Fast Cash through Gaming: Month of Awakening

Some Neopians earn their money through the Games Room; others through restocking, Key Quest, or Habitarium. Many make do with only the petty change they pinch from Neopia's many daily freebies. You might remember my previous articles in Issue 520, 523, and 527 of the Times, where I presented a guide to making the Neopian Games Room work for you. Whether you use it for two minutes a day or an hour, everyone can take something home daily from the many games available in Neopia – it's a matter of finding the best possible set of games to make you rich quick.

Of course, the payouts of Neopia's games change every month... so often great games of the past month fall from their esteemed positions as top earners, and new games spring up to take their place. We wouldn't want things to get boring now, would we? As a reminder of how to calculate how much money you will earn from a game, take the score you get and multiply it by the Game Ratio listed on the front page of a game to get the amount earned, or divide the amount you wish to earn (up to 1000 NP) by the ratio to get the score you will need.

In the first edition of "Fast Cash Through Gaming", I divided helpful games into three groups based on how well they paid for my personal level of skill at them. Group 1 games are must-plays: the games that, either through high payouts or rapid completion, will allow you to rack up money in a hurry. Group 2 games are the backbone of a successful gamer: those that pay out at a steady rate of 15-25 NP/second and are worth playing daily, but can be skipped if you're low on time. Group 3 games are for those with a ton of spare time to devote to gaming or a burning desire for Neopoints. Perhaps you choose to play nothing from Group 3; perhaps you only play these games when you have time to kill, or maybe you pick and choose the ones you enjoy most... it's entirely up to you!

As in my previous article, I will highlight which games are moving up on the list, and which ones may no longer be worth your time. These groups will hold until the 25th of the Month of Awakening, when game ratios change.

As always, the many sponsor games available in the Games Room are often a great addition to this list. Since they come and go with much higher frequency than the rest of the games, you can decide for yourself which ones might be worth playing from the currently available sponsor games.

Extra Life – What is still a dependable game?

Includes all games that remain in the same group as they were for the Month of Storing.

Fashion Fever (100 NP/second, Group 1). We all know and love this quick hitter by now. The stylish Neopian may choose to experiment with all the fashion choices available, but those seeking riches may end the game in seconds for a 300 NP payout.

Kass Basher (60 NP/second, Group 1). As usual, scoring 782 will allow you to make off with a cool thousand for a single whack. If you haven't unlocked the bat yet, you probably should in order to take full advantage of this game.

Catch the Petpet (54 NP/second, Group 1). This game is a Petpet Park tie-in which is available through the site search bar, not the games room. It's much easier to play than to find, though, and is very quick to get the hang of!

Darigan Dodgeball (23 NP/second, Group 2). While most Neopians don't have the skills at this game to earn the full 1000 NP possible, remember that for a game that pays a specific number of Neopoints per second survived, the ratio doesn't change a bit regardless of your skill level! Score 100,000 and then lose a life before ending the game.

Wrath of the Snowager (21 NP/second, Group 2). All money-seeking gamers should be familiar with this game now, as it has remained at the same Neopoint ratio for many, many months.

Ready to Roll (13 NP/second, Group 3). This game can pay out much slower than 13 NP/second if you are being cautious and gathering stars slowly while protecting yourself. Throw caution to the wind and get though the levels as quickly as you can for best results!

Top Chop (12 NP/second, group 3). By now anyone who plays all the way to group 3 games has likely grown to be an expert at this frequently encountered game, which is good news: the more you hone your expertise, the further you can go and the more total money you can make.

Edna's Shadow (9 NP/second, group 3). Score 747 for 1000 Neopoints. However, as beyond level 3 it gets tricky, it might be best to just play the first three levels in a hurry and then end the game for a smaller but much quicker payout.

Shifting Gears – Games which have changed groups

Includes all games that are in a different group than they were in the Month of Storing.

Zurroball (60 NP/second, moves from group 2 to group 1). When Zurroball's payout is good, it's REALLY good. To get 1000 NP, you only need score 44 points, which can be achieved almost instantly if you know how to use the Energy Ball and the sides of the arena to score 4 points per click.

Tunnel Tumble (25 NP/second, moves from group 3 to group 1). Tunnel Tumble barely slides into group 1 due to a reasonably large increase in its ratio. Like Darigan Dodgeball, the money paid by this game per second survived is relatively constant regardless of your talent level.

