‘Tis the season.
Summer Show Season, that is. As a result, Jeff, Paul and I (along with a rotating cast of other WAR notables) are in non-stop travel mode for the next couple of months.
Over the next six weeks, I’ll be heading out to E3, San Diego Comic Con, Games Convention (Leipzig) and PAX. Which is roughly 800 trillion miles of air travel.
E3’s a bit of a mystery, as it’s still a show that’s trying to find itself after the major contraction that took place in the wake of the ’06 expo. It looks to be a fairly well-policed “industry only” event, which is a bit of a bummer because hanging with fans is always more fun than doing interviews.
I’m going to SDCC because… well… I’m a huge comic nerd and it’s always a bonus to get a free trip to the Nerd Prom. We also get to unleash our full traveling demo booth there, which is always cool because thousands of people get to see the game first-hand in a short span of time.
Games Convention is, to be honest, totally nuts (in a good way). Well over a quarter of a million screaming Yurpians set loose in a huge air hangar filled to bursting with every kind of game you could ever hope to see. It’s one of the only events that brings out my inner fanboy because it’s so over the top that it’s hard NOT to get caught up in the excitement. Our friends at GOA always pull out all the stops and put up an absolutely kick-ass booth for showcasing and demoing WAR, but this year’s set up is totally, insanely awesome. If you’re anywhere in Europe, get your backside to GC Leipzig.
I’ve never been to PAX before, but it looks like the definitive heir-apparent to what E3 had inadvertently morphed into before it got “streamlined” a couple years ago. I think it’s safe to say that it’s the pre-eminent community-oriented gaming event in the US at this point. We’ll have the aforementioned Traveling Booth of Love set up, so if you’re looking for one event to hit between now and launch, PAX is probably it.
So those are the next few weeks worth of WAR – at least in terms of shows I’ll be at. If you make it to any of the events, make sure to swing by and say howdy.
Paul sighting!
We’re pleased to see he’s still alive out in Dreamhack-land. That’s our buddy Rowland with him tossing shirts to the masses.
Games Day/Now Hiring: Update
Since I’ve gotten a fairly large amount of email, PMs and comments in the past couple of days, let me just say a few things:
1) Yes, it’s totally fine for you to talk to any of us at Games Day.
We come to public events because we like meeting you guys, hearing what you have to say, etc. And if you have questions that you’d like fairly detailed answers for, the morning (11:30 AM) Q&A is the perfect venue. Come prepared! Do not disappoint The Hickman by lacking questions!
2) There will be a table at the event for folks interested in the CS positions we posted earlier this week.
If you have questions about hiring, details related to the positions, etc. please direct them to our HR staff. Most of us wont have the information you’re after, so save yourself the headache and go straight to the folks who CAN help you.
3) The hiring date for the CS positions has nothing to do with our launch date.
We need plenty of folks to help us shepherd WAR through the ever-growing Beta test phase and these new hires will be very busy working there well prior to launch. Anyone who says otherwise from this point forward is a SPY. The bad confuses you with lies kind – not the good has inside info kind.
Games Day Baltimore
FYI – A bunch of us are heading up to Charm City for the show, so it’s definitely worth coming to if you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with WAR. Also, Jeff and I will be doing some sort of Q&A session at the show, so make sure to come armed with questions.
EA Games Spring Break.
Destin Bales and I just got back from the EA Spring Break press event out in San Francisco. This event officially kicked off the EA Games label’s summer press season, so look for more and more coverage in the coming months. As a note, any video interviews that pop up probably feature me SCREAMING UNNECESSARILY LOUDLY. I’m used to doing interviews with tiny digital cameras that have terrible mics, so when the Big Boys arrive with crazy boom mics, I sometimes forget that the top-of-the-lungs shouting isn’t needed. So be nice and give me a pass on that.
Also, while I didn’t get to try it myself, there was a WAR-themed drink available at the open bar during the event. According to the recipe sheet I stole borrowed, the “Warhammer Online” is:
Oronoco rum, freshly squeezed lime, simple syrup and muddled cucumbers, shaken hard poured over ice.
