NCsoft fined for breach of E3 noise regulations

Omega X

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Join Date: Jun 2005

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Sorry If this was posted already:
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NCsoft fined for breach of E3 noise regulations
Illustration
Paul Loughrey 14:08 15/05/2006

Publisher responds by reconsidering future show attendance

Software publisher NCsoft has been fined USD 5000 by organisers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, allegedly breaching stringent rules on noise levels for publishers attending the annual event.

NCsoft's booth at E3 2006 consisted of a large stage area where live music sets were repeatedly played to promote the company's forthcoming MMO title, Tabula Rasa. The crowd were encouraged to applaud as loudly as possible, although NCsoft maintains that there were louder noise levels from rival publisher's stands and that the situation was monitored by its staff during the event.

US website GameSpot reports that the publisher had three staff members monitoring the situation with decibel recorders, an NCsoft representative stating: "We've been doing our best to comply [with regulations]."

The publisher will be complying with the decision regarding the fine, but the company's VP of strategic development, Fred Schmidt, has suggested that NCsoft may choose an alternative venue to present its games next year, snubbing the most recognisable and highly attended trade event for the industry.

Addressing the assembled crowd during the event, Schmidt stated: "We're not sure we're on the same plane with this organisation… We have been harassed for three days straight, and I'm not sure we're coming back here, but we are going to have a party next year - real near here - and we hope you all will come."

This year's E3 event was attended by come 60,000 industry professionals, with major announcements from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft paving the way for first and third party publishers to present their latest game releases and vie for attention amongst the crowds. Organisers instigated a number of regulations regarding stage size, noise levels and the use of "booth babes", and are apparently determined to enforce those regulations in the light of any perceived infraction.
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Mr_T_bot

Mr_T_bot

Banned

Join Date: Apr 2006

E3 has gotten too big for its britches.

Ravious

Ravious

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

Servants of Fortuna

N/Mo

That would be hilarious if NCSoft rented its own place like a hotel room or something right near E3 and did their own thing there with a big middle finger pointed somewhere else :P....

Pariah Hellfire

Pariah Hellfire

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2006

N/Mo

This is the single most ridiculous thing I've read today.Fined for people having to good a time.NCSOFT should take that cheque for the E3 Gestapo , roll a big mamajamma blunt and blow the smoke straight up their _ _ _ ,while tap dancing on the corpse of oppression and ridiculum , humming "you can't touch this" in Pig Latin.

Fined for being to loud..please...ROCK ON NCSOFT, you rock on.

*Devils Advocate* Rules at an E3 event should be followed to the letter and any deviation from the so supplied list of regulations will be reprimanded accordingly"....I'd like to take the Bludgenor of Enlightment and smash these people over the head and give them a big ol' dose of wake the f_ _k up.Newsflash dingbats..if it wasnt for companies like Sony,NCSoft and others pitching their collective tents at your little shindigs you wouldnt be having crowds being loud at all..schmucks.(smash them over the head FIGURATIVELY,wouldn't want to get fined for anything).

twicky_kid

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Join Date: Jun 2005

Quite Vulgar [FUN]

E3 must comply with the regulations of the city they were in.

Best thing they can do is go to one of the Kansas were there is nothing for miles on end and party hard. I remember when they had real strippers and booze galore. Now its so pussy footed to try and play into a consumer market that doesn't buy. Give games what they want.

Booth girls, loud music, and lots of booze.

If you don't want to attend because of things like that just watch all the presentations online. They are all nice and clean and ready for "whole some" families.

Omega X

Omega X

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Join Date: Jun 2005

Louisiana, USA

Boston Guild[BG]

W/Me

The funny thing about this is Gaile actually complained about how loud the band was too in one of the in-game logs.

metalone

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Sep 2005

Loud And Proud Baby Keep It Up

Doomslay

Doomslay

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2006

Knights and Heros

Mo/

I hear the Booth Babes are being given strick guide-lines on what they can and cannot wear as well. Some Party Huh ( as long as you dont wake the neibors and dont get too indecent )

Mustache Mayhem

Wilds Pathfinder

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BEN

R/N

5 grand seems pretty steep.. probably more about the money =] I would'nt support E3 either after reading that

Str0b0

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

North Carolina

N/Me

They are regulating booth babes too? WTH is this world coming to when I can't go to E3 and see hot Asian models with breast implants and string bikinis that have nothing to do with the games? It's a sad sad world I tell you a sad world indeed. BOOTH BABES FTW!!!

