Gdc 2010

[DreameR]

~ Anyone up for a meetup? Just wondering who else is gonna be there?

[Draxxuss]

I might be showing up... depending on the school budget! :)

[walrus]

I'll be there for the whole thing: It's about 3 blocks from my office!

[Draxxuss]

that'd be great to finally meet up with a bunch of you guys.

[Ashurii]

when and where? I still haven't bought my ticket, will do so next week I think

[Draxxuss]

San Fran March 9 or so.

[Vailias]

I'll attend a meetup, seeing as I'm local anyway, but I don't think I'll have the $ for a pass this year. :(

[walrus]

Last year we did a meet-up for dinner at Chevy's one night. It was overall pretty sparsely attended, though it was nice to meet Ryan (Aftermath) and Fred and a few others. We ended up joining the Polycount gathering another night, which was HUGE (and a lot of fun, though a tad stressful for the California Pizza Kitchen to accommodate everyone.)

We should definitely set up a gathering for one of the nights of the show. The conference is from the 9th through the 13th, that's a Tuesday through Saturday. A lot of people only show up for the last 3 days and skip the 2 tutorial days, and on the last day of the show, everyone always takes off early, so the 11th and 12th will likely work best. The Game Developers Choice Awards are Thursday: I never attend them but many do. So Friday could be the best night to meet... but that's just based on the GDC schedule. What do your actual schedules look like?

[Maph]

I'll be there, from the 7th 'till the 14th. I'm all game for a meeting!
Would be awesome to meet all you guys irl. :)

[crazyfingers]

Sup dudes, don't normally frequent these boards, from polycount normally, but i pop in for updates on the unearthly from time to time. Maybe we could meet up at the same place, more the merrier right? We're in the same boat, have more than a few people interested but no location or time picked out yet. Anyway, good luck organizing this thing, if you guys want to keep this sheerly game artistan that's cool too, but an "aspiring game artist" meet up might be more fun than a smaller polycount or game artisan meet up ;)

[xerious3d]

I actually managed to scrounge up money to attend this year, can't wait, would be awesome to get a chance to meet you guys. I'll be there from the 9th till the 13th

[Hazardous]

God damnit I have an invite to GDC to attend and meet up with some of my old chums who now sit pretty @ Blizzard AND it may look like i wont make it in time! GAH!!!!!

Would be awesome to meet up with everyone too!! Ive got my fingers crossed that Anuxi and myself will be there! If so WERE IN! If not :( Enjoy it for us!

[Anuxinamoon]

We can sneak into the usa pretending to celebrate international Australia day. We can wave flag and give out BBQ'ed lamb cutlets to everyone. Should't be too hard, no one will never know our true intent! You will just have to cover oop that keewee acceunt!

You guys better take some pictures and share them here for all us poor sods who can't attend!

[mclean]

im flying over with DreameR should be awesome, first time in the US for me :) hopefully get a job out of it...well thats the plan anyway! meeting up with other gameartisans for a meal or something sounds awesome!

[DreameR]

~ We might as well leave the meetup date to you Walrus. Most of us seem like we're going to be there until the 14th anyway.

When is the polycount meetup day? Or is there not one yet? Synchronizing them seems like a cool idea.

[migusan76]

:) I'll be out at GDC this year hanging with Xerious3D and bunch more people from work. Would be nice to meet and greet some new friends.

[Draxxuss]

Who's handing out the Gameartisans baseball caps?? Fred? do you have budget for that? how about GA tshirts so people know how to find each other... ha ha ha..

[Mrpearlzildjian]

*tears* wish I could attend. I had planned on it, but life happens. It's a hell of a trip and out of my budget. I will hopefully make the Austin GDC though later this year. I've always wanted to meet some of the guys in my community. Have fun everyone.

[crazyfingers]

We still don't have anything remotely definite on Polycount, but i just floated the idea by of a joint meeting there to see how it takes, don't think anyone would have a problem with it, it'd be fun :D. The PC/ GA rivalry is for sh*ts and giggles anyhow... mostly ;).

Edit: Might be best to wait till a week or so before the convention to figure anything definite. Gives us time to find out who's going and when the best time to pick a meet-up spot. I think the best time would be around 4ish if Austin GDC is any indication. It'll be after the convention and before any major GDC related parties.

[OrganizedChaos]

I've gotta second the idea of a joint meeting. More artists= more awesome

[KennyTies]

Ill be at GDC this year and a meet up sounds great

[BigJohn]

I definitely wanna go this time around.

Can't afford to actually go to the GDC itself, but I'm planning on driving up there just for the meet-up if that ends up happening. It sounds awesome.

[Aftermath]

I am pretty sure I will be there this year again will no more when the event gets closer.

[Wynn]

Not sure if I'll be able to make it this time around.. we'll see.

[crazyfingers]

Quick update from us Polycount guys: Got a pretty good crowd starting to form, could be quite a few people if we do the joint meetup, which would be kick arse! Some native San Fransiscan's are starting to step up to organize, looks to be heading in the bar direction or on site GDC direction, can't help but think the final spot's going to be a bar (fingers crossed).

If you guys want to pop your heads in, give some input on where we could do a joint meetup, don't be shy:
http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=69339

[Draxxuss]

Hey guys.. I'm looking into pricing for this and need a suggestion.
For hotels, is there one close by that is pretty nice and within walking distance? I'm assuming that there are also many places to eat around there as it probably is in the downtown area. I've never been to SF so please illuminate for those that have/live there.

