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Avian Con 2007 - Orlando (Pics Included)
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Author:  Madson [ Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:46 am ]
Post subject:  Avian Con 2007 - Orlando (Pics Included)
As some of you might have been reading, there was an odd twist of fate that brought together a few Avians in Orlando last Thursday, Nov 28th 2007.

Angelus was in town for some bean counter convention and training, and Talon and Talon's wife Jaade were bringing their little ones to see the Disney Parks. Luckily for Cordalis and I, they took some time out of their schedules to meet face to face, have some beers, and play some Rock Band on the 360 at my place. A great time was had by all. It really made me want to try and get a real avian con together.

And now, some pictures from the evening!

Image
From left to right, Madson, Jaade, Talon, Angelus, and Cordalis.


Image
Cordalis took this action shot, we are actually having more fun than it looks... I promise. :)

It was great to actually meet you guys and it's always eye opening to actually see and meet people that I felt like I already "knew".

For everyone else, now you know what we look like. I know that I often have a mental picture of most of you from your in game characters and your forum avatars. It's interesting to see how close those perceptions are to reality. Hopefully we aren't nearly as fat and nerdy as you thought! :lol:
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ha! Great pics. Thanks Mads!
Author:  moonraker66 [ Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice pics and I always knew you guys were possessed. :P
Author:  Acritus [ Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
Haha great pics! It still bugs me that I haven't met any of yall in person... gotta fix that.
Author:  Golga Bolg [ Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Firstly, Angelus, Bud Light?!?! How could you, a good Canadian Boy, let them drink that?
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.
Third........Bud light? I'm still shaking my head.
Fourth, Fat? Not on Bud Light you're not going to be fat. Stop comparing yourself to TV. You guys are slim, methinks you should just settle in with a nice pitcher of good beer and a big basket of chicken wings.
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:47 am ]
Post subject: 
Yeah, sorry Golga, the marshals confiscated all my Kokanee and Molson Canadian at the border. Ok not really, since I flew, but I didn't have a choice of the beer. In no way was I gonna get drunk of that colored water, but damn did we all have fun just the same.

PS - that dude on the drums had mad skillz with the guitar too!!! 8)
Author:  Talon1977 [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:51 am ]
Post subject: 
I'll attest to Angelus's skillz. That dude rawked it out hard, eh. I sucked at drums bad. Oh well. Still about as much fun as you can have drinkin Bud Lite!
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:57 am ]
Post subject: 
Talon1977 wrote:
Still about as much fun as you can have drinkin Bud Lite!


Not that we don't appreciate Mads'/Jen's hosting. Thanks again you two!!! I bet Jen was having nightmares of Rock Band all night...
Author:  Madson [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
We like Bud Light. My wife and I have done tons of in house blind taste tests over the years and we always pick the Bud Light. I also like Boddingtons, Guiness, and Leinenkugels Red and Wheat (Really hard to find in FL), but for a hanging out beer I drink Bud Light. We like the taste, it's moderately low calorie, and it's realitively cheap.

For a bunch of whiners you guys killed more than 20 of em.

Oh, and the alcohol content is only 0.4 - 0.8 % less than most "regular" beers like Budwiser, Busch, Yuengling, Leinenkugels, Miller High Life, etc...
Author:  TheMole [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice! Soooo jealous.
Author:  Rocklar [ Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Looks like a great time! Glad you all had fun.
Author:  dbakke [ Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
:)
Author:  Onto Kracken [ Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Madson wrote:
Oh, and the alcohol content is only 0.4 - 0.8 % less than most "regular" beers like Budwiser, Busch, Yuengling, Leinenkugels, Miller High Life, etc...


Is that supposed to be a positive point?
60 proof Awamori ftw...

When is Avian Con - Japan?
Author:  Madson [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:43 am ]
Post subject: 
Not a positive point per se, but not as negative a point as most would have you believe.
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:15 am ]
Post subject: 
Double post.

DA** The slow internet
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:18 am ]
Post subject: 
Golga Bolg wrote:
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.


Funny I was actually going to say the opposite thing.
No offence but I thought the community was younger around here.
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:33 am ]
Post subject: 
Azzameen85 wrote:
Golga Bolg wrote:
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.


Funny I was actually going to say the opposite thing.
No offence but I thought the community was younger around here.


:shock:

Well my wife says I'm very immature and childish. Maybe it works out to be the same thing.
Author:  Madson [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 1:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
Well my wife says I'm very immature and childish. Maybe it works out to be the same thing.


No... you're still old.
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
Azzameen85 wrote:
Golga Bolg wrote:
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.


Funny I was actually going to say the opposite thing.
No offence but I thought the community was younger around here.


:shock:

Well my wife says I'm very immature and childish. Maybe it works out to be the same thing.


