what about east coasters?

[Matt_Winters]

the devs always come to the west coast stuff... and us east coasters cant make it most the time.. i would love to come to Hero Con. I dont have the money to come all the way out there to do that and talk to the devs... they need to show in Dragon Con, they have no idea how disappointed everyone on the east coast was that not even ONE dev would come... not even ONE : (

[Texas Justice]

Sorry you won't be able to come. Quite a few from the East Coast are attending. And the Southern US. And Northern US. And Central US. Possibly some from Canada. I saw one post from someone in (I think) England that is coming. I'm fairly sure that the Devs have an idea of how disappointed people on the east coast are. They've seen enough posts about it.

We've been given a comment on this long ago by (I think) Ex Libris on why they are only doing West Coast events. With the economy in the shape it is in it makes even more sense now. I was pleasantly surprised to see how Devs many were at PAX since it is as far away as it is. I don't feel like doing a Search to find it, but someone may be willing to look for it.

Many of us have been saving since last year so that we would be able to attend. Even with the poor economy, many are making financial sacrifices so that they can attend.

Also, there have been several posts already along this line in this forum alone. Even some specific threads started for this very question.

My advice would be to start saving now for next year's HeroCon. Even though I'm attending this year I'm already starting a savings plan to be able to attend next year.

[Coldmed]

devs havent come to the east coast since statesman was here i believe

it is odd though that they have gone to euorpe for meet and greets but not the east coast..

[Texas Justice]

Originally Posted by Coldmed

devs havent come to the east coast since statesman was here i believe

it is odd though that they have gone to euorpe for meet and greets but not the east coast..

Not really. NCSoft has/had an office in Europe at the time. They could work from that office almost as easily as the Mountain View digs.

That's also likely the reason for being able to hit PAX now that I think about it, since there's an NCSoft office in Bellevue, WA.

Easy access to locations they can work from and access their network resources.

[Zortel]

One Dev went to two Meet and Greets, one at Gamer Heaven in Brighton (Where the EU NCSoft offices are) and another at the Omega Sektor gaming center in Birmingham (Where we had it for the Easter Weekend)

Two events with a dev presence in three years of live time, and with the EU community staff now in the US, we get no con presence what so ever.

East Coast to West Coast? Try Europe to America (Though indeed, one of our players is going to be flying over. Take me with you damnit, Ravenswing! Smuggle me in your carry on luggage!)

[Coldmed]

thats better then the current none to the east coast..

[TeckronFlax]

I think we should all just be happy that the game exsists, the devs all have their jobs so they can go to SOME of the herocons, and that we can all afford the games to begin with. If the economy doesn't pick up soon, or if it continues the way it has been, any of these three actions could fall away and our gaming experience would suffer for it. I understand the desire for an east coast presance, but a presance is better then none at all.

[The_Alt_oholic]

Originally Posted by Matt_Winters

the devs ... they need to show in Dragon Con, they have no idea how disappointed everyone on the east coast was that not even ONE dev would come... not even ONE : (

People have complained about this even before the first Hero-Con.

Dragon Con is a huge convention (at least by east coast standards) and, if it still is the way that it was years ago (the last time I was able to go), there is a professional con that runs the whole week up to the Dragon Con weekend (I even think this pro-con is part of Dragon Con some how). It is always the same weekend as World Con (unless that has changed).

I understand the effort necessary to get to an east coast convention, but there also has been repeated requests for an appearance. It doesn't have to be Dragon Con, but I know that there are many fans on the east coast that would really like the DEVs to make an appearance.

Saying that a couple of people from the east coast or Europe show to Hero Con isn't proving that anyone else really has the option to fly across the country for a day and a half convention. It is a huge expense for that short amount of time for most people.

It is a matter of the players paying individually to travel across the country or the company that we support sending at least one person. I think that the people on the east coast have given Paragon Studios enough money that they can send at least one DEV to see us on the east coast at a large convention.
As others have posted, there are some people from the east coast and Europe making it to Hero-Con. If those individuals can make the trip, I would think that the DEV could make it to at least the east coast. (and I think that Europe needs some love too, but it looks like at least they had some at one point.)

NOTE :: DEVs don't be scared of us on the east coast. It may not be as progressive as the west coast but it isn't exactly the dark ages here.

It isn't just a matter of the DEVs being at a convention, but the games public exposure to gain more payers. CoH has little or no marketing at this point as far as I can tell. Conventions are great places to show off how good this game is. They have been missing out on great opportunities to gain new players.