[xerious3d]

Hey guys.. I'm looking into pricing for this and need a suggestion.
For hotels, is there one close by that is pretty nice and within walking distance? I'm assuming that there are also many places to eat around there as it probably is in the downtown area. I've never been to SF so please illuminate for those that have/live there.

Awesome Drax, hope to catch you there man.

Yeah would be nice to get some insight from the local SF's - As far as hotels, most of us google'd and made a list of hotels within 8-5 block radius and researched them and came to a decision. We tried to book early because they were going hot! Not sure about places to eat though.

[walrus]

I don't know hotels because I've never had to stay in the area, but there is a ton of food in the area, running the gamut from cheap to expensive (and from very healthy to very not.) You won't go hungry!

[DreameR]

~ Try here, Draxxuss http://www.booking.com/hotel/us/good.en.html?aid=311076;label=good-7FAe2fpKdBhxix5Zstpx4gS3875831700;ws=&gclid=CM6tt5Gd1J8CFZAA4wodal2jcg
It was recommended to me, for the price and the fact that I didn't need uber luxury. Plus its like 5mins walk from GDC

[Maph]

Draxxuss: Check out Hotels.com and do a search in SF with the Moscone center as a landmark.
Most reviews on the site are genuine and you can sometimes score a cool deal on there as well.
I booked at the Powel Hotel through that site, looked nice. :)
http://www.thepowellhotel.com/

[Draxxuss]

thanks for the tips guys.. Hopefully will find out this week if I am going or not. fingers crossed.

[Aftermath]

I typically stay in Japan town because of the atmosphere and the area itself. So I normally take a cab or walk to the moscone, Hotel Tomo is really nice and affordable. Also if you can get a few people subletting might be an option for that week. Check craigslist subletting would be cheaper then most hotels and you would have a kitchen.

[Draxxuss]

YEEEHAW! I've got my GDC 2010 Receipt sitting in my inbox! Now.. is there anything else I need to do? This does mean I am registered doesn't it? I've checked out the event scheduler but that just seems to be a calendar of sorts and not actually registering you for certain functions. Any advice on other procedures, just to make sure I've got it straight, would be helpful.

Going to need to get my hotel and flight booked now. I'm really anxious to go!!

[migusan76]

:lol: Awesome man, can't really tell how excited you really are there LOL. You should get on booking that hotel and flight soon, the prices should have jumped up or are going to jump up.. Here is a hotel list I've made that are close to the convention center for descent prices, but that was almost a month ago now so don't know how well the prices are.

Hotel Map List (http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109791741764851249522.00047d9f300132eadcdb4&ll=37.785928,-122.404743&spn=0.007487,0.015643&z=17)

[Draxxuss]

Migusan76 - yah.. ha ha.. not every day do I get an all expense paid trip to an international nerdfest! I've been in the industry more than a decade and this is my first time going. :) Thanks for the map. It'll help.

[Aftermath]

Dan, I would email a sales rep and check on how they do passes becuase they ship them to us in the states. You might not be that lucky and have to go a day early or same day as convention and wait in line to register your ticket for your pass. You have purchased your ticket and such but the final step is getting the pass in your hands. Being a teacher I would soak up the career pavialion and talk to hr reps seeing what they are looking for in students work. Maybe check the list of lectures that will be going down as well so you can setup a schedule. Goto the gdc website and sign up yourself for mygdc its like facebook for gdc to keep in touch or network it also has a schedule builder with the events pre arranged so you may make a detailed event planed.

[Draxxuss]

Aftermath - thanks for the advice. I've done the schedule builder stuff already... most things do not have dates yet which makes in almost pointless currently.

"Event Badges
Badges will not be mailed out in advance of the event but can be collected on-site with proper photo id. Please bring a copy of your receipt as verification of your registration."

That is what you are talking about, right? Luckily, I have quite a few weeks to wait but, yes, I will check with someone about this. I'd rather not wait in line more than I have to.

[walrus]

Have you got plane tickets yet? (You'll need those! :) ) If you're coming into town for more than just the 3 main days of the show, there is always lighter attendance for the first 2 days of the show because they are the all-day seminars and such. Those are great days to show up - if you're in town - and there's no wait at all to pick up your actual pass and registration materials.

When all the times get posted, I find it is really worth it to plan out your schedule in advance... including alternate events, in case one is not living up to expectations, you can always go to a second choice. You'll find some hours have 3 events you want to se all at once while other hours have nothing. Those are good times to check out the show floor and job fair booths. The keynotes are varied - some can be great while others are just dog and pony shows for whatever the speaker's company is, touting how great Microsoft or Sony or whoever is. But the Nintento ones are always worth going to because they usually give out free product: I got Rhythm Heaven and Brain Age for free at Nintendo keynotes! (Of course, if you don't have a DS, it's less exciting.)

[Draxxuss]

plane tickets are coming.. ha ha.. should be easier than hotel. I'm checking around now and seeing that a lot of hotel reviews mention bad/seedy areas around. these are usually 2 star and sometimes 3. Was thinking hotel Griffon or Harbor Court Hotel of which both are down at the water with a view of the Bay Bridge and 1/2 block to the trolley. Give me more of the SF experience that way. The are also mid range for price. Probable Griffon as it has free wifi and the other does not.

[Ballo]

I'd would like go there, San Francisco es pretty awesom. Anybody knows how is the career pavilion to look for a job?

