Weiterlesen »]]> So, we took a long break… reallife caught up on us after planning a 130 player event on the back of 2 1/2 people… some got married (Luigi), others finished their school (Volker) and some others went to Vegas (Lars)

Still, all the hard work and stress was more than worth it to run a successful event and see so many happy people!

StarNab, our french friend that won the Road to EVO and was sent to the EVO 2011 Event in Vegas finished within the Top 32, a very good result concidering the number of players from all over the world that came to Las Vegas! And I’m sure he’ll even do better next year! Congrats, Nabil!

Anyway, the planning for 2012 has begun and we’re already in the middle of getting things done for our next events… but FIRST!

The Fightclub Team will be in Frankfurt / Main (Germany) on the first weekend of december to run the stream for the next huge german event: The FFM Rumble!

Our friends from Frankfurt are running another event on December 3rd and 4th and we’re glad to help out on the technical stuff!

Make sure to visit their website and facebook pages, signup and be there!

Weiterlesen »]]> Wow, it’s over. I still can’t believe time went so fast and now, after a lot of preparation, meetings and hard work, it is over.
And I think, after all the feedback we got during and after the event, I can say: It was a blast!

First of all, congrats of course to our tournament winners:

SSFIV:
1. KFR.Starnab ()
2. eLive|Yamazaki93 ()
3. *aAa*LordDVD ()

Marvel vs. Capcom 3:
1. sh1nd ()
2. Cranky ()
3. MrCook ()

It was awesome to see so many skilled european players in one room battle it out and although some well-known european players were missing on the entrants list, I think this was a very high-level tournament that germany hasn’t seen before in the aera of Street Fighter IV!

I also liked the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Tournament a lot although I have to admit I had no idea what was happening for most of the time – but the Maaahvel Fans seemed to like it so… cool!
Also, good to see that “ze germans” could claim the Top 3 at MvC3! Well done, guys!

Thanks again also to all our sponsors!
Without them, this whole event would not have been as successful as it has been!

Final Pool standings and brackets, pictures and match videos will follow in the next days!

Of course there are some things than can always be improved…

• Yes, we were a little off with the time table and had to hurry up a bit on sunday but I think everyone had enough time between the matches to catch some air or grab something to eat (“Demulant on stage please for the semifinals!” – “He’s still at McDonalds!”).
  Thanks again to all the people that already played their first bracket matches on saturday night, that helped a lot, believe it or not!

• The stream was kinda choppy and crashed two or three times. Yes. And I’m very annoyed about that. We prepared everything so that it would just run “out of the box” but as we all know, it NEVER works out how you planned it.
  The Software crashed from time to time, the stream templates wouldn’t load correctly and the cams wouldn’t show a picture sometimes.
  One thing you have to keep in mind also is that we had to run the stream using a 3G connection. It is (obviously) possible but results in a few lag spikes that disturb the overall viewing experience. We’re sorry about that but since the location was just perfect otherwise, we had to do it there despite the slow cable internet connection!

Other than that, I think everything went pretty smooth, relaxed and pleasant for all the players, spectators and also the Fightclub Team!

I’m happy to say we had an amazing time but I’m also a little sad because now everythings over – everything back to normal… eat, work, sleep! Meeeeeh!

Well, SSFIV:AE is right around the corner, who knows what’s coming in the near future!

Regards,
Lars a.k.a dash

P.S.: Luigi will write his own review!

Weiterlesen »]]> The Signup is now officially closed! You can not sign up for the tournaments anymore. If you want to join us for some casual play (NOT Free play – there is no free play! ), contact us using the form. You will pay the regular price of 18€ / 18.70€.

The random drawing of the pools for SSFIV will happen tonight at 7.30pm CET – you can join us on the live stream at our channel over at Justin.tv.
Since there are not too many players for MvC3, we will arrange the tournament at the venue.

After the pools are online, we’d like to ask you to visit our Facebook-Page and point out matches in the pools that you think should be played live on the stream during the event!

We will try to get all suggestions on the stream that get enough “likes!”

3 more days to go…

GET HYPE!

Weiterlesen »]]> Different sponsor, same procedure:

The preorder page for the QanBa Q4 RAF 3-in-1 and Q3 Fighting Sticks is now online!

In cooperation with our sponsor QanBa, you can preorder you own Q4 RAF
3-in-1 Fighting Stick, which offers a multi-PCB (XBox 360 / PS3 / PC) and high-end SANWA parts and build quality.
You can also get a Q3 Fighting Stick, either for XBox 360 or PS3. It features a solid MDF chassis and the same quality parts as the Q4.

You can have a first look at both above mentioned sticks at the “Road to EVO 2011″ event and decide which one suits you best!

