first LAN!

[Como]

whoot, first lan party, tomorrow. i just rigged up a mega-ghetto (not duct tape ghetto, though...) computer carry strap. then i picked up the computer, and man oh man its heavy! 60-70 lbs, i'd say...
my mom doesnt want me to take it on the bus, and she doesnt want to gimme a ride to school. i live 40 miles away from there, and it wont end well. Anyways, we plan on lannin at school in VOC, and then afterschool i'm off to a friends house. the guys at school owe me a monitor, so all i gotta bring is my computer, and my keyboard/mouse...(and my games, dur!)

i cant remember why i started this, but i dont know if i'm gonna be abel to play or not, i really want to show off my rig.
i dont believe my SIG is updated, i have a torin @ 12V in there, and my stable OC is down because of a bios flash...(i'm trying to get my old one back as i type this...other computer)

anyways, whats a good bios for my mobo, and what should i NOT forget to bring?

[Como]

oka,y i have a ride...now its just the bios thats bugging me. and i reinforced the torin as to not bust my mobo in transit...heh. temps went up 5C becasue its not perfect anymore, but its fine for now. i dont plan on pushing it too far lanning, i'll probly keep the OC down....bios? i currently have tictacs something or otehr, and my stable FSB is way down...i want my old one back but i donno what it was :p

[TalRW]

some basic issues. If you are having trouble with networking/filesharing make sure everyone is in the same subnet or else you will have trouble. Don't forget a mousepad. Also bring your drivers and OS cd you never know when something may happen.

[bored-sarcasm]

things you need.

1. caffine
2. caffine
3. mouse pad
4. chair (if not provided)
5. driver cd's
6. money (for food or drinks later)
7. all game's cds
8. ethernet cable (if not provided)
9. maybe some of your own munchies
10. have fun.

[am8soccer]

hmm lan at school, that would be wierd...
anyways lans are great

make sure to get some BAWLS

[Como]

cant afford any bawls, i'll have to do with what i can get at miccy D's.

i dropped my computer last night, preparing....3' onto concrete floor. not good...after messing with it i powered it on, all seems well, but the DVD drive makes BAD noises. the cdis dragging...i think something fell out of place in it, so i threw my 52X in my system and lefty the dvd drive behind (only optical i keep in there, a combo...paid $55 for it a few montsh back)

anyone else ever dropped a CDROM and needed ot fix it? any help would be nice, i'm ****ed i think i kileld it...

anyways, i've been lanning in here, now i'm waiting for someone else to challenge...cant believe i dropped it! *whips self with cat5*

[JDizzle]

Don't forget the mousepad!

[DaveSauce]

NO SPEAKERS

speakers are a big no-no at any lan party. Exceptions would be small parties (about 5-8 people) with friends where you want to play music or funny videos etc.....but otherwise no.

Bring beverages. Not many LANs provide that sort of thing. If they do, it'll be more expensive than bringing your own. On that topic, bring snacks too....

Also, bring everything you need to format/reinstall. It shouldn't happen, but if it does you'll be glad you have it. A more wise decision would be to burn copies of all the CDs you intend to bring and leave the originals at home. More important than having the games is having a CD key for the games. Should you have to reinstall, you'll need a CD key to play them....and I doubt anyone there is willing to give up theirs.

On the topic of software, make sure you PATCH EVERYTHING you intend to play. If you want to be nice, burn a CD with patches for everything so if someone were to need them, you could provide them. Would also be nice to have if you were to format/reinstall...

POWER STRIP! Bring your own, and do NOT plug it into someone elses. Should they leave before you, you will have to shut down and find somewhere else to plug in to continue gaming.

Bring a seat cushin or something soft to sit on (pillow would do nicely, I suppose, and double as..well, a pillow...in case you get tired and want to sleep for a bit). Unless you're bringing your own chair, you don't know what kind of seating they will have for you....this way you can be prepared for next-to-the-worst.....the worst being no seating at all, lol.

A lot of people will actually advise that you bring your own chair....I don't. It's a lot of work....you COULD use it to transport your stuff I suppose (if it's a chair on wheels)....but it's up to you. Just one more [big] thing to stuff in whatever vehicle you're using for transportation.

Bring money.....usually a late-night or early-morning resturaunt run is in order after several hours of gaming.

and don't forget....GET UP AND WALK AROUND ONCE IN A WHILE!!! Nothing worse than gaming for several hours to discover your butt is numb and you can't walk.

MAKE A CHECKLIST AND MARK IT OFF AS YOU PACK

VERY important. Make a pre-party checklist of everything you need, and check them off as you put them in your car. It sucks getting to a LAN party and discovering that you are missing a mousepad, a game, or a keyboard or something. Also, use this same list when you LEAVE the party. This ensures that you don't forget anything.

um...that's all I can think of. Anyway, have fun. That's the #1 most important thing.

[Como]

mousepad. i wsnly a 2-3 person lan, and i forgot my mousepad...

CAR? i wishand i'm pretty sure i've plyed for about 4 hours today, and spend 3 setting up a fricken LAN. xp is horrid!

[pummer]

http://f1.offtopic.com/uploads/files/chslan01.jpg
our computer club lan at school went sweet :)
a projector is a must-have, especially if you wanna watch supertroopers :o

[TalRW]

mousepad. i wsnly a 2-3 person lan, and i forgot my mousepad...

Gah and I reminded you to bring one in the first post . :rolleyes:

[Como]

yeah,, i figured that my wireless laser mouse wouldnt need one. surprising how hard it is to use in a game on a bed, wall, knee, pillow, ect....heh. time to pose about my new problems, EG. the busted DVD rom from dropping my computer and a bios update because hte one i changed to sucks...