A party will be just brilliant! I like the idea!

[walrus]

Ballo - The career pavillion is an excellent place to look for a job - every game company all in one spot with representatives who are all looking to hire people and the chance to make a face-to-face connection with someone who actually works for the company. I can't think of a better place for game industry job hunting.

Dan - This is just my opinion, but I would strongly advise not staying so far away from the convention center. GDC is an all-day thing, from the morning through late at night, when you factor in evening events, hanging out with people you've met, parties, etcetera. You won't have time to enjoy your water-front views, but you will have lots of time to enjoy a slow cross-city commute at the end of the day. I don't know trolly schedules, but it's worth finding out how late at night they run. After hanging out with folks for dinner, do you then have to wait 45 minutes for a trolley? Or take an expensive cab ride? There'll certainly be no running back to your hotel room for something you forgot, and even with trolleys, you'll be spending a while every day budgeting for extra travel time. If you really want to enjoy North Beach or the Marina, you could consider staying there for a day or two before or after the conference, but moving to a more convenient hotel for the duration of the show. Whether you go out carousing or not, you'll probably appreciate the shorter distance after a long day is over. (btw, the GDC usually has an open area with free-to-use internet connected computers if you really need to check your e-mail.)

[migusan76]

The year I went I wasn't looking for work, but from my obeservation the floor gets swamped with so many students that keep the recruiters quit busy. I also noticed that the career floor will tend to be more open to you if your badge relects your already working in the industry at a known studio. GDC aside from the career floor is just a great place to be and network with people. Never really heard about anyone getting picked up from the career floor, but more from the fact of so and so meet so and so at x party or at the lobby and got his foot in the door that way. Just my obeservation :)

DAn - I second that walrus. I would not recommend staying any farther than 5 or so mile radius. Your feet will be hurting like crazy from all the walking around. Plus usually all the parties are close around also :) easier to get hammered and walk back to your hotel LOL. I would stay around union square., there good safe hotels there for descent prices. Plus there is nothing likes seeing all the great street performers there. You'll understand what I mean when you get to san Fran.

[Draxxuss]

thanks guys... I appreciate the words of wisdom. I'll narrow my search to closer areas...

[Sandbag]

Just got the word from the Bossman that I get to go to this! First time going to anything like this so that's pretty exciting.

[Wynn]

wooot im all set to go :)

[Ballo]

Thanks mates, I really appreciate that info. :)

[hollaBack]

Zoot! I'm definitely goin! I hope to finally meet some of you awesome artists out there!

2 weeks!! Can't wait!!

[BigJohn]

Any news on a possible GA meetup?

[walrus]

As no one has offered any other concrete alternatives, I was thinking it would still be on Thursday night for dinner. How many people at this point look like they will make it so we can get an approximate head-count? And of course, the table is still open for alternate proposals... someone suggested we join polycount, but hasn't posted any more details... or if Thursday doesn't work for anyone...? Anyhow, chime in!

[Draxxuss]

I'm in like Flynn.

[Wynn]

I'll be there

[xerious3d]

Thusday Night sounds like a plan to me...I am in. Any ideas on local places to eat out at?

[BigJohn]

I can't actually go to GDC itself, so I was planning on just driving up there for the meetup you're all doing.

So far so good

[DreameR]

~ I'm there. Mclean will be there with me

[Draxxuss]

So... as it stands now... and either I or someone else can keep a running tally on this, For Thursday evening dinner and drinks, "site unknown" so far, we have the following people.

Walrus
Draxxuss
Wynn
Xerious3d
BigJohn
DreameR
Mclean

As more people verify, I or someone else, will add them to the list so we know how many to arrange for at set gathering place.

[grimdc13]

Can't go this year , but I might hope to attend next year's to promote my group's open source game and engine. Would be cool to have you guys come test our game when it's in BETA. :)

[crazyfingers]

Thursday's perfect, was thinking the same. Sign me up and i'm sure quite a few (at least 5 I want to say) would be rolling with me from the Art Institute of San Diego, and some others from polycount (god only knows how many more). Should be a great game art turnout!

[Ashurii]

I would like to go as well, not sure if people would be with me or not.

[walrus]

Okay, well when you folks know, let us know (even if it's the day before. i have a few places in mind, but it will depend on how many folks we have and how far folks are willing to travel. There are a few places relatively close to Moscone (where the GDC is) but they also run the risk of being packed with everyone else from GDC. I have a few recs for places a little further afield - less crowded, potentially, but harder to find and for people to catch up with us. Let's see how many respond...

[crazyfingers]

walrus, i think we're going to be quite a crowd, a dive bar that isn't used to having many people on a thursday would be the perfect place, all the better if it's a restaurant too, that way the youngin's can get in.

[Draxxuss]

ha ha.. but the youngin's would have guys like me as a chaperone... think of me first as a father figure... and then get me a beer. :)

[Sandbag]

I'd like to as long as I dont have any prior obligations keeping me. I'm always in favor of a dive bar with a kitchen...

What's the word on smoking in SF? I know in LA there was no smoking in any public building (which was awesome). They started this in Chicago too right as I was leaving, but I've never been to San Fransisco.

[migusan76]

:lucky: Sounds like a plan to me, we should meet up and then paint the town at the parties. LOL Draxxuss I'll chaperone Xerious3d and make sure he doesn't try to slip any beers and he has his X-marks on his hands...

