NORCAL INSTALL! [Main Information and Ranbat Update Thread]

[Honnou]

The bottom line is half the people that participate in the organization of this tournament don't expect timeliness because of what they are used to. The other half of the staff wants to start immediately. I had to take into account the guests of Super NCI for this particular event as they were the main focus.

The main attribute of the time gap loss at GameCenter was mostly due to the inflexibility of the setups for BlazBlue. To get through the sheer volume of the players and the weighted estimate of pad players/personal gear players/on-site equipment I had measures put into effect. Effectively we had 3 setups (ONE LESS of MONTHLY) to do BB because of this. The people that needed to play pad were backed up by the ones who wanted to use their own stick equipment. So we lost 2 hours which would have been run straight through if everyone kept playing on the 5 setups by previous month and volume estimates.

The short answer for Catherine's viability is that I have plans to manage the demand for this, and at the same time return to our main roots for this tournament. Instead of Concurrent starting times for games I am considering an adaptable model of stage-based game tournaments; in other words, running completely through or mostly through brackets of games at different stages throughout the day, at different start times. This isn't set in stone yet however as I need to bang out the details for this, the question of having Catherine as a regular game is interesting but still needs validation to be realistic.

Next NCI we will test a hard registration deadline and see what effects this will enforce, as the next NCI will be fully under our control.

At the end of the day I hope everyone had a good time.

~Chun

Good to know! Rest assured, the event overall was actually one of the better tourneys I've been to, despite its hiccups, and was enjoyed by all. Looking forward to what future NCIs have in store.

[OrionXElite]

Easiest fixes that would make EVERYTHING better:

-Start on time, Not 3 hours late like always. I shouldn't be able to make money off of betting with people over NorCal's awful time management.

-People need to fucking show up on time. I don't give a fuck who gets DQ'd for it, show up on fucking time. If someone gets butthurt for showing up late and not getting to enter, they'll show up on time next time.

-Cut the damn dinner breaks, they just screw everything over cause people decide to just dick around and take 2 hours.

-Make at least BB run at just top 4. Each match takes the longest compared to every other game, GG/MB/AH3 would take roughly the same amount of time if they did Top 8 comparitively.

I know people had a lot of hype over Catherine, and it was fun to watch for the most part, but until we can fix these problems, we SHOULD NOT be considering adding another game in any way alongside the rest of these. If we can't be efficient, we shouldn't be running tournaments at all, simple as that. I understand if something comes up and shit starts a half hour late or even an hour, thats at least manageable, 3 hours EVERY time is not manageable and it reflects really negatively on us as a scene when people are expecting to start at noon or 1 or watch the stream at whatever stated time and then they're left hanging around for 2 hours cause we can't get our shit in line.

I mean no offense to anyone in particular and I'm not just saying this with JUST reference to Super NCI. But this is a serious problem with our scene and it needs to be dealt with before we try and expand further in terms of extra games especially with Skullgirls and KOFXIII coming out soon.

Also, instead of testing a registration deadline, you should be ENFORCING it. If you want to run an efficient tournament, you can't be lenient with this. You NEED to be an asshole if the situation presents itself. I didn't want to DQ the couple of people we had to at NCI, but it was just gonna hold up the bracket if we didn't so we did. You need to be stern and make the definitive decisions in order to maintain a timely and orderly event. No exceptions.

EDIT: Albeit there were problems, Super NCI was great either way :3

[Mystic d]

To add on to what Orion said, until people start getting DQ'ed, they're gonna keep taking advantage of that. Not to sound like an asshole, but it's good to hear that some people actually did get DQ'ed this tournament to move the tournament along, especially considering that this was a major event.

Personally, I'd suggest running through the winners bracket up until winner's finals before starting the loser's bracket. This way, people won't get double DQ'ed and get knocked out if they are running late and it is still possible to run it back through the loser's bracket. This will also help people judge how much time they have between their matches. I'm not hating on the people running the brackets (since I was one of them in the past) but as of right now, the matches go back and forth between the winner's bracket and loser's bracket. I understand that this is to try to get everyone to play without waiting around for too long, but I still say play through the entirety of the winner's bracket minus winner's finals. My reasoning for this is:

1) There are less matches in winner's bracket than loser's bracket, so even if people do need to wait, it may not be as long as switching back and forth between winner's and loser's.

