June Livestream: Battledome TCG Edition
On June 27th, 2024, Neopets held a special livestream, hosted by TNT Luna. Bobby from Upperdeck discussed the new Neopets Trading Card Game (TCG), and TNT Fallie joined half way through the live stream. TNT Dom held a Q&A based on community submitted questions. You can view a recording of this livestream on YouTube.
This livestream was announced a week beforehand, on June 18th. In previous livestreams, community members could submit and vote on questions on a strawpoll. However, the strawpoll for May livestream was abused so for this livestream, TNT chose to have community members submit questions on the Neoboards.
Livestream Timecodes
For your convenience, here's the important parts in the recorded live stream and their respective time codes- Introduction [4:50]
- Battledome TCG Trailer [6:35]
- Interview with Bobby [8:08]
- First Giveaway [28:30]
- Special Guest, TNT Fallie [32:08]
- Second Giveaway: If you could make any avatar onsite, what would it be? [42:10]
- Q&A with TNT Dom: [44:47]
- 1. Do we ban users based on IP? [46:05]
- 2. When is the Altador Cup starting, and what improvements can we expect? [47:17]
- 3. With weapons like Wand of the Dark Faerie and Grapes of Wrath being given out as prizes, what do you see as the future of weapon progression? [48:36]
- 4. Since social media is promoted, can certain site names be mentioned on the boards without getting a warning? [50:35]
- 5. Can we get more updated shopkeeper art? [52:10]
- 6. Are there any plans to improve lag during customization and the NC Mall? [52:53]
- 7. Would you consider loyalty bonuses for Premium? [54:13]
- 8. How is the October purge going to work? [55:22]
- 9. Will the Skarl Collectable Charm be fixed? [57:40]
- 10. Do you have plans to update any contests? [58:15]
- 11. Can we not make avatars locked based on region (ex: new Battledome TCGs)? [1:00:50]
tl;dr & tl;dw
- Battledome TCG:
- Now released in the United States (previously released in Canada in April)
- Check local game stores to see if they're in stock, or purchased from Upper Deck's store directly.
- TCG is a card game, create a deck of cards and battle against opponents
- A full video tutorial on how to play will be released within the next week
- There's an Official Battledome League, tournaments can be hosted at local game stores
- Fan Art Program:
- Still being worked on and coming soon, acceptance emails have been sent out.
- Mid-July launch, Sosu has created a petpage to list artists accepted into the program: https://neopets.com/~FanArtProgram
- NeoPass: can change email address once every 365 days, you can use another service's single sign-on or unlink it
- Tales of Dacardia: issues with NeoPass resolved, site rewards have been fixed but may be rewarded within 2 hours. Themed microgames, item packs, tie-ins with site events coming soon. Chapter 2 in the works.
- Q&A with TNT Dom:
- TNT doesn't do mass bans by IP addresses, they investigate user behaviour and determine the punishment.
- Altador Cup has been delayed, coming in July, due to The Void Within plot. It'll be more rebalanced and less grindy, with some bug fixes.
- TNT continues to add more valuable battledome weapons to make it more accessible for new and returning players and collectors
- Dom addressed rumours about insider knowledge -- prize pools are released at the same time for everyone
- Neoboard filters and policies are being adjusted, you can mention social media platforms BUT CANNOT link to personal accounts.
- TNT is lifting bans on previously flagged words
- The premium program will be revamped this year, long-term members will receive loyalty bonuses.
- October purge is complex and they want to get the word out so interested returning users don't lose access to their accounts
- Art contests will be getting updated, adding new invisible pet categories, and looking into ways to combat AI generated artwork.
- Some region locked avatars were decided by the licensees, TNT doesn't want to region lock things, but it's out of their hands.
Interview with Bobby Coovert
- Bobby Coovert (he/him), Product Manager and Game Designer of the Neopets Battledome Trading Card Game (NBTCG)
- Two secret rare cards featured behind Bobby (in large print): The Queen Fyora and Jhudora, exclusive gallery print, only 250 limited edition prints.