[Maph]

I'm in! A bar or restaurant, I don't care; as long as there's beer it's all good. :D

[walrus]

I assumed you were and were including you in my own mental notes, but didn't want to speak for you, pal!

The GDC is in a "restaurant" part of town, not in a "dive bar" part of town at all. (sorry!) Still, finding something with beer is totally doable. A lot of places serve beer... and there's a great brew-pub nearby that might be a good option. The local Game Developer's gathering meets there once a month, 'though always for drinks, not for food... But I echo the earlier sentiment that I'm really going to want the latter! The food's not cheap here but quite good.

To answer the earlier question, SF is a very non-smoking town: No smoking in restaurants or buildings, or right in front of their entrances.

[Maph]

I assumed you were and were including you in my own mental notes, but didn't want to speak for you, pal!

The GDC is in a "restaurant" part of town, not in a "dive bar" part of town at all. (sorry!) Still, finding something with beer is totally doable. A lot of places serve beer... and there's a great brew-pub nearby that might be a good option. The local Game Developer's gathering meets there once a month, 'though always for drinks, not for food... But I echo the earlier sentiment that I'm really going to want the latter! The food's not cheap here but quite good.

To answer the earlier question, SF is a very non-smoking town: No smoking in restaurants or buildings, or right in front of their entrances.

Yeah, figured as much, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. :)

If the GA and/or PC meeting ends up at a restaurant, would be cool if it had some veggie/vegan fudz though. If not, I'll just drink. :D
Hence, the need for beer. :mugs:

[Vincent]

Yeah, figured as much, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. :)

If the GA and/or PC meeting ends up at a restaurant, would be cool if it had some veggie/vegan fudz though. If not, I'll just drink. :D
Hence, the need for beer. :mugs:

Maph you're vegan ? Good point here :lucky:

[Maph]

I'm a veggie really, my girl is a vegan. :)

[walrus]

The brewery that's right next to the convention center is Thirsty Bear (/http://thirstybear.com/). Good beer and small dishes, burgers, etc. (but not cheap.) They're pretty spacious, although can be somewhat noisy.

There's a Chevy's (http://chevys.com/) nearby that can easily seat a large group - it's where GA met last year - and has more food (it's a restaurant, not a pub) and beer (and tequila and margueritas.)

There's also a decent-sized (and decent!) Chinese place - Canton Seafood (http://www.cantonsf.com/) - several blocks from Moscone that's an easy walk but just far enough away that very few others at the conference will know about it, so we won't be fighting crowds (the other 2 places are half a block from Moscone, and will likely be full of other GDC folks.)

For those coming in from out of town, SF is known for good food all around... but especially seafood, Asian food of all varieties (we're on the pacific rim) and Mexican. (Chevy's is more mass-market Mexican, but works well for a large group.) So all of these choices should be a good taste of SF while also managing to seat/stand a large group. SF is also reasonably vegetarian-friendly - Chevy's will be easy, check out Thirsty Bear to see if it works for you, and Canton could be fine as long as they're not slipping pork into the green beans or eggplant as some places do.

Check the URLs/Menus to see if any appeal.

[migusan76]

We hung out at the thirsty bear at GDC 08 and the beer was amazing :thumb:

[xerious3d]

I for one am not a picky eater...So honestly i will accommodate to those who may need something a little more specific, as long as we agree on something I am good to go. Alcohol isn't necessary but would be great. Id say lets have 3 Choices, which ever choice seems to meet everyone's slight expectations half way id say go for it. That way everyone is happy, especially the Veggie's. For me its all about just making it happen, but keeping everyone at least happy enough to be there. :thumb:

[prototyp3]

I'd come by to meet some of the gameartisans.org crowd. We can drown our sorrows of the delayed DomWar.

[crazyfingers]

Some great suggestions there Walrus! I'm torn between the Chinese seafood idea and the Thirsty Bear. We head to Canton and we get a cool restaurant experience in San Fran with authentic seafood, with thirsty bear we experience more of the GDC festivity. Kinda leaning towards Thirsty Bear. Food's good and all but it'll be more fun to go somewhere a bit more "rowdy". But then again you don't want to burn yourself out on the first day! What does everyone else think?

[BigJohn]

If the place is right next to where GDC is, won't it be completely packed? Will we be able to fit all of there?

[Ashurii]

haha just make sure the place has cheap stuff too

[Draxxuss]

Walrus
Draxxuss
Wynn
Xerious3d
BigJohn
DreameR
Mclean
crazyfingers + 5
Ashurii
Sandbag (maybe)
migusan76
Xerious3d
Maph
prototyp3


Thursday night meet at :

Thirsty Bear
or
Chevy's
or
Canton Seafood

[Wynn]

Well I'm not picky by any means so I'm up for anything. Thirsty Bear sounds fun though

[devoid]

looks like i'll be going this year. Not sure if I'll be able to make a meet at night, but hopefully I'll see some of you guys wandering around.

[Draxxuss]

Man oh man... I'm getting anxious. March break just started here so I've only got marking to do this week and a few things to get ready for the trip. I'll be staying 1/2 block south of Union Square on Powell Street.

[BigJohn]

Can you guys tell me the exact date of the Thursday you're talking about?

[walrus]

March 11th.

[BigJohn]

Right on. Thanks

[Draxxuss]

Sooo... getting my schedule set for the week... there have to be a few "must see" destinations people are dying to get to. Let's hear them...

