 Farewell Year 6: Chronicle of the Past 12 Months
by pichu_pikachu_raichu
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ALL OF NEOPIA - We are now standing on the brink of the end of an era. Year 6
is almost at its end; only hours away from being replaced by the new year. The
events that took place this year are now memories which will remain with everyone.
These events made Year 6 unique, and the memories of these events will always
be remembered.
This was a very busy year for Neopets; we went through two plots, three new
pets, two major promotions, four trading card expansions, and more. There is
no doubt that Year 6 has been very exciting for everyone. All throughout the
year, something major was going on. Now we are almost through with this great
year. Soon we will cross over into Year 7, with not much knowledge of what Neopets
has planned.
The following is a brief chronicle of the major events of Year 6. It will
cover the plots, promotions, and discoveries of Year 6. From the 1st day of
Sleeping to the 31st day of Celebrating, I will briefly run though all these
events.
***
Month of Sleeping (January) through Month of Eating (April)
Year 6 started out strong on Neopets. A few weeks into the year, Neopets announced
the release of the first expansion for the Neopets Trading Card Game - Battle
for Meridell. This 140-card set followed the events of the Meridell plot that
was released soon after. It added ten new Neopet species into the Trading Card
Game, and it introduced a new type of card - Location.
Not long after the ‘Battle for Meridell’ announcement, Neopets released NeoQuest
II, the sequel to Mr. Insane’s original hit. NeoQuest II featured an entirely
new storyline with new characters, new enemies, and a new battle system. In
this version, NeoQuest II players got to play with up to four characters. Other
new features included a monetary system, (which meant players had to buy their
weapons instead of making them,) more dialogue, and a surprise twist that caught
everyone off guard.
A few days after the release of NeoQuest II, Neopets started the Battle for
Meridell plot. During the three month plot, Lord Kass, who was under the control
of three mysterious demons, proclaimed himself the lord of Darigan Citadel and
launched an invasion on Meridell. During the climax of the plot players were
called in to defend the land of Meridell. Unlike the previous Meridell war,
players were not given the option to choose sides, they could only defend Meridell.
After weeks of fighting, Lord Kass was beaten by a redeemed Darigan. Kass was
destroyed, Darigan made peace between the kingdoms, Meridell was restored back
to its former glory, and Darigan was reinstated at the ruler of Darigan Citadel.
Month of Hunting (May) through Month of Hiding (August)
As the Battle for Meridell was wrapping up, Neopets released the second Trading
Card expansion pack - The Return of Dr. Sloth. This 100-card set added six new
pets into the game and was set around another plot that was under development.
Kreludor, Neopia’s moon, was discovered in the early days of the Month of Hunting.
This discovery was supposed to be part of Dr. Sloth’s plot.
The Month of Hunting brought in a big surprise for Neopets users. On the 28th
day of that month, Neopets started its biggest promotion ever; McDonald’s Happy
Meal toys. With 109 different miniature Neopet plushies to collect, this was
McDonald’s largest Happy Meal collection ever. The promotion also introduced
a new Neopet species to the site; the Yurble. During the promotion, a flood
of new users came into the site after hearing about it from the fast food corporation.
About a month later, as the McDonald’s promotion started to end, everyone’s
attention turned to the promised Dr. Sloth plot that was supposed to be coming.
Hopes began to rise as games based on the plot were released. Week after week
went by with no plot, and everybody was wondering when the plot would be released.
In time The Neopets Team revealed that they had their attention on another Trading
Card expansion so, to the disappointment of everybody, the plot was put on hold.
Even though the plot was shelved, the summer months did have their share of
activity. In the Month of Swimming (July), Neopets announced its second major
promotion of the year - a Trading Card Game mall tour. From mid-July to mid-September,
the Neopets Trading Card Game was taken to ten locations across the U.S. Participants
in this promotion were able to play the Trading Card Game, create their own
cards in a competition, and even spin a Wheel of Excitement. Neopets also released
the third expansion for the Trading Card Game - Mystery Island. It was a 100
card set that added four more Neopets to the game.
During the summer, Neopets released another new Neopet - the Ruki, and made
a major change to the layout of the Neopian Times when the 150th issue was released.
The last major event of the summer occurred not long after the celebrations
of the discovery of Meridell. Brightvale, a peaceful land ruled by king Skarl’s
older sibling Hagan, was discovered not far from Meridell.
Month of Gathering (September) through Month of Celebrating (December)
During the later part of the Month of Gathering, we were given a preview of
the third new pet of Year 6 - the Bori. By downloading a toolbar, users had
the opportunity to get one of these pets before they were released to the public.
What made this promotion even more promising was the fact that users could own
an ice Bori, which was only available by downloading the toolbar. If users wanted
a Bori but didn’t want to abandon one of their pets, they were giving the option
of turning one of their existing pets into a Bori.
On the 1st day of the month of Collecting (October) Neopets announced their
second McDonald’s promotion. This release was for Australia and included the
same pets and trading cards that were released in the US during the spring.
A couple weeks after the promotional Bori’s were adopted, Neopets released
the new species for everyone. Not long after that the fourth Trading Card expansion
was released - Hannah and the Ice Caves. This was a 140-card set that introduced
a new card into the game - Fate. Fate cards came in two types; Quest (which
had positive results) and Curse (which had negative results). Along with the
Fate cards, six new Neopets were added into the game, one of them was the Bori.
As this expansion was released, Neopets started the plot for Hannah and the
Ice Caves. At the same time Neopets also made some changes to the yellow toolbar.
The new layout included banner ads at the top, a clock, and the promise of sidebar
themes that Neopets promised to release Soon after. Some users did not like
the change, but there were many who got to like the new sidebar.
The next few weeks went along smoothly. The Ice Caves plot continued, and
a game centering around Hannah and Armin was released. As Halloween rolled around,
Neopets released its first sidebar theme. In mid-November Neopets celebrated
its milestone birthday. This year Neopets turned 5 years old. During the celebrations
another sidebar theme was released. However, Neopets released some bad news
not long after. They once again had to change the side bar. As a result, the
banner ad became even bigger, and the user stats moved up to the top of the
sidebar. While many people managed to tolerate the first change to the sidebar,
few liked the second change.
As Hannah’s plot progressed, Neopet users were faced with the second war of
the year. This time, they had to choose to join either Hannah’s forces or the
Thieve’s Guild. The war was divided into two parts, with each side having to
face wave after wave of challengers. In the end, Hannah and her friends managed
to defeat the Bringer of Night and save the Bori.
Not long before Christmas, Neopets announced their third McDonald's promotion
with the same toys. This promotion was released for those in Singapore, and
it will last halfway into the Month of Sleeping. This brings Year 6 to a close.
***
We have gone through so much during this year, and we will continue to look
back on the memories of Year 6. As we stand on the brink of the new year, we
must wonder what the next year will bring. However, we do have some hints on
what is planned for next year. An example is that Neopets should soon release
a new Trading Card expansion focusing on the ruins of Maraqua.
This has been a great year on Neopets. It is so sad that we now stand here
at the edge of the year looking back at all the great things that have taken
place over the months. However, there are many great things awaiting in Year
7, which promises to be a great year as well. Hopefully, Year 7 will fulfill
those promises. It is time to bid farewell to Year 6; its memories will remain
with us forever.
Happy new year.
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