Both arcade sticks will be priced at 129 € including shipment via DHL EXPRESS from China to Germany AND including extra shipment within Germany to you individually.

A PLEXI Cover will be 2,50 € extra.

Originally, the price was 119 € plus 7 € shipping within Germany – so there is only a slight price increase of 3 €.
In return, shipping will only take about one week from China to Germany AND it will be insured beyond standard DHL liability! Please remember that it will take some additional time to get the sticks to you individually.

Preorder and don’t forget to bring the money directly to the “Road to EVO 2011″ event!
The order will take place soon after the event.

Weiterlesen »]]> In cooperation with our partner madcatz, we can offer you the opportunity to get your hands on a very rare and limited Arcade Fightstick!

It is the MvC3 Version of the well-known MadCatz Tournament Edition:

The price for this Arcade Stick is only 99€. It is available for PS3 and XBox 360.

In addition, we can also offer you the opportunity to buy a TRITTON AX Pro Headset, one of the best multi-platform headsets on the market and also the official “Fightclub NRW” Headset at our events

The price for the TRITTON AX Pro is 125€.

Order and pay now to receive all your stuff when you arrive at the venue! There is only a limited amount of Fightsticks available so hurry up!

Weiterlesen »]]> Now this is something you probably haven’t seen in Europe before…!

Due to some lucky circumstances and the efforts of a Hardedge community user (big thanks to paxos!), we were able to get in contact with Shenzhen QanBa Technology in China.

QanBa has decided to support the event with some of their tournament quality hardware, especially the QanBa Q4 RAF Fightstick, a multimod PS3/X360/PC arcade stick equipped with high-end Sanwa buttons and a Sanwa stick.

Cool stuff, eh?!

But wait, there’s more… you will also have the opportunity to test the QanBa Q3-XS stick at the venue to see if it’s a real alternative to the common hardware that’s currently on the European market.

As a nice addon, we will offer you guys the chance of ordering your very own Q4 RAF Fightstick at the event!

The price for the Q4 Arcade Stick will be at 119 €, which is more than reasonable compared to other fight sticks that are not multi-modded.

QanBa has agreed on this deal so you can place your order at the venue (please make sure to bring the money) and the stick will be sent to you as soon as it arrives in germany.

Shipping within germany will be 7 €, within Europe it will be a little more expensive (~17 €).

If you are interested, you can leave a note on the preorder page we will set up soon.

Maybe there’ll be even more stuff that you’ll be able to get a discount on and even a little surprise at the Road to EVO 2011 event… so stay tuned!

QanBa is engaged in the development and production of various high quality arcade sticks. Design, production and operation are conceived not as separate, but as an entity. Qanba produces a series of arcade sticks and other high-tech products for PC, XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 – providing beginners as well as professional tournament players.

For example, the new QanBa Q4 RAF 3-in-1 Fightstick is a multi-PCB tournament arcade stick that lets you play on PC, PS3 and XBOX 360. It is equipped with original arcade parts from Sanwa (stick: JLF-TP-8YT-SK; buttons: OBSF-30-W), Viewlix button design, a solid ABS chassis, completely modular interior design, 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack, a cable box, non-slip bottom side etc.

The company’s main principles are simple – quality and customers come first! Over the years, QanBa has developed into a modern and flexible company that sets high standards for management, technology, production equipment and strict quality control to ensure superior product and service quality. Their products encorporate new ideas and new concepts: innovation, durability and aesthetic design.

Consumers from China and abroad confirm the high quality of QanBa’s products. You may see for yourself by visiting the official QanBa thread in the Shoryuken.com forum.

Also visit QanBa.com and QanBa.com/en for more information on our products.

Weiterlesen »]]> As expected, a lot of hotels and hostels are already fully booked.

We still have space available to sleep at the venue.
Just send us an email to letmesleep@fightclubnrw.de with your Nickname so we know you want to sleep there – PLEASE!

If you are looking for hotels, we have found some relatively cheap offers:

City Hotel Cologne – 136,50€ for 3 Persons for one night (Saturday -> Sunday)

Mercure Hotel Cologne West – 109€ for 3 Persons for one night
(the website says “4 beds” but the offer doesn’t show up when you look for offers with 4 beds – dunno why)

ETAP HOTEL Koeln Leverkusen City- 49€ for 2 Persons per night

You should check the ETAP first.
We will try to arrange a shuttle service to get people to their hotels if possible but all these hotels should be reachable by bus or train within 15 Minutes. A Taxi shouldn’t be too expensive as well.

Weiterlesen »]]> Since some questions came up during the last days, I’ll answer them here for everyone to read.

Q: What if SSFIV:AE is released prior to the event?