[Maph]

Tourist destinations, right? :)
I'm definitely going to the maritime museum and the Cantor Arts Center (I'm a sucker for Rodin's work). Musée mecanique sounds really interesting as well, as the whole Fisherman's Warf deal.
And if I feel like it, I may go down and cross the bridge to Emeryville and start a little worshipping cult in front of the Pixar gates. :D

[migusan76]

:paper: Maph I'll second the worship cult down to pixar. Then after that we can go to ILM and worship there as well.

[Maph]

Oh, we could do a pilgrimage. :D
Massive Black, Pixar, ILM (although I doubt you'd get past the gates :p), Apple, etc...

[Draxxuss]

hmm... yah... I'm with you on those guys.... I wonder how far the cable cars'll take us? ;)

[Maph]

Massive Black is easy, they're right next to the moscone center. :)
Emeryville isn't a problem either by the looks of it.
ILM, though... That's in the middle of the mountains. And Apple (if you care about that) is in the middle of Sillicon Valley, althoug SV could be potentially cool to visit from a nerd's point of view. :cool:

yes, I have been maps.google.com-ing. :D

[walrus]

Actually, you've got it wrong. It's Pixar you won't get by the gates of. The best you can do is stand outside the massive Pixar gates with the logo over them and take a picture. And then retreat to the Baskin Robbins ice cream across the street, or wander down the block to the Ikea. Mostly, it's a shopping neighborhood, not really much to see there.

ILM, on the other hand, is in the Presidio. It's a public land trust, so it's all public access, and is full of well maintained beautiful, rolling hills and old army buildings and a lovely pond to meander around. And you can get right up to the front doors, just not inside. But that means that you can at least get your photo taken in front of the famous Yoda statue (Google it.)

I don't even know (or really care) where Massive Black are, but if they're near Moscone, I've probably walked by them dozens of times without even knowing: I'd suspect they might keep a low profile on the outside.

Speaking of Silicon Valley, San Jose has a really nice Tech Museum. I think they currently have a Star Trek exhibit, among other things. It's a bit of a hassle to get down to, but doable. Ironically, it's across the street from where GDC used to be for years! The Cartoon Art Museum, though, is a block or two from the GDC, and is quite inexpensive to get into, too! (Other museums just in the immediate neighborhood of Moscone include the SF Museum of Modern Art, the Yerba Buena Center, the Museum of the African Diaspora, and the Jewish Heritage Museum. Probably others, too!)

[Aftermath]

Massive Black normally has its doors open durring the convention to show off the studio and recruit.

[walrus]

Where are their doors, Ryan? And are you coming to the show again this year?

I thought of another place to recommend. It's less of a pilgrimage-type place, but I suspect some would really enjoy it: Borderlands Books, San Francisco's absolute best science fiction and fantasy book store (and adjoining cafe.) They're everything from limited first editions to used paperbacks, they have some crafts, DVDs (on sale, see below) and coffee and snacks. And they have fantastic recommendations. I know the owner and some of the staff and they're all really terrific people, very passionate about what they do. And it's in a fun neighborhood with a lot of interesting shops (including 826 Valencia, a Pirate Supply Store (!) which acts as a front for an after-school writing program center,) a lot of other book stores, and good restaurants.

Here are some sales going on at Borderlands while folks are in town:

Every weekend this month we're going to be running a different sale.
We'll be starting with . . .

The DVD Close-out Sale (Saturday, March 6th to Friday, March 12th)
We've been selling DVDs for quite a while now and, though it's been
fun and some of our customers have really liked it, the section never
has really taken off. And so I've decided to stop selling them.
Which means that we're getting rid of every single one and I'm
willing to take a loss on them. The sale will start with a 25%
discount on all DVDs on Saturday. On Sunday the discount is 35%.
Monday is 40% and it goes up by 5% per day 'till Friday when the
discount will be an unheard of (at least around here) 60% off. At
least that's what the discount will be if we have any left to sell.
For you -- it's a bit like playing a game of chicken -- you can wait
and get a bigger discount but that means the chance of the DVD you
wanted selling is bigger as well. You bet the odds and you take your
chances.

Next up is . . .

The Hardcover Weekend Sale (Saturday, March 13th and Sunday, March 14th)
All the hardcovers in the store will be 20% off for the whole
weekend. And . . . the discount extends to our collectable book
section behind the counter. In more than 12 years of running
Borderlands, I've _never_ offered more than a 10% discount on our
rare 1st and limited editions but I'm going to do it just this once.
So, if there's something that's been catching your eye, now's the
time to grab it.

866 Valencia St.
San Francisco CA 94110
415 824-8203
http://www.borderlands-books.com

If you feel like skipping out on parties Wednesday night, there's a Steampunk Film Festival walking distance from the conference, run by a friend of mine:

Steampunk Film Night at the Variety Preview Room, 582 Market Street, Wednesday, March 10th at 6:00 pm - This Steampunk Film Night is being held in conjunction with Nova Albion, the Steampunk Exhibition Convention. "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" - 30 mins. "Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog" - 43 mins. "Perfect Creature" - 88 mins Come in costume!
A suggested $10 donation at the door goes to support the convention; bar proceeds and tips support Variety Children's Charity. Seating is limited; numbers will be given at the door to ensure that first come, first seated; we'll try and fit everyone in! Reception and cash bar opens at 6:00PM Movies begin at 7:00 PM - free popcorn! Borderlands will be on hand to sell books.

