Mini-LAN at my house; advice needed

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Mr. Stryker

Supreme [H]ardness
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Mar 15, 2005
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I'm hosting a little LAN party composed of my coworkers who are gamers. (We're like a family, but it's our first time to have this type of event together) They play different games on the computer. I'll be having about 10 people over with their PCs.

Of course I'm providing sheet pizza and whatnot, but the big question is which games are good to play together? I need a list of free games that we all can download. One game that comes to mind is Trackmania Nations.

There's bound to be free shooter games, racing games, etc. so I'd like everyone to pitch in ideas so that I can have everyone download these games before they come to my house. (Not a console LAN party)
 
TF2 is a good one, free to anybody with a steam account, but the gameplay is quite different compared to Battlefield/CounterStrike etc. Fully capable of LAN play, and reasonably forgiving to less-skilled FPS gamers (like myself).

Oh yeah, and it probably doesn't matter but I believe TF2 is mac-compatible as well.
 
BL2! Dead Island can be pretty fun, as well as L4D2. I find that Zombie games are great for LAN parties because everyone can enjoy the reactions of "that one guy" that freaks out. ;)
 
Typically there's other considerations prior to which games are played...

1) How will everyone be networked? Do you have an 8-port switch that will be plugged in to a wireless router? This is likely the best route, and would likely have enough ports for everyone to plug in unless a few wanted to use wireless instead.

2) How will you power that many computers? Typically the LAN party rule-of-thumb is 6 people per 20A circuit, then you work out any details regarding large rigs all being on the same circuit. Your goal is to ensure you never trip a breaker, so at a minimum I'd want 40A for the 10 people you're inviting over (2x20A).

3) Where is everyone going to sit? Part of the fun of a LAN party is everyone can sit in the same room and yell at each other.

4) How will the PCs get moved in/out? Do you have a dolly or will people have to carry things up/down stairs? If so is there potential for damage to the walls? Make sure to identify these so folks don't damage your house!

Hopefully you already know the answers to the 4 questions above, now you can move on to games...

For the next LAN party my friends and I are hosting we'll be doing 4 tournaments:

- Warcraft 2: Frozen Throne (FFA battle, if over 8 people it'll be several smaller matches, with one final match with 3-4 people in it)
- Worms: Armageddon (can be played hotseat, so only 1 or 2 people need to own the game)
- Counter-Strike (most people I know own this game, or CS:S)
- Trackmania (free, can easily be moved via Steam backup)

In addition my friends like these:

- The Hidden: Source (requires a source game already be installed, I think, along with one of the Source SDKs)
- Pirates, Vikings and Knights II (again, requires a source game already be installed, I think, along with one of the Source SDKs)
- Super Monday Night Combat (F2P; downloadable in Steam; requires a dedicated internet connection)
- Tribes: Ascend (F2P, downloadable in Steam; requires a dedicated internet connection)
- Smite (Beta; plays like League of Legends; requires a dedicated internet connection; needs a registration code anyone in the beta can provide)
- Team Fortress 2 (F2P, downloadable in Steam)

Not sure about many other LAN-only games... typically my friends stick with what's listed above unless there's a very particular reason to try something new. I think a few folks want to play Torchlight 2 at the next LAN we're going to this weekend, and if your friends all want to play multi-hour games something like Civilization 5 could take all night and all next day unless you play aggressive. :)
 
I'd recommend making a google Doc where people list what games they have on steam so you can agree on what everyone can play.

This way people can come to your house with the games installed instead of everyone slamming your internet connection with steam downloads.

Quick tips:
1) As the above poster stated, go with a wired hub and wire connections wherever possible. The amount of troubleshooting wireless stuff causes is just not worth it.
2) Counterstrike. It is hilarious to get online and do stuff like everyone join Terrorist on Italy and camp with shotguns.

Oh and it may sound like heresy but having a console for people to play when they want to take a break from the computers is a really good idea.
 
Oh god, Hidden: Source... I remember that from a few years ago. That was a lot of fun.

TF2, that's right... With others listing source mods requiring the SDK and the source files, would downloading TF2 contain the files for these source mods like Pirates, Vikings, and Kings & Hidden Source, and Neotokyo?

