[Baldie]

I know a lot of you have already put your thoughts into blogs which have been great to read (yes I do read all ACL blogs) but I wanted to provide a dedicated thread for discussion.

I want to apologise to everyone for the downtime between series. Those who were at the event probably could testify to the fact I was run off my feet due to some staffing breakdowns. I really couldn't provide the service I wanted to from a broadcast perspective. Please don't let that stop you from saying that as a piece of constructive criticism because you have every right to but yeah sorry!

Thanks to everyone who came and I hopefully will see a lot of your faces again, with many more, at our final event later in the year!

[Philosopher]

I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of Minix and Maru as casters, alongside Maynarde and Zepph. Really good to see new faces on the other-side of Esports. Sometimes the casters sound wasn't balanced, and you would have to turn up the volume to hear one caster while being blasted by another.

Wasn't at the live event, and you've already mentioned the downtime. so I guess I have nothing more to add

[Frustration]

I would say the aircon being on and the doors being wide open all day i know some people said they wernt cold all day but even though i had a jumper on and tried running around warming hands up it didnt matter and i was cold and shivering all day so maybe that could be worked on, but overall the event was great and you did an amazing job baldie and hope to see you again!

[SLCN.Kez]

Loved the event, downtime on stream has always been a problem tho, the only real way to fix this would be to have a 2nd stage setup or a 2nd insano getting another game ready to go so as soon as 1st game finishes you can switch to the 2nd. Does ACL have the resources to do this? I dunno, but either way without it youre going to have a decent amount of downtime as players setup and you organise another match. Other than that I thought it was fine, it ran a fair amount behind schedule day 1 but by this stage every LAN ever does and you seemed to get back on track once you got started.

Personally I thought temperature was fine, just bring a hoody and youre good to go, and it was pretty cold on the day so id imagine everyone would have one and its the players responsibility to control your clothing and temperature, at least to a certain extent.


I do however wonder why you switched from top 3 advance from groups to top 2?

I think a lot of people would rather top 3 advance from groups into a single elim bracket which would arguably be run in less time than an 8 man double elim bracket, and even having a top 12 double elim bracket where u seed the 1st place finishers from each group would roughly only take an extra 45 minutes or so to run.

all in all a good event as always and lookin forward to one in melbourne if the rumours are true!

[Fullmetal]

I was only able to watch the stream, so I'll give my feedback from that perspective.
It felt like the stream didn't get to see enough of the games (imo ro8 onwards should all be streamed if possible).\


I really liked the switching between casters and the interviews a lot and I would like to see more of that kind of stuff!


Overall the stream was good.

[asdfSchnitzel]

Eckoing Kez's thoughts on the group format, I think a lot of people would prefer top 3 advancing from each group, especially with so many great players in each group that barely missed out.

Also, is having a second stream possible, whether it be onsite or online? A huge number of high quality matches are not being streamed due to the sheer quantity of them, and having a second stream would help with this. It would also possibly negate some of the problems around stream downtime, as most of the time at least one match would be

Otherwise, seemed like a really well run event, hope to see this continue into the future.

EDIT: I also liked introducing Minix and Maru to the casting rotation, helping to promote and give experience to new casters in the scene is always good.

[syfInsano]

If I could talk about the stream downtime for a sec.

Players were putting there stuff up on stage and disappearing back to the players area to chat which is pretty frustrating. Baldie or I shouldn't have to chase you down. So guys from now on if you have been allocated to play on stage please setup and be ready to play ASAP.

Other than that this ACL went pretty awesome. Wish I could have stayed until the end.

[deth]

Don't just stream games on the main stage, just jump into random games happening offstage as well! ACL is hardly WCS, no need to do a trumped up introduction and make things uber formal. Just cast as many games as possible, provide more exposure to more players and keep the stream churning.

Quick Comments

Fullmetal:

+1

[SLCN.NXZ]

Regarding format, I heard from quite a few different people who said they'd prefer to see only 16 people in groups. Commonly mentioned was 12 qualified and 4 open bracket slots with 2 players advancing from each group. I don't know if I agree or not, I have found the large 6 person groups rather clunky and I think it gives the broadcast more flexibility regarding covering the group stage matches.

Now obviously that's 8 players who are getting spots taken away but it adds MUCH more competitiveness to the open bracket and the qualifiers which are for the most part quite stale. Food for thought I guess.

Regarding top 12 single elim, we've never had a top 4 with the 4 best players in it with this format (PiG and KK seem to have been continuously on the receiving end of this). We're not as stacked as we used to be back after ACL Brisbane 2013 when we first brought this idea in. The group stage is fascinating each year because theres always a few good players who don't make it through.

If top 3 made it through for this ACL, we'd be looking at:

A: Alopex, NXZ, frust (all expected.)
B: MK, Pigeon, Law (for the most part expected, azure could make an upset)
C: Wally, Crimson, Probe (expected.)
D: Kingkong, Pox, Soundwave (mostly expected except from perhaps soundwave, move one of pigeon or MK down here from OB and all these groups go as expected.)

I far prefer the 2 advance for the drama that it adds to the group stage.

Quick Comments

ToRRedemption:

CHEESED OUT RIP

[Frustration]

Originally Posted by SLCN.NXZ

Regarding format, I heard from quite a few different people who said they'd prefer to see only 16 people in groups. Commonly mentioned was 12 qualified and 4 open bracket slots with 2 players advancing from each group. I don't know if I agree or not, I have found the large 6 person groups rather clunky and I think it gives the broadcast more flexibility regarding covering the group stage matches.

Now obviously that's 8 players who are getting spots taken away but it adds MUCH more competitiveness to the open bracket and the qualifiers which are for the most part quite stale. Food for thought I guess.

