Party Guide

Before the Event

Well planned is half done as the old saying goes. You should take care to plan your visit to Assembly properly: remember to take all essentials with you and make sure your computer is ready for the event.

Packing list for commons stuff

• clothes: comfortable clothes (you will be sitting down for several days), plenty warm clothes (during night time, you will want to have something warm as the air conditioning can feel cold).
• sleeping gear: sleeping bag, sleeping mattress and a pillow.
• hygiene: toothbrush, toothpaste, personal hygiene products (don’t forget your deodorant) and a towel.
• medicine: painkillers (you might get a headache)
• a couple of pairs of earplugs.
• a flashlight (the party place is dark).

You can naturally bring more items with you. Please remember that very large PA equipment is forbidden. Read the exact rules here.

Remember that people typically bring a bit too much stuff. You will most probably only need half of the stuff you are taking with you.

You can also bring coffee makers and microwave ovens, but you have to place these in the separate kitchen equipment area. You can’t connect kitchen equipment to the electricity plugs at your computer place or anywhere near it.

Bringing your computer and preparing it

If you are bringing your computer to Assembly, you need to prepare a bit to ensure a smooth party.

You can use any computer at Assembly, or even a video game console. You need to bring everything you need yourself including but not limited to

• computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, mousepad etc.
• power cables and at least one electricity extension cord with atleast 3 power outlets and 0.5 m or longer cord.
• 10m network cable with RJ45 connectors (read more about the PartyNet).
• small screwdriver (for opening your computer).
• headphones (recommended) or speakers.

To use the Assembly PartyNet, you’ll need a 100/1000 MBps Ethernet support and a 10 meter Ethernet cable and to install your LAN drivers. Read more in PartyNet instructions.

You can also bring a gaming console with you. In this case you’ll need to pack its assorted cables and controllers. Please also remember that due to constraints on the use of electricity, you can only use either your computer or your console at a time. Do not use both at the same time.

Remember to pack your equipment well! It is always possible that there will be snow, or other ways your computer to get dirty or wet.

Once you arrive to Assembly you can borrow a cart from us in order get your device and equipment to your seat easily.

Secure your computer

You should take care that your computer is safe from viruses and hacking attempts. At minimum you should

Run an up to date anti-virus program. Remember to scan your machine before coming to Assembly to ensure that you are not bringing any malware to the event. Run an up to date software firewall on your machine. Disable any file sharing of personal or confidential files Update your operating system with the latest security updates Don’t download and/or run suspicious programs from any source Information security is a joint venture and everyone must participate. A large quantity of viruses have been spotted in the PartyNet in the past. There is a very high risk of being infected with a virus or worse, like identity theft malware, ransomware and so on, unless your machine is patched up-to-date, protected by a firewall and protected by anti-virus program. This document describes the steps you are expected take before leaving for Assembly, or if you have to re-install your machine at Assembly.

Use supported operating system

Support for Windows XP and Windows 2000 has ended. Please move on to Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

Updates

In modern versions of Windows, updating happens automatically as a background task, but it still does not hurt to check. This is easiest to do from Control Panel – Windows Update, or by running ‘wuapp.exe’ from Start – Run dialog. Click on ‘Check for updates’ and install recommended/critical updates. It is likely that the machine needs to reboot after applying tha updates. Repeat the cycle until there are no more updates to install.

If you are using some other web browser than Internet Explorer (like Firefox, Opera or Chrome), make sure you have the latest version of that browser installed.

Linux users should check update instructions from the distribution supplier.

Antivirus

Make sure you have an antivirus software installed and equipped with the latest virus database. Most antivirus packages are able to update the database automatically, so enable this option if you haven’t already done so.

Free antivirus software for home use is available from e.g. Avira (http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus) and avast! (http://www.avast.com/). Please note that these are recommendations only, and Assembly Organizing doesn’t provide technical support for them.

Firewall

Assembly Organizing strongly recommends you to keep your Windows firewall enabled in all profiles. Don’t leave home without having firewall enabled. The configuration GUI is in Control Panel under name ‘Windows Firewall’, and you can start it by running ‘wf.msc’ from Start – Run dialog. Familiarize yourself with the settings before you come to Assembly and ensure you don’t allow unnecessary inbound connections. There are add-ons like Windows Firewall Control to facilitate the settings, but they may be incompatible with the firewall functionality provided by antivirus programs (such as Avast! or Avira).