And if you're REALLY into the Steampunk, there's a whole Con for it the following weekend!

Nova Albion Steampunk Convention, Friday, March 12th - Sunday March 14th ... "The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition (in Emeryville) takes the best elements of traditional science fiction and fantasy conventions, combines them with the passion, ingenuity, and hands-on workshops of Maker events, and places it all in a steam-powered, neo-Victorian setting that spans the 1830s through the early 1910s, from the cultured salons of gaslit London to the rugged coast of San Francisco. Tickets and more info at http://www.steampunkexhibition.com.

Enjoy!

[Maph]

... a Pirate Supply Store (!) ...

Oh...my...gawd... :paper:
I do believe I'll need to visit that one for all of my piratey needs. :cool:

That steampunk Film night sounds really cool though! I have a dinner on wednesday evening, so I doubt I can make it to that.

But the exibition does sound like an excellent way to finish up my visit to SF. :thumb:

[walrus]

List of GDC-related open parties. (http://www.eventsforgamers.com/gdc-2010-parties)(I'm sure that there are more via private invite.)

[migusan76]

:lucky: Yea I've been hearing some chime about all the private parties. Now just need to get the invites. :doh:

[crazyfingers]

Sup game artisans, chiming in from polycount again.

Thurs at the thirsty bear sounds like a go, thanks for the heads up walrus! Time isn't so definite but we should be there anywhere between 5 till who knows when, at least 8 oclock I would think. Headin' to the bar a bit early makes sense because many will have prior engagements for later or will have them once we they start making contacts at GDCbut don't feel obliged to get there early, there's no rush. Hope you guys can all make it, and lets try to look out for each other, it's easy to get caught up in the festivities when there's a lot more portfolio pimping to be done fri and sat! It's easy to get carried away and lose out on a lot of opportunities by getting carried away.

Lookin' forward to meetin' everyone face to face, going to be lots of fun!

[walrus]

Thurs at the thirsty bear sounds like a go

Actually, we hadn't decided yet between the three choices previously brought up. I actually don't think Thirsty Bear is the best place to start: I really liked both the GA and polyCount dinners last year because they were both sit-down dinners where people got to talk, meet each other, trade and show off portfolios and get crits, all sorts of stuff like that that will be a lot more difficult at Thirsty Bear. TB will be noisy, we won't be sitting, and will be more crowded than the other options. If we're going to get together, let's actually get to talk to (and hear!) each other.

My proposal is this:
The last talks on Thursday end at 5:50, the show floor at 6pm. The happy-hour booth crawl goes from 4:30 to 6:00 too. Let's meet at Chevy's at 6:30: That gives folks a little time to wind down, drop off stuff at hotel rooms, etcetera. I'll reserve us a large space, and we have dinner and then migrate over to Thirsty Bear (just down the street) and drink and/or meet up with the PolyCount folks.

So how many do we really have? By Draxxuss' count I see 12 definites, 1 maybe (any status update, Sandbag?)... and then there's crazyfingers and posse. Are you coming with 5, or are you coming with all of polycount like you proposed on their forums? (No offense, as I know you mean well to get the two forums together, but I don't think the plan works very well if you "sit around and let them put this all together and crash the party" as you commented on polycount.) Or are you going to be off at Thirsty Bear with polycount if it conflicts with the GA gathering? And is there anyone else who wants to join us not spoken up yet?

So how does that sound to folks here? Is a half an hour after the show ends not enough time, or too much? Does this sound generally workable? Let me know and I'll see if I can call and reserve a space this weekend. They've got a big Audio party upstairs, but there's a side room that'll fit us easily downstairs (where GA was last year.) And if we have too many people or they have not enough space, we'll can Chevy's and fall back on a plan B. Or if people really don't like that plan and would rather go where ever polyCount is, speak up too! :D

[crazyfingers]

Well nothing's locked in stone, but if chevy's is restricted by group size, i can't help but think it's not a good idea. There's not only a great deal of interest on polycount, but in my school as well, AI san diego. The school group alone is easily 15 people. Polycount could see a large turnout as well, 15+, not even factoring in game artisans.

I'm glad you raise the time issue, 6 oclock is a better meeting time.

I think it's safe to bank on at least 30 people total for the meetup, maybe more. Walrus, i'll leave it to you to decide the best spot, you know san fran better than anyone actively involved in this right now. Let us know what's up so we can have a difinite place to meet!

Sorry for the whole "crashing the party" mentality, was just playing off the polycount vs gameartisans rivalry. We want this thing to work as much as anyone. If it helps there were 20 students in my schools mailing list who were told about this polycount/game artisan meetup, i'm expecting the vast majority of them to attend as most of them are mutual friends and students tend to stick together having no prior engagements. Thanks a ton for helping get this together walrus and sorry for the rollercoaster ride organizing this has kind of become. It wasn't my idea to send an email to my entire school telling them about this party, but the more the merrier, they're all good peeps. Whatever you decide it should be a great get together.

[BigJohn]

That sounds like a good plan Walrus. I like it

[crazyfingers]

I don't want polycount or AI to be a thorn in your guys's side. If such a big crowd is going to ruin your guys' plans we can just keep the thristy bear as our spot and you guys can do the chevy's thing, realy not a big deal. A big meetup would be fun, but i can also see it as throwing everything off.