Regarding top 12 single elim, we've never had a top 4 with the 4 best players in it with this format (PiG and KK seem to have been continuously on the receiving end of this). We're not as stacked as we used to be back after ACL Brisbane 2013 when we first brought this idea in. The group stage is fascinating each year because theres always a few good players who don't make it through.

If top 3 made it through for this ACL, we'd be looking at:

A: Alopex, NXZ, frust (all expected.)
B: MK, Pigeon, Law (for the most part expected, azure could make an upset)
C: Wally, Crimson, Probe (expected.)
D: Kingkong, Pox, Soundwave (mostly expected except from perhaps soundwave, move one of pigeon or MK down here from OB and all these groups go as expected.)

I far prefer the 2 advance for the drama that it adds to the group stage.

I do agree with the +2 advance from groups makes them harder and drama, and i also like the double elim champ bracket, also if u get the top 2 in groups you get money no matter what so everybody wants to make top 2 not just for champ bracket also the money involved.

[SLCN.NXZ]

Originally Posted by Frustration

I do agree with the +2 advance from groups makes them harder and drama, and i also like the double elim champ bracket, also if u get the top 2 in groups you get money no matter what so everybody wants to make top 2 not just for champ bracket also the money involved.

At the end of the day, if only the top 8 is getting paid, 9th through 12th is missing out if they're out in brackets or out in groups anyway.

[x5_Namakaye]

On the topic of the temperature: It comes down to the person. For someone like me from Brisbane where it's currently 21 degrees, spending a day in like 15 degree weather WITH aircon on is just too cold. But I can understand why someone like Kez from Melbourne would be ok with it

From what I saw at the event, I don't think there was a whole lot that could be done about the delays, except maybe what insano said above, but even then you can't have everything go perfectly, especially in a close and friendly community like ours.

Overall I absolutely LOVED this ACL. Baldie did some good shit!

[SLCN.Wally]

I agree with ryan, I think top 2 adds a lot more competitiveness. Basically every group had 3 real contenders that you'd expect to get out and it made it a lot more exciting.

The downtime could maybe be fixed by casting matches that aren't on stage whilst you have people set up for stage matches? I'm not sure if this would slow down the day though as people on stage might need to wait for other matches to end after being set up.

[syfSoundwave]

This ACL was run really well. Regarding the stream, I'd still like to see the introduction of a community stream or something from a caster not at the venue, so more of the awesome games could get casted.

[Eddie]

A second offsite stream is really needed, too many good games missed out on being shown. It would also give fans another option to switch to while the main stream has downtime. Plenty of casters out there, from SEA or the broader scene.

I liked the format selected. Double Elim finals is far more forgiving and should enable the very best players to make it deeper. Someone coming from the lower bracket creates a good story.

[syfCrimson]

Firstly, amazing event, really glad I came. Thought it was run superbly well overall.

Just to add to some of the other comments, perhaps a further option to decrease downtime would be more interviews, crowd interaction/shots, maybe even a tour round the event for viewers at home at some point? I don't really know if the resources are there for it but it's a further option alongside a B stream.

[syfIce]

just focussing on down time if there was a second stage set up with the next match ready to go im unsure how we would facilitate it but something that may work. Also like crimson said doing a tour our such even getting a highlights package or analasys desk im unsure

[syfChadMann]

I can only agree with what has already been said. While I was not at the event, I know how well they are run on site. And I can see from the vast majority that the tournament ran smoothly, this has always rightfully been ACL's priority first and foremost. I congratulate you for another successful event.

However, it is true that there was loads of stream down time and great games missed. This can be solved by setting up an offsite community stream, see Dreamhack open tournaments, dozens of community streams broadcasting almost all of the games. Sure dreamhack is a grand scale, but adding in a community streamer or two would be great! Additionally, downtime between the streamed matches can be solved by having games ready on off stage PCs for the stream to switch to so as to fill the stream with content. Obviously there are benefits for this, giving more exposure to players and their teams and more content for the viewers to enjoy and subsequently increase viewer numbers, which is a benefit for ACL and its sponsors too. Finally, additional content can be added into the down time, player interviews, recaps of games and analysis or even running a no sound camera around the event showing everyone there while generic off stream music is playing gives the spectators something more interesting for the viewers. etc...

I understand that to achieve this you need man power, and I wouldn't offer solutions without offering my help. So I'm more than happy to assist you with this at the next ACL (if it is a time I can attend). More volunteers will make these events run better, and I encourage the community to get behind our only tournament tour and support them in any way you can.

The entry fee was an issue, however I think giving ACL flak for this is a mistake as it was a venue requirement, rather than ACL. Props to ACL for offsetting this with the Pizza and other great benefits!!

Really hope to be able to make the next event.

[mGGDrGooSe]

I've always said that for every sport, the success is won and lost at the grass roots. Putting aside the fact that it is a legal grey area, no kids = no future. I wasn't going to come down, to a place I work at 7 days a week btw, and stand outside maybe seeing some people and maybe not, having to explain to the kids why they can't go inside and try to find pig or tgun like they have in previous years. I couldn't even be certain I would be allowed in with a 18 month old that doesn't have the capacity to understand what is being seen, and therefore is not governed by censorship laws.

The salt is real.

[SLCN.Wally]

Originally Posted by fray`ChadMann

The entry fee was an issue, however I think giving ACL flak for this is a mistake as it was a venue requirement, rather than ACL. Props to ACL for offsetting this with the Pizza and other great benefits!!

yeah I feel like this wasn't an issue because of the free food and drinks that they provided, Basically paid back the $10 anyways