[DJ_Shecky]

PEople complain about the Devs doing everything on the west coast, but NCSoft was at Gencon a couple years ago when Tab Rasa was launching, and they sent Libris out to Gencon. We had a great time, a M&G one evening at the HArd rock in Indy and overall it was nice to see them.

No It was not "East Coast" But a heck of a lot closer than Cali.

The biggest problem is that the biggest Cons for Video games are out on the west coast as is Paragon Studios itself. I would imagine they are not too far away from the San Jose area in fact, which is why they do things out there.

The Economy, while a valid reason, also works both ways though, and with how expensive California is overall, it would be nice to eventually see them come out of the west coast area, but until then, I'm just happy they even try to throw events like this.

[infallible]

I absolutely don't understand why people on the east coast, or anywhere outside of the bay area for that matter, think that Hero-Con should be closer to them. Events like these are always (by necessity) near the headquarters of the gaming company.

BlizzCon is in Anaheim, right next to Blizzard HQ in Irvine. Origin, based in Austin, held their UO con in Austin. Macworld is in San Francisco near Apple in Cupertino. KoLCon is in Mesa, AZ, and Asymmetric is just up the road. And so forth. Any time a company has a get together, whether it's a gaming company or not, it's going to be right by that company's headquarters. It just doesn't make sense for it to be anywhere else, and it's ridiculous to expect it to be anywhere else.

Going around and talking to fans isn't the job of the devs. Their work is developing the game. Flying them out to some "Hero Con East" would retard the progress of the game. That's why they have the awesome OCR team.

In every Hero Con discussion, this east coast thing always comes up. It makes no sense at all. What makes it all the more absurd is that the cost really isn't any different. You'd still have to pay for a hotel, con entry, and food. But what about the flight? Looking right now, here's what it costs to get to San Jose from the following cities:
New York: $260
Atlanta: $380
Raleigh: $247
Orlando: $229
Boston: $277
Austin (where I'm coming from): $220
Omaha: $228
Detroit: $270
Chicago: $317

Not sure why Atlanta is such an outlier, but for the rest, you have costs all within $100 of each other. Now I'm not saying that $100 is chump change, but it's not the devastating difference in costs that these threads make it out to be. My point is that Hero Con is, essentially, just as accessible to the east coast as it is to the vast majority of the rest of the country.

So this notion that it's so much harder for east coasters to get to Hero Con compared to others isn't valid. I wish the devs would come to Texas, but it's not going to happen because that doesn't make sense. Even having a NCsoft office here in Austin, I wouldn't ever expect to see more than people from the OCR.

[Rraven]

Originally Posted by infallible

I absolutely don't understand why people on the east coast, or anywhere outside of the bay area for that matter, think that Hero-Con should be closer to them. Events like these are always (by necessity) near the headquarters of the gaming company.

In every Hero Con discussion, this east coast thing always comes up. It makes no sense at all. What makes it all the more absurd is that the cost really isn't any different. You'd still have to pay for a hotel, con entry, and food. But what about the flight? Looking right now, here's what it costs to get to San Jose from the following cities:
New York: $260
Atlanta: $380
Raleigh: $247
Orlando: $229
Boston: $277
Austin (where I'm coming from): $220
Omaha: $228
Detroit: $270
Chicago: $317

Not sure why Atlanta is such an outlier, but for the rest, you have costs all within $100 of each other. Now I'm not saying that $100 is chump change, but it's not the devastating difference in costs that these threads make it out to be. My point is that Hero Con is, essentially, just as accessible to the east coast as it is to the vast majority of the rest of the country.

So this notion that it's so much harder for east coasters to get to Hero Con compared to others isn't valid. I wish the devs would come to Texas, but it's not going to happen because that doesn't make sense. Even having a NCsoft office here in Austin, I wouldn't ever expect to see more than people from the OCR.

This has to be the biggest load of hogwash I've ever read on the forums and I've read a lot.Not only is the poster's logic faulty but so is his math.Lets compare the cost of attending Hero-Con west coast versus east coast.

West Coast: ticket to Hero-Con $79
cost of room 2 nights $178 (note those living within a few hours
drive can skip this all together)
spending money $200 (*includes price of cheap costume, gas etc)

West Coast Total $279-$467 dollars


East Coast ticket to Hero-Con $79
cost of room 2 nights $178
spending money $200 * same as above
plane tickets $300 (average cost of east coast cities listed)

East Coast Total $757

Those totals dont take into account actual flight times involved. Any way you look at it you might as well figure an extra day when flying from east coast and not all of us have vacation time so theres lost wages to consider as well.

