Euro VF Gathering in Amsterdam, 29-30 August, 2009

Thanks to MP_Lupin for creating this sweet banner!

After asking if there were any Europeans interested in having a big gathering in Amsterdam, we got a huge amount of feedback, with 32 players from 9 (!) countries expressing their interest.

Of course, this has gotten us very excited and therefore we would like to announce the first European VF Gathering held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This will take place in the weekend of the 29th and the 30th of August.

First, our plan was to just play casuals, but we figured that with so many players coming, we needed something that would stick out for everyone, so we figured we’d do a tournament. The tournament itself will be held on Saturday the 28th, so if you want to participate, please be there on Saturday. When we’re not doing the tournament, it’s all casuals .

If you would like to play even more, it’s okay to come over on Friday as well. We would recommend coming over on Thursday and leaving on Monday, this way you can check out the city and get familiar with where you’re staying on Thursday. This will also enable you to get drunk without the hangover affecting your VF enjoyment. Then on Friday, you can go sightseeing/play VF/party some more if you’re really into it/do whatever. Then play VF all day on Saturday and Sunday and leave without stress on Monday. Aside from having plenty of time to do whatever you want, this will probably also cost you less money in terms of travel, since flying outside the weekend is usually cheaper.

Where will this take place?:

Pilotenstraat 34, Amsterdam (Google Maps)

What kind of tournament will it be? Rules etc. :

It’ll be a Double-Elimination style Tournament, with a group phase before that.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rHRqM3BxwQ9aOnDhUKRz5KA

We will be using this spreadsheet to set everything up beforehand, so we won’t have to waste time on discussions etc. at the tournament itself.

How do I get there?:

Flying:

Taking the bus:

http://www.eurolines.com

Taking the train:

http://www.eurostar.com
This line goes to and from the UK if I’m correct

http://www.thalys.com
From Paris to Amsterdam (comes through Brussels as well). Very comfortable!

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/mobility/trains/ice.shtml
The ICE runs from Germany to Amsterdam. These trains are also really comfortable!

Taking a ferry (for the UK guys ):

This seems to be a cheap and comfortable way to get to Holland. I’m not too familiar with the various ferry-companies, so I’m just going to list the one I know of:

http://www.stenaline.com

Trains in Holland:

Should you arrive at places outside Amsterdam, you will probably need to take a train to get to Amsterdam. I do NOT recommend taking a taxi, as taxi’s are really REALLY expensive in Holland. You’re far better off using the public transport.

Trains run from pretty much anywhere to everywhere, especially to Amsterdam. You have to buy tickets on the trainstation, you cannot buy them on the train. If you don’t have a valid ticket on the train, they will charge you the price for the trip PLUS ~35 euros, so buy your tickets! You can buy tickets at yellow ticket machines, you can set them to a variety of languages, so you’ll understand what to do .

Public Transport inside Amsterdam:

It’s a bit difficult to explain how the public transport system works in Amsterdam, since it’s about to be radically changed from the way it’s always been…

I can tell you about the various means of transport available, though.

What/Where do I eat?:

Well, we were thinking of getting dinner for you on Saturday.. Proper Dutch fastfood! If everyone puts in a little money, we’ll just get some dinner somewhere and bring it back for you guys to eat . Then on Sunday we can order somewhere, or maybe go to a restaurant with the whole group (although this might be quite troublesome, depending on the size of the group ).

For those of you that want to eat traditional Dutch cuisine, too bad. I’ve never seen a restaurant that served things like boerenkool or hutspot, mainly since these are just farmer’s dishes, which consist of mashed potatoes, carrots and unions mashed together into a stew.

There’s lots of McDonaldses, Burger Kings, Subways and a lot of kebab shops (these serve a delicious dish called ‘shoarma’ pronounced shwarma, try it if you’re hungry!).

Where do I stay?:


http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/Amsterdam

Hostels are the cheapest way to get a place to stay. Average price is about 25 euros a night.