Well I never seen a picture of the other avians before so I had to jugde by the writing style and the personality that showed in threads were you were passionate about. So it fits pretty well.
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
Azzameen85 wrote:
GodOfGophers wrote:
Azzameen85 wrote:
Golga Bolg wrote:
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.


Funny I was actually going to say the opposite thing.
No offence but I thought the community was younger around here.


:shock:

Well my wife says I'm very immature and childish. Maybe it works out to be the same thing.


Well I never seen a picture of the other avians before so I had to jugde by the writing style and the personality that showed in threads were you were passionate about. So it fits pretty well.


OMG SHE WAS RIGHT?!!??

Madson! You whippersnapper! Got off of my lawn!
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:32 am ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
Azzameen85 wrote:
GodOfGophers wrote:
Azzameen85 wrote:
Golga Bolg wrote:
Second, you guys look so young! Gosh I feel old.


Funny I was actually going to say the opposite thing.
No offence but I thought the community was younger around here.


:shock:

Well my wife says I'm very immature and childish. Maybe it works out to be the same thing.


Well I never seen a picture of the other avians before so I had to jugde by the writing style and the personality that showed in threads were you were passionate about. So it fits pretty well.


OMG SHE WAS RIGHT?!!??

Madson! You whippersnapper! Got off of my lawn!


The wife is always right. Unless we talk about direction, cars and computers. No offence to the women around here but those were the things I was always correct in.
And Madson make sure to fertilize his lawn :P
Author:  Madson [ Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
I missed his lawn and left some flaming fertilizer on his front porch... before I rang the dorbell and ran.
Author:  Cyrus Rex [ Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
All this time I thought Talon looked like a young Ben Franklin!
Author:  Talon1977 [ Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:55 am ]
Post subject: 
Well I couldn't very well wear my knickers and white powdered wig to Madson's house, now could I.
Author:  Master Gui-Jan [ Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
Talon1977 wrote:
Well I couldn't very well wear my knickers and white powdered wig to Madson's house, now could I.

Not after what you did to those knickers last time you wore them.
:twisted:
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 6:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mads - hopefully in 1 weeks time I will have a Rock Band of my own and we can hook up online. Mel is quite pumped for this.

Get your 360 and/or guitar fixed yet?
Author:  Talon1977 [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 6:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
I just got my 360 and guitar hero II. Considering gettin Rock Band next.
Author:  Cordalis [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Talon1977 wrote:
I just got my 360 and guitar hero II. Considering gettin Rock Band next.


must be nice to be a crack dealer....
Author:  Talon1977 [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
It's a living. :wink:
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
Talon1977 wrote:
I just got my 360 and guitar hero II. Considering gettin Rock Band next.


You on Xbox Live yet Talon? If so, fire WarKryme a friend request. Also be sure to get Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4. We're bound to have some multiplayer (CoD) and co-op (Halo) goodness.

Well if you look at that Mads, if Talon gets Halo we almost have a static 4-man co-op group!! heh
Author:  Talon1977 [ Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
Can both Jaade and I play on Xbox live at the same time? In other words, could we play a 4-man co-op Halo game with Kry, Mads, Jaade and myself, with Jaade and me playin on the same box?
Author:  Madson [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:14 am ]
Post subject: 
My 360 Gamertag is Madran.

yeah, you can co-op with K and I, but only one of your mics will work. Sadly.

Also, 4 player Rock band FTW!

Cordalis, screw that PS2! get a 360!
Author:  Madson [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:11 am ]
Post subject: 
I hate to double post, but I need to update some of the info from the last post.

1. I tried to play multiplayer Halo 3 with my father-in-law and his brother while they were both on the 360 at his house and only one mic worked. (after multiple tests)

2. Cordalis, in all seriousness, they've all but stopped making games for the PS2. ultimately, the final price for the 360 is only $150 more for a machine that will get new games for the next 4+ years. The online comraderie alone will be worth the extra $37.50 per year.

BestBuy Prices
360 = 279.99 (360 System, RCA + Component Cables, Wireless Controller, 256Mb, Memory Stick, 5 free LIVE arcade games, HDMI out, Optical out, 5+ 360 Owning Avians)

PS2 = 129.99 (PS2 System, 1 wired controller, RCA cables, S-Video out) + $20 Memory Card = 149.99

The games are cheaper on the PS2, but dont forget that a lot of the launch titles are dirt cheap for the 360 now. ($10-$20).

Hell, I'll let you borrow my PS2, I never use it anymore.

I rest my case. Brian's Wife... your witness.

EDIT: Added the cost of the Memory Card (not included) to the PS2
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:26 am ]
Post subject: 
Madson wrote:
I hate to double post, but I need to update some of the info from the last post.

1. I tried to play multiplayer Halo 3 with my father-in-law and his brother while they were both on the 360 at his house and only one mic worked. (after multiple tests)

2. Cordalis, in all seriousness, they've all but stopped making games for the PS2. ultimately, the final price for the 360 is only $150 more for a machine that will get new games for the next 4+ years. The online comraderie alone will be worth the extra $37.50 per year.

