Fan Faire – A SWG Overview

It's 2 days until Fan Faire 2009? Are you ready for some fun? Soon gamers from all over will descend upon Las Vegas to join SOE employees in days of massive online gaming fun. No matter which SOE game you play, there will be something for everyone who attends even those who have yet to try our games.

Online registration has already closed, but you can still attend the Fan Faire through walk-in registration which begins June 25, 2009 at 4pm Vegas Time!

The SWG Team

The following members of the SWG team are scheduled to be at Fan Faire, as well as a host of folks from the other SOE teams and departments!

Attending Fan Faire 2009:

• Christopher S. Field – “Dotanuki” – Producer, SOE
  
• Tony Tyson – “Teesquared” – Technical Director, SOE
• Michael Farone – “Fiasco” – Designer, SOE
• Jake Neri – “jneri” – Producer, LucasArts
• Jesse Benjamin – “Loche” – Lead Designer, SOE
• Matt Boudreaux – “AdeptStrain” – Programmer, SOE
• James Michener – “Millbarge” – Designer, SOE
• Tim Temmerman – “Neif” – Associate Producer, LucasArts
• Roger Pilney – “Draakull” – Community Relations Manager, SOE

And others who are coming to hang out!

Schedule

View the full Fan Faire Schedule for additional activities and updates.

Thursday, June 25th:
Thursday is arrival day for mostly everyone.

The Early Bird Registration and Badge Pick-Up tables will be opened from 4pm to 8pm. This will ensure that everyone can grab their badge, or register and grab one right after they check in. Unfortunately, we will no way method of giving out the badges after 8pm. If you miss the cut off you will need to wait until Friday morning to get your badge.

Crossroads will be open from 4pm to 8pm and then from 10pm to midnight.

Sign up for the Tournaments will be at the information desk Thursday evening.

Starting at 8:00 PM there will be a welcome reception at the in Bally's Event Center. SOE dev team members and more will be present to welcome everyone as they arrive and everyone will be able to chill out and chat casually about the games we love to play.

In the late evening from 10pm to 1 AM, there will be a late night gaming session. Come chill out and play Legends of Norrath, Free Realms the Trading Card Game, Pox Nora and more. You must be an All-Access Fan Faire pass holder to attend.

Friday, June 26th
Friday is the first full day of action at Fan Faire and there will be plenty of activities for everyone to participate in. Registration and Badge Pick-Up will open at 10:00 AM and run until 7:00 PM.

The Game Room is opening at 10:00 am and running until 7:00 pm. The Vendor Bazaar and Phat Lewt Store will be open form 10:00 am to 7:00 PM, and Crossroads will be open from 10:00 am to 7:00 PM.

By visiting each of these locations you can visit a great number of vendors, jump in game and say ‘Hello from Fan Faire!” to your online buddies, and hang out with SOE employees and your friends while you enjoy refreshments at Crossroads.

Here are some of the scheduled activities for SWG on Friday:

10am-11am
Star Wars Galaxies™ Trading Card Game
The Star Wars Galaxies™ Trading Card Game is on a roll with great new gameplay releasing the week of Fan Faire! Agents of Deception is the fourth release and introduces Lando Calrissian and the mysterious Blackhole to the list of Star Wars characters in the game! Plus, there's some awesome new loot, like the G9 Rigger Freighter and the Muunilinst Relaxation Pool. Attend the panel to learn all about the new set, and enter a raffle to win either a Sith Temple loot card or Jedi Temple loot card from SWG TCG!

2pm-3pm
The Next Big System
Panelists – Matt “AdeptStrain” Boudreaux, Michael “Fiasco” Farone
Check out the world premiere of a brand new system coming to the galaxy this year! Find out what it is, when it launches, and get a first look at this system in action.

3pm-4pm
Choose Your Side as the Galactic Civil War Heats Up!
Panelists – Jesse “Loche” Benjamin, Matt “AdeptStrain” Boudreaux, Tony “Teesquared” Tyson
The Star Wars Galaxies team has heard the voice of the Community and is set to heat up the Galactic Civil War system in the near future. Find out about what comes next in the ongoing battle that rages across the galaxy and fight for your side…or just share your ideas!

4pm-5pm
Events
Panelists – Christopher “Dotanuki” Field, Michael “Fiasco” Farone
Events like Life Day, the Galactic Moon Festival, Empire Day, and the Ewok Festival of Love have become an integral part of the Star Wars Galaxies experience. Find out what goes into the creation of these popular events and get a peek at what’s to come.

5pm-6pm
Content - Collections & Quests
Panelists – Jesse “Loche” Benjamin, James “Millbarge” Michener
Collect information on how quests and collections are developed…quest for information on what new adventures lie ahead. Is there a quest you’re yearning to do that isn’t in the game yet? Let the developers know at this exciting panel.

Community Address: At 7:00 pm on Friday, see what's new at SOE! To kickoff the 2009 SOE Fan Faire, SOE President John Smedley will provide opening remarks to more than 1500 video game fans at the Bally's Las Vegas. The third annual "Community Address," will be streamed online allowing both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide to get the very latest updates from SOE.

Not attending Fan Faire? Don’t worry you still have a chance to hear the address via the Live Webcase. To register for the webcast, CLICK HERE

To close out the day, following the Community Address we will celebrate the EverQuest 10th Anniversary with a Birthday Bash! There will be live entertainment, light snacks and complimentary bar until midnight. Additional food will be available for purchase.

Saturday, June 27th
Registration, Badge Pick-Up, the Game Room, Bazaar, Phat Lewt Store, and Crossroads will all be open on Saturday from 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM. This will ensure that if you have not had a chance to stop by each area on Friday, you can check them out in your free time on Saturday and share in all the action.

Here are some of the scheduled activities for SWG on Saturday:

12pm-2pm
Live Quest - The Mission Home
After experiencing an “accident” in space, a ship carrying a squad of explorers crash lands on Tatooine. Squads will be completely a series of missions in order to make their way back home!

2pm-3pm
Rewards
Panelists – Christopher “Dotanuki” Field, Jesse “Loche” Benjamin, James “Millbarge” Michener
From house decorations to speeders, come see how some of your favorite rewards are put into the game. Let the developers know what “must have” items are on your shopping list this year… this promises to be the most “rewarding” panel ever.

3pm-4pm
Making Star Wars Galaxies
Panelists – Christopher “Dotanuki” Field, Jesse “Loche” Benjamin, Tony “Teesquared” Tyson
Learn about what goes into making and managing Star Wars Galaxies. This panel will give everybody an understanding of what the different team roles are and how they all work together to bring you the excellent game that you know and love!

4pm-6pm
Galactic Gathering
Panelists - Christopher S. Field, Tony Tyson, Jesse Benjamin, Matt Boudreaux, Michael Farone, James Michener, LucasArts
Join the Star Wars Galaxies teams from Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts for a discussion on all things related to the game and be one of the first to find out about what is coming next! Meet the people behind the game and chat with them about the past, present and future of Star Wars Galaxies. Bring your wish list, questions, and feedback – we want to hear from you! The Galactic Gathering is two hours long.

The Grand Banquet will begin at 8:00 PM and will provide a full buffet dinner for attendees. At the banquet the SOE Fan Faire Costume Contest will take place.

Event schedule and times are subject to change. Please check the schedule when you arrive at Fan Faire to be sure you have the most accurate information.

Fan Faire Resources

• Vegas Fan Faire Preparation - What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! But… What you leave at home stays at home! Here are some tips on preparing for the 2009 Vegas SOE Fan Faire to keep you from leaving something important behind.
• Flickr Group for Fan Faire! - All attending Fan Faire 2008 are welcome to share their photos with the community through the newly created Flickr group.
• Twitter – Do you Twitter? Get updates on your mobile phone and on the web! Follow us at twitter.com/soefanfaire.
• YouTube - Watch and subscribe to see the latest SOE videos and trailers on YouTube. Find us at YouTube.com/SOEVideos
• "Virtually" Attending Fan Faire! - Once upon a time, people went on vacation and were pretty much out of reach until they got home. Can you believe it? Oh em gee. Nowadays you can't go out to eat, to a movie, or even into...eww...the little elves' room, without hearing someone talking on a cell phone or sending a text message. Here are some tips on staying connected while at Fan Faire.
• Fan Faire Maps - For all those attending, here are a few maps of the inside of the hotel where the events will be taking place. Feel free to use these to map out strategies for maximizing seeing as many panels as possible, or print them out so you reduce the risk of getting lost during the three day celebration
• Fan Faire Looking for Group - To help you find members of your guild and server faster and easier!

As you can see, the 2009 SOE Fan Faire looks to be a fun-filled event with plenty to do for everyone who plays any SOE game and just likes to have fun in general. Throughout the course of Fan Faire, there will be many opportunities for SWG players to meet with the team and talk about the game.

We look forward to meeting with everyone who’s coming to Las Vegas! If you can’t make it, be sure to watch the SWG website and make use of the resources listed above for daily updates!

See you at Fan Faire!