Every now and then, it's good take a step back and review things. Gumpcom is no exception.

Those who run Gumpcom (the "Staff") have always taken the views and comments of the community seriously, and we've always strived to accomodate everyone. Most of what we do at Gumpcom has been based on community feedback over the past six and a half years.

But there comes a time when great ideas become old ideas. Decisions we took four years ago may not be fit for purpose now. There are elements of Gumpcom which are outdated and no longer relevant.

We have one goal. One vision. To make Gumpcom the greatest LAN Party!

To achieve this goal we need radical change to accomodate what the community wants NOW - not what you wanted four years ago!

You may have already heard about how GL25 is going to be different. To cut to the chase, GL25 is a "reboot" for Gumpcom. We're throwing out all the stuff we've been comfortable with for years and starting again. A fresh start!

GL25 will be a barebones LAN - a foundation to build upon.

What exactly are we "cutting out"?

There will be no raffle
There will be no trophies or prizes for tournament winners
There will be no shop
There will be no fancy stuff like security armbands etc.
Tournaments as a whole will stay, but they won't be the focus of the LAN. They are also subject to cuts after GL25
DJ_Evil will no longer dance on stage naked

OK, so what's being added?

Our focus will be on "fun". Tournaments are fun, of course. But some people don't even play in tournaments. And the nature of tournaments mean fewer and fewer people play in tournaments as they progress. How do we provide an awesome experience for those not playing in tournaments?

"Big Games" and "Silly Games" are going to become much more important. It's not often you can fill a server with everyone under the same roof. So lets take advantage of that.

Our intention is to have specific slots on the event schedule where we try and fill a server for an hour or so. This will accomodate those who are not playing in tournaments. Yes, this means that tournaments and other oganised games will be going on at the same time. You have to decide what you want to do - play in tournaments, or play in the big games.

But don't take this the wrong way. We're not abandoning tournaments. On the contrary. The tournaments we do run will be better organised. But it doesn't make sense to spend all our energy on tournaments when the larger proportion of attendees aren't actually playing in tournaments.

New Price

One of the biggest factors for people not being able to come to Gumpcom in the past has been the price, and the pricing structure. Some of you may remember that we implemented a new pricing structure a year or so ago. This meant you could pick up tickets cheaper the earlier you booked. While the intention was to encourage early booking, this made things waaaaaay too complicated. And for some, waaaaay to expensive.

Now the pricing structure has been simplified. It actually couldn't be more simple. £15. That's it! Even the pay-at-door price is £15. That is works out at just 31p per hour.

So does this mean the price will never change? Well, we couldn't ever guarantee that, obviously. But our intention is keep the LANs as cheap as possible. If the price were ever to change it would be because the running costs change (for example it's 2053 and inflation has taken it's toll), the community wants more (prizes for example). The price could even decrease if we were to consistently get say, 80 attendees.

Attendance

Based on the current ticket price of £15, we need a total of 63 signups for the LAN to go ahead, including staff. At the time of writing, we are half way there with 33 paid signups. However, there there are 53 signups in total, and if everyone who has signed up pays, we'll only be a whisker away from the level of attendance we need. I am confident we can do this no problem!

After GL25

After GL25 we want lots of input from the community. There will be a survey for you to fill in at the LAN, but we also want your reviews, comments and suggestions on the forums. We need to know what you think makes the best LAN parties. And we need to know if what we have done already, is what you are looking for.

GL25 is the foundation for the future of Gumpcom LAN Party. We want to provide you with the best LAN Party experience. Nothing more. Nothing less.

TL;DR

GL25 is a "barebones" LAN
Ticket price is now £15
We need 63 signups in total
Gumpcom is not focusing on tournaments as much, although they will not be neglected.
Gumpcom is more focused on FUN through big games and silly games
Gumpcom will be looking for lots of input after GL25
DJ_Evil will no longer dance on stage naked

This thread is locked as it is an information resource, and not a discussion!

but... I want to dance free