We have decided to go with better internet and larger venue space and turn this tournament into a major community event!
Your new location...
...complete with lavish amenities...
...though we're going to lose the fancy get-up and imbue it with a real tournament and party atmosphere!!
The event will now take place at the Marriott Houston Westchase in the Briar Park Ballroom. This new venue has faster internet speeds and will accommodate more spectators! The Marriott is no more than five minutes from Planet Zero, so travel time should be about the same.
Format and Casting The live bracket will be a 16-person double-elimination bracket. Each of the matches will be a best of three. Each round, Axeltoss from Quantic Gaming will cast the most entertaining matchups. Following each set of games, Axeltoss will conduct interviews with the players followed by Q&As. Between rounds we will have showmatches featuring players such as coLTriMaster and vileHawk.
Additional Entertainment By popular demand, we will now have space for spectators to bring their own computers to set up and play with friends in a LAN-style setting! Space will be limited so be sure to arrive early if you want to set up. We will also have console stations featuring Super Smash Bros. Melee/Brawl, Marvel vs Capcom, Super Street Fighter IV, and other games!
Entry Fee If you participated in the online qualifiers, you will be admitted into the event for free regardless of if you qualified! Spectators will be able to get into the event at $5 at the door--a fantastic deal for an afternoon of LAN fun and Starcraft 2 excitement! Be sure to invite your friends to come out to root for their favorite players, play a few games, and enjoy the show!
(pssst! Free Red Bull for all who attend!) *******************************************************************************************************************************************
Online Qualifier Bracket OUTCOME: [Click to open in another window and magnify]
Thanks to everyone who came out for the online qualifier! We have a very strong line-up advancing to the LAN this coming Saturday--sure to make for exciting games! We have sent out email containing relevant tournament information. Please plan on coming between 11-11:30 am to set-up your computer so we can begin the tournament immediately!
Also, make sure you practice the Community Map Winner:
[TLMC] Havens Lagoon -- Community Map Winner (LAN only)
Planet Zero Anime Center, a leader in Japanese eSports, is partnering with Texas eSports Association (TeSPA) to bring you the best in tournaments, community events, and online streaming. Assisted by Houston-based pro-gaming team Quantic Gaming (QxG/QIM), Planet Zero will host tournaments and invitationals throughout the year. Each season will culminate in a global tournament at Anime Matsuri, hosted at the luxurious Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
I. HIGHLIGHTS:
Total Participants: 64 online, 16 LAN Prize Pool (as of 11/5): $450 (likely to increase) (1st: $300, 2nd: $100 3rd: $50) Date: 12/11 (online), 12/17 (LAN) Location:Marriott Houston Westchase, off Westheimer in Houston, TX
II. CASTERS:
We are thrilled to be joined by Quantic Gaming's Alex "Axeltoss" Rodriguez!
Houston-based Axeltoss has made a name for himself casting the GCPL 2, Verizon SC2 Open, IeSF Americas Championship, IEM Americas Championship, and NASL Open Tournament. You can see previous casts and live streaming by Axeltoss here.
Axeltoss, partnered with iNcontroL at the recent TeSPA tournament!
III. SCHEDULE:
We will be conducting this tournament in two distinct phases in an effort to better seed players while including all participants that want to compete. The first phase will be online, a single-elimination, 64-player bracket utilizing best of threes (BO3). The second phase will be a LAN, double-elimination, 16-player bracket.
Phase I: Online Seeding Date:12/11 (Sunday) ***NEW*** Start Time: 5 PM CST (23:00 GMT (+00:00)) End Time: 9 PM CST (03:00 GMT (+00:00)) (Estimated) Players: 64 Format:DOUBLE elimination, best of three Online Seeding: By rank Result: The Top 16 players--Top 8 from Winner's Bracket and Top 8 from Loser's Bracket--will advance to the LAN portion of the tournament in Houston, Texas on 12/17. We will suspend the tournament once the final 16 players are determined.