- The game design started in October of 2022. Bobby had just started working with Upper Deck a short while before.
- What would Jhudora do in a set? What would Fyora do in a set? These are the questions that Bobby would ask himself when designing the game.
- Working with existing Neopets artists and new artists from the Neopets community.
- Bobby started playing 20 years ago, just around the Champions of Meridell plot.
- Check with your local game store! They may have the product in stock.
- Alternatively, this can be purchased online via the Upper Deck store directly.
- Note: the TCG launched in Canada in April, however it is now available in the USA.
- Upper Deck will be at SDCC 2024! They’ll be letting you “Become a Neopet” and they will create your own custom and personalized card at Comic Con:
- The goal of a TCG is to create a deck of cards (either from booster packs or from a starter deck), then battling against an opponent.
- The biggest draw of TCGs is being a part of a community that comes together and plays games together.
- The Neopet is the main character in the game, having various stats, in the demo Bobby used a Red Acara
- Stats: Attack (red), defense (blue), agility (yellow), hit points (green)
- Inventory limit of 50 (just like the site)
- Game has 4 phases: Draw, Train, Preparation, Battle
- Draw - pick a card from your deck/inventory
- Train - Use codestones to train and level up Neopets. When a codestone is attached to a Neopet, they gain a level. They go to the training academy and building up one of the stats and their level increases.
- Preparation - can only play one card; there are lots of cards to play. Level requirement to play. Potions, Legends, Equipment, Faeries (powerful cards that can bend the rules of the game), Paint Brushes (can play paint brush to send pet to the Rainbow pool and become a painted pet. Painted pets have stronger stats)
- Battle:
- Cards have a symbol on the top left, indicating the card’s level requirement (ex: the pant devil card requires your pet to be at least level 1)
- You play a card and then they go in the discard pile
- Potions, like equipment card, are stronger and requires a die roll – once played it goes in the discard pile
- Equipment types:
- Passive: such as “gain 1 attack” you will alway have that ability
- Activated Abilities: certain abilities can only take place if some conditions are met
- Food:
- Doesn’t count as a card played
- You can play it at any phase during any player’s turn (unless stated otherwise)
- Instead of going to the discard pile, food will go into the void "like into your stomach"
- Paint brushes: Pets will walk to the “rainbow pool” and will come out with a different colour, and will have different and stronger stats
- How to Play video will be released within the next week, including information about the battle phase!
- Some featured characters during this stream: Money Tree, Korbat Defender and The Pant Devil
- Starter Decks are available that are intended as an easy way for players who are new to TCGs to have a viable deck right out of the box.
- The Official Battledome League, may be hosted at your local game store weekly tournaments for the Neopets Battledome TCG
- Participating stores will have exclusive cards just for participants.
- From the Upper Deck stream on June 27th, these cards will be alternate rarities/card art for existing cards - there are no mechanically exclusive cards for the tournament promos.
- First Neopets Battledome World TCG Championship will be at GenCon in Indianapolis, IN
- Playmats, prizes, and a trophy to the winner!
- Brand new TCG and new system, won’t be compatible with older games, but there will be hundreds of new cards to collect.
First Giveaway
The first giveaway required participants to respond in chat, three winners would be selected for the best answer and would receive one of three TCG card sets.Question: If you could make anything in the world of Neopia into a TCG card, what would it be?
Bobby's Answer: Completely Non-Lethal Sandwich
Luna's Answer: Depressed Potato
Winners:
- ProblematicPeriwinklePlum: "I desperately want a Tropical Food Shopkeeper TCG card. He doesn't even have a name."
- zoebeeee: "I would want an asparagus chia"
- laura whittington: "Spotted KAU!!"
Updates from TNT Fallie
- TNT Fallie is one of the marketing/social media team members
Can you give an update on the Fan Art program?
