This Week's Editorial (Editorial Discussion)…

[Stephanie (swordlilly)]

So, I was reading the description of the new White Sands Background and saw that it was a quote from the poem "Ozymandias!" I teach this poem to my 10th grade English classes and was super-excited to see it referenced on the site. Is someone on the staff a Percy Bysshe Shelley fan? Are there other literary allusions hidden around the site? ~stormwing

Perhaps...

That is the question!

*squeals*


On a more serious topic. XD I appreciate that they answered the questions about the Altador Cup, Lenny Conundrum, and GALLERY SPOTLIGHT!! It's so nice when they answer things. OuO

I hope the Lenny Conundrum comes back one day. They haven't ruled out the possibility yet. I'm also super excited that they are considering adding more Gallery Spotlights.

And personally I'm bored of the Altador Cup, so I'm glad they're thinking of doing something different.

[Duke Pikachu]

Altador Cup:
The Altador Cup needed to take a break a while ago. I wouldn't know what AC I would say it started to feel tired, but the last few years it started to feel like a chore at the very end. They need to radically change the Altador Cup if they ever want to do it again. My complaints can be read on my Fire Lupe's petpage. If you don't want to read all of it, here's the gist:

1. It's too long.
2. The new version of Yooyuball isn't as good as the previous version.
3. Takes much too much time to get a good rank and a lot of plot points.
4. The side games need to be updated.
5. Bring back previous features that were highly liked.
6. Overall it needs a good shake up.

Also, maybe making it bi-yearly would not only give us a nice break between cups but open up room for TNT to work on something else like a, well, plot.

Staff Tournament:
While the Staff Tournament was interesting and nice to see TNT participating in some way, I never really liked it since we have no idea how a certain Staff member would play this year, especially for ones who never participated in one previously. It's pretty much a lucky guess and TNT even admitted this in one of their prizes for the Staff Tournament!

Neopies:
Sad to hear they're not coming back but with everything TNT had to deal with ever since the transfer I can understand them not wanting to and not having the time to do it. Which is a shame, I was looking for writing an article of the winner's acceptance speeches like last year. Oh well. I'd suggest it as a collab idea but we're already working on the April Fool's collab and January is almost over.

Game Masters Challenge & Daily Dare:
I think they'll be coming back though honestly I kind of wished they combine them as we don't need two gaming events. Combining them would also free up a space for TNT to do something else when one of the events would have taken place.

Meridell/Brightvale Plot/Event:
Hmm, I think if they have anything between Meridell and Brightvale it'll probably be an Event, like a "Contest of Champions" (honestly it sounds like a GMC theme). If there's a plot involving Meridell and Brightvale I'd also like to have Darigan Citadel involved and make it a 3 world plot.

Lambert Visiting The Lost Isle:
WOOT! I PREDICTED THAT!

[Carolyn]

Has it really been over a year since the LC was last online? D:

Jae-- I didn't even think about the staff tourney. Gosh. Without the old favorites, that event would feel... really sad. Snarkie, Mr. Insane, Viola... Didn't Dirigibles go away, too? Same with the old Lawyerbot.

Not going to lie here, but I would not mind it if the AC was removed--at least for this year. With the various cheating problems and the overall... disinterest? I guess that would work. The overall disinterest in the event was a huge detractor for me, not to mention that it felt like a chore after a while. I did a lot of one goal ShSh this go and honestly, I don't even feel bad. Let us bond over one big plot again, I say. I'd love to relive those glory days on the boards when we were all commenting about plot theories and flailing over some spectacular fanart... yeah. That's the neo I've been missing--the neo I've been desperate to see again. Certainly others feel the same!

It would be great to see another crossover plot like TFR. They've had five years to come up with something major, so I hope 2015 will be a great year for some lore-changing events.

[Deleted]

Jae Wow, has it really been that long? That does make me wonder if Mr. Insane left before the JumpStart acquisition.

And I didn't necessarily mean a voting-game-style thing like Sacrificers or the Murder Mystery, just something that would involve TNT in some way as site characters. I enjoy thinking of them as our friendly, cartoon-caricatured buddies who make Neopia accessible to us through the power of their coding skills and imaginations (wow, that was corny), rather than a faceless legion.

