Guide To Winning the Customization Competition

You don't need a Royal painted pet, you don't need the most expensive background item ever, and you don't need to buy anything from the NC mall to get your pet a good rating. I rate peoples' pets on several categories; each category can earn you either one star or two stars, depending on what I think of it.

1. Background

2. Painted Pet

3. Background and Pet go well together

4. Any extra items involved

5. Do I personally like it?

Now let us go over these in more detail; that way you can better understand my rating system. Keep in mind not everybody goes by this rating system, but I find this rating system the best way to rate people. Not only does it cover every aspect of the picture, but it also fills up all 10 stars you can earn.

1. Background

One of the best newest things with the customization happens to be having a background, so of course I had to add this one into the mix. It doesn't matter what kind of background you have, even if it's something 'plain' like the sketch painted background, but it's still a good thing to have. If you don't have anything then I don't give any points whatsoever. It's just the way the whole thing goes.

2. Painted Pet

This isn't exactly the easiest thing for some people to accomplish; painting a pet can be a very tough choice. However, this isn't a guide for how to choose the best painted pet, but again having a painted pet will earn you the full two stars, having a non painted pet will earn you nothing.

3. Background and Pet go well together

So you got your background and you've got your painted pet, but do they go well together? If you have an ice pet and you have the fire background... well, then they won't go well together. Your ice pet will melt in reality, so it wouldn't work out even in the Neopian world. However, if you have a fire painted pet AND a fire painted background, then you earn the full two points. Now, I'm decent on this one. If you have a non-painted pet, but it goes great with your background, then I give you a star. Or if you have no background but a beautiful pet that might look weird in any background you've spotted so far then I will give a star as well. So don't fear; I am quite fair on this rating system.

4. Any extra items involved

This means what your pet is wearing, or what is floating/sitting beside your pet. However, I may take away a star if there's a bit of dung beside your pet. Sure, it may look good in some cases, but this item is so common and so gross that I just can't help it. Spend your dung in some useful way, fertilizing the Money Tree, dispensing of it, something other than making your pet stand near dung. No self-respecting person would want to stand near dung anyway! However, if you have more than two items hanging around and it matches the background/situation your pet is in, then you will earn the two points. A common one is the Altador Cup background, so use common sense in this one. If you're supporting your team, or the team you happen to like, have their background showing and put on the respectful T-shirt of that team. There is one item, now perhaps it is cold out, or too bright. Put a pair of sunglasses or a hat on your pet and there you go, two items that go well with the picture! Two whole stars! Of course there are exceptions. I've spotted a customization with a mutant Lenny in a creepy old painted mansion background; it had no items. However, if it had had items then it wouldn't have gone well together, so it got the full two stars anyway.

5. Do I personally like it?

This one may not sound fair, but it is definitely fair. If I find that the customized created pet is done very well, then I will give it the full two stars. Obviously this means I like the whole picture. The pet is painted and goes well with the background, it makes sense to me, and that there are extra items that go well with the picture. This will mean that this section right here automatically earns the full two stars. Once again there are a few exceptions and I'll give only one star if it's still well made up and I may not like it.

So I've told you my system of rating; it makes perfect sense and everything goes along well within it. I've given you everything you need to know enable to get a full ten stars, but in case you've gotten confused above then I will re-state the process in an order that you can follow to actually get all ten points.

1. Have a painted pet. It doesn't matter if it's from a cheap paint brush or a really expensive one as long as it is painted. Again there can be some exceptions, but this is so rare that you might as well not even bother trying to earn my attention.

2. Pick a decent background to match. I've mentioned this tip above in the first list; make sure that if you have an ice pet that you pick something out like the crystal caves or the snowager background. The fire background doesn't go well with the ice pets at all, again for common sense reasons, so try to pick something that will go well with your pet.

3. Two or more customizable items. Again this can be simple. From a hat and sunglasses to something like a fur coat, T-shirt, and sunglasses. Maybe you have on some Neomall purchases added on mixed with a normal item.

4. Go through the above rating system and see if you would give yourself a ten. If you go through it and wouldn't give yourself a perfect ten, then how can you expect somebody else to give you a ten? Of course if you love your pet the way you set it up, then leave it alone; somebody else's opinion should never sway you from your own. If you like your pet, then keep it the way it is.

So there you go, a perfect way to get yourself up on the customization list. Of course this is not a fool proof way to win the competition; there are so many pets out there competing for the trophy that it is close to impossible, if not impossible, to have a fool proof plan to getting in the top spot. However, with the plan mentioned above, you are definitely well on your way! Good luck!