The actual head count is 5 or 6 people, plus myself and my 3 roommates. I have an 8 port switch already.
 
Mr. Stryker said:
Oh god, Hidden: Source... I remember that from a few years ago. That was a lot of fun.

TF2, that's right... With others listing source mods requiring the SDK and the source files, would downloading TF2 contain the files for these source mods like Pirates, Vikings, and Kings & Hidden Source, and Neotokyo?

The actual head count is 5 or 6 people, plus myself and my 3 roommates. I have an 8 port switch already.
Click to expand...

Dont know but this should

HALF-LIFE 2: CAPTURE THE FLAG 2.1
 
I don't think team games are a good choice for a house LAN party... So TF2 definitely goes out the window. There's simply not enough people to make a game like that fun.
 
Driving games like TOCA or Need For Speed
Worms Armageddon
A not-too-serious FPS
Borderlands 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 are good fun, but 4 player each max.

Make sure everyone brings headphones, power strips, fully patched PCs, and copies of all the software. You might want to have a WSUS server available. Assume that at least one of the PCs will have malware and protect your home network accordingly. If you've got a spare router, set it up to a 172.16 addressing scheme and run everything off that.

You should plan on a timeline roughly as below:

11 - 12 Setup & test
12 - 1 Food!
1 - 6 Games!
6 - 7 More food
7 - 10 More games!
10 Finish,
 
DOTA 1 or 2: If ppl have the beta key.
Heroes of Newerth
League of Legends

Also some of the custom games from WC3 can be fun.

BF3 if ppl have it

Diablo 2

Starcraft 1 or 2

Also everything else ppl have been saying is good as well.
Def be careful about the circuits in the house.
We blew 2 fuses at my friends house one nite before we daisy chained from the kitchen.
 
I love L4D 1+2 because it doesn't matter whether you're that good or not. Hell, the funnest people to play with are nubs who can barely aim.
 
Sn0_Man said:
TF2 is a good one, free to anybody with a steam account, but the gameplay is quite different compared to Battlefield/CounterStrike etc. Fully capable of LAN play, and reasonably forgiving to less-skilled FPS gamers (like myself).

Oh yeah, and it probably doesn't matter but I believe TF2 is mac-compatible as well.
Click to expand...

God this game is great. I've played it since its came out. its the first to get installed all the time.
 
Quartz-1 said:
Driving games like TOCA or Need For Speed
Worms Armageddon
A not-too-serious FPS
Borderlands 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 are good fun, but 4 player each max.

Make sure everyone brings headphones, power strips, fully patched PCs, and copies of all the software. You might want to have a WSUS server available. Assume that at least one of the PCs will have malware and protect your home network accordingly. If you've got a spare router, set it up to a 172.16 addressing scheme and run everything off that.

You should plan on a timeline roughly as below:

11 - 12 Setup & test
12 - 1 Food!
1 - 6 Games!
6 - 7 More food
7 - 10 More games!
10 Finish,
Click to expand...

5 hours without food? Damn :p

I'd count in TF2 as well, solid game for that many people.
 
TF2 can be fun if you can find a low pop server and split up, or stack one side hahah.

Last time I had a LAN it was only 4 people and we played BFBC2, Starcraft 2 and Left4Dead. Left4Dead2 isn't free but it's cheap.
 
BiH115 said:
5 hours without food? Damn :p

I'd count in TF2 as well, solid game for that many people.
Click to expand...

I was at a new years lan party (Like 15 years ago) where we went about 36 hours straight without a break. IIRC, it was a quake fest. That was the same event I fell asleep at the wheel and nearly totaled my car on the way home. Intense!
 
Host it in the garage, I have a 3 car garage so it's plenty of room, use the whole house if you need to. Every 6 months I have a LAN party at my place, 1999 till now. My policy is no alcoholic drinks because there are a lot of kids that like to join.

I bought Ikea $8 fold up chairs (x25), 5 picnic tables (5x)

-2x 37" LCD for XBOX360 and PS3, Play only fighting games only for competition matches, we play for pushups. (Soul Calibur, Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter, ETC)

-Everyone chips in $5-10 for food and water, costco member here!