If you do not advance, you receive free entry to the LAN event ($5 value).
***The online qualifier is now double-elimination format, by popular request!***
Phase II: LAN Tournament Date: 12/17 (Saturday) Start Time: Noon (12 PM) CST (17:00 GMT (+00:00)) End Time: 6 PM CST (00:00 GMT (+00:00)) (Estimated) Players: 16 Format:Double elimination, best of three; finals, best of five Seeding: Determined by Top 16 results from Phase 1 Result: Top 4 invited to future Houston tournament (free entry) Prize: Top 3 win cash prize
***Please note that format for Phase I/II may be altered at discretion of staff and with due cause. Please provide feedback on whether you like the format or not.***
If, for some reason, you find yourself needing a break from the Starcraft 2 action, you DO have options...
IV. REGISTRATION:
Spectators may pay at the door of the event! Only $5! (Cash only please. ^^)
Player registration is CLOSED.
[Payments are made through a secure PayPal account registered to tournament host Planet Zero. If you are underage and do not possess a PayPal account, you may register and pay on location at Planet Zero.
Current pricing is as follows:
Players: $15 USD Spectators: $5 USD
Please note that if you sign-up as a player, you receive free entry to the event regardless of Phase I placement. However, when you register you must signify that you will be attending the event, regardless of placement. If you do not plan on attending if you do not advance to Phase II, we need to know so that we can offer your spot to another spectator; we expect a sold-out venue.
To summarize:
I. If you register to play, you get:
1) Competitor entry into the 64-man online qualifier (Phase I) 2) Competitor entry into the 16-man LAN for the top 16 advancing in qualifer (Phase II) 3) Spectator entry for the 48 who do not make it to the round of 16 in the qualifier; when you initially register, you MUST declare that you will come spectate even if you don't advance to Phase II competitively in order to take advantage of this offer
II. If you register to spectate:
1) You spectate and are treated to an awesome community tournament experience cast by Axeltoss!
You will only pay once, when you first register online. No hidden charges or double-registration fees for those who advance. I want to make that very clear. For example, if you pay $12 at early-bird registration, compete in the online qualifier and place 7th in Phase I, you qualify for the LAN event. All you have to do is show up with your computer ready to play your best on tournament day. Your original registration fee for the online qualifier pays for entry to the LAN as well.]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. RULES:
MAP SELECTION: For each round of the LAN, the first map will be pre-determined by staff. Afterwards, the loser picks next map. The same map cannot be played twice in a series. All matches are best-of-three (BO3), with exception of the finals being best-of-five (BO5).
You have one tournament-map veto. You must declare your veto at the start of each series--if you do not communicate your veto and end up on the map you did not want, you are held responsible and no rematch occurs. You may also choose a "secondary" veto, in the event that the map for a particular round happens to be your veto.
DROPPED PLAYERS AND RESTARTS: A game may be restarted by either player with proper cause if the game is within its first 3 minutes and neither player has made significant contact yet. In the case of a dropped game, if the players cannot come to a consensus, an official tournament referee will review the game and decide whether it should be replayed.
**All cash prizes will be presented at the conclusion of the tournament**
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. PLAYER AND SPECTATOR INFORMATION:
Competitors in LAN must bring their own: -PC/gaming laptop -Mouse -Keyboard -Headphones -Ethernet Cable -Power strip or extender (if you require more than one electrical outlet)
"BYOC" Bring Your Own Computer Event: You must provide your own equipment for playing Starcraft 2. We will have spare parts and two extra computers on hand in case of equipment failure, but you are otherwise expected to furnish your own set-up. (We will provide equipment at larger super-regional tournaments such as Anime Matsuri.)
We will keep all equipment in a secure location when not in use and have security on-hand to insure the safety and well-being of your equipment. As always with such tournaments, With that said, Planet Zero and staff are not liable for any damages or losses at the event. If you damage another individual’s property (intentionally or accidentally), you will be held responsible.
