Ultimate Guide to Hosting a LAN Party

WebWord writes "The title says it all. This really is the best damn guide to setting up a LAN party I have ever seen. They cover all the details from equipment to food to network protocols. Excellent!"

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[loraksus]

And Mirrored.

Ultimate Guide to Hosting a LAN Party
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By Christopher Wong - September 29, 2001
First of all, what is a LAN party? Quite simply, it is a bunch of gamers who come together, hook their computers up in a local area network, and play games until their eyes bleed. It usually consists of gamers with their computers, food and drink (most often of the high-in-fat, low-in-nutrients variety), and lots of games.
LAN gaming had existed before Doom, but it was Doom that brought network gaming to the masses. Offices around the world experienced drops in productivity as sessions of Doom on the office network began to increase in popularity. Gamers realized that fragging their buddies was much more fun if they were within verbal abuse range.

The rise of the internet did not dampen the enthusiasm for LAN gaming, mainly because the dominant internet connections of the mid-90s were 14.4 and 28.8 modems, with the inherent lag and other communications problems. Local area networks, on the other hand, did not suffer from lag as much as modem connections, and being in close physical proximity to your teammates and enemies allowed verbal communications, greatly increasing the enjoyment of multiplayer gaming. Even in today's era of broadband connections and abundant online game servers, nothing quite replicates the thrill of trash talking your opponents in person after a particularly glorious victory.
Plan Your Event to the Smallest Detail
There are several important things you must consider when you begin to plan your event. Items include the size of the party, when it will run, where it will be located, plus miscellaneous things like entrance fees (if required) and promotion of the event.
While LAN parties can usually be as large or as small as you want, most people will find that with less than four players there isn't the same level of excitement and competition as with larger parties. Realistically speaking, at lot of fun can be had with 8-20 players, but any larger and the logistical problems with setting up such an event may well be beyond your capabilities and finances unless you are experienced in running such events. Larger events are also fun, but they no longer become one-man jobs and you will probably need some knowledgeable friends to help keep the event running smoothly.
LAN parties can also run for as long as you want, though reality will dictate that most events are three days or less, usually running from Friday evening to Sunday evening. For obvious reasons, one-day events are the easiest to set up, and it is recommended that the first LAN party you host be a one-day party. If you have friends to help you organize and host a party, you should be able to host multi-day events right off the bat. Remember to allocate space for sleeping if your event spans more than one day because even the most hardcore gamer cannot play for 24 hours straight.
One of the most important decisions that have to be made during the planning process is where the LAN party will be located. The primary factor in choosing a location is its size: it simply has to be big enough to accommodate all the guests comfortably. On the other hand, a venue that is too big can also create problems, so once you have decided where to host your LAN party it is best not to change the number of guests. If a planned location is booked and later needs to be bigger, you may lose your deposit and booking fees.
Accessibility is also an important factor. This mostly depends on what city you host the party in. Obviously, in a large city with a comprehensive public transportation system, getting to your event will be much easier for your guests. Hosting your LAN party in a rural "middle-of-nowhere" town will cause unnecessary grief for both host and guests, and should be avoided even if you live in such a town. It will be much easier to attract gamers to your particular party if it is easy for them to get there.
There are other issues to consider. Are there washrooms? Are there enough for the number of guests you expect? Noise is also a concern, for a group of rowdy gamers will inevitably create lots of noise and perhaps even some profanity. Make sure that you won't have neighbours calling the cops and complaining about your party. As mentioned above, additional room will be needed for sleeping areas if your LAN party lasts longer than a day. There should also be an area set aside for breaks from gaming, and it helps if there's a TV or some music in this area.
Lastly but importantly, the issues of electrical power and ventilation need to be addressed. If you are booking a location, ask the booking manager about how much electricity the building can supply and if there's air conditioning (in the summer) or heating (in the winter) available. You need to ensure that a large number of computers will not overload the electrical circuits in the building, which will bring your party to a grinding halt and possibly result in the cancellation of your event. Air conditioning and heating is important to keep your guests comfortable. Ventilation is especially important during the summer because the ambient temperature and heat generated by people and their computers will quickly rise to unbearable levels, and may actually result in damage to computer systems that are overclocked and thus sensitive to temperature changes. Of course, all of this depends on how far north or south you live: air conditioning is useless in the Polar Regions, and the same is true for heating near the equator.
Operating Costs and Promoting Your Event
Once you've decided on the size, duration, and location of your LAN party, there remains the issue of the entrance fee. If you are hosting a small party with just your friends, an entrance fee will not be necessary since the costs to run such a party are quite low. Anything larger, however, will require an entrance fee simply to cover the costs of providing the space and hardware to run the party, in addition to the time investment. Things get expensive quickly as the size of the party grows because of the need for high-speed switches and routers, and possibly even gigabit Ethernet equipment in parties with more than 50 people. The entrance fee can also cover things like door and tournament prizes, as well as food and drinks.
To help defray the costs of running a medium to large LAN party, you may want to consider having your event sponsored. Sponsors might provide food, hardware, software, or technical expertise, and even money if you're really lucky. In exchange for this you will most likely be required to promote the company's products and services, and maybe even allow the company to be the exclusive provider of for-sale goods at your venue. Remember to have any arrangements with sponsors in writing so that it becomes a binding contract, preventing them from dropping their sponsorship at the last moment.
Congratulations, you've just finished the planning stages. However, if you actually want people to come, you will have to promote your LAN party. A good rule of thumb is to promote your event at least a month before it starts. An excellent way to start is to create a website with all the details of your event. Be sure to clearly state the equipment that the guest must bring, as well as the entrance fee and other incidentals that require money. To let people know about your event, there are websites that are dedicated to listing LAN parties around the world. Putting your party there can greatly increase the chance getting the turnout you wanted. You can put your LAN party listing on www.lanparty.com or in the LAN party department of www.bluesnews.com . If you live in a large city, you can use the classifieds of your local daily newspaper to advertise your event. Mind you, it won't be free, but at least it'll have greater exposure.