-Heroes of Newerth 5v5

-MW3 8v8

-Starcraft 2 4v4

-Make sure you always have something going on. Some guys after a couple of games will want to play poker, set one up on the side.

-Have some movies playing on the side. Have someone bring a extra monitor or small TV. (Have it play breaking bad, walking dead, etc)

-Just lay out the food on the table and people will come and eat as they please, any time they want. I get the Asian party tray combos friderice/eggrolls/ feeds a party of 20 for only $60. If it runs out, start ordering costco pizza or some more party trays. I have around 3 coolers so a variety of drinks will be always cold (water, soda, juice).

-Make sure you have a good internet line and a nice router/switch, everyone will want to download, stream, and share files with each other. (example: Jim just got the whole walking dead on bluray, everyone wants a copy!)

-My LAN parties go from Friday night - Sunday Morning. I don't worry about electricity because I have solar.

-I have a big back yard, so they pitch up tents and sleeping bags. The living room gets converted to sleeping headquarters too. All rooms are closed off and locked. I don't sleep in my bed room, I get a sleeping bag and join the guys/gals. It's always a blast having friends over just yelling, partying, smack talk, l33t talk, and just hanging out.

-HAVE FUN. Once you are a great hostest people will want to come all the time, sometimes they bring their friends so the party will grow and grow as you keep hosting. Mine went from 3 people to 25. Be safe and make some memories!
 
Go to Home Depot and get a adapter so some of the more power hungry setups can get power from the Washer/Dryer outlet.
 
Richneerd said:
Host it in the garage, I have a 3 car garage so it's plenty of room, use the whole house if you need to. Every 6 months I have a LAN party at my place, 1999 till now. My policy is no alcoholic drinks because there are a lot of kids that like to join.

I bought Ikea $8 fold up chairs (x25), 5 picnic tables (5x)

-2x 37" LCD for XBOX360 and PS3, Play only fighting games only for competition matches, we play for pushups. (Soul Calibur, Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter, ETC)

-Everyone chips in $5-10 for food and water, costco member here!

-Heroes of Newerth 5v5

-MW3 8v8

-Starcraft 2 4v4

-Make sure you always have something going on. Some guys after a couple of games will want to play poker, set one up on the side.

-Have some movies playing on the side. Have someone bring a extra monitor or small TV. (Have it play breaking bad, walking dead, etc)

-Just lay out the food on the table and people will come and eat as they please, any time they want. I get the Asian party tray combos friderice/eggrolls/ feeds a party of 20 for only $60. If it runs out, start ordering costco pizza or some more party trays. I have around 3 coolers so a variety of drinks will be always cold (water, soda, juice).

-Make sure you have a good internet line and a nice router/switch, everyone will want to download, stream, and share files with each other. (example: Jim just got the whole walking dead on bluray, everyone wants a copy!)

-My LAN parties go from Friday night - Sunday Morning. I don't worry about electricity because I have solar.

-I have a big back yard, so they pitch up tents and sleeping bags. The living room gets converted to sleeping headquarters too. All rooms are closed off and locked. I don't sleep in my bed room, I get a sleeping bag and join the guys/gals. It's always a blast having friends over just yelling, partying, smack talk, l33t talk, and just hanging out.

-HAVE FUN. Once you are a great hostest people will want to come all the time, sometimes they bring their friends so the party will grow and grow as you keep hosting. Mine went from 3 people to 25. Be safe and make some memories!
Click to expand...

Now that's a party. Everything you can think of for an entire weekend of fun.

Don't forget about the complimentary "smush room" so people that meet at the party can hook up and blow their loads all over your sheets and upholstery.
 
BiH115 said:
Don't forget about the complimentary "smush room" so people that meet at the party can hook up and blow their loads all over your sheets and upholstery.
Click to expand...
Not sure that's necessary at a LAN party :D
 
thedocta45 said:
League of Legends
Also some of the custom games from WC3 can be fun.
Click to expand...

+1 for these games.

Also, Age of Empires 2 or 3 is great fun for LAN.

Most importantly OP, get at least 2 box fans to circulate air. It gets really hot with 8-10 people & computers in a 15x20 room. Put one fan in a window on one side of the room blowing cool air in.