2) People will have a better understanding of when their match is coming up. If everyone knows the order that the matches will be played, it will be easier to estimate when they will be playing their next match.

3) By playing through the winner's bracket first, it keeps the people still in the winner's side "warm" as their matches come up faster and they don't need to spend a lot of time waiting around. The same can be said for the loser's side. Once the winner's bracket is finished, all the matches will already be determined except for loser's finals. At this point, if you play, you know that you'll play again relatively soon since the winner's bracket is already finished and you will know who your next opponent is.

4) It will allow you to implement the DQ policy. Say someone doesn't show up for their first match within (hypothetically) 5 minutes so they get DQ'ed. They're sent to loser's bracket. By playing through winner's first, they're given ample time to show up and won't hold up the tournament as much. If they still fail to arrive by the time their loser's bracket match comes up, then the tournament has already played roughly 40% of the matches so I only see it fair to DQ them again. No sense holding up a tournament for a person that may or may not show up.

The matches can then stop at top 4 as Orion suggested. When the stream happens, play winner's finals first, then loser's semis, loser's finals, then grand finals.

[Chun]

Running through the entire winner's bracket is a pretty good policy and sounds logically sound, we can stop short of the top 4 then run through losers. We miss you Mystic D.

~Chun

[Whiteboywilly]

Ok real talk time. For real start on fucking time. I end up running bb everytime anyway and I really dont give a shit about dqing someone. Show up on fucking time or dont enter its that simple. I'll skip your match and finish the same row but if i come back within 15 mins and your not there ima dq you. Next catherine is fine if it starts when everything else does. As long as it starts at 2 with everything else even with just 2 setups we should be fine. So there!

[Mystic d]

Running through the entire winner's bracket is a pretty good policy and sounds logically sound, we can stop short of the top 4 then run through losers. We miss you Mystic D.

~Chun

Any idea on when's the next major? I'll try to make it if my schedule permits, but the earlier I know the better since air fares are ridiculous

[Chun]

The estimate is February 2012.

~Chun

[Mystic d]

Also, to add to what I said, if two people don't show up for their match, DQ em both. first one to show up gets to play the loser's match. if neither show up, then double DQ and someone in loser's bracket gets a bye.

Edit: Chun, please let me know when a date is confirmed

[Nakkiel]

Too many to really specifically list, I had a great time seeing everyone there and a huge thanks again to everyone who made the kind gesture to help PNW make the trip. We literally couldn't have done it without you. It's always nice to have a big turnout and we don't really get that kind of thing up here. Cheers to everyone in brackets and all the people who stepped up to have casuals with me throughout the day. As for commentary, I'm always happy to help on the mic! It was a fun experience to get the chance to do so and I guess the stream enjoyed me (a little too much! D:)

Shoutouts to 3D glasses, maybe I should have kept wearing them! I'll make sure I have the Noel matchup down next time, so be ready Noel players

[Dacidbro]

I agree with running all winner's matches first in all but one scenario. In this particular case, we had to get people OUT the door, because Gamecenter had about twice as many people in it than was legally permissible. So running at least the first match of both winners and losers removed so many people from the tournament which allowed us all to breathe and not get shut down either. Otherwise I'm totally in agreement, mystic.

[Tone]

late shoutouts, dont care :D

MYUNG: THANK YOUUUUU first trip to gamecenter and it was one of the most hype events ive been to this whole year, good shit for letting us host there

CHUN: getting everything organized

SPIRIT JUICE, RAIKANAMI, COOPA: Getting stream going despite the internet drawbacks, good shit there

RIN: putting in work for BB scene

SHADOWFIEND: dude we need your commentary for everything ever, shit was hype as fuck. I respect your hat pin game.

WILLY: beasting the fuck out of me in KOFXIII, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, I WANT A REMATCH

XIE: wisdom

MAGZ: best finals finish that nobody saw

SOCAL PEOPLE: i dont know you guys all by name, but the ones I talked to and kicked it with, I had fun.

PNW: ^

DACIDBRO: you are the very reason why i now believe in VS. catherine

PAIN: most dangerous unknown

GAMMAGEARJUSTICE: RETURN MY GAMES YOU THIEF

VINEETH: Good shit in AH3, you and 2GB are like the only others taking the game seriously anymore sadly

PEOPLE I PLAYED IN BLAZBLUE: i am sorry for being so bad at this game, im working on it i swear

AH3 PLAYERS [OR LACK THEROF]: thank you for your support. wish more people played!

and thats that, see you guys next time.