Parking: Marriott Houston Westchase possess copious parking spots. No problems here! We recommend circling and parking in back--this is closer to the ballroom area.
Questions: We encourage questions about the tournament as well as any suggestions that will help raise tournament quality. Please see the teaser post before you ask though, as we have taken the time to explain our thought-process behind our attempt to organize the Houston SC2 scene. Please PM me if you see any blatant errors in this tournament write-up.
Thanks:
Thanks as well to our first sponsor to come forward and offer their support after the teaser announcement: Directron.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. HYPE IT! As always, we could use your help in this team effort. We are a group of volunteers looking to make Houston a SC2 powerhouse. If you share the dream, contact me personally at jeff.homick@gmail.com
Please let your friends know about this tournament. We will be posting social media links in the near-future to help spread the word.
Just a reminder: if you plan on coming to this tournament as a player or spectator, please be sure to sign-up no later than November 16th (Wednesday, one week from today) to take advantage of early-bird pricing. Saves you money, guarantees you a spot!
yeah I would really like to signup and play, but I can't miss that much work, especially since the biggest show of the year is coming through the theater center where I work during December (the nutcracker). I might come spectate for the LAN if I can though.
You have tonight and tomorrow to sign-up before normalized pricing kicks in! ($12->$15 for competitors, $5->$8 for spectators). If you have been waiting to see what your schedule is like or are deliberating whether you want to come, now would be a good time to get on board!
One of our sponsors will also likely offer great giveaways to several of our competitors, regardless of how you place in the qualifier--another reason to give it a shot and be part of Houston's first SC2 community event.
On November 18 2011 09:49 cannedrice wrote: ...please display the registered players list again... the only suspense is how many people signed up so far.
I kinda think that too, but if you leave it open, I think that discourages people of lower leagues as they can look up the registered players and see they are at a pretty big disadvantage if they sign up.
if we signed up and our ranks jumped by like.. 40-50... are we allowed to change it? I dont play a lot but i am def suppose to be seeded at GM level D:
Planet Zero Anime Center, a leader in Japanese eSports
How is a Houston, TX Convention center a leader in Japanese eSports? I do believe that is not the right wording, because I'm pretty sure the center doesn't contribute to the Japanese eSports scene.
But anyways, I wish I could go since I live in Texas, not too far away, but Saturday is not a do-able day for me. Good luck with the event, hope everything turns out great!
Hey guys! Sorry for not getting back to you sooner--I've been out of the country this past week (no internetz!).
...please display the registered players list again... the only suspense is how many people signed up so far.
The list will come out again soon. We had a nice spike in registered players this past week. We pulled it simply because we want everyone of all skills to feel welcome to participate. Seeing star players at the top of the list appeared to be discouraging sign-ups; the moment the list was hidden, many more people signed up. Human psychology at work.
if we signed up and our ranks jumped by like.. 40-50... are we allowed to change it? I dont play a lot but i am def suppose to be seeded at GM level D:
If you feel the need to update your B.net ranking, please use the "Contact Us" section of our website during the last week of registration. Please make sure to include all relevant information.
How is a Houston, TX Convention center a leader in Japanese eSports? I do believe that is not the right wording, because I'm pretty sure the center doesn't contribute to the Japanese eSports scene.
Well, if you were to view their website or come on-site, you would realize that "Anime Center" is somewhat of a misnomer--the place is essentially a Japanese arcade that also caters to a variety of other venues. I also think you may be confusing the anime center with the convention center that is used in April... two entirely different places. ;P
Can spectators bring a computer and use for recreational use at planet zero?
I will pass this question along to the personnel running internet. They upgraded the net specifically for this tournament--it's gonna come down to whether everything is running lag-free and also how much space we will have at our disposal. By computer, do you specifically mean laptop?
On November 26 2011 06:40 clik wrote: So registration for spectating and players is closed? Bummer I've just now found about this.
This was a website error that occurred earlier today (and was immediately fixed)--registration is still open for eight more days! Please check back--we'd love to have you on-board.
