LAN Party

Based on some discussion, I created this topic in the hope that something would come of it.

This topic would be discussion of logistics, dates, times, places, food, games, people etc etc etc

It would probably be your typical BYOPC, and limited to 5 or less people. General list of things to bring would be PC, monitor, keyboard, mouse/pad, cable and possibly food/money for food.

I have a router that could be used, but it is limited to 4 cable connections (plus exactly 250 wireless connections, but wireless isn't the best option for gaming). I have 3 short ethernet cables, but longer ones will be necessary.

My house is not an option (we have enough trouble fitting our 2 desktops), and I'd have to remove my family for the duration of the gathering. As of now (may change in near future), I have one functioning desktop with middling capabilities and one low-end laptop with full control, along with my sister's high-end laptop which I can't fiddle around with too much.

As for times, since we seem to prefer longer games, a Saturday through Sunday thing would work (if you wanted to do the "sleepover" thing), to maximise time without making multiple trips. Catering becomes an issue.

As for games, you've of course got your RTS type games (AoE2, StarCraft, Empire at War), but there's also your FPS games and Racing games.

Suggestions I've heard so far (updated):

Age of Empires 2
We all know about this one. Somewhat slow-paced (gameplay measured in hours). I have a cracked version that can be distributed and run on almost any (average) PC.

Age of Mythology
RTS in the same vein as AoE, except featuring Classical mythology. I have one working copy, but I'd need to borrow the DVD again to install it on any other machines. Preinstallation recommended, it's not a small game. Requires moderate hardware.

Armagetron
Lesser known game based on the classic tron. Free, multi-platform game, good to break the monotony. Fast paced, simple to learn and easily scalable. Also installable on the day.

Counter Strike
First person shooter series, apparently very good multiplayer. More research required.

Cultris
Multiplayer tetris!!! Basically tetris where cleared lines are sent to the opponent/s. Bonuses for fast combos. More research required.

OpenArena
Cross-platform first person shooter. Highly reviewed (apparently). Free to download for Windows and Linux (and BSD, but who cares about BSD?). All your typical stuff, capture the flag, last man standing. For mature audiences (apparently).

Pocket Tanks
Another small game to break the monotony. Limited to two players, so alternatives requested. I have this ready to go.

Star Wars: Empire at War
Not so easy, 3.5GB installation, 3D hardware requirement, quirky anti-piracy software. I have a copy of the DVD and the crack, but preinstallation is a must. Not so easily scalable, but has epic-star-wars goodness.

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
AoE2 clone, with Star Wars theme. Similar requirements and gameplay to AoE2, and I have the install and play disks. Cracks would be simple to obtain. Low priority.

StarCraft
An (apparently) well known game from the same period as AoE2. A staple at LAN parties, this RTS features three distinct factions (Zerg, Terran, Protoss) with differing abilities. I do not have a copy of this game, but being so popular it should be easy to come by. I now have a copy of it and the expansion, 1.2GB in size (it has a very in-depth campaign, with cinematics at every turn, these would normally stay on the CD). Very low hardware requirements (90MHz CPU, 16MB of RAM, DirectX 2.0). Run in compatibility mode for Vista/7.

Unreal Tournament 2004
First person shooter with focus on muliplayer. Went around school a few years ago, medium hardware requirements. Another "staple" of LAN parties. I have an untested demo of this. More research required.