P.S. FUCK PANDORA TEARS

[Spirit Juice]

Running winner's up to top 8 of winner's or whatever is a terrible idea. I've done it before when I was less experienced as a TO and it does nothing but make people that are in losers wait FOREVER for their next match. I'll post more thoughts and shit later when I'm not busy.

[Crosell]

Alright, this tournament ran. I'm not going to say it ran well, but it ran. A big thanks to each event organizer(Willy, James, Magz, Tsubasa and Katana Dash if I missed anyone I am sorry I don't know all the organizers)our Chun for getting everything done. Its stressful but we got it done.

First things first. This should not have ran that late. I'm not so much worried about the time but the position we put Myung in. He needed to be closed by 2 a.m (city rule I believe) and we were in there till 2:30-2:45 . That is a very awkward position to put our venue owner in and it shows a big disrespect towards him and his venue that we would do this to him, after he has been more than willing to support our scene and act as a consistent venue for us. We left the place for him to clean up at 2:30 am. I'm sure he was tired as hell and didn't want to deal with that. Also listen to the staff at gamecenter. The female worker there was constantly asking people to clear out of the hallway, door and keep a path clear. Listen to our venues workers. We are guests there, we need to act professional. It was especially bad when people ignored her request and I had to yell at people over the megaphone to get out of the hall way and keep an open path. We are there to have fun but be respectful.

Second, we have to stop being nice. This tournament is about being a minor not about guests. You need to plan for a worst case scenario when traveling, since it is unfamiliar everyone should be aiming to be there an hour early, because you can play casuals and socialize. I know you want to be nice Chun, but this shit has to stop if you are going to be a TO. Waiting 3 -3 1/2 hours is just giving the middle finger to everyone who showed up on time. I for one am tired of arriving at the appropriate time and waiting 3 hours to the event to start every time. If people are going to be late they need to call someone, have them sign up and have them pay the appropriate fees. We can run there matches later but they still run the risk of being Dq'd. This is just how shit has to go down. IF they don't have the courtesy to show up on time, fuck them. Until we start enforcing this rule nothing will change. Its been in this cycle for a long time, and nothing is ever done about it. And every time its the same thing, post NCI, "omg we started late", "Yeah we are gonna start on time next time." I hate to bust balls here because you are a nice guy Chun, and I know we are all friends here. But we gotta put friendships asides when running an event. Everyone is equal.

Third This one isn't a complaint just what noticed. I feel like NCI is more BB focused than it should be. This is suppose to cover under ground fighting games. I'm in full agreement with Rod on this one. Our other games need more coverage. We have Rin recording matches, so people can see those whenever. I think it would be nice to toss a nod to the other games. Of course this at the discretion of those would run the stream equipment. It is there equipment they can stream what they want.

[Yggjrasil]

GAMMAGEARJUSTICE: RETURN MY GAMES YOU THIEF

D: but I never stole them, I just been holding on to them forever!

[Solex]

lazy boy shout outs HERE WE GO

shoutouts to copper dabbit for getting his vengence...NEXT TIME DABBIT NEXT TIME!!!

shoutouts to vineeth for evolving from apology man to the brown hero

shoutouts to pain for finishing what copper dabbit started, knocking me out

shoutouts to dacid for only seeing you when u whooped my brother

shoutouts to sg, cor, and dsmoove for making me feel free as fuck i dont think i won a single match against you guys

shoutouts to dusty for playing casuals with me while i was waiting for a match and being a cool guy

shoutouts to huey for picking plat against me....

shoutouts to sleepy asian man(xie) for fucking coming in 2nd place didnt know you when i first saw you but now ill remember

shoutouts to whiteboy willy, ginseng, and that guy whose name i didnt catch for each teaching me about one of my kof characters and bodying me, sooooooo hype kof 13 console release now that ive played it, ill show you guys whats what when it comes out just you wait

shoutouts to 2gb for raping all the people up in there

shoutouts to myung for the sweet venue ill get you in gundam as soon as i have time to practice lol

shoutouts to chun, spirit juice, aginor, crosell, and orion for making the tournament nice and smooth exculding the starting time of course

shoutouts to coopa and rin you guys are the backbone of our scene thx for all the hard work

shoutouts to socal for bringin the hype up here with you guys

shoutouts to donavan, dj, visma, and shelled menace for rocking jin with me im used to being the only one lol

lastly shoutouts to antioch for being scrub central...really though guys we gotta step our game up lol

