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Upstate New York Tournament Thread

Xsyven

And how!
BRoomer
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
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14,069
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Las Vegas
Hello, New Yorkers! I'll be visiting the city late April. Are there any weeklies that go on that I can come to?
 

Equal

Smash Apprentice
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Jan 21, 2013
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172
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New York
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iiEqual
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We should get the PR going again. Had lots of tournaments recently, and we had talk about it on some FB pages. Maybe we could bring that discussion here? Loljk this place don't have discussions.
 

Itsnotmyfault

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
485
Location
Monroe, NY
Yeah I'm kind of completely out of the loop with upstate most of the time because of everyone being on facebook these days.

At any rate, I was kind of wondering if their would be any potential interest if I held a tournament in Orange County, New York. I know that's in the awkward no man's land between upstate and the city/Jersey. It's also certainly really far from western New York.
 

Itsnotmyfault

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
485
Location
Monroe, NY
Alright. I'm going to reach out to the nj/ny guys too, to gauge their interest. I think I have a pretty good venue in mind. I just have to check and make sure there's plenty of electricity.
 

Spiffykins

Smash Ace
Joined
Dec 31, 2012
Messages
547
I should be able to make it to OC if it happens, awkward no man's land is pretty convenient for the barren smash wasteland of upstate (no offense to upstate smashers).
 

Itsnotmyfault

Smash Journeyman
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Aug 9, 2007
Messages
485
Location
Monroe, NY
I would like to hold it in mid-May, but I have to see when the venue is available. It might be June. I'm going to try to hype it as an upstate meets downstate/jersey sort of thing.

I've also been talking to an RPI student who is looking to host something late April. Exciting stuff on the horizon.
 

Equal

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New York
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GRAVY AKA GRAVES AKA THE GRAVEDIGGER GAT DAMN SON.

ALL ABOARD THE GRAVY TRAIN

GRAVY 2014

#Gravy
 

da K.I.D.

Smash Hero
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
19,658
Location
Rochester, NY
Some idle thoughts and musings of mine regarding the entire local tournament scene in the up coming months, I posted on the Pandamonium FB page, but i figured id put it here too.

Its mostly me writting out my rambling thoughts so its probably excessively long for most of you

So, im going to post some thoughts here. Things Ive been doing and mulling over in my mind. The best way I can describe it is essentially a Rochester FGC state of the union address. Its going to be a long read, but if you can see this, its probably worth to take a few minutes to do it.

First of. Looking at the communities of Smash and traddy fighters in Rochester, and having a fairly significant hand in each, its become very apparent to me that regular tournaments are basically essential for a community to grow and thrive. Theres are plenty of people that will show up for events but have lives outside of the game that bring them to not show up for week get togethers for whatever reason. And even if they wanted to, they may not be able based on the circumstances. Two people that make this very clear to me arehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=622930344&fref=ts this guy, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=24402144&fref=ts

The first guy is a guy that came to the Pandamonium events consistently. He was a chill dude, he was very good at SF and I don't even know how he got word of my events in the first place. But I dont believe I've seen him even once since the last event, which is a real shame. And theres a bunch of dudes in that same situation that I could easily think of.

The second guy is a community pillar for the traddy fighting games, he opens his apartment up 1-3 times a week for his friends to come over and practice video games until probably later than he should. This is great, unless for whatever reason, you are like Jek and are not a good enough friend of his, then you obviously wont be at his apartment. Not because either person did something wrong, but simply because Dan only has an apartment, and while centrally located, it cant possibly hold everyone in our community at once. So inevitably people are going to get left out. The smash community has plenty of people and situations that operate the exact same way.

In these situations, having a large space where EVERYBODY can get together and play together on a regular basis, whether weekly, monthly or whatever, is critical for the growth and improvement of our players and our scene.
Everyone need to be involved in this process of improving the scene. A lot of people seem to think that being good or the best at the game is the only thing that matters or is the most important thing, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes, we all want to improve, but we can have tournaments without the people that are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to run them. And they wont be able to do that effectively without everyone else being kind enough to donate their set ups for the day. And sometimes those people wouldn't even be able to get their set ups to the event, if it weren't for other people who happen to have cars that not everyone does. You could literally be the worst player in the room, but if you brought a set up and carpooled 4 other dudes to the tournament, I'm going to regard you WAYYY higher than the dude that spends all day practicing but has to get dropped off at the event by his mom and doesn't even bring his own system or controller (which is hilarious, because for all intents and purposes, I am that guy right now)

We are currently EXTREMELY lucky to have a college club with no affiliation or ties to us allow both all the traddy fighting gamers and all the smash players to use a giant room big enough for everyone to play in on one day every single week. But for the sake of both improving and expanding our scene (both of which are shown to be intertwined in each other) we need to have good, quality, well run, well-executed regular tournaments.