I've had dozens of LAN parties at my house and the box fans are a necessity!
Also, make sure you have some spare power strips & good 3-prong extension cords.
Tripping breakers ruins a game-in-progress.
 
J Macker said:
+1 for these games.

Also, Age of Empires 2 or 3 is great fun for LAN.

Most importantly OP, get at least 2 box fans to circulate air. It gets really hot with 8-10 people & computers in a 15x20 room. Put one fan in a window on one side of the room blowing cool air in.

I've had dozens of LAN parties at my house and the box fans are a necessity!
Also, make sure you have some spare power strips & good 3-prong extension cords.
Tripping breakers ruins a game-in-progress.
Click to expand...

My solution to this was to run power across my basement. Just this past weekend I finished the final phase!

I now have 44 outlets that can tap up to 120A of total power across 6 breakers (6x20A). There are 6 prongs for 4 breakers (24 outlets @ 80A) across the center of my basement, then I put an additional 20 outlets against the back and side walls to "fill in the gaps" and so my future LAN parties can have a second row of seats where people face the concrete walls (20 outlets @ 40A). I figure with this much power spaced out I can easily accommodate around 30 people, with upwards of 36 or so people if a few folks bring laptops or "regular" desktops.

Across the center of the basement, every 6 feet, there's 2x2 outlets (4 total outlets) mounted at ceiling level. Each box across the center of the basement has two circuits running to it. The first box is Circuit #1 and Circuit #2, then the next box 6ft away is Circuit #3 and Circuit #4. This repeats 2x across the 50ft or so I have across my basement, which accounts for the 24 outlets I mentioned earlier. The goal was that, regardless of how many people attend the LAN I'd always be drawing off of all 4 of those circuits regardless of where people decide to position themselves. I didn't want to only have 8 people have folks say, "Well we'll all stay near this one side" causing that breaker to trip a few times. I also didn't want to run extension cords all over the place so this seemed like the next best solution.

Oh, and just for giggles I installed a second breaker box next to my primary breaker box and installed six volt/amp meters, running the six circuits through them so I can monitor total LAN draw at any given time. Sadly I don't have a picture at the moment, but it'll be nice to see power usage go up so we know which circuits are getting close to 20A. The goal is to load balance the entire LAN, and I designed the outlet placement with this in mind. (As noted in the previous paragraph)

The end result is I over-engineered my solution, but everyone walking in to the LAN only sees tables and chairs on the ground, no cords. Power outlets are across the ceiling and network cables are run through the crossbeams, ensuring all cables go "up" rather than "across", so nobody can trip and take out a portion of the LAN (or pull someone's computer off the table!)

EDIT: I guess 1-2 pictures of the first 24 outlets is in order. :)

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/412178_3636526276617_1025314393_o.jpg - you can see two of the outlets (they're brown) at the top of this picture. First one is all the way at the top of the picture about an inch to the left of the duct (next space over). It's pretty difficult to see. Second one is a little over an inch to the right of the light, and it's what is casting the shadow on the beam on the far right.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375100_3636526356619_2037051318_n.jpg - this is a picture of the basement. Some outlets can be made out (you can definitely see the metal junction box in the ceiling near the center of the room). Just posted this for reference.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375100_3636526516623_394683334_n.jpg - this is how one of the boxes looks on the ceiling. After this picture was taken I used a label maker and stuck a number (1, 2, 3 or 4) on each one so I'd know which breaker was attached to each outlet. This box was specifically #1 for the left most outlets, and #2 for the right-most outlets.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375100_3636526556624_1694050229_n.jpg - this is a picture of the junction box where all the wires split down their respective paths. Yellow romex going "left" (with wire holders) go to the breaker box. Cables going "up" go towards where the second picture in this group was taken. Cables going "down" head away from where the second picture was taken. It's worth noting that I'm replacing that box with a much larger one, since the size of this box is likely too small and there's probably some kind of code violation involved. Didn't know there would be one until after we got it all wired up!