What You Need To Have
There's a surprising amount of equipment needed to host a LAN party, and one of the best things you can do is to create a list of that equipment. I know it sounds simple, but by creating a list, you will always have something to refer to, ensuring that you don't leave out any critical components. Believe it or not, some of the most important things are not routers and network cable, but tables and chairs. After all, nobody likes to play games sitting on the floor. If you are hosting a larger event, you may well have to rent tables and chairs from your local party supplies dealer. If you do, remember to factor in these costs into your entrance fee. You will also need extension cords for people to plug their power bars into.
If your party is going to have more than four people, it is best to set up at least one computer as a dedicated gaming server. This is very important if you want your games to be lag-free. As a rule of thumb, you should have one dedicated server for every 10-15 people so that a good mix of games is available at any time. You should try to avoid running more than one game server on each of the dedicated server computers, as it will tend to slow down even your ninja rig (which will become the "grandma" rig in six months!) to unacceptable levels, usually as a result of insufficient network bandwidth. If you have enough guests to justify using more than one server, it would be ideal to place a different game on each server.
Of course, all the computers in the world would be useless in a LAN party without the networking gear. This is one of the trickier issues you will have to deal with, as it may be difficult initially to estimate your bandwidth requirements. However, as a rule you should be using switches and routers instead of hubs in all but the smallest parties. My suggestion is to use a separate 24-port 10/100 switch for each node (of course you can use a switch with fewer ports if you have less people). Servers should be equipped with gigabit Ethernet cards connected to gigabit central switches if you are hosting a large event. If you have a router with a built-in DHCP server, you can use it to set up dynamic IP addresses, which will be discussed in greater detail.