Duke Pikachu I like the idea of making the AC not every year. After all, the Olympics and the World Cup are every four years (well, every two years for the two separate Olympics), so there's no reason the AC couldn't be the same. That might be a good compromise between those who enjoy it and TNT who seems to not be so enthusiastic about it any more. And, like you said, it would give them time to both work on other site events, and put some brainstorming into fixing the myriad weaknesses the AC has it its current incarnation.

A three-world plot involving Darigan would be great! The Citadel has so much potential, I'm sad that not much has been done with it since Battle for Meridell. And we never really have seen the Citadel and Brightvale interact, that would be some fun plot fodder.

[Jae]

@surfersquid : Yeah I was wondering that myself. I'm not sure if he was responsible for the coding and prize scripts (iirc a faulty prize script was why they initially took it down for maintenance) or if he had to sit and wait for someone else to help with that aspect. But the fact that it was ignored for so long and now has been placed on indefinite hiatus COULD be explained by Mr. Insane leaving a while ago.

(I was mostly referencing those because I actually think they would be fun and I had to temper my own expectations. ^_^; I've been craving a good murder mystery) Yeah that would be a neat idea. It'd be a nice way to introduce us to any new staff members. It WOULD be nice to see them as people again. snarkie leaving hit so hard since she was one of the few who actually cared.

Carolyn : Regarding one goal SoSd, I did the same and felt the same. Playing on a team with cheaters was kind of liberating in that regard (you know what else is liberating? being able to say cheaters and not cheetahs) But I'd rather have a cup with no cheaters than the mess we have now. It's not even fun anymore. When the only people who are enjoying the event are cheaters and trolls/flamers, it's time to go back to the drawing board because you done goofed.

I'm hoping DD will get put back in it's normal spot in March (or canceled for the year again, but I would prefer that less) and the AC is canceled. That gives TNT a huge chunk of time (May-November) to work with for something. I said it in the survey last year and I'll say it here: a plot would be a great way for the new staff/ownership to endear itself to everyone.

[Deleted]

Jae Oh, right, it was because of the faulty prize script. Derp. Mr. Insane is (or was) responsible for most of the actual puzzles themselves (although it's not far-fetched that he handled the coding and prize scripts, as well).

Wait, snarkie actually left? Sad day. Last thing I remember hearing was that she was considering leaving but ended up staying. I hope she's happy at her new job.

[Carolyn]

@surfersquid- I'm afraid so. Snarkie put up a notice about it on her blog a few days after the big change:

snarkie.tumblr.com/post/99684374715/friends-i-no-longer-work-at-neopets-whomp

Most definitely, Jae (and I agree. It is rather nice to say there were cheaters rather than the other. The neoboards can be a bit stifling sometimes in terms of their, ah, strictness). But DD would be nice. I mean, it's highly unlikely I'd do all that well this year, but quite a few people love the DD and it is pretty enjoyable. *shrug* I'd rather that than there being no events until... whenever they have their next thing. As long as it's not some mini event with an obvious focus on NC. I mean, don't get me wrong--NC items in moderation is fine--but that's not what we're looking for all the time. :X Besides, one can have too many dresses and backgrounds after a while. ^^; Would be nifty if they did something with that time-travel Lupe, though. She could be a really cool character, I think~

[Jae]

Carolyn , I agree with you about NC items in moderation. It wouldn't be so bad if the items were actually diverse, but they keep making the same items over and over. Seriously, I think we have enough dresses that only look good on Draiks now. It really would be nice to get items in other styles outside of the sporadic odd-themed MMEs.

I like the DD, it's my favorite annual event. It's a nice skill challenge and there's usually some good prizes thrown in.

[Deleted]

Carolyn Ooooh, I see. Well, I'm glad she left on good terms. And I'm excited to see all the fun stuff the current TNT staff has in store for us! (I get the suspicion that we would have seen more of it by now if not for the lag issue.)

I think I like DD and GMC because they're events that I actually feel competent at. xD Playing games to reach a target score is a lot more attainable for me than playing AC games until my back, wrists, and eyes hurt (and I wish I'd done something more constructive with my day), or endlessly whacking at low-level enemies during a war plot because I'm super lazy about training Hyren. <_< It's more fun - and not as frustrating - for me to practice a Flash game until I get good at it, submit a target score, and then not have to worry about it for the rest of the day.

