For an easier life Circulation: 192,232,007 Issue: 637 | 21st day of Running, Y16
Home | Archives Articles | Editorial | Short Stories | Comics | New Series | Continued Series
 

Editorial


Now that you guys aren't owned by Nickelodeon, what will happen to the permanent sponsor games like Big Time Rush Crowd Control? Are they going to go away completely, or will they be replaced with something comparable but from JumpStart? Thanks! ~kykygilde
BUSINESS SPEAK INCOMING! The Nickelodeon sponsor games will be removed unless they are fulfilling a previous agreement made upon how long they would run on Neopets.com.

So, if you see some games being taken down while others remain, then that just means that they have some time left! We may be creating some JumpStart sponsor stuff in the future, sure! Or maybe not. :) We haven't gotten that far in planning yet.

Hello, TNT! *throws invisible rock* Anyway... here's something I'm quite worried about. Many people at The Help Chat have been saying that you guys wouldn't make more plots. I'm worried, mostly because I love the plots you have made lately. So, are you going to continue making plots, or are you going to stop making them? Please remove my username. ~username removed
Plots aren't frequent because they take massive amounts of preparation, but there are certainly no plans to stop making them outright just because we're a part of JumpStart now. We're planning on sending out a survey so that you will have a chance to let us (Neopets and JumpStart) know what kind of content you'd like to see more of. If your answer is "plots," then let us know in the survey. :)

Can you raise the limit for Auctions from 10m/10m to, say, 200m/200m? With how many items cost more than 10 million Neopoints out there it only makes sense. Also, it would be nice if the limit for the Trading Post could get a raise, too. We all know why it was capped to 800k oh-so-long ago, but security seems tighter now. ~crazyisnormal
We have no argument with that! We'd also like to see the caps raised. However, we're in a very transitional period at this time, and we might not be able to focus on it right now. So, basically... no promises, but it's something we'd like to do!

HEY, TNT! *gives a giant cookie* Did you know the World Wide Web turned 25 a week ago (exactly March 12th)? Also, did you know that you are known as one of the "12 Websites That Changed The World"? *throws confetti* You guys rock! (and, yes, you did change the world ♥) ~winxclubolive96
We did see that article! It is quite an honour to be ranked up there with some of those other sites, and you guys helped us do that! *group hug*

What's the worst mistake you've ever made? Like misplaced art or a weird glitch? ~stella_123_5
Oh man, do we have some stories for you!

Dragona: "I once missed an apostrophe while editing the old Petpet admin and caused the User Lookups of every player to break and display the names of all the different species of Petpets. Did I mention this was in the evening when all the programmers were gone and I had no idea how to fix it? Thankfully, I finally figured it out and fixed it after about five panicked minutes, but EEP!"

snarkie: "I brought the site to a crawl when I launched the new Neoboards oh-so-long ago. I had a certain query combination that couldn't handle the traffic. That was fun! Also, one time I deleted the whole /space directory (my favourite one!) on accident on our dev servers. Hooray for backups!"

Comastar: "One time I accidentally pasted a staff chat conversation into New Features. Even though I found DJ Skellington's rant particularly hilarious, it wasn't as amusing as an unwanted news blurb. Luckily I realized it before it was OMG TOO LATE (unlike some of my typos)."

Viola: "Once, many, many years ago, I needed to remove an extra Pet Spotlight trophy that had been awarded. The next thing I know... ARRRGH!!! I had deleted everyone's Pet Spotlight trophy. That was a bit of a headache to fix."

Mr. Insane: "One time I actually said something that made sense! I was as ashamed as a Snorkle in a blizzard." Also, we remember one time he deleted a database table. Don't let him fool you.


No need to panic;
we're professionals!

Is the new darker shrubbery foreground in a different customization zone than the pre-existing Shrubbery item? I want to place them size by side, only with one slightly higher, for that layered effect. ~mistyqee
While we applaud your creativity, such a thing isn't possible with the shrubberies, as they do share the same zone and cannot both be equipped at the same time.

