NEOPIA CENTRAL - For many of you, Neopets is nothing new; you’ve had your shop
for quite some while, your pets have a nice Neohome to live in, and you’re already
buying your pets supplies for Neoschool. But, as those of us that thrive in
Neopia keep on thriving, there are some that are just starting out. We have
to be considerate of these people. I remember when I first started out, it was
just me and my little green Lupe (sniff... I miss you virtuoso1991!). I remember
how baffled I was about all the things you could do: contests, games, art, shops,
battles; I didn’t know where to start! Half the things there I didn’t know what
they were, let alone what they were for. I sure wished that I had a guide to
help me start out. (Okay, I had read the basic tutorials, but I still needed
more!) Well, for those of you that are just starting out, you’re now fortunate
enough to have an extensive guide on "How to Become a Respectable Neopian"!
Let’s move right along, shall we?
Okay, so you’ve got your account set up, and you’ve just picked the pet that’s
right for you! Now, let’s keep it at one pet... for now.
Back to when I was just starting out... After I got virtuoso1991, I browsed
Neopia for a while, and then went to "Create-A-Pet" and loaded up with three
more pets. I understand the feeling when you’re first starting out, you get
easily overwhelmed. You want to "be noticed" or "look like the rest", so you
get as many pets as you can. Let me tell you, you’ve just bitten off more than
you can chew! After I got four pets, I quickly realized that I had to feed,
play with, and spend time with all of them. I simply didn’t have that kind of
time, what with school along with dance, singing and violin lessons.
Getting more than one pet also causes another problem. It seems that once you
get more than one pet, the first one gets to become your favorite! (I’m guilty
of this also!) Just look at any user lookup page: people might ramble on about
"their favorite pet". You may think that it’s no big deal, but it’s a proven
fact (at least with me) that the pets that you ignore tend to get sicker and
weaker faster than the one you pay most attention to. If the case for you is
that you do have more than one pet, I find that it’s easy to spend time with
them all equally.
-4th pet: evening
Don’t play Sunday.
As you can see, these patterns can help you round out the time you spend
with each pet. Of course, if you have only one pet, go on as often as you
like!
Sooner or later, you’ll feel ready for more pets. Try to get them about
three months apart. This works best because you can usually get a pet pretty
much up to its best in this allotted time.
Step #2: Games, Games, Games!
Now that you’ve got your pet[s], you’re probably wondering how you’re going
to maintain them. Well, the first answer to solving your money dilemma is
play games. There are quite a few games that give quite a bundle. Of course,
you can choose to play any game you want, but theses are games that require
"minimum play for maximum pay". All instructions are explained in detail
on each game’s individual page.
According to Doug Kale, Editorial Director for Neopets: The Official Magazine,
"From beginner to expert, the Neopets site has something for everyone!
...For example, if you’re a beginner ...[some good games to start out with
would be] Sahkmet Solitaire, Kacheek Seek or Double or Nothing."
Some other games that I recommend for beginners are as follows:
-Meerca Chase: This game should be no problem for big fans of the
game "Snake". All you have to do is collect the Neggs that pop up on the
screen without: 1) getting wrapped up in your tail, and 2) eating the Red
Neggs. You can set the difficulty level accordingly.
-Evil Fuzzles from Beyond The Stars: This game is also very easy
to play. All you do is shoot the evil Fuzzles (you’ll know what they look
like as soon as you start playing).
-Carnival of Terror: A bit on the dull side, but very similar to
"Evil Fuzzles". Set in the Deserted Fairground.
-Defender Trainer: Okay, so this game requires a little homework:
you have to know the names of pretty much all of the pets and petpets. I
would probably stay away from this game for a few weeks. But once you know
what’s necessary, you can get a lot of dough!
There are some other games I would also stay away from for awhile:
-Caption Contest: I’m not saying that beginners have no writing
talent, but it takes a little knowledge of Neopets to know exactly how to
form a witty caption. For example, you could have the ability to write like
Avi, but if you don’t know what’s unique about an Airax, chances are you
can’t make a joke that has something to do with an Airax.
-Storytelling Competition: Same as Caption Contest. These stories
sometimes contain little known details about Neopia (i.e. The Hidden Tower,
although nowadays it’s getting to become all the rage!)
Other than that, feel free to play any game you like!
Step #3: Open A Shop
This may seem a bit disappointing, but one of the first things you should
NOT do is open a shop. A shop costs money to open (150 NP for a Level 1 shop
alone!) You only get 200 NPs to start out with, and you can’t stock a shop
and feed your pet for 50 ‘Points. What you have to do first is play games.
Then, after you’ve collected some serious dough, don’t, I repeat, do NOT go
out shopping! Save your money for a day or two and open up a shop when you
have the extra Neopoints.
Okay, so you’ve had your shop for a while now. One day you go to restock,
and notice the ‘Shop Till’ link. Out of sheer curiosity, you click on it.
You look in the little box, and it says "You have xxx NP in your Shop Till."
What?! you think. Is this possible? I want some! Please, don’t
withdraw money from the Shop Till unless you really need to. You can use the
money in emergencies, which brings us to step four:
Step #4: Open a Bank Account/ Invest in the Stock Market
Bank accounts are, in my opinion, a gift from above. If there’s ever an emergency,
or you just want to withdraw money for something special, a bank account would
be you number one choice.
I suggest that you don’t just use your bank account willy-nilly. It should
be just for emergencies. Watch it grow!
Another good way to store up money is in the Stock Market. When you click
on "Buy Shares", don’t necessarily buy the stock that’s at the top of the
list. Try to find one a little lower down. Why? More popular markets crash
more often than less popular ones, and the more popular a stock is, the less
stock you get for yourself. It’s just like stocks in the real world. If your
parents take any stock market classes, don’t be afraid to ask if you can look
at their books. They can help you out a lot, even in an imaginary market.
It operates much like the real world!
As you can see, Neopoints play an important role in Neopia.
Step #5: Join a Guild
Okay, let’s face it; you’ve got the pet you want, and you’ve got a little
money in your pocket, but you still don’t know anyone! The best way to get
to know someone is by joining a guild. Joining a guild is a fast way to feel
welcome into Neopia, but you can’t just join the first guild that pops into
your mind. Here are some tips that can get you into a guild that you can enjoy:
1) Find a guild that you would be interested in. This doesn’t mean
clicking on the first link on the first page. In fact, it would be better
not to do that. Find a guild that you would enjoy being a part of.
Let’s say you like Eyries (not more than me, of course). You can search for
a guild you want by going to "Search Guild Neighborhoods". Type in "Eyrie"
and choose "Exactly As Is" from the drop-down list below it. Press ‘Enter’
and wait for the results. If more than one result comes up, try picking one
lower down the list. There’s less people and you won't feel like "just another
statistic". Click on "Join Guild", and voila! You are now the member of a
guild!
2) Watch out for abandoned guilds!!! This is a big issue. I have written
about this issue in my article "Anyone Here?" (not yet published, so keep
reading!) Anyway, joining an abandoned guild is like trying to grow a tree
that sprouts money. (Besides, some money is made from cotton and linen. Bet’cha
didn’t know that!) It’s no use, so why bother?
Some signs of abandoned guilds:
