Stuff to do at AGDQ

2013-11-26 01:07:44 am

I'm a local as well, there's a great indoor roller rink nearby and I can drive people in my car. They have some arcade stuff and laser tag as well.

Last time I went, I chipped a tooth. Not rollerblading, but playing laser tag.

DirectFraud

2013-11-26 04:34:58 am

The One and Only Fraud

Quote from Stevesesy:

I'm a local as well, there's a great indoor roller rink nearby and I can drive people in my car. They have some arcade stuff and laser tag as well.

Last time I went, I chipped a tooth. Not rollerblading, but playing laser tag.

Lazer tag? Count me in.

CyberBotX

2013-12-02 08:10:15 pm

Insane Killer Robot

Man, lot of stuff in this thread. I was going to be down for mini-golf but won't be there for it. I didn't notice if there was a time for bowling but I'd be down for that. Also didn't see if there was a time for laser tag but I'd be down for that too.

I plan on bringing my copy of Robo Rally if anyone wants to play that. It's the original version of it, not the remade version that Avalon Hill put out.

Not sure if this was mentioned or not, but were there any plans to see the sights of Washington, D.C. at all? I didn't get a chance to do that last year but I would love to go sightseeing.

Strongfox

2013-12-02 10:26:07 pm

Quote from CyberBotX:

Not sure if this was mentioned or not, but were there any plans to see the sights of Washington, D.C. at all? I didn't get a chance to do that last year but I would love to go sightseeing.

IIRC I think someone mentioned about possibly going to the National Air And Space Museum: Udvar Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. Also there was talk of possibly going to Smithsonian's National Zoo too. But both are up in the air.

Zero|DPX

2013-12-02 11:58:28 pm

I'm interested in pretty much anything. Mini-golf, bowling, laser tag, board games, sightseeing, roller rink, Dogfish Head (repeatedly) are all fine ideas. If there are other ideas I'm probably down for those too.

The whole point of coming to this is to meet other people and have a good time.

Incidentally, for things not as formally-scheduled as e.g. the Poker Tournament, is there like a bulletin board or giant G+ hangout or some other group coordination system by which people can figure out that something is happening and they'd like to tag along?

elendil004

2013-12-03 09:43:40 am

Honestly a facebook group might be the best solution, people can have it ping them when new posts are made and it can be as easy as posting "Hey, going to dogfish head at 4pm, who wants to come" to "what can we do sunday"

You can make it private/invite only and then the only people left out are people without facebooks but honestly...aside from everyone's grandparents who is that anymore.

PJ

2013-12-03 09:46:22 am

Is PJ

A Facebook group would be very very hard to coordinate on-site, considering most of us weren't on computers at all for the entire week...except to mod chat or check up on donations or something.

elendil004

2013-12-03 09:47:06 am

Everyone has a phone, and I am willing to bet a thousand dollars nearly everyone has a smart phone with facebook.

PJ

2013-12-03 09:47:47 am

Is PJ

Quote from elendil004:

Everyone has a phone, and I am willing to bet a thousand dollars nearly everyone has a smart phone with facebook.

I hadn't had a smart phone until like 3 months ago. I have a feeling you're going to be out a thousand dollars. Also, how is it easier to check facebook on a phone every few minutes than it is to just ask someone where they're going for dinner?

elendil004

2013-12-03 09:50:17 am

I was responding mainly to the guy asking about if there's a bulletin board or g+ hangout. I offer facebook as a solution to people who want to coordinate outside of standing on a chair and yelling if anyone wants to go to Dennys. It's not a solution to people who don't want that Smiley

Also with what, a hundred people attending, it's tough to walk around and ask everyone what they want, so people will tend to stick with their cliques and half the fun of events like this is meeting new people.

Alko

2013-12-03 09:51:40 am

Caution: This user contains Kana ^_^

Quote from elendil004:

Everyone has a phone, and I am willing to bet a thousand dollars nearly everyone has a smart phone with facebook.

I don't have a smartphone and I'm not on facebook. (Though I'm not going to AGDQ either.) Does that put you out of twice the thousand dollars?

elendil004

2013-12-03 09:53:22 am

Thank god I said nearly everyone and my lawyer told me that is enough to protect me from having to pay out any real money. Phew.

But Alko you wouldn't be helped by a G+ Hangout solution either, so you're not really the demographic that an online group for arranging stuff during the marathon panders to.

DirectFraud

2013-12-03 10:06:37 am

The One and Only Fraud

Frankly, I think a facebook group would be a good idea. Easier to coordinate things, like Elendil said. If you don't have a facebook or don't want to be in the group, you don't have to be. It'd make food runs for the people who don't have cars easier, as well as meeting new people.

Strongfox

2013-12-03 10:24:49 am

I think having both a bulletin board and a Facebook group/Google+ hangout is a good idea. Also it may be nice to make a list and have it on site with information as too when you might be going to said place and also who to contact about going to said place i.e. person coordinating side event/trip.

thadarkman78

2013-12-03 10:28:44 am

Quote from elendil004:

Everyone has a phone, and I am willing to bet a thousand dollars nearly everyone has a smart phone with facebook.

If anything you're looking at the type of demographic that is most likely to NOT have a facebook. I'm not suggesting that the majority don't, just that there is a higher chance of finding someone in this demographic without a facebook than someone in another type of demographic without one.

Also considering there is a large European presence @ AGDQ, I doubt many of them will have smartphones.

Honestly most of the time (at least if SGDQ is any indication) we just end up winging things instead of formally deciding on times to do things other than of course organized events like Poker and Melee.

Alko

2013-12-03 11:15:03 am

Caution: This user contains Kana ^_^

Quote from thadarkman78:

Also considering there is a large European presence @ AGDQ, I doubt many of them will have smartphones.

I can safely tell you that this assumption is wrong.

Zero|DPX

2013-12-03 02:10:27 pm

I don't have experience with the Facebook group idea (no Facebook account). I do have some experience with using a G+ hangout to coordinate ~50 people for several days of a convention. That worked very well, basically just a giant group chat that would mark for you where you (and every other participant) has last read up to. And yes, pretty much everybody in question used smartphones rather than laptops or desktops to interact with it.

I certainly imagine lots of stuff will be totally on-the-fly or word-of-mouth. That's fine. Was just hoping to suggest other things that might make a good addition.

ikkeserv

2013-12-04 11:11:44 am

Quote from Strongfox:

Quote from CyberBotX:

Not sure if this was mentioned or not, but were there any plans to see the sights of Washington, D.C. at all? I didn't get a chance to do that last year but I would love to go sightseeing.

IIRC I think someone mentioned about possibly going to the National Air And Space Museum: Udvar Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. Also there was talk of possibly going to Smithsonian's National Zoo too. But both are up in the air.

When someone is planning to do some sightseeing, I would be up for it aswell.

elendil004

2013-12-04 11:25:35 am

Well someone should set up a facebook group then,honestly whoever makes the first "thing" for people to use is going to get used.

ikkeserv

2013-12-04 12:23:09 pm

facebook is evil, i dont have it

rudyxx

2013-12-04 03:14:04 pm

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Quote from elendil004:

Everyone has a phone, and I am willing to bet a thousand dollars nearly everyone has a smart phone with facebook.

No smartphone here. Don't see the point in having one with my lifestyle. In fact I'm possibly going to go to a pay as you go phone in the next few months.

I noticed Age of Empires 2 being on the schedule. I hope there are some people around that would be up for a few multiplayer games.

Drakodan

2013-12-04 03:34:12 pm

Bad Sandwich

It's quite likely that I'll be getting a digital Chess clock for Christmas. This being the case, if people want me to I'll bring the clock and my set to the event, and we can 'speedrun' Chess by playing blitz games. Anyone up for that?

DrCoolGuy

2013-12-04 03:39:33 pm

Just a guy

I'd play! I haven't in quite some time though so sorry if I'm bad~

zerojustice315

2013-12-13 11:16:28 pm

I'm gonna be there for the main week and I live right by Herndon so I know some things to do around there if people run out of ideas.

bryan

2013-12-15 11:24:57 pm

I live near the hotel and I can make a few food suggestions.

Walking distance:
Taco Bell, Wendy's, Chipotle, Potbelly
Bertucci's -- lousy Italian restaurant
Thai Tada -- decent
Amphora -- 24 hr diner. huge menu

There are a lot of restaurants in the Village Center, about 1/2 km south of the hotel -- ~20 minute walk:
Starbucks, Subway
McDonald's -- 24 hr drive-thru
Red Hot & Blue -- terrible BBQ
Noodles & Company -- health food
Rubino's -- mediocre Italian eatery
Hama Sushi -- excellent & pricey
China King -- mediocre but cheap
Pho New -- decent
Minerva Indian -- I'm not a fan, but they do have a lunch buffet
Sorrento Grill -- greek food, pretty good
Chao Phra Ya -- decent thai
Mighty Khan's -- okay mongolian bbq

Worth the drive:
Moby Dick -- ~10 mins east of the hotel -- decent kabob
Charcoal Kabob -- ~15 mins north/east in Herndon -- my favorite kabob place in the area
Honey Pig -- ~20 mins south in Centreville -- 24 hr Korean BBQ
Texas de Brazil -- ~35 mins in Fair Oaks mall -- pricey but excellent churrascaria (all you can eat BBQ)

Someone asked upthread about a crab shack, and I can recommend Captain Pell's in Fairfax.

I live near the hotel and I can make a few food suggestions.

Walking distance:
Taco Bell, Wendy's, Chipotle, Potbelly
Bertucci's -- lousy Italian restaurant
Thai Tada -- decent
Amphora -- 24 hr diner.  huge menu

There are a lot of restaurants in the Village Center, about 1/2 km south of the hotel -- ~20 minute walk:
Starbucks, Subway
McDonald's -- 24 hr drive-thru
Red Hot & Blue -- terrible BBQ
Noodles & Company -- health food
Rubino's -- mediocre Italian eatery
Hama Sushi -- excellent & pricey
China King -- mediocre but cheap
Pho New -- decent
Minerva Indian -- I'm not a fan, but they do have a lunch buffet
Sorrento Grill -- greek food, pretty good
Chao Phra Ya -- decent thai
Mighty Khan's -- okay mongolian bbq

Worth the drive:
Moby Dick -- ~10 mins east of the hotel -- decent kabob
Charcoal Kabob -- ~15 mins north/east in Herndon -- my favorite kabob place in the area
Honey Pig -- ~20 mins south in Centreville -- 24 hr Korean BBQ
Texas de Brazil -- ~35 mins in Fair Oaks mall -- pricey but excellent churrascaria (all you can eat BBQ)

Someone asked upthread about a crab shack, and I can recommend Captain Pell's in Fairfax.