Please up-vote this tournament on Reddit by clicking here!
We are getting close to half-capacity for our competitors! Please tell everyone you know and help support this grassroots-community movement. We'll re-release a player-roster once we reach 32 players. Help us fill up--we want 64 players total for a full-tournament. :D
Really? A sudden change in the dates? I had to cancel things so I could make the qualifier after the first date change... Can we at least know how you're gonna get more people to sign up and/or get a number of how many people are signed up?
I referred the above poster to the tournament! I am a Houston local here and a old school customer of PZ very familiar with the staff, I believe this will be a great even and thanks to Quantic, Tespa, Planet-Zero, and especially Directron for sponsoring the event!
On December 03 2011 11:53 HeavOnEarth wrote: might want to change the event listing that is still up for the old quali 12/3
Trust me, I've tried... only TL mods can edit that list and the calendar, and they ignored my multiple, polite requests for revisions. Apparently the main guy who handles this stuff went AWOL a couple months ago and the system is almost entirely automated--once something is set, no one seems to be able to change it, even the mods. ; ; Ah well. If someone here personally knows a mod, please bring this issue to their attention.
Looks great, but Houston is way too deep in texas for me to drive, which i'd have to do to bring comp. Best of Luck, ill be watching stream. Hope someday there's a tour closer to the mid of USA (or here in CO )
Planet Zero and Quantic Gaming have formally announced a partnership! Expect future Starcraft 2 events in Houston to have the full backing of one of the largest up-and-coming pro-gaming organizations.
The registration deadline is quickly approaching! We are going to leave registration open until this Friday (12/9). Make sure to spread the word around your respective e-sports circles in Houston.
After the live event on the 17th, Planet Zero will be hosting a large event called "Access Zero" in the parking lot outside. Over one thousand car-fanatics are expected to be in attendance. If anyone wants to hang around, we'll be broadcasting StarCraft II show matches in the parking lot to win over some soon-to-be e-sports fans.
On December 06 2011 12:28 LuxVenture wrote: Planet Zero and Quantic Gaming have formally announced a partnership! Expect future Starcraft 2 events in Houston to have the full backing of one of the largest up-and-coming pro-gaming organizations.
On December 07 2011 01:51 phyzycs wrote: Will you guys have the brackets up promptly once registration closes? That will give us at least a day to prepare for whatever matchup we have.
We'll do our best to get those up ASAP.
Player list is now up--see OP on page 1. Still room for more--if you've been waiting to sign up, DO IT NOW! :D Tell your friends! Support eSports!
On December 07 2011 01:51 phyzycs wrote: Will you guys have the brackets up promptly once registration closes? That will give us at least a day to prepare for whatever matchup we have.
We'll do our best to get those up ASAP.
Player list is now up--see OP on page 1. Still room for more--if you've been waiting to sign up, DO IT NOW! :D Tell your friends! Support eSports!
Draft of the bracket is up; please read information below bracket regarding initial map selection! Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday!
To everyone who signed up: you guys rock! Thanks for helping kick-start the Houston scene. We've had a great showing considering this tournament is the first of its kind in Houston. :D
I have had one participant contact me regarding how we are running the online qualifier.
As ReAson stated yesterday, registered participants have received an email explaining this process in detail. If you find you did not receive an email from TeSPA, please let me know.
Check-in will start at 5:00pm and the first round will begin at 5:15pm. At 5:00, please join the channel SC2 channel "PZ Houston Open" to facilitate communication between you, the other players, and the admins.
Two big disappointments with colTriMaster and vileHawk.
I have an unofficial solution.
Final Boss Mode This offer stands for colTriMaster OR vileHawk, fight it out amongst yourselves, make sure the tournament organizers are aware as well.
To either one of you, show up next Saturday anyway. Play the winner of the tournament in a BO5 showmatch. I am going to bring $50 to start off the pot, if anybody else wants to contribute, go for it. I envision something like a $100-$150 show match when it's all said and done. Full pot goes to the winner of the match.