Digital Bath

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doomslay
I hear the Booth Babes are being given strick guide-lines on what they can and cannot wear as well. Some Party Huh ( as long as you dont wake the neibors and dont get too indecent )
Sounds like a great Quaker party!


.....Where's my beer and smokes?

Diablo???

Diablo???

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NCSoft had the best booth in the whole E3 event, hands down. Blizzard's booth was right across from them and all they had was 12 little pc, a statue, and a big screen showing the same boring trailer from last year.... I think they were overwhelmingly jealous. Especially when NCSofts Awesome rock band called "The Mutaytors" where performing their exotic tribal dance music. It was like a mini rave party in their booths.

One of their performing chicks was playing with a hoolahoop that was lit on fire while she did various aerobic dances! It was HOT... literally! Then there was another girl that performed with two chinese fans, also lit on fire... while she brushes the fire across her face. It was followed by some fire swallowing act and a chinese new year dragon dance.... the whole performance was acompanied by ear deafening drums beating at 100+ db! (Which is a good thing )

Between performances there were cinematics of their games shown on (possibly the largest at E3) big-screen TV, acompanied with thick smoke screens and laser light shows. NCSoft also provided the most free bags... neary everyone at E3 was carrying one, loaded with tons of freebies and posters!

Overall NCSoft's booth was twice as big as Blizzards and three times bigger than most average booths... their booth was only outdone by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.... not even EA can compare with NCSoft's outrageously extravagant performance!


Summary: NCSoft > Everyone else at E3

Rayne Nightfyre

Rayne Nightfyre

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Me/A

Looks like they finally got busted, even NCsoft isn't perfect.

Nice going!

Str0b0

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

North Carolina

N/Me

Yeah NC Soft is like that fraternity on campus that was constantly getting put on probation but threw the best parties anywhere. Nothing but respect for them from this corner and I don't give that out lightly.

Gmr Leon

Gmr Leon

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Join Date: Apr 2006

Rock on and party hard NCsoft! XD

salaboB

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diablo™
NCSoft had the best booth in the whole E3 event, hands down. Blizzard's booth was right across from them and all they had was 12 little pc, a statue, and a big screen showing the same boring trailer from last year.... I think they were overwhelmingly jealous. Especially when NCSofts Awesome rock band called "The Mutaytors" where performing their exotic tribal dance music. It was like a mini rave party in their booths.

One of their performing chicks was playing with a hoolahoop that was lit on fire while she did various aerobic dances! It was HOT... literally! Then there was another girl that performed with two chinese fans, also lit on fire... while she brushes the fire across her face. It was followed by some fire swallowing act and a chinese new year dragon dance.... the whole performance was acompanied by ear deafening drums beating at 100+ db! (Which is a good thing )

Between performances there were cinematics of their games shown on (possibly the largest at E3) big-screen TV, acompanied with thick smoke screens and laser light shows. NCSoft also provided the most free bags... neary everyone at E3 was carrying one, loaded with tons of freebies and posters!
In other words:

NCSoft went to a game expo designed to show off what's coming and what they're doing, and spent large portions of it making lots of noise and having performances completely unrelated to their products.

Gee, I don't understand why they would get in trouble.

Diablo???

Diablo???

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That would be true if their product pales in comparison with other games, but other games weren't any more excitable than NCSoft's as well. E3 This year were mostly same old boring games seen last year, with most expansions, and a few previews. Sony is total shit this year (Same shitty system, scrapped controller designs, deadline pushed back to November, and the price tag at $599.99!!!). Microsoft and Nintendo had relatively nothing new, EA's booth is like a duplicate from last year, and Blizzard has only a WoW patch to announce, plus Starcraft Ghost is now scrapped.

Besides Tabla Rasa and Factions, NCSofts games weren't any more big news than last year either, same-o same-o.... overall, this year E3 was less about games and just about showmanship (Which I agree, is kinda sad....). Coincidentally it's also the year E3 got the beat stick up everyone's ass about no-no booth babes and sound control.

If E3 had their ways, the convention this year would've been as dead as a doornail in a grave.....

