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Post by Gav on Mar 10, 2015 0:41:43 GMT -5
The next major site content should be the Altador Cup, right? That'll probably be the main test of anything going forward. It's the 10th year of it as well, so expectations might be bigger.
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Post by Komori on Mar 10, 2015 0:48:37 GMT -5
Komori: Since they were laid off this isn't going to show up as a black mark on their record like being fired. Who said anything about black marks on records? You sure you don't mean to direct that comment to someone else? |
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Post by Coaster on Mar 10, 2015 1:04:25 GMT -5
While I must say I'm quite disappointed with the way things have been turning out so far, but equally glad that I didn't post anything last night when the issue was even fresher, given that I've been playing since 2001 (on accounts that have long been deactivated)... As sacrilegious as it probably sounds to say, I don't think it would be the detriment of the whole universe if the officially-sponsored-and-prized creative contests went down, because again, they take up a heck of a lot of room in seldom-accessed archives and quite a bit of money JumpStart probably doesn't have. Yes, there's definitely something awesome to be said about a franchise's owner showcasing the creative content themselves, but if they don't anymore, that's no reason for us to stop doing it. (For example, and I know this is a very different animal, Pokémon spawns quite a lot of creative stuff despite never receiving official recognition; eg. Nuzlocke alone has its own active forum with a slew of storied or comic'd fan challenges, not to mention the countless others hosted elsewhere.) And there are other companies that don't host creative stuff to the same degree that Neopets currently does and is well-respected for, but still acknowledge it in frequent reference to fan sites and the like. If nothing else, the Neopian Times could continue just as easily right here if it's given an official nod and people here step up to the plate to organize it. The lack of new additions to the Neopets canon universe doesn't preclude us from doing the same thing we've always done with it. (And perhaps fortuitously, it means there wouldn't be the same prestige and prizes associated with it, which I'm sure has prompted more than a few cringe-worthy hasty attempts to land on Droplet's and other user-submitted content managers' desks day-in and day-out over the years.) That said, I'm more than a little bummed appalled at the mass (and undignified) exodus of the folks that have made Neopets worth sticking around with for almost 15 years and the way they and the users have been treated through all this, and that given most of JumpStart's other offerings, the site (if it does keep going) is likely to change severely and possibly become unrecognizable. But we should also remember that Neopets was a site created around the peak of the dot-com boom, and it's amazing that it's had relatively the same core for this whole time, despite going through a number of turbulent changes (most notably the Viacom shift). That also said, I plan to stick around at least for a while even if it does become slower in terms of news, or just another severely-limiting-technically-free-to-play-microtransaction 3D game, assuming it keeps at least a little of what we've spent the past decade or so with. At the very least, I hope it keeps some connection with the better parts of the user community (which would be its own miracle seeing as how this whole shenanigan is souring people). I stopped going on the Neoboards long ago because of how crass it had gotten (...at least in old haunts like the avatar chat), but the NTWF gave me a lot of hope, and I hope you folks will stick around (even for a general writing forum) even if the site that started it gets axed entirely. Gav - Just a few NT issues ago, actually, a similar question was non-answered, and given what just happens, it seems "still to be determined" is a definite "no" on the Altador Cup front. |
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Post by Shinko on Mar 10, 2015 6:38:45 GMT -5
Yeah, we could run a fan-version of the NT, but it would take a while before it got any traction I imagine, since we'd have to advertise like crazy to attract a larger portion of the userbase, assuming they were even interested in contributing to a non-sanctioned thing. It's just frustrating because so many fantastic artists and writers that I know got their start on neopets, because it is so great for encouraging creativity. Bunging off user-created content would kill half of what all of my friends use and/or remember the site for.
As an aside, I kind of have to bury my face in my hands at some of the people on Facebook who seem to legitimately think that Adam and Donna are among the people Jumpstart just fired. Like... guys no. They left years ago.
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Post by Geodude 🌻 on Mar 10, 2015 8:39:44 GMT -5
The fan version could be called The Weewoo Post or something like that. I just hope we don't have to go there and the NT will return.
