Help with creating a local scene...

Maedhros

Maedhros

[12] Conqueror
I hope I didn't make a mistake by posting this here. (^_^;)

Anyway, I got tired of playing online SC. Don't get me wrong, I love playing the game still and am actively improving my way of playing. It's just that online lag started getting on my friggin' nerves, and online is all I got! =P Maybe things will improve with SCV, but something tells me it will neither be a significant nor an essential improvement.

I live in Belgrade, Serbia... Not a small city. More than 1.000.000 inhabiting the center and another million in the outskirts. However, I used to think not many people can afford a PS3 here (low wages and stuff), but then I was surprised to find out that 3 guys in my own building have those consoles. It made me think. If there are other people in my city playing SoulCalibur, how can I round them up?

What are your experiences with local offline gatherings/casual playing? How did it all start for you and the place where you live? In here we have places where people meet to play PS3, but wherever I go, the TVs are green with PES (insert latest year) ad FIFA (again insert latest year).

This period when SCV is about to hit the shelves is probably the most ideal time for me to ask these questions. Please help me (or help anyone looking to do the same thing as I am) by giving out some good advice. Thanks!
 
Synraii said:
Find a venue, get friendly with the manager and tell EVERYBODY about events.
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Events? You mean I should organize tourneys? Or did you mean that I should get people aquainted with the game from scratch? And how to spread the word to everybody? :D
 
Do you guys have any gaming websites or forums where you could ask people, if they were interested in offline fighting game gatherings (maybe not just SC but other games too)?
 
Koz said:
Do you guys have any gaming websites or forums where you could ask people, if they were interested in offline fighting game gatherings (maybe not just SC but other games too)?
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Ah, so that's what Synraii was referring to. Yeah, we have those. Ironically, the Japanese pop culture association here is probably the best place to go to. :D
 
Building up a scene yourself pretty much makes you that regions TO - I know because that's exactly what's happened to me. I organise pretty much every SCIV event in the midlands.

First of all, find a place with the right hardware. Screen lag is an issue - CRTs are best, monitors second and big HD's are a BIG no-no. If you are forced to use monitors, try for smaller ones, 18" or so to minimise the effects. I say finda place with this because taking a few CRTs with you is a pain in the ass. If they have setups, even better, which is why I use the gamerbases. If not, have people bring theirs along if possible.

Organise tournaments, organise casuals - just get as much time offline as you can out of the game. Welcome players of every skill level, if you only accommodate good players seriously, it only intimidates newbies. Find a good, centralised location to hold the events - I like to use the gamerbases here as its public and the people going are already gamers, so more potential players. Be sure to build a relationship with the manager as you can get better rates for the location.
Now, spreading the word:
1. Online sources. if you have a general serbian fighting games forum, then that's your first port of call, in England, the equivalent is Neoempire. You can also use places like 8wayrun, but I wouldn't bother as your main advertising method - most people here are either US players or online only, its too generalised. Defenitely put any events up here for people who slip through the first net, but make sure you have a more focused site to work with.
2. Offline sources. This is where its important to have a good relationship with the owner of your location - they may allow you to put up flyers and advertise directly there.
3. Baby steps. Building a scene takes a lot of time and effort, don't be put off by poor turnouts, keep persevering.
4. Ignore the haters. There are certain people who only play online, do nothing to support their local scene and badmouth players who do show even though they don't have the balls to do the same.
*Cough Mage cough*
DO NOT let it put you off, just keep hammering away untill you have a stable scene. It could take months or years, but it can be done - I know, because me and AoT (mainly AoT, lol) have done it.

You will find that FG players are useless at making plans and even worse at keeping to them, so the expected numbers can vary greatly from the number of people who actually show, you will find a few regulars and these are the hardcore of your scene, prioritise events to work with both you and them as they are dependable numbers.

Finally, HYPE - hype is what keeps a community alive, once you have some players, get hype, build hype and make the most of all your events!

Hope that helps. =)
 
Perhaps this should be stickied. I'm sure there's certain people who share the same sentiment as you, Maedhros. I for instance, am also tired of online just as you. Just rambling my honest thoughts.
 
Look for Facebook groups, videogames, anime conventions or any other place where FG players in your scene lurk around. If you have friends, or relatives of friends who play FGs, get them into the game! If they have a great time playing the game, the hype will pretty much spread by itself. That's where you can start moving to the next phase: assembling a SC community in your area.

Pretty sure someone like Idle will give you much better advice, but those are my two cents. That's how I started a scene in a country much, much smaller than yours.
 
Albator said:
Look for Facebook groups, videogames, anime conventions or any other place where FG players in your scene lurk around. If you have friends, or relatives of friends who play FGs, get them into the game! If they have a great time playing the game, the hype will pretty much spread by itself. That's where you can start moving to the next phase: assembling a SC community in your area.

Pretty sure someone like Idle will give you much better advice, but those are my two cents. That's how I started a scene in a country much, much smaller than yours.
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la voz de la experiencia huh?
 
Just call everyone in your area a loser and describe how badly you would destroy them if they ever showed up to one of your gatherings.

If you call them out and troll them enough then they're bound to show up.
 
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