Lastly, you will need all of the games and other software you will be using. Especially important are your operating system discs. Configuration of hardware and network settings will often require additional drivers, so make sure you have your OS and driver discs handy. If possible, install and test everything the day before your LAN party so that as soon as people come they can set up their computers and start gaming.
What Your Guests Need To Have
There are many things your guests will need to bring, and because of this you'll usually have someone who has forgotten something. Make sure that you specify on your promotional materials what each guest has to bring. If you want, you can also sell some smaller items, like network cable and power bars, to those who forget to bring them, assuming that you don't have a sponsor that will be providing such a service. Below is a checklist of everything your guests will need to ensure they have a good time:
POWER BAR - This is extremely important. Forgetting this is basically the ticket to frustration. A surge suppressor (a good one, not one of those $10 jobs) is highly recommended, and a UPS is even better.
COMPUTER WITH NETWORK CARD - Of course, without the computer, you'll be stuck playing charades against yourself, which definitely won't be as fun as fragging your buddies.
NETWORK CABLE - You will need at least 10 feet of CAT-5 cable. Bringing 25 feet is a much safer bet.
MONITOR - Because of space restrictions, bringing anything larger than a 19" CRT or an 18" LCD is not recommended, unless you're willing to sit in a dark, musky-smelling corner all by yourself.
HEADPHONES - If everybody brought their massive Klipsch speakers or DJ rigs, then the cacophony of sound will probably drive everyone into the local insane asylum. Besides, if your opponents can hear the output of your speakers then you'll be at a disadvantage.
INPUT DEVICES - Most keyboards work pretty well, so you don't need anything special here. Having a good mouse is another story. An optical mouse is far better than any mechanical mouse, and you won't need a mouse pad. Also bring along any other devices like joysticks, gamepads, or wheels. Whatever you do, do not use wireless peripherals. Besides the slower response rate, if other people have wireless devices there may be interference problems. Or maybe your batteries will run out. Invest in a cheap corded device for your LAN gaming needs.
SOFTWARE - Remember to bring your OS, driver, and game discs. Forgetting to do so will result in much frustration, unless you have someone burn you an illegal copy. Needless to say a large crowd of gamers with loads of pirated software can invite trouble, so just remember to bring all of your own software. [Ed: We at OnePC.NET do NOT and WILL NOT endorse the use of illegal software in any way.]
MONEY - It always happens. Someone comes up to the door with a car loaded with computer gear and they forget to bring their entrance fee. Or they don't have enough money for food. Let's just say that hunger and gaming addiction do not mix. Bring enough money to cover the entire event, plus a little extra.

The layout of the gaming area has a big impact on how accessible the whole setup will be. Typically, rows of rectangular tables are created, with gamers sitting on both sides of the table. For example, one person will sit facing south, while the people beside him will face north. With this setup, it's harder to see the screen of the person beside you because there will be another monitor, this one facing the opposite direction, between the two of you. This is optimal because it gives each gamer more space to move around, plus it minimizes the ability for players to cheat by looking at their opponent's screen.
Sometimes, the space available just doesn't permit this kind of setup, and gamers will all have to face the same direction. If this is the case, then be sure to give each gamer more horizontal space to accommodate the width of the keyboard plus the mouse, and some additional elbowroom so that they can get out of their seats without too much trouble.
Place extension cords and other cables on the floor under the table where it will be easy to access but not cluttered. Remember to keep servers and other equipment away from the gaming areas. Not only will this give your guests more room, but it will allow you to prevent people from unauthorized access to your network hardware. If cables have to run across an open floor area, tape them down with duct or electrical tape to prevent people from tripping over them.
Setting up the Network

The difficulty of setting up the network can be significantly reduced if you have a router. With the router, your guests simply have to plug in their computers to the network and will automatically get an IP address through the router's DHCP server. If you don't have a router, each guest will have to configure his or her computer with a static IP address. You should have a numbering plan in place so that you can be sure each guest gets a unique address. Once you assign an address, write it down on a Post-It note so that your guests can always refer to it. Any range of addresses will do, as long as you are consistent. Set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 for each computer. If you want to simplify things, also ask each guest to change their computer's domain to one of your choosing, though it is not strictly necessary.
Your game servers should be a little different. Even with a router, the IP addresses of your servers should be set to a static address so that it doesn't change if the server has to reboot for some reason. Once you have the IP set, write it down somewhere so that all of your guests know how to access each server. Don't change the server IP addresses under any circumstances! It will only complicate things.
You may also want to set up some of the other network protocols, IPX being one of the more important ones. This will allow legacy games to be played, if there is a demand for them. Also remind your guests about file sharing: if they don't want others to access their files, it should be turned off. To keep viruses from spreading, you may implement a policy whereby it is mandatory to have an anti-virus program installed and running at all times. Most people will be smart enough to have an anti-virus program running anyways. If you do implement such a policy, remember to make this policy known to your guests before the LAN party starts.
Usually someone will encounter problems getting on the network. Ask them to check all the usual suspects, including the network adapter, the communications protocols, and other network settings. Sometimes it's as simple as someone not having a power cord or Ethernet cable plugged in, so take a quick look at that as well.

