Frequently Asked Questions
What is a LAN Party?
A LAN (Local Area Network) party is a really “cool” gathering where loads of gamers bring their PCs to a huge hall and spend a weekend playing games, drinking and avoiding sleep for as long as possible.
The idea of LAN parties is to bring people together and allow gaming to be a more sociable experience. If you’ve ever played computer games online and enjoyed chatting to people in those games, imagine what it’d be like to be able to shout over the table at the person you just fragged. ;)
What will I need to bring along?
- Two pc power leads (“kettle leads”).
- One surge protected 4-gang plug with >1m lead.
- Monitor, keyboard, mouse.
- Headphones (Speakers NOT allowed)
- A pillow or something comfortable to sleep on.
- Lots of food and drink – though there are many local shops.
A PC with at least:
- 10/100/1000 network card
- 64MB DX8 graphics card
- At least a 1 ghz processor256MB of RAM
Before setting off, also make sure:
- You have run a full virus and spyware check on your PC.
- You have your workgroup set to “fragM”.
- If you have any network Shares, unshare any folders with your game's serials.
- You have your computer’s IP address set to “automatic”
- Your PC actually works. Spending the first three hours of the event reinstalling windows is a truly worthwhile use of your booking fee ;p
How much will it cost?
The cost will be £31 for the whole weekend. Sorry but we will not be issuing single day tickets. This entrance fee also gives you access to the full facilities at the excellent Game'08, a huge 1500 visitor gaming convention.
How do I book/pay? Do you take 'on the door' bookings?
signup should be completed via the Game'08 website. Simply register there and book your fragM tickets. Please note that ALL bookings MUST be performed IN ADVANCE. We cannot accept 'on the door' payments for both security and organisational reasons.
What is your age policy?
We have a strict policy of no U16s at the event and we also require anybody under the age of 18 to provide a signed parental consent form. You will be prompted for this when you accept the terms and conditions of buying a ticket.
Where is the event?
What games do you play?
We'll play anything and welcome you to bring any game you like along - it may catch on! More seriously though, we'll be running tournaments for Savage: Battle for Newearth, Counter Strike: Source, Soldat, StarCraft, TrackMania and our retro "GamesMeister" tourney. We will also be playing loads of other games including Quake 3, Halo, Tetris 4, random driving, rts and other fps games.
Can I host my own servers/games?
YES! We're more than happy for you to host your own games and if you want us to host the server for you, speak to us here before the event and we'll see what we can do.
Can I bring an extra PC/monitor/etc with me?
Unfortunately not. Your ticket entitles you to one power point (hence needing to bring a 4-bar plug for your power leads), one network cable and one space at the table. If you wish to bring extra PCs with you then in general you'll need to purchase an extra ticket
What size monitors do you allow?
In general we try to be flexible about this but as you're obviously limited to one table space at the event, we absolutely cannot allow giant 30-odd inch monster LCDs. Similarly, we ask you not to bring CRTs bigger than 19". If this poses a problem, feel free to ask one of the organisers and we'll see what we can do for you. However, we can't bend the laws of time and space. We've come to accept that now :p
What speed does your network run at?
Our main switch is a 48 port fully managed gigabit monster ;) We also have several other 48 port 10/100 switches (with 2 x 1 gigabit uplinks) that we use when attendence or cable lengths require. In general, you can expect a high class gigabit solution with a very mature network setup.
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