I understand that NC is the main source of revenue for TNT, and they don't push it nearly as obnoxiously as some other online community-games I've been a part of, so I can't get too annoyed at them on that front. What I would like to see from TNT are ways to make some NC creative content accessible to the general Neopian population. For example, as Carolyn said, the Twisted Histories capsules were such a neat idea, I would love to see a site-wide event focusing on Zylphia's alternate-history-hopping escapades. It saddens me that such an intriguing piece of lore is pretty much relegated to those who have real money to spend on virtual currency.

[Duke Pikachu]

NC: I always had a mixed feeling about NC ever since it was introduced. On one hand it allows Neopets to support itself and gave players access to a feature they've always wanted, being able to dress up their Neopets. On the other hand, despite what TNT have said and may still insist, it has become somewhat as a main focus and put almost every big project on the backseat.
I understand the NC Mall is important, but does it REALLY need new clothing items released everyday? And how many people actually buy all these clothes? Wouldn't it be better to focus their efforts on making clothes that a majority of people will buy? Doing that will save them time and I think make them more money in the long run, and with that saved time they can have those resources focus on something else.

[Deleted]

I have no experience in economics or business, so I could be wrong about a lot of things, but these are just my thoughts as an observer:

While there are probably other strategies that will make TNT more money in the long run, it also must be taken into account that they might not be in a position right now to wait until the long run. JumpStart has employees to pay, office space to rent, domain space to keep, and various other time-sensitive expenditures (also, they're probably paying their programmers overtime, considering the insane hours at which they've been making fixes). These likely make it more feasible to earn a certain amount of revenue in a short period of time, than a slightly larger amount over a longer period of time. I have no idea how many people are actually buying all of those shiny new clothes, but apparently it's enough that it's working.

At any rate, Neopets's current business model may not be ideal, but like I said before, I've seen much worse. There was one website I quit because its business model went down the drain so fully that it rendered the site un-enjoyable to me:

- Cash shop items dominated new item releases to the point where about 90% of all new items were cash-only, and non-cash items were only released once a month (if we were lucky)
- Users were bombarded with at least 10 announcements for new cash items every day, most of which were poorly-executed recolors or random item generators (pay real money to not even get to choose what item you're paying for... brilliant)
- Game-currency-generating items were sold in the cash shop, hyperinflating the site's in-game economy (we're talking increases of over 1000%), and by the time I left - about a year after all this started - the staff had still neglected to update the rest of the site (such as game-currency-granting activities) to adequately compensate for the massive upshift in marketplace values
- Heck, by the time I left, prices were still inflating because the staff, against all better judgement and human decency, kept releasing currency generators with higher and higher potential payouts
- Note the "potential"; the items gave you a random amount of currency in a range, meaning they and the other random-generating items were just glorified gambling that the site announcements kept trying to push on us, which I found more than a little unethical (especially on a 13+ site, where stuff like that may actually be borderline illegal)
- Updates to the site, both to the overarching site plot and sorely-needed technical fixes and upgrades, were deferred and/or completely ignored as (presumably) management funneled all of its resources into getting more cash shop items made, trying to turn what was once a community of diverse interests and activities into nothing more than a pixel shopping mall

The last straw for me was when they started to make their events - one of my favorite site activities - pay-to-win--or indeed, pay-to-do-anything-effective. Imagine if, during the Obelisk War, you had to shell out NC in order to battle anyone above the first wave of challengers. That's pretty much what this website did with their last few events before I left. That was the point at which I threw up my hands and decided that if I wasn't having fun with any aspect of a website any more, it was time to call it quits.

So in comparison, Neopets's use of NC is pretty tame. I do miss the days before the NC Mall (I remember the days before banner ads, even), but all things considered, I find it pretty unobtrusive and not detrimental to my enjoyment of the rest of the site, which is great.

[Herdy]

About the LC - it was actually Dirigibles who did the puzzles. That's why they had a sad one the week he left

[Carolyn]

@surfersquid- Eesh. That's... awful. If Neo ever went that direction, I'd leave as well. NC isn't in one's face on Neo, thankfully, but sometimes I feel the events themselves have not been challenging and were created with NC in mind. Like, "these items would be cool to make in the mall. What sort of event could we make to correspond with them?"