How do you guys decide which stories / articles to draw original art for and which ones to use, say, stock images of certain 'pets? ~hamster_wolf
Our NT Queen, Droplet says: "We like to reward creativity when we can! Sometimes if we already have art drawn that's perfect, though, then we will just use that to save artist time for other projects. Also, sometimes we have lots of great visual details in a scene to give the artists a good description to work from."

I, for one, welcome our new JumpStart overlords! Lol. Seriously though, JumpStart, welcome to Neopia, and I look forward to seeing what you do with the site. :) I'd like to ask you: why did you decide to acquire Neopets, and do you have any plans for improvements to the site? ~eyrielectricblumaroo
Here's your answer from JumpStart! (We'll have to get some staff aliases for these folks so you can meet them!)

"Thanks for the support eyrielectricblumaroo! JumpStart is really looking forward to the future we have with Neopets and the opportunity to improve this already great site. As we move forward, our team's top priority remains to stay connected as ever with Neopets' loyal user base and continue to create content that is always fresh, fun, and cutting edge! We decided to acquire Neopets because, similar to our sites, they have an amazing loyal user fan base, and an older audience. We love being involved with great communities such as yourselves."

Hi, TNT. I really enjoy the contests and spotlights you have on the site. For contests that require artwork, like Pet / Petpet Spotlight, Art Gallery, Neopian Times comics, etc., is it alright if I draw my submission on paper and send a picture of it, as long as it follows the rules every other entry has to follow? ~rabbit_girl_2013
It's fine as long as it's sent to us electronically through the entry page for the spotlight. This means you can draw something on paper, take a clear picture or scan the image, and then submit it to us. What we can't accept for spotlights are drawings or art submitted to us through a postal service.

Can we have a general outline of the changes that are coming for Neopets? Also, maybe a structure of the new company that owns Neopets as of now? Thanks for all of you guys' hard work; I hope it does not mean a new structuring of the Neopets personnel. ~princessflowwing
For the most part, only the upper management is changing. The members of TNT that have been creating content for you for well over a decade are still here and are excited about the change. As for what's coming up, we've only started working together with JumpStart as of this past Monday, so it will take time to figure out how we'll be going about making Neopets even better! (Your feedback in our upcoming survey would very much help with that!) ;)

Hey, TNT. What are y'all's favorite sports teams? Are there any in-office rivalries between, say... Clippers and Lakers fans? Just curious! ~masonsbackyay

snarkie: "L.A. KINGS HOCKEY #GoKingsGo! Booooo Devils and Canucks! *shakes fist at DJ Skellington and El Picklesaur respectively*"

DJ Skellington: "New Jersey Devils and... wait, there are other sports? As for the Kings getting the Cup against us, we felt it was time L.A. finally won it once. Since we have three, we felt bad for a team that has been around for over 40 years and never won anything. :)"

El Pickelsaur: "New York Mets, Vancouver Canucks, Nebraska Cornhuskers (football), Seattle Seahawks, North Carolina Tar Heels (basketball), and Detroit Pistons.

As far as rivalries, since the staffer sitting across from me is a Denver Broncos fan, we had a bet on Super Bowl XLVIII (48). If Denver had won, I would've had to eat a 48 centimeter-long Denver omelette. Since Seattle won, he had to eat 48 slices of Washington apples (a dozen apples cut in four). Failure to pay up would've resulted in his getting a large sticker of the Seahawks helmet prominently displayed on his cubicle. Incidentally, he finished the apples in about 90 minutes, but had to eat a chocolate bar halfway through to keep from falling asleep."

To prove that this really did happen, we present pictorial evidence:

The preparation!
And so it begins.
Halfway done...
So close!
Last one.
Aaaand done!

Hey, TNT. Are unconverted Neopets going to be autoconverted at some point because of the move from Viacom to JumpStart? Please remove my username. Thank you! ~username removed
We're kind of scratching our collective heads over this rumour. We even saw someone claim they'd be autoconverted because Viacom owns the UC art, which we found a bit odd because that art was done before we joined Viacom. But hey, what fun are the Neoboards if not for panicked rumours and speculation, right? ;D

So that would be a no, just to be clear. ;) Our feelings on UCs haven't changed. If we do ever convert them all (which is unlikely, but things change), it wouldn't be because of a changeover to JumpStart.