A: Concerning the release of SSFIV:AE, Capcom finally gave us a date that we all can look forward to. Sadly (or luckily?) it’s right after our event so to make this clear: for the tournament, we will play the regular version of Super Street Fighter IV on XBox 360.

Q: If I win, flying from and to germany sucks! I won’t come!

A: True. We’ve thought about this a lot and have already talked to different travel agencies and even airlines directly. Since we couldn’t come up with a solution that would make everyone happy (try booking a flight to the US without having the name of the passenger yet – good luck on that! )
So, if it’s a reasonable thing to book the flight from Paris/Rome/Stockholm/Berlin/Munich/London etc. and it won’t destroy our whole financial plan we will try to make it possible. Don’t pin us down on this tho, we’re only human and keep in mind, we’re doing all this without the support of a huge sponsor whatsoever who will pay for the trip. And we’re doing this for you guys to have a nice event

Q: I need a place to sleep! Where do I go?

A: We hoped that, as you’re all old enough to travel to cologne, you would find a way to figure this out yourself
Since we didn’t get too much feedback yet, we’re a little afraid that most of you will come to cologne and hope to find a place to sleep at the venue. Yes, this will be possible but most likely not for all players so please, if you want to sleep at the venue, send us an email to letmesleep@fightclubnrw.de so we can arrange everything. If you prefer a bed, check hrs.com for hotels or hostels. Keep in mind, it’s only 1 1/2 months to the event and Cologne is a busy town so make sure to get a room soon if you prefer a bed to the floor

We hope this will convince some of you to finally book their tickets and come to Cologne so we can have a nice, competitive and one of a kind event in germany!

Weiterlesen »]]> We’re hearing from a lot of people from outside of germany who are currently thinking about joining our event. We’re of course happy to hear that and just want to give you some information that might help you in planning your trip.

Destination Airports

When you’re looking for flights, you can choose to either fly to Duesseldorf (DUS) or Cologne (CGN) Airport. Watch out when checking the Ryanair Flights. The Duesseldorf Airport listed there is actually the Airport in Weeze (NRN) which is 75km from the real Duesseldorf Airport and overall almost 120km away from the venue – so if you decide to fly there, make sure to also get a train ticket or a rental car.

The best choice anyway would be to fly to Cologne Airport directly. From there, you can take the train S13 to Koeln Deutz/Messe (Fair) and from there, take the Bus 150 to “Koeln, Thermalbad”. This will cost you 2,50€ and will take about 35 minutes.

If coming from Duesseldorf, you just take the RE1 that goes directly to Koeln Deutz/Messe (Fair) and take the Bus 150 to “Koeln, Thermalbad”. Ticketprice is 10€ and the trip will take about 60 minutes.

Sorry, we won’t draw any maps or tell you how to get there by car, you should be able to use Google Maps yourself, the address of the venue can be found here

Traveling by train

If you’re planning on going by train, the nearest station is Cologne Deutz/Messe (Fair). Usually most trains (like Thalys) will stop at Cologne Main Station. From there a lot of trains head to Cologne Deutz/Messe so it is no problem to get a connection.

Car Pools

A very popular way to travel to events in germany are car pools. You can try your luck, maybe you’ll find someone that will be heading to Cologne from somewhere near you at the weekend of the event.

Mitfahrzentrale (mostly german)
Rideshare / envoiture / mitfahrgelegenheit.de (quite a few trips from Paris/Amsterdam/London already listed there)

Hotel / Sleeping

We will soon get in contact with at least one or two of the hotels and try to arrange a discount for you, but for that we need to have a few more signed up people first, preferably also some non-germans

We will also have some space to lie down and sleep but this is limited. From past events, we know that people are quite flexible (in every way) when it comes to sleeping at the events but if you like it warm and cozy, you should get a hotel room!
If you decide to sleep at the venue however, you can also take a shower there (better bring your own towel ).

If you don’t want to sleep in a hotel bed OR the venue, you can also try your luck and ask some of the friendly people at hardedge.org, we’ve put up this thread there so people can ask for a place to sleep – there are quite a few players from around cologne.

Should you have any questions, the quickest way to contact the team is by using the contact form.

Weiterlesen »]]> A rather new face (at least as far as I know) in the Beat ‘em Up Scene has teamed up with the FightClub Team to support our event to make it even more awesome!

We’d like to welcome the friendly people of AVerMedia on our “Wall of Sponsors”!

AVerMedia ist best known for their great multimedia hardware, including network tuners, media players, set top boxes and (here’s the important part) capture equipment!

They’ve come up with great things like the AVerMedia DarkCrystal HD Capture Pro Card and the HD DarkCrystal HD Capture Station, used by a lot of streaming and capturing people all around the globe.

We thank AverMedia for their trust and support!