[WallJumpMan]

ugh late shoutouts i can't keep doing this

Myung: for being a total boss for letting us host at game center and giving me a free game in GvG

and perhaps making me a new customer

Chun: for once again organizing a great tournament and taking it like champ when i pushed his sheepy ass off those blocks (a hug is in store for u the next time i see u at school)

rin: for recording and making the bb scene as strong as it is

beaverdeity: its never a bb tournament without you (infact i cant remember a cs1 tournament without you)

tone: sorry for my terrible performance in top 3 but those two were so scary good that all i did was act stupid and push block everything and got blown up for it

pain: for being an awesome cathy and reseting me so fast that still thought i was in a combo :P

darktalon: ur weiss is solid and u wud just crouch there sit still and then tag with a 2a and blow my brains out (you and ur brother better come for future nci's cuz you guys are waaaaay to good not to be there)

willy: for being norcal's best hazama, tell me when ur down and we can maybe meet up at kelvin's house or something

crosell: being the greatest arcana heart player i have ever seen in my life and just having high levels of bossitude (stay awesome) also add me on raptr i have no friends

Coopa: for teaching me about all the bad things smoking does for your health

aginor: u know what just forget it u know wut i will say {great seeing you though always nice to talk to you}

Orion: for telling me to smack those bitches and always being great support

Trevor: for having the sickest of tricks and being so awesome to talk to always

Blackmage: for destroying me in skull girls and being the guy i m going to play with online the most in that game when i comes out

Tushar: for career/ indian parent advice also for bringing skull girls, that game is pretty awesome

Tanner: for getting free against copperdabbit and not being in top 8 (also for throw baits and throw baits and THROW BAITS aosihdfpoasifdhjJINaosihdfpoaishdf)

copperdabbit: after fighting you in over a thousand tournament matches i finally figure out how to beat you, ur a great player even though u cant air throws

donavan: i m sorry you had to put up with my full charged shippu crap but in my defense u were staffless, but ur a great litchi

fred: somehow exposing me in ways i never seem to ever understand ever......probably all of those reeses pieces and mountain dew :3

dsmoove: for showing me that i can never relax even with the momentum especially against a character like noel

Filip: for being the best player in norcal, ur soooo gooood soooooo gooood.......>.>

PNW: sG, Huey, Dusty, Cor you guys are amazing and if it wasnt for you guys i would have jumped off a cliff after losing to top tiers in this game. I am really jealous of what you guys have(infinite casual sessions, spark, etc.) i really wish norcal could take a page out of ur guy's book. Its guys like you that make thankful that I play blazblue and i would give anything to play/ hang with you guys again.

raikanami: for catherine practice and the LEVEL 3 (also i took shower the second i got home.....for obvious reasons)

Erik: i wont let this happen again, I FUCKIN REFUSE, i'll do everything in my power to prevent u from getting bored after 9pm (also i have to say you were the most improved player of all of norcal this time tournament keep it up) and just be cool man, chill, relaxed, chillaxed, frosty etc.

AND NATHAN(gvg artist beast man machine) FOR THE AWESOME DRAWING OF HAKUMEN

the bathroom in gamecenter for being super troll because when you sit still (like most people do in bathroom when they take a shit) the fucking lights turn off

AND SHAME ON EVERYONE LETTING ME GET TOP 8 IN CATHERINE

i still haven't beaten that game on easy mode yet

but i do have to admit i played more rapunzel then the actual game

TLDR version: i love nci

[Nakkiel]

PNW: sG, Huey, Dusty, Cor you guys are amazing and if it wasnt for you guys i would have jumped off a cliff after losing to top tiers in this game. I am really jealous of what you guys (infinite casual sessions, spark, etc.) i really wish norcal could take a page out of ur guy's book. Its guys like you that make thankful that I play blazblue and i would give anything to play/ hang with you guys again.

You're always welcome should you decide to visit!

[Spartan257B]

shoutouts to donavan, dj, visma, and shelled menace for rocking jin with me im used to being the only one lol

Sorry for my sloppy spelling, it was supposed to be DT (For DarkTalon) but yeah I'll stay free to spelling forever haha

Also we gotta play more Jin mirrors man, those matches were great!