[Draxxuss]

Personally speaking, because that's the only way I know how, I'd rather keep the initial meetup as GA only at Chevy's and then afterwards move out to meet up with the Polycount crew. The main reason is many of us want to finally meet each other and I guess the word I'm searching for, but am not limited to, is "intimate encounter". ha ha ha. Anyway, it might be tougher to talk with 30+ people than it would with a dozen.
Do my 2 cents make sense?

[Wynn]

Yeah, I'm thinking meeting up at Chevy's first and then heading down to Thirsty Bear to catch up with the polycount/ai group sounds like a good idea. This way we still get to talk to each other and we still get to have the big group meet at Thirsty's.

[xerious3d]

I have to agree with Walrus and Draxxus here. If we decide to do a combined meet, it will end up with more complications than anything. Id say keep things separate and see how well it turns out afterward with polycount. I am really psyched to finally meet our fellow GA artists and I wouldn't want that to not happen at all.

[Sandbag]

Looks like the potential obligation I would have been attached to is going to be some kind of hipster no-load party...

So put me down for the GA Dinner. Sounds like an easy transition to make it over to the Thirsty Bear and hang out with some of the Polycount crew after dinner.

I've never been to one of these before, is the GDC open-hour time pretty much an all day thing? Or will it be kind of an hour here, hour there situation?

[crazyfingers]

Yeah, probably best to keep 'em separate. The initial reasoning for the group meetup was we feared there wouldn't be many people attending and that we should just show up to the same spot, but that obviously isn't a problem any more. PC's still looking forward to seeing those of you who decide to stop by the thirsty bear, have fun with your meetup guys ;).

[Draxxuss]

yah I'll be stopping by to say hi to the polycount guys... I'm registered on that site too so I guess I'm one anyway... ;)

[migusan76]

:cool: Sounds good to me, whatever you guys want to do I'm down.

[walrus]

Okay, glad everyone chimed in and we got that worked out! :)
So we have reservations at Chevy's for
Thursday, March 11th, at 6:30 pm.
Chevy's is at 201 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-543-8060

Here's a map. (http://chevys.com/map.aspx?locationID=84) See on the map how there's an entire "blank" block immediately south of the Chevy's? It's not blank, that's the Moscone Center, where GDC is.

I booked us space for 14, which only covers the GameArtisans members that Draxxuss counted here who have already RSVPed. We're going to have to pass on the Polycount throwdown and AI San Diego reunion at Chevy's; Instead, we'll just finish our meal, walk a few doors down to Thirsty Bear, and catch up with all of them there.

Those who are concerned about the alcohol, we shouldn't have to worry about playing catch-up: There's plenty of beer and tequila at Chevy's, and if you really want to get lubed up beforehand, GDC's booth-crawl is from 4:30 to 6 on the expo floor, and there'll be a lot of free beer there too. (Ironically, from the free stuff at GDC to Chevy's to Thirsty Bear, the quality of beer will get better and better as everyone gets less able to discern the difference.)

Oh, one last note about Chevy's: Because it's a big party, they're already adding in the tip, and are only going to give us one check. So please bring change if you have it. The half an hour between GDC closing and dinner starting is for you to hit an ATM if you need to. :D


Sandbag -
is the GDC open-hour time pretty much an all day thing? Or will it be kind of an hour here, hour there situation?
Glad you'll be able to make it after all! But I don't understand your question... What do you mean, "open-hour" time? The time between sessions and talks? Or the whole day? There are schedules and schedule builders at the GDC web site, if that helps...?

[xerious3d]

Walrus as always, an amazing coordinator, with in depth details. See you all Thursday! Can't wait

[migusan76]

Sounds good, look forward to seeing you guys out there..!

[Sandbag]

Sorry for the confusion Walrus, what I meant was, during the course of 'a day at GDC', is it likely that I'll be occupied the whole time it's open for the day, or is it more likely that I'll be at a talk here, a talk there, and then have a lot of free time to roam the convention in between?

That schedule builder is fantastic though, thanks for pointing it out. That should help me get a good understanding of how my days will be filled.

[walrus]

Ah, thanks for clarifying. It's hard to say... but generally, I tend to book almost every hour with a talk or session, but still seem to have occasional ones where there's nothing particularly interesting and I walk the show floor. There are also lots of times - like around lunch - where there's no talks scheduled, and that's a good time to hit the book store or show floor too. Not to mention the half an hour between panels, which is always more then enough time to look around, chat with friends, etc.... or just get to the next session early and read one of the free magazines you've snagged or play an iPhone or DS game. :D

[Draxxuss]

Just a thought.. I hope I had counted most people that wanted to come.. if there were one or two I missed then I apologize.

See you guys on Thursday and some before that.

[BigJohn]

So I just go to Chevy's, and tell them "hey, I'm here with... the Walrus...", and they'll know what I mean?

[walrus]

The reservations are made under the name of your favorite game art forum. So that'll get you folks in the door and keep out the polyCount guys! :lol: And of course, just show up a few minutes early and look for all of us who posted our pics in the photograph thread!

And don't worry, Draxxuss, I added a couple to the body count just to be safe. :D

[BigJohn]

hehe right on :thumb:

Can't wait

[Draxxuss]

See you guys tomorrow.

[Draxxuss]

Damn, it's nice to finally have met all of you guys. Now I can look at the names and say "Man, I HAVE to stay away from THAT guy!" and then run for cover while slipping on my polycount t-shirt. ;)

Seriously though, great night guys and I'm anxious to do it again maybe Friday night (tomorrow). There is another really good Irish bar about a block south of that one called Folley's... nice atmosphere, although I can't say I know how they are at night.