At the Party

Assembly is a safe event for everybody, and we want to keep it that way. Please read the rules carefully and follow them. The party etiquette tells you what Assembly consists of and what you can do keep the special atmosphere intact. Finally, remember to take care of your property!

Rules

Remember to obey the rules and the instructions given by our staff.

With thousands of visitors creating a digital chaos lasting the whole weekend, everybody needs to use their common sense and follow the party rules. Failure to do so can lead to your removal from the party place. The rules are there to make your visit more enjoyable, so try to keep them in mind while at the party.

All Finnish laws apply at Assembly. This includes copyright laws, laws on drugs, public safety laws and so on. Use your common sense and the read the rules below.

By buying or receiving an Assembly ticket and entering the event venue, you choose to accept these rules and act according to them. If you do not accept them, you are not allowed to enter the party place.

Forbidden items

• Weapons of any kind (LARP or cosplay props that are sharpened in any way, regardless of the props’ material)
• Visitors own wireless base stations and routers
  
• Edged weapons such as knives and pocket knives
• Leathermans or similar tools with foldable knives (these are classified as edged weapons)
• Explosives or fireworks (e.g. firecrackers are forbidden)
• Alcohol, illegal drugs or medicine without a prescription (if required by the law)
• Laser pointers, laser pens etc
• Smoke machines
• Dry ice (“kuivajää”)
• Kickbikes, scooters, hoverboards etc
• Big loudspeakers

During the years people have tried to bring in e.g. wooden club (which was 1 m tall) and a double-edged hand axe, which were probably made for LARP games. Please, leave such items home.

Alcohol & Tobacco & Drugs

You are not allowed to bring alcohol to the party place nor can you enter the party if you are intoxicated.

Smoking is forbidden inside the party area. There is a separate smoking area outside the main entrance. Electronic cigars are also forbidden inside Messukeskus.

Software piracy

The copying of copyrighted software is illegal in Finland and at Assembly. We will deal harshly with people selling illegal CD-Rs or hosting pirate FTP sites.

Sleeping in cars parked in the parking hall

Sleeping in cars (including motor homes) is forbidden because of fire safety regulations. If you are coming with a motor home, please park it somewhere else than into the parking hall.

Coffee makers, microwaves and other electricity hogs

There is a separate area, kitchen equipment area, in the party area where you can keep your coffee makers, waffle irons, microwave ovens, fridges and other household equipment.

It is forbidden to connect any kitchen equipment to the electricity plugs in the party area outside the kitchen equipment area. You can easily black out a whole electricity segment with a couple of coffee makers – just imagine how happy your neighbors will be.

Music loudness

All very powerful PA equipment are forbidden. You can bring your own “home stereo” equipment but that’s it. The security personnel will remove all equipment that won’t fit the rules.

What is the “normal home stereo” equipment?

• The speakers are not man sized (= big)
• The equipment is not rented from some PA store
• The amplifier won’t put out more watts than a normal home stereo equipment would (maximum being 300W)

We will not allow any PA equipment that qualifies as a major “ghettoblaster” into the party hall – so don’t even try to bring monster PA systems to the party place. If you terrorize your neighborhood with your stereos, you will be removed from the party place.

We ask you to use common sense. It should be obvious to all visitors which equipment are really banned. We don’t want to put up a noise contest among the equipment owners. You also have to remember that the volume level from normal home stereo can be loud as well, so keep the volume knobs down.

Extra structures on top of computer places

You can build extra structures or place your tall speakers on top of your computer place as long as:

• the combined weight is 50 kg or less
• the maximum height from the floor is 2 m
• everything keeps inside your computer place limits

However, you are responsible for potential damages. If you structure falls and damages something, you will pay the bill. If security personnel notices unsafe structures, you have to dismantle them immediately.

Damages to the party place

Every year we get a couple of smartasses who think it is extremely cool to paint graffitis on the party place walls’ or nearby traffic signs. Some others find it very tempting to attach stickers on the walls of the party place. DON’T DAMAGE the party place.

Remember that all people damaging the party place are held responsible for the damage they cause. Have some respect and don’t act like an idiot.