Which sounds a bit like a Mojito – minus the mint. And with cucumber goo. Your homework this week is to make one and tell me if it’s any good. Bonus points to anyone brave enough to film themselves making and consuming it. EXTRA bonus points if you paint yourself green first.
I am dying in London.
I’m in the UK doing a two day European press event. I seem to have contracted SARS while on the flight over, so any interviews you see are fueled by hefty doses of cold medication and lack of sleep. Luckily, they sell codeine over the counter here – as it’s the only thing that stops the ungodly throbbing in my head at the moment.
But enough whining!
The set up we’ve got over here is AWESOME. It’s an EA Games Label event featuring Battlefield Bad Company, Battlefield Heroes, Mass Effect PC, Left For Dead, Mercs II, Battleforge and WAR. It’s really cool to be doing a major PC-dominated show for once. EA is really dedicated to offering great games for the PC platform, which makes me happy.
We’re each set up in a section of the room, with crazy sets (we’ve got a Marshes-of-Madness set) and a GIANT rotating platform in the middle that the press sit on. The platform moves them around to look at each title in order, which is hilariously awesome to see.
Speaking of awesome. Battleforge. Seriously. You want to play this game. The Hickman came back from a corporate event a few months back absolutely RAVING about it and it did not disappoint. Sadly, their demo was not allowed to be recorded – but they let plenty of folks have hands-on time, so hopefully some bright spark will do a really detailed write up.
Also, the Mercs II guys are a hard bunch to follow when you’re doing presentations. It’s worth your time to keep an eye out for video their presentation online in the coming weeks.
Anywho, pics to follow (assuming I remember to actually take some of the venue tomorrow).
Keep your eyes peeled for even more Yurpian coverage over the next few weeks.
Stuck, stuck, stuck…
…in the airport in NYC. The con went really well. Folks had a blast at the booth, we had a lot of fun talking and hanging out with the fans and – if you don’t mind me saying – we rocked the hell out of the AM panel with a hundred screaming lunatics*.
Definitely keep your eyes peeled for videos over at Ten Ton Hammer. Speaking of whom, kudos to the TTH crew who did an absolute first-rate job setting things up. By far the smoothest large-scale presentation we’ve done in months. PLUS, Jeff, Garrett and his super-fox of a wife Padma came through with the New and Improved TTH shirts – which are (if it’s possible) EVEN BRIGHTER than the old ones. With embroidered personalization, I might add.
Ah, the perks of moderate notoriety.
Alas, we are now stuck here at the airport. Paul has disappeared. The Hickman misses his lovely wife and devoted children. Ah, the price of moderate notoriety.
Anywho, enough babbling for now.
* Dear Lunatics,You made The Hickman very happy with your awesome WAAAGHing.
Pssst…
The Hickman, Paul, yours truly AND the Travelin’ WAR Booth-o-Love – all appearing THIS WEEKEND at NY Comic Con. Play some WAR, enjoy some panels, ask some questions, beg The Hickman for an autograph.
Be there, true believers!
Blame The Hickman.
So… as it turns out, there’s a BIT more to the “Bonus Story” from Paris than I initially offered. I excluded it in the interest of my own sanity and to protect the good, decent folk of The Internet from potential mental anguish. Nevertheless, The Hickman wants the Whole Truth to be known and – as we all know – what The Hickman Wants, The Hickman Gets.
Continue reading at your own risk:
Home again, home again.
We’ve returned from Paris and the jetlag has abated (mostly).
It was a really great event – tons of attendees, lots of really detailed presentations and extended Q&A sessions, plenty of tiny, tiny food. Our partners at GOA went all-out, providing an amazing facility, GIANT Chosen and Witch Hunter statues to keep Jeff and I company on stage and plenty of excellent extra-curricular activities. So a big thanks to those guys for running an absolutely kick-ass event.