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/531103_3636544717078_291717476_n.jpg - these are the breakers in the box. I used tandem breakers to save on space in the box. My builder used a LOT of breakers to better delineate each room/area in the house, and ended up using about 85% of the total space in the breaker box. These also have numbers on them now, #1 is the top breaker and they go down to #4 at the bottom.
 
Last edited:
Tytalus said:
...
The end result is I over-engineered my solution...
Click to expand...

:eek: Dang dude! I'm not that [H]!

Sadly, I didn't even have any LANs this summer. I've been too busy. I usually invite the guys over more during the winter.

I am adding a second breaker for my basement / family room as well as wiring in 4 ports Cat6 behind my TV and to each bedroom, but my basement/family room already has finished walls. So I can't do anything close to what you did!
 
Tytalus said:
My solution to this was to run power across my basement. Just this past weekend I finished the final phase!
Click to expand...

If you're needing that much juice in the basement, don't forget cooling the area as well.
 
HalfLife mods were my favorite to play at LANs... obscure games you'd never find enough people to play with online. We'd play them for 5-6 hours and BF3 or something for 2.

Rocket Crowbar
Suicide Survival
Source Forts
Some DragonBallZ / SuperHero ones.. (forgot the name)

Some of them make no sense and you have no idea how to play them, but that's half the fun. The first few are pretty straight-forward.

moddb.com is a good place to source these kinds of mods.
 
Richneerd said:
Host it in the garage, I have a 3 car garage so it's plenty of room, use the whole house if you need to. Every 6 months I have a LAN party at my place, 1999 till now. My policy is no alcoholic drinks because there are a lot of kids that like to join.

I bought Ikea $8 fold up chairs (x25), 5 picnic tables (5x)

-2x 37" LCD for XBOX360 and PS3, Play only fighting games only for competition matches, we play for pushups. (Soul Calibur, Marvel vs Capcom, Street Fighter, ETC)

-Everyone chips in $5-10 for food and water, costco member here!

-Heroes of Newerth 5v5

-MW3 8v8

-Starcraft 2 4v4

-Make sure you always have something going on. Some guys after a couple of games will want to play poker, set one up on the side.

-Have some movies playing on the side. Have someone bring a extra monitor or small TV. (Have it play breaking bad, walking dead, etc)

-Just lay out the food on the table and people will come and eat as they please, any time they want. I get the Asian party tray combos friderice/eggrolls/ feeds a party of 20 for only $60. If it runs out, start ordering costco pizza or some more party trays. I have around 3 coolers so a variety of drinks will be always cold (water, soda, juice).

-Make sure you have a good internet line and a nice router/switch, everyone will want to download, stream, and share files with each other. (example: Jim just got the whole walking dead on bluray, everyone wants a copy!)

-My LAN parties go from Friday night - Sunday Morning. I don't worry about electricity because I have solar.

-I have a big back yard, so they pitch up tents and sleeping bags. The living room gets converted to sleeping headquarters too. All rooms are closed off and locked. I don't sleep in my bed room, I get a sleeping bag and join the guys/gals. It's always a blast having friends over just yelling, partying, smack talk, l33t talk, and just hanging out.

-HAVE FUN. Once you are a great hostest people will want to come all the time, sometimes they bring their friends so the party will grow and grow as you keep hosting. Mine went from 3 people to 25. Be safe and make some memories!
Click to expand...
I love you. I second all of these suggestions (especially Breaking Bad) and will add only this:

- Get 3-4 cans of deoderant and stick them on a table. It will encourage people to apply it themselves as they need to.
 
Thanks for the comments guys! Yup, I have a policy that everyone has to shower at least once. We had a friend who didn't shower for 5 days straight! It was summer of 2002, the LAN party lasted 5 days LOL!!!

That's when ISDN and DSL 1MB line was the best america had for residential users!

We had a basketball hoop in front, City of San Jose Police was cool about it too, we were making so much noise they came and said "we have people calling in" " you guys are making too much noise and people need to sleep" "Last one to make the basket wins". When the CHP said that, our testosterone levels sky rocked.

I shit you not we tried so hard, both teams missed EVERY shot. It lasted like 15 minutes, we were like "COMON WTF! MAKE THE SHOT!!!!" ," DAMNIT HOW DID YOU MISS THAT?!?!?", "ARGGHH!!!!".