There is really no reason at all why there cant be a Hero-Con on the east coast.Rather than spending an extra $400 to attend the event, I'm sure most of us would gladly pay an extra 50 dollars a ticket to fly a dev or two out here.If only 100 people show up thats $5000 to cover their flights as well as their meals.That money could also be used to pay for any equipment that NcSoft wanted to send ie video equipment for a simulcast, projectors etc. When a hotel books a large number of rooms they usually give away one or two rooms for free so that covers lodging for NcSoft employees too.

I totally agree with one of the above posters that east coasters have given City of Heroes more than enough money to justify coming out for an event.As a matter of fact, last time I checked more than three quarters of the population of the United States lived on the eastern seaboard.Doesn't seem right in light of facts like that does it? What NcSoft is doing is keeping a very small number of their fans that live nearby happy while either alienating the rest of us or causing us to spend large sums of money that we could (GASP!!!!) spend on yearly subscriptions to City of Heroes or other NcSoft titles.Sounds like extremely bad business to me.

[Ravenswing]

Originally Posted by Zortel

East Coast to West Coast? Try Europe to America (Though indeed, one of our players is going to be flying over. Take me with you damnit, Ravenswing! Smuggle me in your carry on luggage!)

As Zortel comments, considering how much I'm forking out to drag myself over to HeroCon from the US, I can't help but feel that grouching that the developers don't attend East Coast events is... inconsiderate?

It's my choice to use my holiday to come visit this major event. (No, I can't exactly afford it, but I decided to treat myself for various reasons.) It's East Coasters' choice to not attend (if they aren't).

And as for smuggling Z in my luggage... I'm only taking a backpack. You're small, dear, but not quite that small.

[Ravenswing]

Originally Posted by Rraven

West Coast Total $279-$467
East Coast Total $757

Would you like me to tell you how much I'm paying to do this trip? There's over $1600 in flights, and that's just to start with. Seriously, I don't empathise.

I'd also have to suggest that your costs are off for the flights. You also fail to consider any other forms of transport: trains, car. (I've known people save money in the US by driving from Maryland down to Orlando, FL.) Really, your example is only valid for people living in California.

Really, if HeroCon had been on the East Coast, I could have saved a bit of cash, but you are not going to get two events a year, the game doesn't currently warrant it (sadly) so someone is going to have to lose out. A West Coast venue saves money for the organisers, which hopefully means we get a better event out of it.

[DJ_Shecky]

This whole argument is really moot because of one factor...

They don't have to do any HeroCon or showing up to any convention anywhere! It is their thing.

Now as far as costs go, You have to fly them out to the east coast, rent the convention place, pay for their food, etc... so count that into the cost.

Also if you think about it most conventions cost about 80-100 dollars for 3-5 days (GenCon being the one I know straight up).

The point being that their will always be people who ar enot satisfied. Be happy with what you get and that they do try to do things for the community.

Seriously, I see people complain about the new issues because they don't have new missions, don't have new powers, etc... These people try their best and try to work within their own budget.

You want dev's out on the east coast for a standard con, talk to NCSoft, and offer to pay for them to come out there and to pay for their hotel room. I'm sure that might allow them to send a dev or two. I can't see them coming out otherwise, unless it is for a big launch.

[Kai]

Originally Posted by DJ_Shecky

You want dev's out on the east coast for a standard con, talk to NCSoft, and offer to pay for them to come out there and to pay for their hotel room. I'm sure that might allow them to send a dev or two. I can't see them coming out otherwise, unless it is for a big launch.

Sadly, I believe Dragon*Con has offered such a thing for several years, but there is simply no interest. Heck, when they asked for prize/giveaway stuffs for the CoH Panel, they got a box full of Guild Wars things....

[Obsidius]

<QR>

Forgive me for making a comparison to WoW, but there is only one BlizzCon a year, in Anaheim, CA. So not even Blizzard does an east coast convention, despite the massive revenue their game generates. I imagine it's easier to truck everything from the office to the convention site, instead of paying a shipper thousands of dollars to ship everything (LAN party computers, displays, props, giveaways, etc.) to the east coast... and then have to ship it back once everything's done.

All though I do sympathize with DragonCon. It wouldn't be too much to ask for at least one person to make a showing. That being said, with I16 and GR taking up a lot of dev time, there's the catch. There again, when aren't the devs busy?

[MindRipper]

There is no way that Paragon Studios is going to host thier own east coast Herocon (The expense will be prohibitive) and they probably will not go to Dragoncon.

