Apart from that, I would like all other feedback from you the attendees on what we can do better. Some of it we already have:
- Keep the site available online for those who can't attend so they can keep upto date with the event
- More tournament preperation. All tournament rules should be published BEFORE the event takes place, so that no issues arise during the event. This will also help to organise the server configs
- No rendering at the event, the load on the servers affects the internet connection and game server performance
- ensure sufficient alcohol is available for KF so he doesn't have to go out late at night to find some
- Various cosmetic updates to the site to allow for easier match entry etc
This is probably going to be a long post, so be warned…
I have been running LlamaLAN for over 10 years now, in that time I have made new friends, met new people and lost at more games than I care to admit. At this stage of the event process I am putting things back together in what has become lovingly known as “The Command Bunker”, but I am taking a break from carrying boxes and detritus up and down stairs to take a moment to reflect. Something I don’t do often enough.
The third LlamaLAN brought us to our current venue, 18 LANs later and we are still there, still going strong. After 10 years a building that we have come to know as home is linked to many emotions: Happiness, sorrow, shame, pride, fear, and excitement, love and even in rare cases hate. We have seen relationships begin and flourish and sometimes unfortunately we have seen relationships fail. All of this is normal life, but as a community we share so much now that those who partake in the community are linked by a bond of friendship and loyalty. I am proud to call such a group friends.
Each person that comes to LlamaLAN brings something special to the event, it just wouldn’t be the same without all of the people that make LlamaLAN what it is. Every event CyberDrac makes a point of saying thank you to me for doing what I do and it humbles me to know that something that I helped create, that I and the other admins nurture has brought so many people together. So I say thank you to you, each and every LAN attendee that brings an attitude they should be proud of. We are LlamaLAN, we will accept anyone as they are. The only rule is that you do the same for us. So far we have not been left wanting in that regard.
I can honestly say that I have always enjoyed every LlamaLAN, but equally there has always been a certain amount of relief at the end of the event, a relief that the problems are over for another 6 months, that I don’t have to worry about changing the design of the site so it is easier to understand. This event was different for me, this event brought me to a new place. I believe I have a certain reputation for grumpiness at the LANs, deservedly so in my opinion. But this LAN, this LAN for me was a turning point. I have gone through various stages in my life, suffice to say that my personal life is at a stage where I feel I am back in control. I feel this LAN I was able to relax and let the real me out to play, due in no small part to the feeling of belonging engendered by LlamaLAN attendees. No one is left alone, no one is pushed to the sides or excluded. The only times that happens is when the person being excluded works hard to keep people at bay. Something I feel I have been doing for far too long.
To those of you I have pushed away, I can only apologise and hope that I can work harder in future to not be such a prick. To those who pushed hard enough to get in anyway, thank you for helping me be me and reminding me that it ok to be silly, to have fun and to make a fool of yourself. I have always made friends at LlamaLAN, but none more so than this event. I look forward to future events with an invigoration I have not felt since I was a teenager and a sense of sorrow at the passing of LlamaLAN 20 normally associated with the passing of a loved one.
So to finalise my ramblings, I want to say thank you to CyberDrac for doing all the jobs I find myself too scared to do (like talking to people) and his unwavering ability to come up with ideas that help us to move the LAN forward. Thank you to Kryton for helping me to load and unload all the equipment from “The Command Bunker” and get it to the hall and back again. And of course for all his tireless work making sure the cabling is run to his exacting standards. Thank you to Golem for his outstanding graphics on the site and various LAN related images and of course for the amazing work on the LlamaLAN videos. Thank you to YaZoR for helping me with technical problems when I get stuck with some random crazy idea and for not taking the piss out of me too much when I screw up. Thank you to Zodiack for helping golem with the LAN graphics and now taking over control of the Console area. Thank you to Rogue for making this event so special for me, in a place where new friendships are common I feel that I have made a new friend who I have known for a long time.
Tldr;
Thanks guys, you rock. Site will be back soon
