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Campzone 2: The Return
rutger21 writes: "CampZone 2 is a large outdoor computer-event in the Netherlands. A field will be transformed into a high-tech campground with full service, including a 100Mbit network and Internet access for everyone. During 11 days, CampZone will be the home for up to 1200 computer enthusiasts from around the world. The main focus of the event is multiplayer gaming, but there will also be other activities, such as paintball." Are there any recurring high-tech temporary communities on this scale in North America? The nearest thing I can think of is Burning Man, and the comparison isn't all that close, especially when it comes to bandwidth.
Like 1200 geeks with 3rd degree sunburns and sunglasses to protect them from the glare of their monitor.
what happens if it rains? will there be tents? some sci-fi rain-repelling force field?
Fucking campers :)
Considering that multiplayer gaming competitions with a cash prize have started to take off here in Australia, it's about time a national computer gaming convention happened.
All we need is a big cheap warehouse in one of our main cities. Pity our population isn't big enough to support something like this.
Hell, our telecommunications and public transport infrastructure is barely adequate for the meagre population we have. But I digress.
Perhaps having some sort of extreme gaming event would get people from overseas interested.
We host enough international sporting events, why not have an international multiplayer gaming event here?
There is no net access at Burning Man. Maybe individuals have set up something, but since Black Rock City is out of range of any cell phone towers, it would be difficult. And if anyone has set such a thing up, it has not been made available to others.
There was something last year called PlayaNet, which was sort of an intranet between several sites in the city. But it was restricted to inside of Black Rock City only.
So, no, Burning Man may have temporary community, and there may be some techie types there, but there is no connection to the web at large. OTOH, maybe that's the way it should be.
finally those geeks will have an excuse for being smelly and unwashed...
love is just extroverted narcissism
I don't know about high tech campouts, but there certainly are large LOW tech campouts, like the Pennsic War: 10,000+ people camping a bit north of Pittsburgh, reacreating the fun parts of the Middle Ages. Porta-potties, tents, Renaissance dance every night...
There was an event a month or two ago called millionmanlan here in louisville and in los angeles, something like 2500 gamers in both locations. lanwar.org has info about it.
That's not a LAN party, that's a MAN party. I want no part of your male area network.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell, 1984
Last weeks 6th Fragapalooza was attended by around 1000 (1100 signed up and I'm not sure the actual number). Of course its all indoors in a nice air-conditioned conference center, but it used to be held in an aircraft hanger. Intel provided a massive switched backbone that was awesome. Its held in Canada so I can see why so many people know nothing about it.
Also next month around 1000 people are signed up to attend Fragmart in Richmond B.C. Canada.
Since Worldcom is going under now is the time to buy some backbone access, then hold the worlds largest multiplayer game tournament. Can't wait for a public aution, I could use a couple of server cabinets.
Goodness, I sure hope that the paintball is live, and not some Quake mod, heh.
I went to Bonnaroo music festival back in late June and kept thinking how cool would it be to hook up a little wireless community with all the attendees. Would be a great way to swap audio with show tapers. There were dozens of bands there so no one group could cover them all. It was out in the middle of the country so getting a connection to the larger net would be tough. The other thing was the radio traffic through the weekend was ridiculous. 75,000 people and only one cellular tower... and all the little FRS radios were in use, all channels and privacy codes possible. The "tech" companies there included only Gateway and XBox... but I think the development of a network community at large scale festivals could be a really nice way to enhance the experience. Also the sponsorship of the infrastructure needed would be another way to help fund the event. Anyone have any thoughts on bringing tech to more traditional gatherings?
This has been posted before at about the same time last year!
/. editors ever check for these sort of things?
Don't the
From the rules page, it says that paintball guns are specifically NOT allowed.
/. editors not looking past the first page of links that are submitted I'll get modded up.
Maybe if I bitch and moan about
the main focus of the event is multiplayer gaming, but there will also be other activities, such as paintball
mixing huge lan parties with paintball... just imagine after slaughtering people in Quake they all come after you and unload with paintballs, ooo the pain... then again, great way to deal with the cheaters...