However East Coasters this is probably going to be your best bet.

The first PAX East Coast is scheduled for March 26 to March 28, 2010 at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

PAX has traditionally had a huge presence from NC Soft every year here in Seattle. They had 3 huge areas one for Aion, Guild Wars, and City of Heroes. Since PAX is a convention designed by Video Gamers for Video Gamers and the new one will have a potential to sell out all weekend. NC Soft would be crazy not to be an exhibitor there in Boston.

I would be really surprised if City of Heroes Developers and Community Rep People aren't going to be there.

Links

For Registration http://www.paxsite.com/paxeast/

For Info about PAX http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Arcade_Expo



~MR

[infallible]

Originally Posted by Rraven

This has to be the biggest load of hogwash I've ever read on the forums and I've read a lot.Not only is the poster's logic faulty but so is his math.Lets compare the cost of attending Hero-Con west coast versus east coast.

I wasn't comparing the west coast cost to that of the east coast. I was comparing the cost of an east coaster to the majority of the rest of the country. I know you guys from the coasts believe that there's nothing but empty space between you, but there's not. My point was that it's just as expensive for someone from the east coast to get to HeroCon as it is for someone from just about anywhere else in the country to get there. Of course it's cheaper if you can drive there, that's not the point I was making.

What comes up on here all the time is that the cost to go to Herocon is prohibitive for people on the east coast. My point is that it's no more prohibitive for east coasters than it is for someone from Texas, Kansas, Michigan, or anywhere else east of Nevada. So the complaining about cost for people on the east coast isn't valid because there are no special additional costs for east coasters.

No matter where a con were located, it would be expensive for people not in the nearby area to get there. So by utilitarian logic, it doesn't matter where it's located. But it's vastly cheaper and more efficient to have a con near Paragon Studios, so that's the deciding factor on location.

Like any other luxury, Herocon is not and cannot be available to everyone. There are luxuries I can't afford, but I don't complain to manufacturers to make them cheaper for me because it's ridiculous to make that demand.

Your logic says that the east coast has given so much money to NC and PS that they're entitled to a con. Any of us could make that argument about our region, but it doesn't make sense for us to do so because it doesn't make sense for a con to happen anywhere but the San Jose area. Hell, the European community has a far more compelling case because it's vastly more expensive for them to get to Herocon. By your logic, there should be one there, too. I'm sure there are lots of Alaskan and Hawaiian subscribers; they deserve one. And so forth.

No one is excluded or alienated because of Herocon's location. We all have equal opportunity to get there. They don't discriminate who gets in, but they can't control where the players live. You're not entitled to have a con in your back yard, just as I'm not, the Europeans aren't, the Alaskans and Hawaiians aren't, nor is anyone. PS chooses to have a physical get together each year, and the most logical place is San Jose. I just don't get the arguments.

[Zerlina]

I dont think they have to have a Hero con on the East coast to make people happy but at least some representation at East Cost cons like Dragon would have been appreciated. It wouldnt have been that much more expensive to send one rep (doesnt even have to be a Dev we would have been happy to have any official presence) to Dragon than to send several to Pax. Not to mention how much work has been lost by some of them coming back from Pax ill (note there have been no reports of swine flu coming out of Dragon Con *at least to my knowledge*)

That said I am an East Coaster who is going to Hero Con and for the person who quoted flights its not that cheap. I've been searching for weeks and finally got a round trip ticket for $280 out of NY to San Jose when prior to this flights were running $300+
For those who have other priorties for their funds in this economy it does suck that they will have to miss out on a chance like this to celebrate the game they love with other players.

[infallible]

I think it would be cool if they'd send OCR folks out to cons, but I wonder if it's cost effective. Do those visits translate into new subscribers?

Do other companies with existing MMOs (namely, companies not promoting new games) send people out to cons? PAX is just a few hours away from PS, and I think that some of the staff would have gone anyway, so I'm not sure that's as valid a comparison as a con that's far away. But if it's something that companies do, and it's worth it for them to do it, then, yeah, send a couple of folks from the OCR to cons.

Even so, a booth at a con doesn't seem to be what people want when they start these threads. They generally want a Hero Con style event. My only point was that east coasters don't have the excessive burden that they claim to have when they bring up these threads.

For what it's worth, the flight data that I posted came from Hotwire.com and I looked it up as I was writing the post. So I wasn't manipulating any data to make my point for me. (If so, I'd have left out Atlanta, which I still don't understand why it's so much more expensive.)