I recommend you guys to book your rooms together, like in groups of three or something. This will probably be a little more comfortable for you. I’ve slept in a hostel on my own before and it’s quite uncomfortable with unknown people all around you, haha.

If you don’t have enough money to book a flight AND a hostel or can’t find roommates for some reason, but you would still like to come over, send me a PM, I’ll see if I can help you out .

What to bring?:

Note: We'll only be playing the 360 version! Don't bother bringing PS3 equipment!

Please bring your own arcade-stick (or your pad if you prefer that). We won’t be able to provide sticks for everyone. If it’s impossible for you to bring your stick for whatever reason, that’s okay, but if it isn’t impossible, just bring it along, please .
Also, it would be nice if some people brought their memorycards, it adds a little flavour if everyone plays with their own customized characters .
Finally, it would be great if some of you could bring your xbox. There’s probably quite a number of people coming here and I think we can all agree that it would be nice if everyone could play as many games as possible.


Who will be there? :

The Netherlands (8):

Real Name: Wouter Strankinga
Nickname: Krye
From: Purmerend, the Netherlands
Main Character: Lau
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Twan Mul
Nickname: NGKrush
From: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Main Character: Jeffry
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Kareem
Nickname: Fulan
From: Maarssen, the Netherlands
Main Character: Goh
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Pascal van der Sluis
Nickname: MasterPasje
From: Maarssen, the Netherlands
Main Character: Lion
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Chris Roverts
Nickname: Craven
From: Maarssen, the Netherlands
Main Character: Lau
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Maurits d'Anjou
Nickname: Vortigar
From: the Netherlands
Main Character: Brad
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Ake Hu
Nickname: Akebueno
From: the Netherlands
Main Character: Shun Di
Confirmed?: Yes

Real Name: Christiaan Bruinsma
Nickname: Spoon
From: Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
Main Character: Aoi
Confirmed?: Yes


The United Kingdom (4):

Real Name: Jon Crofts
Nickname: Beligerent_Feck
From: United Kingdom
Main Character: Akira
Confirmed?: Not yet.

Real Name: Marlon Jacobs
Nickname: MarlyJay
From: London, the United Kingdom
Main Character: Eileen
Confirmed?: Yes!

Real Name: Lewis Hare
Nickname: Monkeypunch
From: Surrey, the United Kingdom
Main Character: El Blaze
Confirmed?: Yes!

Real Name: Jide
Nickname: Jide
From: London, the United Kingdom
Main Character: Kage
Confirmed?: Not yet.


Germany (3):

Real Name: Christian Hartmann
Nickname: Aidan
From: Bensheim, Germany
Main Character: Akira
Confirmed?: Not yet.

Real Name: Darius
Nickname: Mr. Rock Howard
From: Germany
Main Character: Lei Fei
Confirmed?: Not yet.


Italy (1):

Real Name: Fabrizio Lerch
Nickname: Mister
From: Cagliari, Italy
Main Character: Wolf
Confirmed?: Yes!


Poland (1):

Real Name: Piotr
Nickname: lotrzyna
From: Warsaw, Poland
Main Character: Kage
Confirmed?: Not yet.


Finland (2):

Real Name: Ville Suokas
Nickname: Combolammas
From: Järvenpää, Finland
Main Character: Lau
Confirmed?: Not yet.

Real Name: Juha Laukkanen
Nickname: Manjimaru
From: Helsinki, Finland
Main Character: Akira
Confirmed?: Not yet.


France (1):

Real Name: Nabil Alimi
Nickname: StarNab
From: France
Main Character: Kage
Confirmed?: Not yet.


Sweden (2):

Real Name: Jonas Ohlsson
Nickname: Jeneric
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Main Character: Vanessa
Confirmed?: Yes!

Real Name: Bob
Nickname: Bob
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Main Character: ?
Confirmed?: Yes!

Number of people confirmed to show up: 11!


Where do I sign up?:

Please fill in this little form:

Real Name:
Nickname:
From:
Main Character:

And post it here.

