Quake Expo 2007? 2008?

[Entar]

[scar3crow]

[Sajt]

a. Not enough mods to keep up, we don't want to have crappy little QExpos with like 30-40 booths (yet...)

b. It takes a fair shot of mojo for people to run this thing, a year isn't a humongously enormous amount of time...

I personally think it's too soon, but whatever. I doubt I'll be doing anything to host it this time, and I really don't want to see people say 'sure, let's have one. Maybe I'll host if nobody else does. Doo do do... oh look, a week left and nothing's done. And I don't have time.'

[Spirit]

Since when do good mods or maps not need more than a year of work?
QEXpo should stay something VERY special and thus shall not be done every year. Relying on Quake 2 and Quake 3 stuff (YUCK!) is just wrong. It's Quake the QExpo is about, Q2&Q3 are guests at most.

"Oh Quake Expo? Another? Who cares!" is very important.

[Entar]

[frag.machine]

[Sajt]

[leileilol]

[Spirit]

[Entar]

[Entar]

So... we doing one this year or what? Could be a nice kick to get us going again, seems like things have been a little quiet. I know I would have a few things to show, anyway.

[Sajt]

I really, really, really doubt it.

[leileilol]

yeah no qexpo plz

[CocoT]

--(good thing not too many people said something like that in 2001...)

Anyway...

While the idea of a retirement home for Quake modders made me smile, I do agree that making it a fixed site would kind of go against the original purpose of the event, which was to channel all the energies towards a single, short event that would possibly appeal to all gamers, even beyond the Q1 community itself. What makes QExpo so unique is the incredible buzz concentrated in a couple of days. Granted the side effect (one we had not really thought about at the time we set up the first QExpo) is that the rest of the year becomes, as a result, pree-tty quiet (and that's a euphemism)... I realize it's only conjectures, but I still wonder what the community would look like today if there had never been any QExpo, though. Not to say that QExpo "saved" it (or "is saving it", obviously), but, despite some side effects, I think QExpo's have all in all had very positive effects.

I know I'm maybe gonna sound like an old jerk, but it's precisely because QExpo has become a bit of a key in keeping the community going (until other major events come along (the making of a "free Quake" could be one of these events)), setting it up should not be taken lightly. Not that it has ever been or that I have the feeling that's how you guys do it, though. All I'm saying is that I feel that, while we would want to keep some form of very basic structure to it (I believe the "event" dimension is one of them, thus), the process of setting it up should be, I think, preceeded with a lot of brainstorming about how to make it stand out 1) in comparison with the other QExpos but also 2) keeping in mind the current state of Quake and the state of gaming in general. Deciding on dates is good, but I think that we shouldn't do it before deciding how the next QExpo will possibly kick more ass than the QExpo's before it. And if you think there just aren't enough modders to make it kick more ass, well, you'll still have to figure out ways. Contact people. Open new threads with brainstorming sessions. Express your craziest ideas, and maybe some of them will make the cut. Compare with other events (the first QExpo's booth girls were inspired from similar "live" events, I'm sure there are lots of other things we could come up with (conferences? private showings? (we might want to avoid privateS showing, though) promotional material? ...)). Share your screenshots. Wet people's appetites (but not your pants). Write articles. Write reviews. Write interviews. Share possible designs, logos or plans on how to possibly organize the site. Point out what went well with the older sites, and what went wrong. Point out ways to have a better coverage. Point out inventive ways to attract new modders. ... etc ... etc ... etc ... QExpo is all that. It's not just a site, it's an opportunity for us to think about what we are and where we want to go.

While deciding on a date is an important step to take and does give an impetus to the whole project, the success of a Qexpo does also rely a lot on hopes, expectations and novelties that the upcoming event is about to offer. So go crazy on that and the buzz will quite naturally rise again from the ashes, trust me

Note: I also totally agree with Sajt on the fact that it's important to decide who is doing what pretty early on and personally believe that the "main organizer" should be someone who has been in the community for a little while, is ready to commit him/herself to it wholeheartedly and whom the rest of the community approves of.

[scar3crow]