@Walljumpman Thanks man, I'm kind of used to the Scharl matchup so I know I have to be patient xD. Also Pain and I plan to show up a lot more whenever we can, I look forward to playing you all more.

Also late shoutouts cause I was tired as hell when I did get back from NCI

Shoutouts to the folks from PNW, it was great meeting you and all and getting to play with you guys, it was a very fun experience

Shoutouts to Bobby for almost getting his pad stolen

shoutouts to Donovan for being such a cool guy, and that shirt was ballin bro

shoutouts to ShadowFiend for being gdlk

Shoutouts to Tone for being such an awesome guy and giving me and Pain a ride out there

shoutouts to WallJumpMan for having such a solid Scharl, it's really nice to see solid AH players

shoutouts to 2GB for blowing me up in BB, like your Makoto bro

shoutouts to Aginor for being such a cool guy

and shoutouts to everyone else I played with at NCI

It was a very fun experience for me, and you'll be seeing me show up more often

[ShadowFiend]

i gotta bring back blazblue for socal.

[Shining Aquas]

VINEETH: Good shit in AH3, you and 2GB are like the only others taking the game seriously anymore sadly

Nobody remembers that one bad Fiona player that tries really hard but plays a terrible character. Oh wait, it's me.

Shoutouts later. School now.

[CopperDabbit]

Hey guys. Sorry for the late message, but I haven't had internet access since friday-ish.

Shoutouts are as below, in order of best hair:

Myung: Thank you so much for hosting us and just being super awesome in general. I'm so glad you opened up GC.

Chun: Dude, you rock for organizing the whole thing, winning the Ultra Salt Award (USA) every time I see you, and just generally being a cool guy.

Aginor: God Mu is dumb. But you're awesome, stay that way.

Huey253: When our tournament match gets up on YT, I'm going to tell everyone that you paid me to lose. AND THEY WILL BELIEVE ME.

sG: Awesome seeing you and the whole PWN crew again, glad you guys made it. Those casuals we had were hands down the most fun I've had with BB in a long time.

COR: Stay frosty my friend. Keep kicking ass, being a really cool guy and losing to tagers.

Bohemian Polka: Thank you for the shirt! It's so bad-ass and moe, I love it!

TCD: Fuck. Yeah.

Solex: I want to start seeing you in grand finals.

Trix: A really chill guy, and your Ragna really has gotten better lately. More match up XP and you're going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Eric: "I DON'T GET IT! I'M DOING ALL THE SAME THINGS AS YOU, WHY AREN'T THEY WORKING". I found that whole exchange really funny

Pain: Your Zenia MIGHT just be a LITTLE better than mine. By which I mean, I got raped like a japanese schoolgirl in a tentacle/lube factory. And they were all out of lube that day.

HFA: Good seeing you again man, wish you still played and thank you SO MUCH for bringing SkullGirls.

Vineeth: You played well and made me look like an absolute scrub while doing that. I'll get you next time and I need some more casuals in between.

2GB: You made Noel cry by switching to Makoto. How could you do something like that, you heartless bastard?

Xie: As always, you're an awesome guy and I'm glad you made it. We need to sit down and grind out some matches sometime.

Willy/Crossell/James: Thanks for helping run everything guys. And for always cheering for the guy I was playing against. Every. Goddamn. Time.

Stream Monsters: Stay classy guys. It's all for you.

[hobbes]

Im not good at shoutouts thing, and I'm not even good at forum writing, but here it goes:

Thank you Myung/Chun for hosting and organizing the event. It was the first I have attended and I really enjoyed it!

Sahgren/Rin : Thanks for coming with me in my car. It woulda been a boring ride w/o u, and I the talk on the ride up was awesome

ShadowFiend: Thanks for the hype and SkullGirls matches.

Tone: Thanks for renewing my interest and hype in AH3.

I'm sorry if I forgot about anyone, but It was my first event and I am not really so active on dustloop forums. But I try to meet as many of you as I can, I really appreciate the matches and the good times we shared. Thanks again.

[tastylumpia]

Shoutouts to $2.50 milk tea

[Crosell]

You know we love you dabbit :3l

[Tone]

Nobody remembers that one bad Fiona player that tries really hard but plays a terrible character. Oh wait, it's me.

Shoutouts later. School now.

Im glad you aren't one of those guys who thinks its cool to try and pick fiona for the sake of trolling at least, that got old fast.

Pick a better character already