WasAGuest

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2006

Oooops. Maybe we'l be able to purchase those character slots sooner now, than later. hehe

Fyre Brand

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2005

Shadowlight Order [SoR]

A five grand fine isn't that much. I think NCI got exactly the publicity they were looking for. No one else is talking as much about MS or Nintendo booths. Plus you have to kind of expect Richard Garriot to pull out the stops on his new game.

Laibeus Lord

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lol, E3 reached its peak now it will slowly go down in popularity if NCsoft starts the wave

One major developer and publisher power house boycotting E3? That's a slap in their faces. If NCsoft will be able to pull a very good show independently or in other game conventions, the others will follow suit. Say I'm Blizzard/Vivendi why would I let NCsoft dominate a game convention? I'll follow them and fight them head-on right there and then. Forget E3, our stiff competitor is in the other convention.

And slowly, one by one they will stop going to E3. Maybe NCsoft did something wrong or maybe they did follow the rules. But that's something you shouldn't do with a powerhouse like NCsoft.

Soon E3 will just become a Console convention.

FoxBat

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Amazon Basin [AB]

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laibeus Lord
Soon E3 will just become a Console convention.
Wow, how terribly unpopular. And not at all lucrative.

Seissor

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That's pretty damn sneaky...I mean without game publishers attending E3 all it is a giant shed. Silly E3.

NCsoft can come to my place to promote things and be as loud as they want :-)

o(0.0)o yay!

generik

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jun 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mustache Mayhem
5 grand seems pretty steep.. probably more about the money =] I would'nt support E3 either after reading that
5 grand is not even chicken chops when you take into account that the whole event probably costs NCSoft more than a 100 grand. To put into perspective you are saying that...

1) Price of 1.5 Apple PowerMac workstations

or

2) Revenue from 100 sales of factions

is expensive? To a MNC?

Omega X

Omega X

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Join Date: Jun 2005

Louisiana, USA

Boston Guild[BG]

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Quote:
Originally Posted by FoxBat
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laibeus Lord
Soon E3 will just become a Console convention.
Wow, how terribly unpopular. And not at all lucrative.
Wow, how terribly ignorant.

Warskull

Site Contributor

Join Date: Jul 2005

[out]

E3 has been attempting to get itself taken more seriously lately. While its requirement for affiliation with the gaming industry is still pretty loose, E3 is susposed to be a demo of upcoming products. NCsoft had a live band and was consistantly loud the entire expo. If you don't have noise limits everyone ends up having to get louder and louder to try and get heard over the general noise. If you are trying to demonstrate your product and the booth next to you has a live band playing extremely loudly (when they aren't even demoing a product) it is disruptive to the atmosphere. If NCsoft wants to have a party they really would be better off with their own venue.

Andy_M

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(Don't fear) The Beaver

Agreed, and next year E3 will all be about bunnies and mittens and candy-kisses...

fallot

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Aussie Trolling Crew: Grand Phallus and Chairman Pro Tempore

Quote:
Originally Posted by Omega X
Wow, how terribly ignorant.
It was sarcasm.

Snowman

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Quote:
Originally Posted by generik
5 grand is not even chicken chops when you take into account that the whole event probably costs NCSoft more than a 100 grand. To put into perspective you are saying that...
lol, I agree!.. in fact next year, If I were NCSOFT, I would have a cheque of 15000 ready and hike up the volume even more!...

the joke is actually on E3 not NCSOFT.

5k, how pathetic, just shows how seriously they take their 'regulations'...NOT

Stabber

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Sigilum Sanguis [keep]

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There are two ways to be noticed at one of these expos -- being the best, and being the loudest. The two are rarely the same. Personally, I don't think the best of the gaming industry represented at E3 this year had anything to do with MMO(RP)Gs, unless you consider Spore a MMO(RP)G.

Former Ruling

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Join Date: Oct 2005

Cedartown, Georgia

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stabber
There are two ways to be noticed at one of these expos -- being the best, and being the loudest. The two are rarely the same. Personally, I don't think the best of the gaming industry represented at E3 this year had anything to do with MMO(RP)Gs, unless you consider Spore a MMO(RP)G.
Nothing really represented the best of gaming lol.

This years E3 really wasn't to timely with the industry.