[Draxxuss]

For any that are at GDC, and wish to join me, I'll be at Lori's Diner at 7:30 for breakfast. http://www.lorisdiner.com/
I'll check back here at about 7:25 to see if anyone has read this and is interested. It is the Powell St. location 1 1/2 blocks south of Geary (Union Square), where we met Turbo last night. TURBOOOO!

[Maph]

TURBOOOOOOOOO!
He's my hero now. :D

[Draxxuss]

Would you like to know how much I'm enjoying my stay here? Well, someone recorded my walking down the sidewalk to the convention center. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNVuDXanxCw

[Sandbag]

man, 7:30 breakfast after last night? You're a badder dude than I, I left at before you did and I was dead this morning!

[Draxxuss]

ha ha... you lightweight! ;)

[Draxxuss]

Anyone checking this thread at this time who is at GDC? Dinner tonight? 6 oclock? Meet at the North lobby by 5:45. I'll be there until shortly after at which time I'll be strolling a few blocks north to a great Irish pub called Foley's. just off of Powell St. a few blocks south of Union square.

[Wynn]

It was cool meeting everyone last night. Always good to put faces to names :)

Draxxuss, I'll see if I can swing by about then. Anyone else coming along?

[Draxxuss]

Not sure. I'll be in the lobby until I mentioned and then at the restaurant Foley's 243 O'Farrell Street

[Maph]

Ugh, saw that way too late! :(

Are you planning something tommorrow evening as well, Draxxuss?

[Draxxuss]

not sure.. I just got back to my hotel. Was by myself... Not even Turbo was there!
I"m just chillin for the night and tomorrow I may do a bit of sight seeing. I'd like to check Alcatraz out and I've got to buy some souvenirs.

[Sandbag]

Ah, I just saw this now as well, bummer.

Speaking of Turbo, I actually ran into him today on the expo floor! He is in fact a real person! I saw him and walked over saying "High, Turbo? I was at the bar last night when you got those pitchers of beer for the game artists, I just wanted to say thanks man, could I get a picture with you?"

The whole time he was like "yeah, what a great night right?" and stuff, so my friend takes the picture and we leave and I hear him say to the guy he's with "man what was all that about?"

haha....Guess that night completely escaped him, I was wondering why he had such a confused look on his face when he was talking to me about it.

http://www.thedsa.com/turboLives.jpg

He's clearly uncomfortable taking the picture...no idea what my excuse is for looking retarded, I think I was mid sentence when the picture was snapped...

ps...he actually goes by turbo!

http://www.thedsa.com/itshisrealname.jpg

[BigJohn]

Ahh good deal Sandbag. Now we have proof Turbo is for real

[mclean]

sorry draxx i read the post a little late also, if anyone wants to hang out with me and dreamer we'll be watchin the autodesk demos in the expo at 1pm, its the uncharted 2 autodesk sess it should be awesome!

[mclean]

p.s. omg is turbo drinkin while hes at gdc? holy crap hes hardcore

[Draxxuss]

I'll be at the following...

Character Voices: Conceptualization, Casting, Recording, and the Cultural Reference Point
Saturday 9:00-10:00 Room 124, North Hall

Uncharted 2 Character Pipeline: An In-depth Look at the Creation of U2's Characters
Saturday 10:30-11:30 Room 305, South Hall

Animation and Player Control in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted II: Among Thieves
Saturday 1:30- 2:30 Room 135, North Hall

[Draxxuss]

I'm going to head over the Cartoon Art Museum http://cartoonart.org/ at about 2:35 once my last session is over. Once that is done I think I might go to Powell station and grab a Cable car to go and see Fisherman's Wharf, have some fish and chips somewhere (gotta be good up there), and then decide what to do after that. Cable car is 5 bucks each way or you can get a day pass for I think it is 16 bucks.

[Draxxuss]

Turbo... ha ha ha.. good one Sandbag.

[Maph]

For those that care -> I'll be at
Shaders in FIght Night 4, room 304 South Hall
Characters in Uncharted 2, room 305 South Hall
Expo floor -> Pimping my portfolio. :D

[Wynn]

ugh, sorry I missed ya Draxxuss, got sidetracked.

I'll be wandering around around the expo until around 1 or so, then I'm flying out.

Good to see all of you this week!

[Maph]

Right, back at my hotel and taking it easy for the rest of the night. Seeing I need to leave for the airport at 6 am tops.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet all of you guys! Hope we can do it again next year! :)

Turbo!

[Ashurii]

hey guys great seeing everyone, love the story about seeing turbo again, I wish i could have seen more of you more often, ran into walrus, wynn, and maph at least again though and that was nice.

thanks for the crits. on my portfolio too.

[devoid]

good meeting up with you guys, made up for my luggage not making it home :(

[BigJohn]

Oh wow... they lost your luggage? Is it totally gone, or will they send it to you?

[Maph]

good meeting up with you guys, made up for my luggage not making it home :(

That's kinda annoying to say the least... Hope you can track it down dude. :thumb:

[walrus]

Bummer about your luggage, devoid! Well, at least it happened on the way home and not on the way t the show, so that you didn't have to spend the entire time in SF wearing GDC t-shirts! Good luck, and nice getting to meet you!