[dj ralph]

Dear Fellow Gamers,

I have been thinking over the last few days about our fair state and its dance game conditions. A few different places have attempted to get In the Groove 2, however, one machine ended up being reverted back to DDR 5th Mix because of an I/O error (Boomtown) and the other pair of machines in Lafayette do not work properly.

In my opinion, Gameware is the only place that would even consider an upgrade. It's also the only place where the pads can be maintained regularly by individuals who actually care that the machine is in working order.

Steve (the owner of Gameware) has said that he would like to upgrade the machine, but is worried about a few things. Here's what they are:
1.) Cost. The ITG2 upgrade costs $2999. That is no small chunk of change.

2.) Name Recognition DDR is the term most people use when they see a dance game. Plus, the songs on DDR Extreme are familiar to most players now.

3.) The Current Machine's Condition Gameware's machine has been in many different states since its arrival, ranging from nearly broken to flawless pads on both sides.

I have come to the realization that if Steve could be convinced that none of these problems were actually an issue, it might be possible to convince him to upgrade. Let me rebut each one of these concerns, one by one:

1.) The Cost of Everything Else While a $3000 upgrade seems steep, it isn't even sure whether DDR Supernova upgrade kits will become available. Plenty of people on the internet are saying they're getting one, but they haven't been announced yet. A DDR Supernova dedicab is $15,000, and an ITG 2 dedicab is $10,000.

2.) Recognition? At Laser Tag, people play their Pump It Up Zero machine like there's no tomorrow. It's one of the establishment's highest earners, and that's even on days when the "core" crowd doesn't go in and play. Most people will walk up to a dancing game and just want to play it, presuming the name and just jumping on and stomping the arrows. Back in 1999 and 2000, before DDR's name had been established here in the US, people just wanted to play it because it looked cool, and that is still true.

3.) Gameware's Machine ...isn't that bad. Plus, Gameware's regular customers have no problem cleaning the pads. For free. Most arcades won't let thier players clean their pads because they're worried about them breaking the machine, but Gameware trusts its most frequent customers, who have been cleaning the pads for quite a while now and are quite good at it. The screen is in great condition, the face buttons are fine, and when cleaned properly, the panels are in tournament condition.

Here's the plan:

First off, I would like to hold a tournament at Gameware soon. This tournament will be promoted to everyone in Louisiana, and surrounding areas too. There will be spots in the tournament for Light and Standard players. That way, they won't be scared off by the thought of having to play against experienced Heavy players.

This tournament will hold two purposes:

1.) To show Steve the interest in getting an upgrade. Everyone who comes in should tell Steve they're there because they want an upgrade, maybe there could be a sheet with all of our signatures on it.

2.) To raise money for the upgrade. I'm not saying we'll raise enough money to pay for it or anything, but maybe if we could raise some of the money for the upgrade ourselves, Gameware will realize we're serious about this. All of the proceeds from this tournament will go to Gameware in the interest of getting this upgrade. Perhaps the entry fee could be $10 instead of $5.

People who travel, I can offer some gas money to, if they're worried about the fact that they won't be making any money out of coming and winning the tournament. Perhaps some of us could pitch in and offer a prize to the winner, like something really nice. I personally wouldn't mind buying something like... a Nintendo DS Lite if someone from out of state comes and wins this thing over all my friends.

If you have any suggestions, PM me or post in this thread. Let's pool our ideas and come up with a tournament and a plan that Steve won't be able to resist.

Thank you for your time in reading this, and I hope you're with me! Louisiana needs something new, let's all be a part of the team of people who made it happen!