On December 12 2011 09:12 Jermstuddog wrote: Two big disappointments with colTriMaster and vileHawk.
I have an unofficial solution.
Final Boss Mode This offer stands for colTriMaster OR vileHawk, fight it out amongst yourselves, make sure the tournament organizers are aware as well.
To either one of you, show up next Saturday anyway. Play the winner of the tournament in a BO5 showmatch. I am going to bring $50 to start off the pot, if anybody else wants to contribute, go for it. I envision something like a $100-$150 show match when it's all said and done. Full pot goes to the winner of the match.
That should make for a good time.
for those who don't know
Hawk wasn't certain if he could get a ride Tri got scheduled and had to work
T.T
I'll see if Tri can still come since he lives nearby =O
We sent out another e-mail today to all of the player participants (including those who did not qualify to play at the live event). If you did not receive that message, PM me and I'll make sure you get it.
Huge update!! Be sure to check it out! We are turning this into a dual-tournament/community event-- we're ramping up the fun factor in a big way!
We invite all attendees to bring your own computers/laptops to play SC2. We will also have consoles set up featuring multiplayer games such as Smash Bros, Mario, Street Fighter 4, and Marvel vs. Capcom. Free Red Bull for all too!!
Please come with your friends! This will truly be an event to remember!
On December 17 2011 13:04 Frastic wrote: Are the brackets going to change at all, or are we playing the same people that it says on the picture bracket?
Re-seeded and to be released ASAP.
We spent the entire evening setting up at the Marriott--to everyone attending, be you player or spectator, you are in for a very nice treat. Fantastic way to kick-start the eSports scene in Houston. If you've been on the fence about coming, trust me--do it. It is worth it. It is going to be tons of fun.
When coming, make sure to turn onto Briarpark and drive until you reach a Marriot on the right. There are several Marriot-branded hotels in that location--we're at the largest one (i.e. NOT the one of the left).
Showmatches to begin shortly before noon between well-known players! Be sure to tune in!
We've been at the Briarpark Ballroom at the Marriott Houston Westchase all morning setting up and the setup is absolutely sick! We've got an incredible casting set up with a top of the line projector, concert speakers, and Axeltoss! We'll be live casting a showmatch starting at 12pm while players get settled in and start the first tournament round at about 12:15. We've got console gaming, an arcade machine, and an area for you to set up your own computer and play a few games too.
If you're in town, don't miss our first Houston event!
We're at game 2 of the loser's bracket finals. The winner will play the University of Texas zerg player quasar in the Grand Finals. Make sure to check it out!
Thank you so much for coming out to the event yesterday--we hope you had a great time filled with good people and quality Starcraft 2. Our records show that over one-hundred spectators attended, far surpassing our planned estimates. You definitely made this first Houston LAN a success! From what I saw, everyone seemed like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
A big thanks to Axeltoss, Price (TheRedViper), HeavOnEarth, and rgnCwall (plus any casters I might have missed!) for their fantastic coverage of Saturday's action. Axeltoss in particular deserves high-recognition for non-stop casting in what can only described as a marathon-like feat of endurance. Make sure to follow his stream (http://www.twitch.tv/axeltoss) if you are not already to show your support.
I want to begin by apologizing for two specific items, both relating to event timing. Quite simply, we underestimated the duration of the tournament. We did not schedule a dinner break because we felt, in error, that we could wrap up in time for a late dinner. I'm sorry for any discomfort we caused you on this account--and trust me, we felt it too. Many of our staff, myself included, had our first meal at 11 pm that night after everything was said and done. We were too busy working hard to give you the best entertainment we could deliver.