This Illusen Day (also my birthday, heh), I noticed that only five people got into the Poetry Contest. My poem was held over but not accepted, so I thought, "Okay, maybe there weren't enough entries to hold a 10 poem page." I went around and talked, and found several other people whose poems also got held over. Is this a glitch, or will five poems per special page be the norm once more? ~flufflepuff
Since we had important news for you on Monday that needed to go live early, we cut back the number of poems by half for that day and then published more poems on Tuesday!

Hey TNT, congrats on the move in with JumpStart! Now my question (a semi concern as well) comes with learning JumpStart was interested in Neopets because of the "Older Player Base." Does this mean they are interested in a game that can be geared toward adult players as well as children or by adult players who have children, or will Neopets become more targeted toward the adults (or at least college students) again? ~ivoryrosefrost
Neopets is "family friendly" for the enjoyment of all, but we know our player base is older, and the majority of you are 13+. We have no plans to kiddie-fy Neopets, and want to make content that you want. :) (Hey, here's that survey mention again! We're hoping to send it out on Monday!)

Hey, TNT! I saw that we're switching who runs the site -- thanks for the gifts! -- and I was wondering: is the staff who runs the site going to change as well? I would hate to see the Editorial and mods switch, because you guys are great! Thanks! ~kittyuni
We're still here! *waves*

What a big surprise to hear that Neopets has joined JumpStart! I've read the FAQ about Neocash, but I still have concerns. Redeemed NC is mentioned, but not whether unredeemed NC cards will still work on Neopets. I bought a bunch during the last sales at Target (Nick cards) and Game Stop (Monkey Quest cards), and I wasn't going to redeem them until new prizes came out (it's been almost a year...). Should I go ahead and convert them to NC now, or will there be an announcement before the cards themselves won't work here? It's more NC than I can use in less than a year (I hope). ~purplebin
While we will, of course, be going through a change with our separation from Nick and their related cards, you don't have anything to worry about. Cards you have yet to redeem will still be valid. Until further notice, NC will work the same way it always has. If things change, then we will give you ample notice. :)

So I, like many fellow lifers on Neopets (12 years and counting), was floored by the news today! I must say that there is a great concern and excitement at this new prospect. I have to ask, though: does this mean we'll be getting new plushies at REAL stores? A sequel, perhaps, to The Darkest Faerie?!? A MOBILE APP?!? Could this be the return of the return of the return of Dr. Sloth? D: ~kinokiro
One of the things that JumpStart is really good at is mobile, so we'll certainly be doing something there. We can't offer specifics since we're still settling in here, but we're sure good things will happen on the mobile front. As for physical items like plushies, that requires a company that wants to licence Neopets merchandise, and we do think JumpStart is interested in finding those companies. We'll just sit here with our fingers crossed along with you guys, okay? :)

I don't like change. I didn't like it when Neopets was sold before, but I grew to love it. I have spent thousands (YES, THOUSANDS) of dollars on Neocash. Will this all be wasted? If JumpStart doesn't see the profit they're expecting, will Neopets close? What will happen to my 'pets, my account, my NC, and the years of dedication I've given to you? Please leave my username out. ~username removed
On no! Please don't panic. Deep, calming breaths...

One thing we've seen mentioned on the boards is the idea that JumpStart wouldn't have purchased us if they weren't confident in their ability to make Neopets thrive. We agree! If it's any consolation to you, we're really excited about this! Many of us have spent the majority of our adult lives working here and we love the site just like you do. Healthy skepticism is definitely smart. But we want you to know that we're not panicking and hope that alleviates some of your fears. :)

(Unless someone's toast catches fire in the kitchen and makes the alarms go off and we need to evacuate the building AGAIN. In that case, feel free to remain calm while we panic and arm flail.)