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Post by Carolyn on Mar 10, 2015 9:22:25 GMT -5
As silly as it sounds, I loved getting those official acceptance letters from Droplet and the other creative staff. It made me feel... proud of myself. And, well, after being told I was a "bad writer" by a prof in my sophomore year, I'd literally burst into panicked tears when I had to write anything at all. Like, I'd freeze up and spend so many wasted hours staring at a screen thinking about how much of a failure I was.
But the NT helped to change all of that. Well, that and my friend Geo (thanks, man. You really did get me out of a terrible rut). Getting that positive reinforcement was written proof that I was not a failure--that I could actually write at least "pretty well." It made me feel indescribably happy.
Now that there is a way we could all voice our thanks to TNT... *pokes Shinko* it shall be awesome.
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Post by Breakingchains on Mar 10, 2015 13:56:31 GMT -5
Coaster, I have to totally disagree on this one. I feel like the creative competitions are what sets the site apart. There are endless flash game sites and plenty of virtual pet things out there. But Neo's tradition of encouraging and incentivizing creativity in its community is a big part of its soul. People have been learning to draw, write, code, etc. for years because some competition on Neopets gave them the push to try their hand at it. I don't feel like Neo would be Neo without those things.
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Post by doctortomoe on Mar 10, 2015 14:50:33 GMT -5
"The site is now labelled an 'App Page' on Facebook. Yesterday it was still an 'Entertainment Website'. All indications are that this will be some sort of 'hub' for Neopets branded apps like the Ghoul Catchers."
That's from the corporate overlords. They've changed it.
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Post by Blueysicle on Mar 10, 2015 15:07:36 GMT -5
Coaster, I know you said that Pokemon and Neopets are two totally different animals, but I think they're too different to make any sort of comparison when it comes to fan-created content. Pokemon has an utterly enormous fanbase, and the franchise itself, in all of its many forms (Video games, anime, manga, TCG) is still going strong and shows no sign of slowing down. Whereas the future of Neopets, at least the Neopets as we know it, is very much in question right now. I'm not trying to say that Neopets fanwork can't survive without official recognition (Heck, there are franchises out there that have long been concluded that still have fanwork made of them, so even the total end of the site might not necessarily be the death of Neopets fanmade material) but it is still a major draw of the site. I, at least, would be extremely upset if the creative competitions went away altogether.
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Post by doctortomoe on Mar 10, 2015 16:18:54 GMT -5
Well, it also seems like the Neopets Mobile app was cancelled by Jumpstart. It's looking more and more like they just bought Neopets as a brand for app games.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Mar 10, 2015 16:27:30 GMT -5
Well, it also seems like the Neopets Mobile app was cancelled by Jumpstart. It's looking more and more like they just bought Neopets as a brand for app games. ... that better not be the sole reason. Because if that is that's just stupid. If that was their plan they didn't need Neopets, or if they wanted Neopets characters they could have just made a sponsor deal. I've been saving this gif since I heard about this. I was going to post it based on what JumpStart said about the lay offs and at face value what was said I couldn't find anything "wrong" with it. But you know what, ignoring all the business mumbo jumbo I'm still posting it. What JumpStart did is summed up here:  (Those who don't know the person in the gif are probably confuse right about now...) |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2015 17:23:11 GMT -5
... Grrrr. Just... Grrrrrr.
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Post by Shinko on Mar 10, 2015 17:30:27 GMT -5
News is up. Apparently userlookups were temporarily disabled to help reduce the lag?
Also I love how 90% of the news is that same message from the boards and facebook. >>
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Post by Ziporen on Mar 10, 2015 17:32:13 GMT -5
Well, the New Features have been updated.. Kinda' what we already know, but at least it's something? Edit: Whoops, Shinko beat me to it. ovo |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2015 17:33:39 GMT -5
Now that I've temporarily regained any and all words that would NOT end up being censored on this site... I can at least write actual ROMANCE in my stories if the NT is going the way of the dino. PG-rated romance, but still, I won't have any reason to avoid it without the NT disallowing it :/
Rrrrgh, I'm STILL angry. I'm trying to figure out where I should go from here, where we should ALL go from here. Hopefully they'll keep it the way it is while also using it as a hub for mobile apps, but I'm angry and unsure whether they'd do something like that.
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Furgo 
Michael. 
