Remembering the Habitarium & Finding New Hobbies

We Neopians follow the New Features page as closely as the Krawk Island natives do the Food Club. When the news hit, we all felt a collective nausea (in fact, not unlike that experienced at the Food Club.) Not only would the site be down for two days in the midst of a server change, the beloved Habitarium would not survive.

After a few rounds of TNT Staff Smasher, though, I began to gain some clarity.

A brief background: Professor Milton Clodbottle released his experiment, the Habitarium, to the Neopian public just a few years ago. In these little tanks, the Mootix, the Larnikin, and the Pinchit lived together in harmony to the tune of a charming Habitarium song, collecting supplies and hammering away at their tiny buildings. Neopians were able to advance their personal Habitariums through fifty levels by earning points from the lifecycle of their petpetpets. Not unlike the comfort of a betta fish, a fat cat, or a slorg, the petpetpets were charming background buddies that marched along their little lives while we played Hasee Bounce and ruled the Battledome in our other tabs.

The Habitarium quickly began to provide a place for us to unwind, turn a profit, and care for our little bugs.

But, of course, all good things must come to pass.

Although the Habitarium provided a gentle hobby for many Neopians, it also quickly allowed exploitation. Users would leave their Habitariums open for hours to allow an unfair accumulation of neopoints that added to unreasonable economic inflation. The lines became blurred between those that were legitimately playing, and those that were allowing an idle computer to too do much work for them. If any features of the site must be dismantled, perhaps it is best that it be the Habitarium.

This, though, leaves a gaping hole in many of the daily gaming experiences of us users. While we mourn for those P3's we cherished (and only sometimes forgot to feed), now is the perfect time to begin branching out to new hobbies the site has to offer.

Key Quest:

Everybody loves a board game! Key Quest is only a slightly less cute gaming alternative to the Habitarium, one that implements strategy, competition, and cool medieval sounding music. With a maximum earning of 5,000 neopoints per game, and 10 keys to be redeemed every day, Key Quest allows for a quick accumulation of funds (with the right amount of hard work, of course) with all the fun and none of the stress of constantly tending to the Habitarium. For those with poor or laggy internet connections, there is even a constant link to the low-resolution version of Key Quest on the Key Quest Board.

Restocking:

Restocking refers to the carefully cultivated art of buying rare items in Neopian stores and reselling them at a higher price – the ole "buy low, sell high." Although I've always found the skill of restocking too scary to master, it's a hobby that's accumulated quite a following among Neopians. One must be extensively knowledgeable of their rare and expensive products and quick on the draw to refresh the page. Press F5 with control, though – too many page refreshes in one shop will disallow you from seeing any restocked items for the rest of the hour. After all, it's only fair that everyone get a crack at the stock.

Speaking of stocks...

The Stock Market:

The Neopian Stock Market is a quickly addictive way to turn a profit and meet new friends on the boards. With a maximum of 1,000 shares to be purchased a day, the Stock Market requires the same patience of the Habitarium. Should you follow through with your patience, though, you'll be handsomely rewarded. Stocks can easily turn an enormous profit provided you keep up to date with your portfolio daily and cross your fingers behind your back. Don't be discouraged if your stocks fall in the red zone – just continue to wait and you'll inevitably be back on your feet soon. (Don't be discouraged if this doesn't sound like a hobby, either. Give it a try; you'll be shocked at just how fun it can be.)

The Battledome (and the Battle of the Obelisk):

The beautiful re-mastery of the Battledome couldn't have been any better timed. Alright, well, maybe it wasn't done in anticipation of the Habitarium being disbanded, but regardless – it's not the same game we veteran Neopians remember. The new Battledome implements a whole world of weaponry, faerie blessings, and neofriend-on-neofriend combat. It's the perfect fun and competitive atmosphere, and provides a home for us amongst our favorite factions.

Chronic Gaming:

And then there is, of course, the old classic: gaming, gaming, gaming. Visit the games room and try your hand at some of the hundreds of games available at your disposal. You're bound to find at least a handful that you have a knack for. Although you can only send your score three times a day, play the games beyond that to polish your skills. Don't be afraid to try for a trophy, either – with a little time and practice, earning one might not nearly be as hard as you think. Games are the feature that will never go out of style and never disappoint.

Take some time to mourn. Professor Milton Clodbottle's genius will not be quickly forgotten. I loved my petpetpets as fiercely as anyone could love pixilated parasites.

But in between rounds of viciously taking a mallet to those staff members' heads (another perfectly valid and healthy hobby to take up, I might add), remember that Neopia is a constantly evolving land. Old features will go, new features will come, and TNT will always be at work cultivating the world we dearly love for the better. (Might I suggest a makeover of Mystery Island to come next? No? Alright, alright. I tried.)