It sort of unluckily happened when the big 3 companies are all in a transition to newer consoles - so they didn't have much to show except trailers and previews that have been showing for over a year now. Mostly just tidbids of info you could already get most of at other sources and all of which were lacking in depth and make me personally yawn...

E3 just didn't hold up to the fans standards - its becoming a normal convension lol. Even G4's over the top (like 3 hour specials everyday or whatever) presentation of the event didn't really make me wish I was there...

Gmr Leon

Gmr Leon

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Former Ruling
.Even G4's over the top (like 3 hour specials everyday or whatever) presentation of the event didn't really make me wish I was there...
It was better last year if you ask me. I actually wished I was at E3 last year...

Doomslay

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Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Str0b0
Yeah NC Soft is like that fraternity on campus that was constantly getting put on probation but threw the best parties anywhere. Nothing but respect for them from this corner and I don't give that out lightly.

Does this mean they are on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION ?

Raziel665

Raziel665

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N/Mo

Most big E3 news is ussually isnt even announced at the E3 itself, but in the days ahead at seperate events, like Sony, MS and Nintendo's conference's, wich more and more company's are doing.

Trin Storm

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laibeus Lord
lol, E3 reached its peak now it will slowly go down in popularity if NCsoft starts the wave

One major developer and publisher power house boycotting E3? That's a slap in their faces. If NCsoft will be able to pull a very good show independently or in other game conventions, the others will follow suit. Say I'm Blizzard/Vivendi why would I let NCsoft dominate a game convention? I'll follow them and fight them head-on right there and then. Forget E3, our stiff competitor is in the other convention.

And slowly, one by one they will stop going to E3. Maybe NCsoft did something wrong or maybe they did follow the rules. But that's something you shouldn't do with a powerhouse like NCsoft.

Soon E3 will just become a Console convention.
BS - NCSoft is whining because they bent the rules and got busted. NCSoft should follow the rules just like all the others (not sure how much of a 'powerhouse' they are)

They can bluster about not going next year, but you know who that hurts? NCSoft - not E3 because the media gathers there - and the hype and coverage come from there. They would be stupid to cede the stage to the competition. Simply they would never get the coverage at their own show - at least not what they can get there. .

jummeth

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Mar 2006

London

Diary of a Madman [SiKK]

Puh no publicity is bad publicity. Gamespot just slapped NC on their front page... you can't buy that for 5k.

Its a win-win-win-win situation.
^^

milias

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I'm getting the feeling it's because NCSoft was stealing the thunder of the other stands close-by, and I seriously doubt E3 would even care about the noise level if someone hadn't complained to them.

Fyre Brand

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Join Date: Sep 2005

Shadowlight Order [SoR]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jummeth
Puh no publicity is bad publicity. Gamespot just slapped NC on their front page... you can't buy that for 5k.

Its a win-win-win-win situation.
^^
Exactly! Free publicity. The Garriot brothers know how to work the gaming industry. They been doing longer than most people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trin Storm
They can bluster about not going next year, but you know who that hurts? NCSoft - not E3 because the media gathers there - and the hype and coverage come from there. They would be stupid to cede the stage to the competition. Simply they would never get the coverage at their own show - at least not what they can get there. .
Yeah. I think that was a little bit of BS talk to cover for their publicity stunt. It would be insane not to attend that convention. The software industry and gaming especially is very fickle. If they didn't attend for a season or two it could be devastating.

Kurow

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RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO yeah NCsoft!

Hookecho

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Quote:
Originally Posted by twicky_kid
E3 must comply with the regulations of the city they were in.

Best thing they can do is go to one of the Kansas were there is nothing for miles on end and party hard.
Damnit....now everyone will want to come!

Eviance

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Eh I forget... o_O

Biscuit of Dewm [MEEP]

R/

The fact is E3 accomplished their goal.... It's like being in court and a lawyer bringing up something totally irrelevent but still very damaging and they take it off the record.... It doesn't matter, now it was thrown out there.

E3 was loud and proud.... They did what they had to do to get the needed attention. The fact that they went beyond what they were supposed to really doesn't matter now, cause I am sure the fanboys/babes were eating it up! The broke the rules but they got what they needed accomplished: Attention!

Personally I think everyone should respect other peoples space but at the same time, if you need to get the attention of the public does a little fine to a huge company matter?