Whew, I don't just have a slow connection, I'm slow on sequels. I was, um,
kidnapped by the Pant Devil! (Okay, I was kidnapped by Evil
Fuzzles from Beyond the Stars.) This is part two of the slow connection
series. This is how to make NP and have fun like someone whose pages load like
Poogle racers.
More time with your pet. Easy trick: keep the Java window open when
you're done with it. So if you've stocked an item, you can minimise the Java
window, click on a toy, and play with your pet on the same window. This saves
the computer from having to pop another window. (Some options like donating
will automatically close the Java window and reload your browser window.)
Something has happened! Unless you get random events a lot, chances
are you won't get random luck at the Money Tree. (See below.) But that's okay!
Sign up with sponsors. Join the referral program. And the biggest freebie of
them all: play games!
Have fun! Skill games and games of chance play the same on slower modems.
Many of them allow you to leave in the middle of games and pick up later, such
as Pyramids. You have to keep track of your profits, of course. Earning 75 NP
on a 100 NP game isn't a good deal. My personal favourites are Pyramids and
Neggsweeper.
The best trick. However, the action games and timed games are where
the big profits are. The trick? Change the quality setting to medium or low.
Play a few times on high to get a feel for it, but on lower settings you'll
suddenly get a lot more out of timed games like Deckswabber and Kiko Match II.
Exceptions are games like Meerca Chase, which slows down on higher levels; not
as exciting, but more profitable. A slower connection actually has an edge on
speed-based games! Another suggestion for Flash games is uploading the game
and playing off-line. Your system may speed up if it has less going on. Then
you can get back online to send your score. Speaking of giving your system a
break, don't multitask when you're playing games. Sometimes other programs can
even pull you out of a game and boom, you have Evil Fuzzle on your starboard.
Also, try uploading the new Flash version, which should smooth things out all
over the site.
The Money Tree. Believe it or not, grabbing things from the Money Tree
is just as hard for a fast connection. There are enough people in Neopia that
it's sometimes just so crowded that luck has more to do with getting something
than speed does. Loading the Money Tree page is where the cable modem wins out.
I covered a lot of similar "grab and get" tricks in the first
article. There's only one way around an impossibly quick page: wait
until it gets slower. (Psst. Visit the Igloo.) Auctions. I had a big section
here, but it turns out kaenjie2
wrote a great article about it! Go read it, as auctions are a great
way to find amazing deals for your pet or for your shop.
Trading Post. This goes for the Post, Auctions, and your shop: sell
or trade during peak times (more below). You'll keep getting omelette bits for
your NeoQuest plushie if fewer people are online. Sometimes it take a few lots
before you get a good deal at the Trading Post. I allow about thirty minutes
before I reopen my trade. And going doubly for rare or unbuyable items: advertise!
Tell your guild, post on the message board, and give rich Neopians more time
to see your coveted item.
Peak times. In general, peak times happen during the lunch hour and
between the end of school and bedtime. Weekends and major holidays are busy
at all hours except in very early morning. Avoid when you're buying, use them
when you're selling. This is an extreme solution! I am in the oldest age bracket
so I have been awake and on Neopets during all 24 hours in a day. (Besides,
getting a good night's sleep will help you tell the difference between a Chilli
Dog and a Big Beefy Dog.)
Here's a quick guide of four major time zones to watch. This isn't where every
Neopets user lives, but where a majority of Neopets users are. All times are
in Neopian time; just add the number next to the zone from NT to get local time.
(If the number is greater than 12, subtract 12 and make it P.M.) There may be
math errors because I haven't included Daylight Savings Time.
Heaviest zone:
Eastern Time Zone (North American East coast, 3+) to Neopian Standard Time (US
West coast)
Lunchtime: Begins around 9:00 NT and ends 12:00 NT. Mostly Battledome fights.
Evening: Begins around 14:00 NT, tapers off around 22:00 NT. Peak is around
18:00 NT when it's 9:00 PM on the East coast and 6:00 PM on the West coast.
Medium traffic zone:
Sydney Time (Western Australia and Indonesia, 18+) to Indochina Time (Malaysia,
Thailand, Vietnam, etc. +15)
Lunchtime: Begins around 17:00 NT and ends around 22:00 NT. Adds to the North
American peak time.
Evening: Begins around 00:00 NT and ends around 7:00 NT. (This is why peak time
tapers off but doesn't really end even when North American users are up at 1
a.m.) 8:00 PM in Manila and Beijing is 4:00 NT.
Europe zone:
Moscow Time (Western Russia, Saudi Arabia, 11+) to Greenwich Mean Time (UK
and Portugal, 8+)
Lunchtime: Begins around 1:00 NT and ends around 5:00 NT. Seems fairly quiet
to me, but heaviest shops are still busy.
Evening: Begins around 6:00 NT to 14:00 NT. Moderate traffic, watch Greenwich
more. 8:00 PM in the UK is 12:00 NT.
Knowledge is power. I can't stress this enough. Read the News Section.
Read the Times. Join a Guild. I'm part of a wonderful forum at Neoitems.net
(which is not run by the Neopets Team!). Chances are that millions of Neopians
have played that game, wanted that rod, or clicked on that link. There's no
substitute for experience and hard work.
Remember, because so many people read The Neopian Times, many people will
start to use the tricks I listed in these articles. Hopefully that will mean
the people who do their homework and really want the items get them more often.
Last but not least, bluescorchio104
wrote an article with fourteen excellent tricks that are especially useful for
Neopians with slow connections. Remember, it doesn't mean you're having less
fun, it just means your time is more valuable. Happy Neopetting!
shusu_chan is addicted to Evil
Fuzzles from Beyond the Stars but will soon return to playing Pterattack.
She can be found at the Hubert's
looking for a Big Beefy Dog. | 