Step 1: Flee the premises
Step 2: Buy a new toaster oven

**HAPPY THOUGHTS**

Hey, TNT! *throws brown Gelert plushies everywhere* I, like most people, have recently heard about the switch from Nickelodeon to Jumpstart. Let me just say that it's a bittersweet moment. I like Nickelodeon and all, but I played Jumpstart a LOT when I was younger, so it was a nice surprise to see their logo on the New Features page. I want to wish you a great time with Jumpstart and bid goodbye to Nickelodeon. *waves and wipes single tear from eye* Here's to more great years to come with JS! ~tttxyv

Hi, TNT. :) First of all, thank you for the wonderful site that you have created. Neopets has helped me improve my writing ability, inspired me to create wonderful stories, taught me how to work with HTML, and many other useful things. When I saw that you guys were becoming part of the JumpStart family, well, I was so excited! When I was in elementary school, JumpStart First Grade and JumpStart Third Grade were my absolute favorite games! I can't wait to see what ideas they have for Neopets, and I wish you guys the best. :) ~goodsigns

I wanted to give a shout out to you, TNT! I applaud the amazing things I have learned from this web site in eight years. I now know a little more about interest, stocks, saving money, and other stuff! I think this site is a great tool for people to learn about real life things! Keep on being awesome! ~mattsback

When I first heard about Neopets leaving Viacom, I was unsure how to feel about it, and I even thought it was a bad thing. However, now that I've heard a bit more about JumpStart, I'm completely in favor of the change. It will be fun to see what fresh new ideas they bring to the table. ~goron0000

Hi. Thank you so much for creating the new items in the Basic Shop, particularly the gloves. There are many colors, and they can be worn with handheld items! I've previously had the problem of gloves and handhelds not being wearable at the same time. Thanks! :) ~_brainchild_

*sniff* I quickly noticed the estimated prices you put on those plushies there. It reminds me how long I've been playing. It's been a long time with you guys. *beaming smile of absolute wonder* ~a0r10n

Hey, TNT! Just a happy thought. I'm very excited about your move to JumpStart! I think that, with Viacom, a lot of people didn't get a ton of progression on the site, and especially since JumpStart is interested in the older audience, this seems like a great change to the site! I'm excited to see what happens! ~rissy123

I need to do this. I need to. Gargantuan exuberant thank you for the black gloves in the Basics Shop! I have wanted a pair of plain black gloves for my 'pets for so, so long. Not only are they just what I wanted, but the price is awesome as well! I'm excited to see what else pops into that section of the Mall. Thank you, thank you, thank you! *lets out fangirl scream for the Basics Shop to be heard all throughout Neopia* (I'm sorry.) ~morgon_of_hed

Dearest TNT,
This week marks the 10 year anniversary of the day I created my first Neopets account. I started playing because, at the time, everyone else at school was playing and it was the thing to do. Now those friends have moved on but I'm glad I stuck around! The community on this site is truly incredible and I've met so many amazing people, some of whom I now count among my best friends. I'm grateful to have Neo to turn to when my life is upside-down (and every other day, too!). Thanks for keeping this site alive and kicking. Here's to the next 10 years! ~shehadaname1

I was quite excited to receive 150 NC and the cute plushies. Then, when I read why, I was even more excited. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the change brings for us all. Congratulations! ~brynchilla


Need more help?
If you have a question that you think should be answered, click here and you can use our submission form. The most common/bizarre questions will appear here next week.

 
Search the Neopian Times




Great stories!


---------

Travels of a Would-Be Knight: Eddetha the Immortal - Part Eight
Hansuke had never seen such joy as that which lit up Fyora's face when she saw the Mirror. "You found it!"

by daniecelpines

---------

Kauvara's
I'll try restocking today!

by conveyance

---------

133984: Let Them Eat Cake, part 1
Have you seen Hilda around?

by lycaonpictus77

---------

Reality of REs: You Would THINK This is a Good RE
But it really isn't.

Also by oracle419

by ribbonpig


---------

Worth Fighting For: Part Eleven
He was in a very small room—no, a cell, he surmised. The walls were dark and bare, the sound of distant mechanical humming coming from somewhere below him.

by cosmicfire918



Submit your stories, articles, and comics using the new submission form.