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
nothin like a bunch of smart people to advance change. so much could be accomplished from needs that would be brought about by such a large outdoor gathering of socially and unsanitary people! for example:
- quick and easy means of networking a large number of computers
- streamlined troubleshooting scripts for large-scale multiplayer gaming problems
- novel ways of conserving toilet paper, including the world's first overlocked toilet, which flushes with 25GPF force effectively enabling the hidden bidet feature, thus doing away with the need for toilet paper
- world's first toilet-cooled CPU
- overclocked sticks of deodorant which push out 50ccs of gel deodorant with a single twist
- overclocked deodorant spray designed to expel the contents of the entire can with a single press of the button, leading to the formation of a large, flammable cloud and subsequent auto-ignition of said cloud from CPU heat, which incinerates odorants and sterilizes users' armpits
- finally, the invention of new jackoff techniques designed for speed and efficiency. a truly necessary technique for a world full of gov't surveillance and prying eyes.
GO GEEKS!
GO FORTH AND BRING CHANGE UNTO THE WORLD!
Are there any recurring high-tech temporary communities on this scale in North America?
I can't think of any. Then again, when I'm out camping or hiking, I want to get the hell _away_ from the computers I spend all my working time with. It's tough to appreciate being outdoors when your eyes are still focused on the panel of your laptop.
--saint
I dunno, sounds like fun, but then again, that's why I'm going to Quakecon next month. We're running a full 100mbit LAN with internet access in a 1500 seat Bring-Your-Own-Computer area, and of course 2 tournaments with big cash prizes. Not going to have paintball, but then again its only 3 days for the event. (a little easier if you can only come on the weekend.) Get to see some of the cool displays from id Software, ATI, and whoever else is there this year. Last year, something like 3000 people showed up, to play, compete, or just to hang out.
Not to mention, I'd rather have my computer inside. Just one of those things. Concrete floor, A/C, etc.
But if I could go, I'd be there.
p24t
p24t-at-quakecon.org
It happens yearly (incidentally, last weekend). 4 days of non-stop gaming, contests & silliness. Lots of case mods (my fav was the labatts blue fridge system). A buddy of mine won a can of SPAM for the best "Ghetto mod" PC - a beat up gateway with duct-tape keeping the cover on.
3 & 4AM Sunday MOHAA: funnies included 'nade dancing, an orgy, an unsuccessful congo line (some dumbass kept dropping nades) and a human pyramid.
Official tourney's were were 5v5 Counterstrike (blech!), 4v4 RA3, and an Xbox Halo tourney. See the site for the give-a-way goodies & details.
It was loads of fun and I'll definitely be back next year. We even had a guy from Washington state (but the guy arrived with a fried HDD). And wow...chicks...and 1 in a skipping contest, no less...*droool*
There seems to be a lot of smart people there. A lot of programmers seem to be Dutch (Blender), etc...
Something in the pot, perhaps? I dunno!
Dunno... the technology available up there is pretty amazing.... 6mbit satelite pipe... many 802.11b networks (with a relatively low noise floor too!) pirate radio to your heart's content, and plya information kiosk's running freeBSD... But the best technology up there is leaving your computer behind and hanging out with a bunch of other techies and freaks and hacking what's available to make something really cool.
---- Fight to protect your right to keep and arm bears! ummmm... ya I think that's right....
What no wireless networking? Alex DeWolf
"The Brady Bunch is back...working homicide"
Why?
Luke-Jr
OK It's definately a cool event, but it is reserved for a particular political leaning. I would say that the closest thing we have in the good ol' US is held in Mesquite TX every year. I'm too drunk to remember the name for sure but it might be QuakeCon.
My blog can kick your blog's ass
in scandinavia we have a long tradition of large parties
/jonas
dreamhack in sweden had 5000 attenders last winter
the gathering usually has about the same amount aswell, taking place in norway
lanparties isn't for nerds at all tho imho.
even if dreamhack and tg has roots in the demoscene
they are looked down upon nowadays as just another commercial event.
there are 2 other alternatives among the bigger events that still has some sort of respect
them being assembly in finland
and theparty in denmark
with stronger roots and better connection to the demoscene still today,
thus being accepted even by most hardcore people
there are a bunch of events all around europe aswell,
but for the really big stuff,
welcome to scandinavia
The Quake con held in Texas is the biggest multiplayer LAN event that I know of. The event has nearly doubled in size every year since its inception
OK I will too!
This is not the first time I've seen a strange correlation between paintballers and computer geeks.
As an avid paintballer myself (off and on for ~8years), I love the sport. It has a slight touch of "war-like" without much possibility of getting seriously injured (if done safely). So does that mean geeks like me tend to be war-like wimps? Too much pent up frustration? The need to take competativeness to the next level?
I've never given it much thought actually....