Now, we all have different goals and different abilities in this group, and its usually best to figure out what you get or want to get out of this hobby. Because you might find that you can get that in a way other than what you thought.

Personally, I want to be the best. I want to be the strongest player out there, and I want to win the tournaments, i have an INCREDIBLY strong drive to win so thats my main goal. to win everything I enter. However, I realized a long time ago, that in order to get better at the game, Im going to have to play a lot of different people and get a mass of different experiences, and play with a lot of other people that are strong enough to challenge me to get better. To that end, Im going to have to build and foster a community built of skilled players that can do that. And the best way to build a community is to have quality events that people want to attend. Usually with the games I play, I dont have my own system to play on or bring and I dont have my own car that I can drive to pick people up with (although, for anybody that knew me in the older days of smash, when I had all of those things, I DID all of those things.) So I defaulted to helping and eventually running the events.

Currently, there are no traditional fighting game events, for close to 9 months, and I've seen that community fracture and dwindle and kind of disintegrate since then because of it. The Smash community does have a monthly event that does in fact have a lot of momentum behind it for a Smorgasbord of reasons (PM release, EVO/MLG/Doc. hype, New game coming soon). However, it is my personal opinion that the events themselves are mismanaged and poorly run and I think that eventually the attendance, the event, and the scene as a whole is going to suffer because of it.

Now, Im not trying to throw the people who organize that event under the bus. They are all crazy cool good people. But I think that the problem with that event is the people who are doing it are too much like me. Their goals are to improve, get better at the game and WIN. That is not bad inherently, but when the people running the tournament are more concerned with playing the game and placing high than the logistics and details of running the event smoothly and making it a quality experience for everyone, its not too hard to see how things could go sour. I do not fault them for this one single bit. Because of how the current reward system is set in place for these events. But ill get into that in a minute.

Where is all of this going? Well, I see this summer as being a HUGE opportunity for Rochesters competitive gamers. Because the biggest time for growth in any gaming scene is when a new game comes out, and the next few months are going to be massive on that front with the release of Ultra Street Fighter 4, Super Smash Bros. and the American localization of Guilty Gear Xrd. I want to have an established scene in place when those games drop so that the mass of people that inevitably show up to that first month tournament, actually enjoy themselves enough to become regular members of the community.

Im planning to start up a tournament series this summer. But there are a few stumbling blocks and issues that need to be addressed.
First, I don't have a venue. And every day I see more how hard it is to find one that has everything I need. With the influx of people coming in to play the 3 games I just named, Im thinking its going to need to be a room that is big enough for at least 100 people to fit in comfortably, along with tables, chairs and the appropriate number of set ups for each game. Its going to need to have at least enough outlets for me to outlet splitters and surge protectors on every outlet and have enough power for all the aforementioned set ups. I would like it to be in a location not far from one of the major highways, so people dont get lost getting there and will have easy access to food. And its going to need to be a place that will allow us free range of the room or building for that entire day of the event from 8 am until midnight. Although, for a local recurring event, Im shooting for more of a Noon to 6/7 time frame. But even then, ill still need time to set up and clean up. If anyone comes across a space like that, please do not hesitate to speak up.

Although be warned, I will likely shoot down many options for many different reasons. For example, being able to promote on a college campus for a tournament on a campus is very difficult because many times it requires someone attending the school to reserve the room far in advance and deal with a lot of red tape for something that the school might classify as 'gambling' and not want any part of. Or it could be that many school sponsored events refuse to give out cash as prizes for events. Which doesn't work for most of you guys. All that being said, I will hear anyone out

The next issue is that of a reward system. This is a touchy subject, but Ill just put it out there. It is my belief that people who don't make a profit running tournaments a. will not continue to sink hours and hours of their personal time running them and b. will have no incentive to make them better. The current Smash monthly we have is pretty haphazard imo. There is zero venue fee, which is nice on the pockets of the attendees, but in return, you basically get a zero dollar venue fee experience. The space is limited, its kind of hard to get around, the room temperature is rarely good, and the events themselves take FOREVER. The most recent one, there was at least half a dozen people (myself included) that forfeited their tournament spots and left to do other things because the event went so late. In comparison. I look at the Pandamonium tournaments that I was lucky enough to be a part of with Andrew, Amber and Chaz.

