always seemed empty. I don't think I ever saw one of them completely empty. Good job to the Convention Center staff on that one. ^^
- Photo booth. I know people were asking for this for a good many years, so I was glad to see it finally there.
- Generally friendly staff members, with one exception. I was helping check ID at Yaoi/Hentai when two staffers arrived. I started to ask the first for ID before I saw his badge, but the second one had his turned around. When I asked for ID, all I got was an, "I'm staff." I started to tell him something, don't remember what, but finally got him to turn his ID around before he grumped off to talk with someone behind the barrier. Staff, please don't get grumpy at people trying to help out, especially if it's something like that. D: Maybe he was just having a bad day. Dunno, oh well.
- Lots of food available. I know prices were high, but it was a nice step in the right direction.
- Generally had a good time. Registration seemed much better too. When I stepped up and handed the guy my ID and paper it took him MAYBE 30 seconds to hand me my badge. Excellent.
- Lanyards! People have also been asking for these, I had even brought my own and was ecstatic to see I didn't need them.
- Artist's Alley. I bought more there than ever before. It was nice to see relatively inexpensive things (Head shot cards from SSBB and the like) in addition to generally good quality work. VG cats was a nice surprise.
- Lack of glomping. I think I only got hugged by surprise MAYBE two or three times. And it was a hug, not a glomp, so I didn't have as much issue with it. : D Teh mudkipz was happy to not almost be knocked down this year.

Cons:
- Dealers room. It really wasn't that great this year. I felt like the selection was just lacking. A lot of the same things, and on top of that at outrageous prices. Many of the dealers weren't even willing to knock off a few dollars as a discount on larger purchases, even when they had in previous years. I know it's not Fanime's fault, but maybe the dealers will see everyone mentioning this and do something to improve it next year. I'm also not sure if it was just me, but most of what I saw being sold consisted of DVDs and Manga, at prices the same as if I went to my local store. There were maybe two exceptions to the pricing bit, but it was rather annoying to me. Here's my question: where were some of the previous dealers? Funimation? Gaia? There's one more but it slips my mind at the moment. Those were two of the booths I was looking forward to. Also agree with not enough giveaways. DEALERS! Look at what people are saying and hopefully improve next year! I left with considerably more money than I have in the past. (Like... a few hundred more.)
- Elevator etiquette. This was a big problem at the Marriott this year. This goes to the attendees, not to staff. Let the people who were there first get on, and don't crowd the elevators. If people in the back need to get out, GET OUT OF THE WAY. Step out of the elevator and let them out, then step back in. Don't make them shove their way out. It'll move faster that way, I guarantee it. I can't tell you how many times I had to push to get out of the elevator on my stop, I also can't tell you how many times I had people shove in front of me, forcing me to wait for the next elevator. Just.... be nice. If it would piss you off if someone did it to you, don't do it to others. Play nice people.

Edit: HA! I remembered the two other things I wanted to mention!

Cons:
-Gaming room consoles. I'm not sure if it was just with SSBB, but it really did seem as though only those with their own controllers were playing. I'm not sure it that was really the case, or if they had checked them out, but I only heard that the system was in place at closing ceremonies when someone else brought it up. Could we possibly just zip tie controllers to the systems again? I wanted to play, but never got the chance this year. It was rather frustrating to me. Someone mentioned a sign, but I never saw one? If it's something like that you really need multiple signs, facing all directions and in HUGE letters so people can see them as soon as they approach a console.
- At Con Reg for 2009. I didn't really see anything about when the times would be, and ended up asking about it in the dealer's room on Saturday, and being told that it opened at 4pm on Sunday. Well.... 4PM Sunday I was busy finishing things up. (Gathering or something maybe.... Maybe Charity auction....) And right after went to my room to eat before the concert. When I went to try and reg around Noon on Monday I was told it was closed. This was really disappointing to me. Could someone talk with the Registration head and ask them to considered keeping it open 'til maybe 2 or 3 on Monday? Most people are busy trying to pack and check out of their hotel rooms on Monday morning, myself included. I might be wrong on that account, but that seems to be what I've observed.


Sorry for the long post guys, but hopefully someone will take note and things might be changed for '09. ^^

Hm... early, but some ideas I'm toying with:

Terra (Slade form) - Teen Titans. XD One of the dealers said I should cosplay her, and the amusing part is that I have, once on Halloween. I'll be (hopefully) remaking the costume to cosplay with a friend as Robin.

Mudkip - Yep, I'll probably be bringing this one back since everyone seems to like it.

Lucario - Bringing this back as well probably, have a few things to fix that I was unable to finish in time for the con. T-T Oh well.

And some other mascot suit. They're fun to make, and I'm enjoying trying out the different ways to build them and change where they look from, and how they're ventilated. :D Fun to build new skills while constructing them.

I'm looking for six costumes, actually. >_< For myself and friends who don't check the site.

Mudkip - Pokemon
Lucario - Pokemon (This one I REALLY want photos of.)
Eiji - Prince of Tennis. (The one without the wig, bloneish hair.)
Beelzenef (sp) - Cat puppet from Ouran High School Host Club
Wolverine - X Men
Cyclops - X Men.

^^ Thanks ahead of time guys!

Lovely little random thing: I managed to pack my passport into a box going into storage, so my passport is currently on the other side of the country (no, seriously, I have the worst luck with IDs and such), and I'm expediting a new one so that I can still make it to Japan in two weeks. (the woman said the SF office was really caught up with their applications right now, so that it shouldn't take more than a week or so)

But now my government IDs are down to: this paper ID w/o a picture and a 10-year-old expired passport (I'm also about 8 in the picture, which is useful). This is going to be ridiculously fun to deal with.

It's not the end of the world if I can't get into the late night video rooms, or buy weapons and such in the dealer's room, but oh well. I'll try with what I've got, and if that doesn't work...*shrugs*

Hm... hopefully this isn't too late.... if I were you, I'd bring the expired passport and a current ID. (School ID?) I'm not a staff nor volunteer member, but you might be able to get by with both of those. *shrug* Worth a shot at least. >_< At least you noticed the passport was gone before your trip to Japan.

I did email staff, but the response I got was "the staff will know how to deal with people without photo IDs". *shrugs* What's going to be just as fun is trying to deal with this for dealer's room and video rooms...

...You don't need ID for the dealers room and video rooms. Just your badge. The only things in the whole con you'd need an ID for other than registration would be the "over 18" events like the hentai room and yaoi bingo and such.

It's also helpful to have it with you if you're buying weapons or 18+ merchandise from dealers or artist alley, but yeah it's not needed :].

XD;; I was trying not to say it outright, but that's what I meant I'd need it for...>_>;;

I would imagine for those things you'd need government ID. I recall while hanging out in front of the Hentai room (I know some of the staff, so we hang out there.) people trying to get in with college IDs and what not, didn't work, they were sent away.

I would try and bring the passport if I were you, and leave it along with... say... half your money in the safe. That way whenever you need to go get the money, or some other valuable in there, you'll be reminded that you've got your passport on you.

Mind you, I'm not staff, nor a volunteer, but that's what I recall happening in the past. >_> Better safe than sorry.

>_> Girl cosplaying Mudkip, and nope, don't know this Ash.

Mudkip should be returning this year, but I will escape all attempts to catch me.