I would love to see a site-wide event focusing on Zylphia's alternate-history-hopping escapades. It saddens me that such an intriguing piece of lore is pretty much relegated to those who have real money to spend on virtual currency.

Indeed! I'd love to see what makes her tick (pun partially intended, hehe). Like, what lead her to the discovery of this technology and what motivated her to study time-travel? And why are Neopians okay with her alone having the power to alter and manage Neopian events? Since we only know what happened in our reality, who is to say the reality we know isn't influenced by her work at all? She doesn't seem like a character with malintent, but in the process of fixing one event, she might have caused other events to occur. Does she have a team? If not, why doesn't she work with other Neopians?

I almost think of her as the inquisitive professor type, the one who is perpetually wondering why something happened or the significance of the decisions made to create our Neopia and... I'm babbling.

But really, though. She'd be such a cool character. I'd love to work with her to save Neopia's history or something. That would be... amazing.

Many people have no idea who Zyphlia even is. Aaaah... those alt-universe stories people made were so enjoyable, too. I think Duke Pikachu did a great job telling us how those alternatives Neopias would have functioned.

[Breakingchains]

@surfersquid: That sounds uncannily familiar. Don't tell me... Maplestory?

Stuff like that is the reason I've never been particularly upset by the way TNT handles NC. They've just added new things to buy, not taken basic functionality away to start charging for it or thrown a monkey wrench into the gameplay until your game "skill" was a direct representation of how much disposable income you had IRL. Soooooo many games are like that. I do agree we need more diverse items, though, let's stop with the dresses for a bit. XD

[Duke Pikachu]

@surfersquid:
Oh my Fyora, that's horrible! How could that site staff let that happen?! From the way you talk about how it previously was like it sounded like a completely different staff took over.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate NC. TNT have done mostly a good job keeping NC separate from Neopoints so you're not "paying-to-win". There's some crossing, but not to the extent that it's throwing the site economy out of whack (they leave that to the item donation events. I kid, I kid). And TNT have done a great job keeping the NC Accompaniment for plots/events separate yet still somewhat connected (which is why it annoys me when people complain they gave an NC Accompaniment required item IN ADDITION to the normal items you would have gotten (like the Snowballs/Candycane chests from the Advent Calendar). Those items are a BONUS, you still got the items you were suppose to normally get). It takes a lot of talent to do all this (and also remain creative) and not fall into the trap that other website fell into.

However I do think many times the NC is given more focus. Plots have almost vanished from the site, the Battledome has been in beta for a while (and remember when it was released it too had a NC Accompaniment which they abandoned when they realized updating the Battledome was going to take more time and resources then they thought so put it on hiatus), and when there is a plot/event almost every step has an NC Accompaniment and sometimes it seems they put more work in that (Altador Cup's NC Accompaniment for example). Now most of what they give us is non-NC, but I do think when it comes to doing anything NC is a main point of discussion.

BTW I don' blame TNT for this. When Viacom owned Neopets I fully believe it was Viacom forcing TNT to be so NC focused. And what did Viacom do after they were done making a ton of money from Neopets? Sold them and kicked them out of their offices. And now TNT (and I'm guessing JumpStart to some extent) have to deal with the damage Viacom has caused and the site having problems because they forced them to move servers. So in my mind this is all Viacom's fault. There's a difference between "it's just business" and just being a tyrannical, money-gouging jerk.

I'm getting off this topic because I think I'm start to rant.

Carolyn:
Zyphlia is one of my favorite characters (though part of it might be because she's a Lupe, Lupes are my favorite species). She's such an interesting character... and yet it limited to just the NC Mall. *sigh*

And it's not only her this happens to. Remember the Dreams/Nightmare NC Mall event? That was also an awesome idea! But sadly it was just an NC Event to giveaway certain themed items. *sigh*

Also I don't think TNT makes plots/events just because they had an idea to a certain theme of NC Mall items in mind. If that was the case they'd just have an NC Mall event like with my above two examples. I would say they put a lot of time in a plot/event NC Accompaniment, but that's probably because the plot/event just leads to a lot of ideas.