Both sides, all 8 of us couldn't not land a layup, free throw or 3 pointer, it was just horrible. In the end my team lost but... made it up in a warcraft III 4v4 match. Night Elves FTW!!! Yeah we lost on court but in game, we rocked. I still remember the fight too, we box ourselves in with moon wells and upgraded our buildings to move and attack.

Every time they would rush us we had our life tree uprooted to tank the damage + attack. LOL haliarious stuff.

Make memories guys!!
 
great suggestions from everyone.


Dont forget the old games. Doom 1 & 2, quake 1-3, and UT99/2004 are cheap and still can be a nice blast from the past!
 
Tytalus said:
My solution to this was to run power across my basement. Just this past weekend I finished the final phase!
Click to expand...

Dude, that is AWESOME! I've run tons of LAN parties and never had the ability to have everything off the ground. That'll definitely help with making sure no one trips or yanks someone else's stuff off a table.

Zohar78 said:
great suggestions from everyone.
Dont forget the old games. Doom 1 & 2, quake 1-3, and UT99/2004 are cheap and still can be a nice blast from the past!
Click to expand...

I second the UT suggestion. I think last I looked it was like $5 and will provide hours and hours of fun shooter action!

OP, let us know how everything went once you have the LAN... ;)
 
Quicksilver_ said:
Get 3-4 cans of deoderant and stick them on a table. It will encourage people to apply it themselves as they need to.
Click to expand...

Have one of those decontamination clean room corridors, with the air, just replace it with deodrant. Everyone has to go down it between rounds.

Or everyone wears gas masks and you deodrant bomb the place.
 
DeathPrincess said:
Have one of those decontamination clean room corridors, with the air, just replace it with deodrant. Everyone has to go down it between rounds.

Or everyone wears gas masks and you deodrant bomb the place.
Click to expand...

Why stop there? Why not just build a chemical room in a spare room of the house? That way we can blast people with cleanliness.

Also the deodorant on a table idea. Really? That's fucking disgusting. If anyone refuses to shower, they leave. Get the f out. I realize in the spirit of fun and manliness it's great to not shower and play games for 88 hours straight, but really? You still have to live there after people leave. :mad:
 
BiH115 said:
Why stop there? Why not just build a chemical room in a spare room of the house? That way we can blast people with cleanliness.

Also the deodorant on a table idea. Really? That's fucking disgusting. If anyone refuses to shower, they leave. Get the f out. I realize in the spirit of fun and manliness it's great to not shower and play games for 88 hours straight, but really? You still have to live there after people leave. :mad:
Click to expand...
Would you trust people with your shower? Would they trust you with your shower?
 
Quicksilver_ said:
Would you trust people with your shower? Would they trust you with your shower?
Click to expand...

I used to go to a LAN party where the guy made available a shower for those who stayed more than one day (he'd let people crash in his spare areas overnight since some folks came from >1 hour away.) There were 2 folks who were... well, less-than-clean. Two people ended up getting a foot fungal infection during the LAN party, and both people showered after the couple did, but before the bath tub was scrubbed. Thankfully the guy running the LAN was pretty paranoid about keeping things clean, so once he noticed people had used the shower he'd be in there scrubbing it out every day.
 
Quicksilver_ said:
Would you trust people with your shower? Would they trust you with your shower?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about the second question, I'm not understanding completely. :confused:

I'd let people shower in my house, but they have to not slosh water everywhere or piss in the drain. Other than that, like the last poster said, I'd clean the hell out of it daily.
 
I have a group of three friends that get together to game usually twice a month. We each have complete setups at each others houses, so no one has to bring any PC equipment with them. We prefer to play Co-op style games, so these are what we like to play:

Unreal Tournament 3 (Players vs Bots)
Call of Duty: World at War (Co-op mode)
LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth 2 and Rise of the Witch King
Flatout 2
Payday: The Heist
Enemy Territory Quake Wars
Serious Sam 3
Torchlight 2
Left for Dead 2

Even though some of these games are old, they are still a blast to play. We still play some competitive games, but I think Co-op is a lot more fun.
 
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