PartyNet rules

There are always a couple of wannabe crackers (read, script kiddies) trying to cause havoc in the party net, so it is forbidden to:

• You are not allowed to monitor network traffic to machines other than your own in any way.
• Cracking attempts on Assembly servers or other machines in the PartyNet are of course forbidden
• You are not allowed to distribute or retrieve copyrighted material.
• You are not allowed to distribute or retrieve illegal explicit material. (Finnish law draws the line with children/animals/violence)

Disturbing materials (video etc)

You are not allowed to publicly watch pornographic or other distrubing/hardcore violent materials. Yes this means simply “No porn and no lets-spill-the-blood videos”. This same rule applies to pictures and all other media where you can distribute or view such materials. You have to keep in mind that you are not alone in the event, thus you might seriously hurts someone else’s feelings or beliefs by watching such materials from your monitor. And yes, by watching it you will force feed it to people around you. Breaking this rule can get you removed from the party place without prior warning (!).

Miscellaneous rules

• Photographing or filming/recording in Assembly is strictly prohibited without written authorization from Assembly Organizing, unless the photos are meant for private and personal, non-commercial use only.
• You are not allowed to bring stickers or anything that is attached with some kind of adhesive to the party place. Each year, stickers cause some damage that needs to be repaired and we must pay for. Keep in mind it’s all away from the prizes.
• You are not allowed to publicly advertise any companies or services, that are not sponsoring Assembly event. This basically means: no giveaways, no software CDs, no flyers etc. If you wish to distribute material that is somehow demoscene/gaming/Assembly related, we are happy to help you, but please ask us first.
• All sales of bevarages (food & drinks), new computer hardware and software is prohibited.
• You are not allowed to collect other people’s bottles without permission. There are bottle collection stations at the party place. The money from these empty bottles goes to charity choosen by Assembly Organization.

Etiquette

The original Assembly feeling is made of the interaction of thousands of different persons and the only way to make that feeling a great one is that everybody contributes positively to it.

Back in the day all the participants of the event had the same hobbies and they also shared to a large extent same values. Today Assembly is open to everybody. The event gathers passionate members of the demo scene, online games, beginner programmers, information technology pros and others who just happen to interested about computers.

In this kind mixed and diverse environment the value which I would like everyone to share is the respect for others and their contributions to the event.

Every single Assembly visitor can either build or demolish the common party spirit. A good party spirit is built from open and friendly party attitude towards other visitors, which helps you from getting too stressed out from small and large unexpected problems. Those problems can happen to you, to your friends, to total visitors or to the organizing team. It also helps you to appreciate compos and the contributions in those that often require months of very hard work. This attitude is built from small things like shutting down your monitor during those compos, when there are contributions on the big screen. It is also requires that you need to appreciate the fact that some like online gaming more than demo programming. If they do, why get all upset about it? Remember that respect is a two way road: Don’t go expecting respect if you can’t give it yourself.

This short etiquette applies to each and every Assembly visitor: old demo scene farts, net addicts, online games, IRC-a-holics, IT pros as well as the top hax0r in the neighborhood.

Don’t be the dude who ruins the party for others.

Distilled version: Treat others like you’d like them to treat you.

After the Party

All fun has to end some time and so must Assembly. To ensure a safe and easy exit for everybody, we would like you to keep the following in mind,

Getting out typically is easy. Loading doors are open 24/7 during the event. You may unload your equipment any time you want, however, unloading during the prize giving ceremony is not recommended. The lights in the party hall are lit about 2 hours before the end of the event.

You should to the same as when you are bringing in your equipment – only this time in reverse order so:

• Pack up your equipment at your computer place
• If you are by car, have your driver drive to the loading entrance and ask him to call you when he is there. Note, there may be delays, so wait until you know that the car is outside the loading entrace
• Check that you got everything with you
• Carry your stuff to the loading entrance (there are some carriages, but carrying is faster)
• Get out of the party place through a loading entrance
• Load your equipment on your car
• Return the carriage to the loading entrance

Note: If you can carry your equipment in e.g. 2-3 trips, you will be probably faster in/out than if you start waiting for a carriage!

Note 2: You can’t take carriages outside of the party place.

Don’t forget your stuff

Every year there is a huge amount of stuff forgotten to the party place by visitors. Most typical items are

• Towels: remember to check the showers for your towel
• Sleeping bags and matresses: always take yours with you
• Misc computer equipment: from monitors to keyboards and to mobile phones. Don’t forget these.

And what’s most important… please be welcome again!