I thought it was talking about Everquest 2
In Denmark, The Camp 2002 - a "do IT yourself" summer camp for nerds - started just yesterday and will last until next saturday.
Unselfish actions pay back better
although fully of hippies and homeless, the rainbow gathering might qualify...
The CPL holds an annual event with lots of cash and hardware prizes, game tournaments, you name it.
http://www..thecpl.com/
Many hardware or gaming review sites (especially the overclocker and FPS sites) should have links up now as there is a CPL event going on this weekend.
Actually, on an episode of "The Screen Savers" they did a thing about Burning Man, and apparently it's really wired, complete with Internet access. Seriously. If I could find the story, I'd post it to the list (if someone else would find it, that would help too).
The story would be somewhere at The Screen Savers website
Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
"The main focus of the event is multiplayer gaming, but there will also be other activities, such as paintball."
Isn't paintball a multiplayer game? Would be boring in single-player mode...
The first event that pops into my mind as quite possibly the biggest lan party in North America is the Million Man Lan. It spans two cities with 2500 people housed in each city.
5000 > 1200.
A person who won't think has no advantage over one who can't think. --Paul Lutus
I think I'll pass on this one -- and any other outdoor LAN parties for that matter. Moisture + extreme, fluctuating temps = dead computers.
Don't they have convention centers in europe?
I'm just passing along the message.
"...a high-tech campground with full service, including a 100Mbit network and Internet access for everyone...home for up to 1200 computer enthusiasts...and other activities, such as paintball"
Do we have that in North America? Sure, It's called COLLEGE!
It's similar CampZone 2, but indoors...with beer.
-- sometimes AND gates turn me on.
Digital modes (i.e. PSK-31) are becomming more popular. Who said you couldn't try to play Quake against the group on the next mountain over.
With more and more levels of technologies when using computers these days, it's neat to see radios work from coast-to-coast with little more than a wire strung between trees. Geek campouts at its most basic.
But soft drinks seemed ridiculously expensive last time I was there. I'm used to buying a 0,5-L bottle for EUR 0.50 in both the U.S. and Greece, and it was 2-3x that in Holland...
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Uh, I use my computer so that I don't have to interact face to face with people.
Much less smell their unwashed bodies out camping.
Geeks are so much more presentable in ASCII.
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
This could prove interesting! FUADEC (Freeciv Users and Developers European Convention) is planned for the sat 3th of aug in Amsterdam. A bit of competition never hurts ;)
The Netherlands have a lot of these outdoor events and other huge-bandwidth lanparty's.
.nl ;)
Outdoor events include Megabit, Campzone, NE2000, WAN and ofcourse HAL2001/HIP1997 (and so)
We had Takeover last year with Gigabit Internet Connectivity (which had about 350 mbit of traffic on it).
So if you truly want to have some fun come on to
-- Cliff Albert
That's not even close toTG02 try multiplying it by 4 and you're getting somewhere. TG02 had over 4,500 participants. And this is in a tiny little country with a total population of 4.7 million.
I'm surprised these types of LANs aren't held more often in the US. Or in Australia for that matter. I read a post previously wishing something about Australia and Sydney hosting a big LAN like Campzone2. You're telling me that a small country like Norway can have 4,500 participants at a LAN, and you don't think you can locate more than 1,200 gamers in a town like Sydney?
There's gotta be atleast 5 million in that city alone.
So what if it takes an hour of driving? I drive 4.5hrs just go get to TG02, it might take a while but damnit I'm going there!
Everyone else is doing it.
Yeah, and next year they're gonna do a wireless telephone users convention.
Q: Can I bring a beamer?
A: Bringing your beamer is possible. Make sure you are not causing inconvenience to other visitors.
But will my Mercedes cause inconvenience?
(OKOK - 'Beamer' in Dutch actually is a video projector)
Sparks:Gadget:Beer Maker
b. Using soft drugs
Consuming soft drugs is allowed, as long you don't cause any inconvenience to other visitors. Obviously, each visitor is responsible for his own actions and therefore should comply with the legally allowed amount that a person may carry according Dutch Law.
Legal weed at a LAN party - get signing up guys :)
BTW the original post is an ingenious troll ;) .. wakey-wakey ..
A 2-L bottle of coca cola costs around 0,90 - 1,00 in the US...
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I was there too and can attest to the inferno in the conference center. My CPU was running at 70C for four days!
I can't believe that I snagged 20GB of porno there. I would have got more but I ran out of space.