That was a 5$ venue fee. And in return you got a 5 dollar venue fee experience. It was a bit cramped but we could expand to the basement for more space, I never recall it being to hot or too cold, and even the longest tournament days were fully completed and cleaned up by 7.

Now once again, let me make this extremely clear. I am not faulting anybody for the misgivings of the current local smash tournament we have. I am simply stating that if the people involved were making some money with it, instead of just relying on the kindness of their hearts to fuel the endeavor , there might be some improvements made. But since they are focused on performing well and placing high in the tournament, and since placing high at the tournament comes with a monetary reward, its pretty obvious that when comparing the level of importance, the quality of the event is invariably going to take a back seat.

So when and if I find a suitable venue, and if the venue fee seems a bit high to you, know that that money will be going back to myself, AND MY TEAM for the sake of providing you with a higher quality service. The money that I make from TOing will be mainly used to buy more systems and monitors for the event and possibly even bigger venues.

And thats the next thing, I will be looking for a team to help and eventually take over this task for me. Just like there has to be a guy to win the event and there has to be a guy to bring set ups and there has to be a guy to stream the event, there has to be a guy to run the events as well. And if you were paying attention earlier, you would know that my drive comes from playing the games, not making them and not organizing the events. I DO it because I'm a nice guy and I'm helpful and it furthers my goal in the end. But eventually I'd like to a. have a team/group of people help me do this because its required at this point, nobody can do it all. and b. to have somebody maybe with the TO drive to take over the reigns and truly build the events up. Because not everyone shows up to win. Theres a lot of parts that go into a successful tournament. Theres the D1s/Progs/UltraDavids that primarily commentate, and theres the Big Es/Alex Strifes/ShinBlankas that do the hosting, theres the Gimrs/Spookys/Bifutekis that primarily stream. And typically none of those people are able to be the Chris Gs and Mew2Kings that win all the events too. Which is where my desire lies.

But for now stay on the lookout and feel free to give me some ideas. And let me know if you would like to assist me in any capacity
 
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darkoblivion12

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
1,102
Location
Buffalo
Your analysis is correct, your solution doesn't seem right. I'd rather have a non-player run the tournaments. If we could commandeer someone's friend to run tournaments instead of entrusting it to the players, it would run much more smoothly.
 

da K.I.D.

Smash Hero
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
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Location
Rochester, NY
i agree. but im pretty sure it would be very difficult to find somebody whos not at all interested in the game to run events for the game. We could maybe get like, my/jesses girlfriends to maybe help out but from what ive seen its always a person who starts out by playing then learns they really enjoy the TOing aspect and moves into that
 

Im Fragbait

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
166
herro everybody im new just started playing brawl a couple months ago and i started melee and 64 a few weeks ago i have really got into competitive play and quickly passed my friends in skill level so i need new people to play with ... are there any tournys coming up soon close to rochester ny
 

Im Fragbait

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
166
false. we all play together at least 2 times a week. and we have been running monthly tournaments since december.

both of you need to hop on this group

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=46230006858

Just joined the group. im like 20 minutes away from RIT so i might be showing up to practice for sktar. do you guys play brawl or do you just play melee i play both but im just wondering what you guys play
 

da K.I.D.

Smash Hero
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Aug 22, 2006
Messages
19,658
Location
Rochester, NY
we play everything.

Brawl is my favorite game but it has the least players currently but we have very highly skilled players in all games.

Also, be aware, SKTAR is 6.5 hours away, Get On My Level in Toronto is 2.5 hours away. You should definitely consider going to that either/also. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=230161173856863 if you dont have a passport or enhanced license, you can go to your local DMV this week and order one and it will be here before the tournament.
 
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Im Fragbait

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
166
umm im not 18 yet unfortunatley so i dont think i can leave the country lol. when do you guys usually meet i might have to stop by soon and start playing just a warning i started a few months ago ... not the best player xD
 

Im Fragbait

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
166
we play everything.

Brawl is my favorite game but it has the least players currently but we have very highly skilled players in all games.

Also, be aware, SKTAR is 6.5 hours away, Get On My Level in Toronto is 2.5 hours away. You should definitely consider going to that either/also. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=230161173856863 if you dont have a passport or enhanced license, you can go to your local DMV this week and order one and it will be here before the tournament.
umm appearently i didnt reply the right way xD
 

da K.I.D.

Smash Hero
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
19,658
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Rochester, NY
no worries buddy.