Here’s an example:

Real Name: Wouter Strankinga
Nickname: Krye
From: Purmerend, the Netherlands
Main Character: Lau

Then, when you’ve booked your trip and hostel/hotel, please say so here, so I can put you up as confirmed. Thanks .

PS: To all the Dutch guys participating: please sign up here as well.

I'll finish with saying that I'm really looking forward to this!

Let's make this a great success, guys!

 

Real Name: Twan Mul
Nickname: NGKrush
From: Amsterdam, NL
Main Character: Jeffry

Really looking forward to this!!

 

Real Name: Jon Crofts
Nickname: B_Feck
From: UK
Main Character: Akira

I'll make sure to post when i've booked the Ferry/Flight/Train whateva /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

Real Name: Christian Hartmann
Nickname: Aidan
From: Bensheim, Germany
Main Character: Akira

But I´m not quite sure how to get to Amsterdam or where I´ll sleep, but I post when I know everything. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

Real Name: Kareem
Nickname: Fulan
From: Maarssen, NL
Main Character: Goh

 

Real Name: Pascal van der Sluis
Nickname: Masterpasje
From: Maarssen, NL
Main Character: Lion

 

Real Name: Chris Roverts
Nickname: Craven
From: Maarssen, NL
Main Character: Lau

 

Real Name: Sławek Krukowski... actually full name is Sławomir Wladyslaw Krukowski
Nickname: Griever
From: Poznan, Poland
Main Character: Brad/Vanessa

I'll be in Amsterdam on 27th (travelling from Brussels). I have almost everything booked so I'd just need you to let me play on 28th, or else... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif Cheers /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

Re: Euro VF Gathering in Amsterdam, 29-30 August,

Real Name: Eddel Dioquino
Nickname: Flash
From: Virginia, USA
Main Character: Wolf

ok im NOT attending this event, but u guys just sound so cool! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

Haha, I love your name, Griever! It sounds badass when I say it out loud /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

I'll put you down as confirmed /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

It's awesome to see you so enthusiastic about this, you booked less than 24 hours after I made this thread! Great stuff, man!

@Saramus_Prime: /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

I'm not confirmed yet but because Feck said he was getting lonely with having the only British sounding name on the list, here's my details.

Real Name: Andrew Smethurst
Nickname: Ash Kaiser
From: Rotherham, UK
Main Character: Wolf

I'll probably be there though. It sounds like fun, and shouldn't cost too much.

 

flash, you asshole. I actually got hype.

 

You were right on the shoutbox. That is a pretty cool name.

 

Real Name: Fabrizio Lerch (my father is swiss XD)
Nickname: Mister (Mistersicstinai)
From: Cagliari, Italy
Main Character: Wolf

edit: i'm not coming with griever.
Well i'm probably going to arrive the 28 to bruxelles and take a train or buss for amsterdam from there. If anyone arrive in bruxelles the 28, contact me please.

 

Important: Does anyone attending the gathering has, and would be willing to take with him, an XFPS converter? Thank You in advance! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

Real Name: Lewis Hare
Nickname: Monkeypunch
From: Surrey, UK
Main Character: El Blaze

I'll most prob be attending, depends how much funds i can accumulate over the summer but I should be ok /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

Real Name: Jide
Nickname: Jide
From: UK LONDON
Main Character: Kage

I'm not confirmed either but I'm definitely interesting in coming. I know some of the other UK guys are too. I have been pre occupied with Tekken at the moment. Blasphemy!!!!

I'll let you know guys later.

This event really does sound awesome though.

 

United Kingdom represent!

Nice to see you guys are so interested /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif I hope all of you can make it!

I'm gonna start sending PM's to all the people that expressed interest in the other thread. As well as send all the Europeans in my XBL friendslist a message telling them that this thing is happening. Hopefully that way even more people will want to show up /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

I'll definately come if I can cough up the cash. For the time being I'm not confirmed, though.

Real Name: Ville Suokas
Nickname: Combolammas
From: Järvenpää, Finland
Main Character: Lau