Robin Nymann · @robinnymann
20th Feb 2020 from TwitLonger
PSA Event Information - DreamHack Halo Series: Anaheim 2020
Hi everyone,
For those of you who don't already know me, I'm Robin and I’m the product manager for DreamHack Halo Series. We are once again very excited to be working alongside 343 Industries to once again host the competitive Halo community, this time in sunny Anaheim, California. While DreamHack have operated quite a few console events, PC events are our bread and butter, and we’re here to help make the Halo community first PC event as smooth and fun as possible. Largely the tournament flow will be the same but there a few key differences that we wanted to make you aware of.
Extra admins: As this will be the first time the Halo community has competed at a large scale event on PC, we have decided to enlist the help of extra admins with PC experience to help ensure a smoother event overall, particularly in the open bracket area. We will be there to answer any questions, help troubleshoot any problems that might arise, and of course administer the tournament itself.
Team communication: PC events for other titles typically leverage the software Team Speak to allow players and coaches to speak to each other. The Halo event at DH Anaheim will be no different. There will not be any MixAmps to plug your headsets into, you will instead plug them directly into the PC and will chat using Team Speak. Each coach will also have their own PC with Team Speak installed. That being said, we will still run with MixAmps on the main stage.
Main stage setup: Traditionally, Halo events require that each Xbox console’s HDMI feed is converted and piped directly into the broadcast. The games run at 60fps on console and therefore are easily compatible with standard broadcast equipment. However, on PC, we know players prefer to play with uncapped framerate but capturing the PC feeds directly causes a compatibility issue with the broadcast equipment. We wanted to avoid forcing players to compete at 60fps and so we performed extensive internal testing on software and hardware solutions, and even reached out to other esports partners to help brainstorm. We are excited to say that we have found a solution and players will be able to compete using uncapped framerates.
For those interested – there will be two feeds coming out of the PC’s graphics card on mainstage, one for the player monitor and one for the broadcast. The feed for the player monitor will be set to allow for uncapped framerate but the one for the broadcast will be set to 60fps so that it’s compatible with the PC equipment. In our testing this is the lowest risk solution to allow for a smooth player and tournament experience, but we will still be monitoring feedback directly from players onsite.
Check-in on site: We’re opening the doors an hour early specifically for Halo competitors, so you can arrive at 9am and avoid the security lines to get into the event. Please make use of this as you may otherwise run into issues with long ticket- and security lines, and we won’t be able to help all of you. Check-in closes at 12PM.
Once again, thank you so much for joining us at yet another DreamHack festival, we can’t wait to host you and witness a great tournament.