If you are old enough to have a license, you are old enough to have an enhanced license which allows you to travel to canada by car (but not by plane) dont worry if you cant get it within the next three weeks (since it takes two weeks to ship to you) but it is definitely something you should keep in mind for future reference. Because we do plan on making more regular trips to Toronto because they have such a big gaming scene and regular events.

typically we meet at RIT on Wednesdays from 8 pm to 11pm, and on fridays from 8 pm until roughly 3 am. Both days are in the same building but different rooms. if you want to know more let me know and I can get you my number and contact info. I dont know anything about you or your family but if your parents have any problems, I can also speak to them and take care of any fears or worries thy might have about the whole situation.

Lastly we have a number of players across all skill levels and age ranges (from 14 to 25 and from day 1 scrubs to nationally known top players.) where you are not doesnt matter. All that matters is if you want to get better than you are now. If the answer is yes, we can help you
 
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Im Fragbait

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
166
no worries buddy.

If you are old enough to have a license, you are old enough to have an enhanced license which allows you to travel to canada by car (but not by plane) dont worry if you cant get it within the next three weeks (since it takes two weeks to ship to you) but it is definitely something you should keep in mind for future reference. Because we do plan on making more regular trips to Toronto because they have such a big gaming scene and regular events.

typically we meet at RIT on Wednesdays from 8 pm to 11pm, and on fridays from 8 pm until roughly 3 am. Both days are in the same building but different rooms. if you want to know more let me know and I can get you my number and contact info. I dont know anything about you or your family but if your parents have any problems, I can also speak to them and take care of any fears or worries thy might have about the whole situation.

Lastly we have a number of players across all skill levels and age ranges (from 14 to 25 and from day 1 scrubs to nationally known top players.) where you are not doesnt matter. All that matters is if you want to get better than you are now. If the answer is yes, we can help you
My parents shouldn't have a problem considering im going to be in college soon anyways, however i would deffinitely like to get your number and stuff because ill most likely be attending the friday smashfests not so sure about wensdays though. as for my license i dont have it yet im going to be taking my exam next month. the only reason im going to sktar is because my dad agreed to take me because my friends from canada are going to it. i need to start getting practice though because sktar is just around the corner and im not used to offline play so as soon as you can give me that contact info i should be able to show up. Btw how many people usually show up to the smash fests
 

da K.I.D.

Smash Hero
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
19,658
Location
Rochester, NY
its been steadily increasing over the last few months.

wednesdays usually get around a dozen. fridays are closer to 15 or more. thats across all the games.

my number 585-414-2997
my facebook: i check it often www.facebook.com/KIDGoggles.

good luck on the road test btw.
 
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Xsyven

And how!
BRoomer
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Messages
14,069
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Las Vegas
I'm in the city for the week. Anything going on? I've been directed to the NYC SSB facebook page, but it looks like there isn't much going on this week.

I'm guessing the city is a pretty hard place to host anything, since space is so limited.
 
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Equal

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Jan 21, 2013
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172
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New York
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So as it stands I'm going to U Albany in the fall. What's the main game over in those parts? I'll be playing mostly Melee and Smash 4.

Also byebye Gravy you're always reppin' WNY in my heart <3
 

Omega Tyrant

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Schenectady, New York
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So as it stands I'm going to U Albany in the fall. What's the main game over in those parts? I'll be playing mostly Melee and Smash 4.

Also byebye Gravy you're always reppin' WNY in my heart <3
Albany seems to be mostly Brawl based, as well as nearby Schenectady. Schenectady has a group of dedicated (if low level) Melee/PM players however, and then nearby Troy seems to have revived to a primary Melee/PM scene. When Smash 4 comes around, Schenectady will definitely be primarily that and Albany should follow suit, Can't say how the Melee/PM players in Troy will react to Smash 4 though.
 

Equal

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New York
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iiEqual
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Welp I'm actually going to Stony Brook in the fall haha. So I'll be in downstate for awhile. Don't worry though, I'm always gonna be OG upstate. #turncoat
 

Dakka

Smash Rookie
Joined
May 14, 2014
Messages
1
Location
Ithaca, New York
Aww, it would have been nice to have another melee player at UAlbany. We need them. As of last semester, there were only ~4 melee players on campus I was a aware of, 2 of whom are graduating now, and another will be living off campus next semester (though is very willing to play). There were some others, though I don't think any of the rest have ever gone to a tournament. OmegaTyrant is right though; Albany is by and large brawl based at the moment, and this may change when smash 4 comes out, or if enough melee players show up next semester and start playing each other regularly. Speaking of brawl though, will anyone be playing brawl in Ithaca this summer?
 

x13mako

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
609
Location
Cortland, New York
If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." -Bruce Lee
"Mixing prescription drugs will make me that much more healthy." - Bruce Lee
 
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