BestBuy Prices
360 = 279.99 (System, RCA + Component Cables, Wireless Controller, 256Mb, Memory Stick, 5 free arcade games, HDMI out, Optical out, 5+ 360 owning Avians)
PS2 = 129.99 (1 controller, RCA cables)

The games are cheaper on the PS2, but dont forget that a lot of the launch titles are dirt cheap for the 360 now. ($10-$20).

Hell, I'll let you borrow my PS2, I never use it anymore.

I rest my case. Brian's Wife... your witness.


I have a question. You quote that 279 price for the 360. Is that the FULL version? Aren't there other combos you can get?
Author:  Angelus [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:33 am ]
Post subject: 
Talon - yep, you and Jaade could play Halo 3 split screen over Live, but as Mads mentioned, only one mic will work (the user whose account has "Gold" Live.

As for 360 pricing, I have seen ads here for a 360 system (the original premium set with 20GB hard drive, controller), HDMI cable, and 3 games (Forza 2, Halo3, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance) for $399.

Must have the same deal going in your area too. Halo 3 and Marvel alone make that a great deal. Marvel has 4P co-op as well and is darn fun.

While the PS2 has a nicer price point now, after the early parts of 2008 I really doubt it will be getting any more quality titles. Plus Rock Band/ Guitar Hero 3 on it will not have access to downloadable content.

GoG - the $280 price Mads noted appears to be for the "Arcade" system bundle. I would definitely go with the one I list above since it has the hard drive. Although you could conceivably get the $280 one, and buy the new 120GB hard drive separately. Not sure how much it runs for atm.

Then there is the new "Elite" 360, which is around the $500 range (just confirmed on BestBuy Canada website but comes in black (vs normal white), the 120GB hard drive, HDMI, Marvel and Forza and a few other improvements. Don't know too much about it cept its essentially version 2 of the hardware.

For my money, the "Premium" bundle noted above is just a killer deal. Its what I bought. I may upgrade to the 120GB hard drive in the future depending on how many songs we end up getting for Rock Band but that's not in the near future. I DL demos and delete them as soon as I am done so space isn't a big concern for me atm.
Author:  Talon1977 [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:57 am ]
Post subject: 
I know Madson doesn't like driving games, but I've been playing Forza 2 and it's great. It's a lot like the old Gran Turismo A Spec (or however you spell it).

And I'm about a quarter the way through the Marvel game too. Good story line, for the most part. An interesting mix between RP and hack and slash.
Author:  Madson [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah, I'm quoting the Arcade bundle since that is the most direct comparison to the PS2. Of course I should've also included the fact that the PS2 doesn't come with a memory card, where the Arcade version of the 360 does. A 256 Mb card is significantly bigger than the PS2 Memory Card which is measured in blocks, but I think the standard is around 32Mb. These cards can run about $20 dollars. I think I'll edit that post above to reflect this price increase...

The full system that is $399 includes the "optional" HDD and the 2 top selling next-gen games mentioned above, but if you are comparing apples to apples I figured this should be left out as the PS2 doesn't come with a HDD or any games.

The 360 "Arcade Pack" that I quoted comes with 5 "LIVE" games. UNO, Pac-Man, and a few others that are all casual style. I've played the demos for most of these and they are a nice throw in, but nothing to write home about.
Then again, those games might be good for Cordalis' wife and son. UNO might be particularly good for the little one as all you need to know to play the game is numbers and colors.
Author:  Angelus [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Those arcade games aren't much of a throw in since they could be DL for about $5 a pop. I assume the Arcade system can still do all the normal Live activities, just would store the stuff on memory cards vs hard drive.

I actually really enjoy some of the arcade games that are up there now. Catan and Carcasonne are killer strategy games. Bomberman is just like the good ol days and a multiplayer blast. Texas Holdem is also good. Plus it helps that they often have a game to DL for free for a limited period (got Texas and Carcasonne that way).
Author:  Madson [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
I didn't realize you got Carcasonne that way! When did that happen?

Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but they are including one of the most played games on LIVE arcade, UNO, and the Pac-Man Demo version was actually the best updated pac-man I've ever played. (It's not a port, it's an updated version with new maps that change. I kinda liked it) Granted those casual games aren't really for me, but there has been many times that I've thought that Jen might be interested in one of them. And some of those games are $8 bucks on live so I'd say it's like having about $30 of content added to the 360 arcade bundle. If you take that content and subtract the value from the cost and then compare that to the PS2's lack of games...

279-30= 249 vs. 149 for the PS2. OMG we're only talking about $100!!!1!one
Author:  Talon1977 [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
And I just picked up Madden 07 for $9.99 for the 360!
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