Main Event
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Checking In
Unless you have a small party, you will need someone dedicated to the job of checking people in. When checking someone in, a list should be made of every piece of equipment that they bring inside. If possible, affix some kind of label or tag on that equipment that clearly identifies its owner. People will get very pissed if their stuff goes missing, and you should do your part in trying to prevent theft.
You then have to assign the guest their seat, and if necessary an IP address. This is the time to provide all the information regarding network settings and other things they must do to connect to your network. You may or may not have the time to assist the guest in setting up, so make sure that your instructions are clear enough to be followed properly.
Keeping Your Guests Entertained
The most important thing to remember when you host a LAN party is to keep your guests entertained. Whatever you do, don't make them feel bored. The easiest way to keep your guests happy is to have a good mix of games. This usually means mixing different genres of games as opposed to playing 7 different FPS's in a row and calling that variety. If your party is of the smaller variety, you can let people vote for the game they want to play, if you wish. This doesn't really work with larger parties because of the difficulty in gathering votes, so your best bet is to come up with a "games playlist" before the party starts and stick with that. Remember that with large parties, you'll very likely have a couple of separate groups playing different games at any one time, so don't be too rigid in your planning. Set up multiple servers with different games on each one in this scenario.
Over the course of your party, your guests will need to take breaks every so often. If you are hosting a medium to large party, you should have a separate break area for people to relax in. In this break area should be a place for people to sit or lie down (a sofa works great) and some type of passive entertainment like a TV or a stereo system for music. Above all, make sure that this break area is close to the food area, because typically the need for a break coincides with the need for food. In any case, it's best to keep food away from the computers, and having a break area gives your guests a good place to eat.
Preparing the Food
On the topic of food, the typical LAN party consists of pop, chips, and pizza. These foods are convenient, delicious, and relatively cheap. However, these foods are also the reason why life expectancy for males is in the 70s rather than the 80s, so guests that are health-conscious will have to bring their own food. As the host you shouldn't be expected to supply actual nutrients, but merely stomach-filler. Make sure that you have more than enough food for your entire event so people don't complain about being hungry.
Unfortunately, because of natural biological processes, what goes in must eventually come out, and this problem is particularly tricky with large parties. Not only do you have to keep the washrooms well stocked with toilet paper and paper towel, but you also have to keep the facilities clean. This is particularly important in large parties because given the aim of most guys, a washroom can get nasty real fast. If you've ever seen the men's washroom in a high school, you'll know what that means. Being unable to relieve themselves makes people grumpy, to say the least.

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Checking Out
When checking people out, refer to your equipment list and make sure that they actually own everything they're taking out. It's an inconvenience for both you and the guest, but if it prevents theft then it's all worth it. If you have leftover food, let your guests take it home. This alone will help to save you some cleaning time.
Getting Feedback
Before a guest leaves, ask them to give you feedback on your event. Was it fun? Did they have any complaints? Was there anything that should have been done differently? Constructive criticism will help you make your next LAN party more fun and cut down on some of the inevitable mistakes. The best way to get feedback is to have a short, yes/no questionnaire, with a section for comments. Preparing one ahead of time is an investment that will make your future events more enjoyable, and maybe even profitable.

lanparty.com!

[Maditude]

Another website with not only tips on how to plan/organize your party, but a big list of parties in towns that might be near you, is www.lanparty.com.
Personally, I'm getting too old to cart my 'puter across town and hook it up just to play games, but I sure had fun at the parties I did make it to.