Extreme Faerie Cloud Racers (19 NP/second, moves from group 3 to group 2). Use the arrow keys and the 2-D display at the bottom of the screen to survive 5-6 rounds of this crazy melee, scoring at least 240, and you'll be collecting a nice winner's bonus of 1000 NP.

Hot Dog Hero (16 NP/second, moves from group 1 to group 2). If you are not an expert at Hot Dog Hero, scoring the 12,500 it now takes to get a maximum payout may take more time than it is worth. However, it is not REALLY any more difficult, you just have to know the layout of a few extra levels in order to do it quickly.

Nova Defender (14 NP/second, moves from group 1 to group 3). Nova Defender usually wavers between requiring a score of 100,000 and 50,000 to earn 1000 NP. This month, it is at 100,000, which means you will have to play the more difficult Level 2. However, its payout is still nothing to sneeze at.

Player 1, Press Start – The New Guys

Includes all games that NOW score at least 9 NP/second when they didn't before.

Tubular Kiko Racing (20 NP/second, group 2). Ignore most of the distractions in the river rapids course, and focus on getting through every gate en route to scoring 343 points.

Snowbeast Snackrifice (17 NP/second, group 2). Certainly the most favorable payout I have ever seen from this game, your own mileage may vary as this is a tough one to learn. Once you figure it out, though, you can end the game after scoring 94 (usually at the end of level 2).

Chia Bomber 2 (15 NP/second, group 3). It's always helpful when avatar games also pay well. While you are trying for the Chia Bomber 2 avatar score of 1300 points, it's nice to know you can collect 1000 NP for any score over 410.

Crisis Courier (12 NP/second, group 3). This game pays 1 neopoint for every 2 points scored. By the end of level 2, you should be able to score about 2000. Learning the best way to use all of the yooyu's abilities takes time, but is worth it!

Skies Over Meridell (10 NP/second, group 3). This enjoyable little dogfight game is controlled by the arrow keys and the M button. Score 134 to get a max payout. This one can be much faster or slower to pay out than 10 NP/second, depending on your skill and luck.

Barf Boat (9 NP/second, group 3). I wouldn't recommend this one for now, as the 1000 NP score of 538 is very hard to get to. But if you need more Neopoints, or just like this game, it is a solid choice.

Extreme Potato Counter (9 NP/second, group 3). Another avatar game that you can make a tidy sum on while you practice. Score 120 to collect 1000 NP. On the higher levels, it might be best to count only every third potato and multiply by 3 at the end to ease the stress on your mind.

Game Over – No longer in the rotation

Includes all games that no longer score 9 NP/second.

Attack of the Marblemen (6 NP/second, was group 1). It's always tough to lose a group 1 game, but history dictates that this one will be right back to being one of the best in a future month.

Maths Nightmare (8 NP/second, was group 2). This one is a hard loss because it was easy to play another quick game (like Fashion Fever) while waiting for math problems to spawn here. It might still be worth a look for that reason, but on its own merit

Chariot Chase (7 NP/second, was group 2). A huge decrease in the ratio of this game means you would have to complete at least 20 laps to earn the same amount we did last month for five laps.

Wheelers Wild Ride (7 NP/second, was group 3). This is still very easy to reach about any score you wish, but it will take a bit longer this month to get the same amount of Neopoints.

Wow, that's a lot of movement, ushering in a fresh new slate of games that can make you quick money this month! Let's review where everything landed...

Group 1 (cornerstones of your money making strategy): Fashion Fever, Kass Basher, Zurroball, Catch the Petpet, Tunnel Tumble

Group 2 (consistent daily games that deliver the dough): Darigan Dodgeball, Wrath of the Snowager, Tubular Kiko Racing, Extreme Faerie Cloud Racers, Snowbeast Snackrifice, Hot Dog Hero

Group 3 (pick your favorites, or play when you're bored): Nova Defender, Chia Bomber 2, Ready to Roll, Top Chop, Crisis Courier, Skies Over Meridell, Barf Boat, Extreme Potato Counter, Edna's Shadow.

Of course, money isn't the only aim in the Games Room... fun is where it all starts. So make sure to try out not just these, but all of the games Neopia has to offer; perhaps this will lead you to your own list of daily games that maximize your money and your fun!