Secondly, I apologize for running out of time at the Marriot. Because the finals moved to a second series, we found ourselves int he unsavory position of having to exit the hotel by 8 pm to make way for a 9 pm event without having completed the finals. We opted to re-locate down the street to Planet Zero, which we found was already playing host to another large event. This likely struck many as a bizarre scenario--and indeed, it was an on-the-fly decision on our part. We apologize for the severe delay in relocating and setting up--those of you who stuck around are real troopers for eSports. In the end, quasAr and tQorGETSLAMT opted to play several show-matches at the time and save the final matches of the tournament to be play on their own time, in the comfort of their homes. We thank them sincerely for bearing through the unexpected proceedings. We apologize to our stream viewers as well for us not being able to air those matches. Replays of the finals will be retro-cast at a later date for your viewing pleasure.
On the plus side, the show-matches at Planet Zero exposed Starcraft 2 to an entirely new, untapped crowd. Dozens of people, many of whom had never seen the game before, gathered around inside to watch quasAr and tQorGETSLAMT battle in high-skill matches and expressed much enthusiasm. Indeed, we unwittingly seemed to gain many new Starcraft 2 enthusiasts that night. Many of those who watched the matches asked us to come back again every month--they loved seeing Starcraft 2 in action.
Please note that while we did not have time for a formal awards ceremony, our top two players were each given $100 guaranteed for making the finals. When they play the finals, the winner will immediately be contacted to receive the rest of their reward. HeavOnEarth left before we had a chance to give him his earnings--he will receive them through contacts via the Houston CSL team. The point is that we are taking care of our players and participants the best we possibly can (i.e. giving them their prize money on-the-spot)--which is more than can be said about larger, well-known tournaments (search TL if you don't know what I'm talking about).
A special thanks to TheGunrun for helping us out with a streaming conflict that occurred between our capture card and Twitch.tv's servers. While viewers were subject to a choppy stream mid-way through the tournament, we managed to completely solve our problem and broadcast smoothly for later matches.
Finally, I sincerely request feedback from everyone involved in this tournament, be you spectator or participant. While we had much success for this being our first Houston tournament, we have many areas we could improve or overhaul altogether. This is just the beginning for what's to come in Houston. We want you to help us make the Starcraft 2 tournament and community experience better for everyone. You may email preliminary thoughts and critiques to HoustonTournament@gmail.com or you may share publicly on this forum thread. And hey, if you had a blast, let us know! Let your friends know too! We will also release a formal feedback questionnaire in a week or so.
So please, tell us what you thought about the tournament overall!--what you liked or did not like, what you want in the future, anything you can think of. The more you give us, the more we have to work with in the future. (And if you have pictures... post them here too!)
I was planning on wishing you all a Merry Christmas... but then I took an arrow to the knee. Happy Holidays!
you might as well make a new post/blog with the photo videos and pose the blog as less of a PZ overview but more of a thread asking for interest in houston lan events , and if people are interested to follow a certain twitter or facebook group so they can get updated on when the next lan is , and therefore u guys have potentially a bigger crowd -> potentially bigger prize pool-> potentially better players. For example i asked vileState if he was gonna fly in but he declined, because the prize pool was only 300 for 1st. Better players, more stream viewers and ad revenue because of overall game quality.
as for the event itself i honestly don't have much to say in the form of critque , problems that were there such as hardware issues were resolved easily , it just took me 5 mins to move my computer over. i was expecting prize money to be paid in paypal, usually the norm if im not mistaken but that was resolved easily as well, because i know many people there and jim head of my CSL team knows me personally . i think just focus on making the event as big as possible, and not on minor issues such as these, as minor issues always happen- the important part is finding a quick and easy solution to the problems.
overall the event was good, stream and video quality were amazing and iirc u had a guy just taking photos the whole time which was good so all i can say is keep it up
Thank you everyone who made this possible, the players and supporters. Feedback is always appreciated. Hopefully we can do it again...bigger and better.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2075H.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TdNXk.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/E2fhr.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vxlup.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XpwgG.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7jcZy.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zd1xP.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/odalS.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ud6T6.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DiGmf.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uSSlh.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DaMIJ.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/tespa/PZQualBracket.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4LLm3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LHxWP.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/X85tP.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ODudm.gif)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rNRY9.jpg)