- The Fan Art Program page is actively being worked on and it is coming soon.
- Acceptance emails have started going out for the applicants that have been approved.
- Emails to those not accepted have not gone out yet because if anyone who receives an acceptance decides to drop out, they can pull from this pool. Once the first intake of artists is full, emails will be sent to the rest of the applicants informing them.
- They received about 200 submissions, and it was very hard to select just a few for the first wave.
- They are aiming for launch in mid-July
- Community Ambassador Sosu has created a petpage to list artists that have been accepted to the program
- You can access this petpage here: https://neopets.com/~FanArtProgram
- Fallie has been posting updates to Discord, but when things are official, they will be posted on the Art Neoboard and on other official sources.
- Can change email in Settings page (can only change once every 365 days)
- Added Google SSO & Multiple SSOs (Single sign-on, like the “Sign in with Google” button)
- These can be unlinked at any time
- Bug fixes released around migration issues and account creation issues
- Reminder: Tales of Dacardia (TaDa) integrates with NeoPass so you can earn site rewards from doing ingame tasks
- Issues with NeoPass login have been corrected
- Issues with site rewards have been fixed - you should be receiving rewards within approximately 2 hours.
- There will be themed microgames and item packs coming in Tales of Dacardia.
- Chapter 2 is coming, no official date but it is in the works!
- More site events will be tied in with the game
Second Giveaway
The second giveaway required participants to respond in chat, three winners would be selected for the best answer and would receive an Arcade Shoyru, a SDCC 2023 exclusive item.Question: If you could make any avatar onsite, what would it be?
TNT Fallie's Answer: Puzzle Hunters Club avatars! (she mentioned that Sosu made several and wanted to "sneak them in")
Winners:
- Brittany B the AT: "Jelly World!!"
- Bri'ann Piguet: "A Kacheek hoodie Dom avatar!!"
- Colliflower142: "A faellie avatar!!!"
Q&A with TNT Dom
Questions were gathered on the NeoBoards this time because TNT observed voting manipulation and harassment via the old Strawpoll method.
1. Do we ban users based on IP? [46:05]
- This is a myth the community talks about.
- There have never been mass bans based on IP alone.
- The team looks into user behavior and some other aspects during an investigation, before deciding to issue a ban.
- Mistakes do happen, which is why there is an appeal system if you believe you were wrongly banned.
2. When is the Altador Cup starting, and what improvements can we expect? [47:17]
- This is the first year the Cup has been pushed back.
- It’s around the corner, the press tour will begin in early July.
- There will be a new team that has been hinted at earlier (Team Dacardia).
- TNT is looking to improve and fix bugs, such as Slushie Slinger and art placement.
- There will be a rebalanced cap on games and rankings to try to make the Cup less grindy.
- As always, there will be a prize shop.
3. With weapons like Wand of the Dark Faerie and Grapes of Wrath being given out as prizes, what do you see as the future of weapon progression? [48:36]
- The team is trying to make the game accessible and allow new and returning players to get highly valuable weapons in an achievable way.
- TNT is constantly looking at community feedback and,
- TNT Dom addressed rumors, stating that there is no insider knowledge, prize pools are launched at the same time for everyone.
- New weapons will be added as the plot unfolds to add more fun to the Battledome and for collectors.
4. Since social media is promoted, can certain site names be mentioned on the boards without getting a warning? [50:35]
- When it comes to mentioning social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, etc), these can be discussed without getting a warning after some relaxation of certain policies.
- However, linking to personal social media accounts is still NOT ALLOWED at this time.
- TNT is working on lifting bans on previously flagged words such as “uncle”, “seaweed”, “basement”, etc.
5. Can we get more updated shopkeeper art? [52:10]
- This is a new request and is being added to the growing list of requests.
- This is something that there is not currently a priority for.
- However, it’s possible that things such as the Fan Art program could be used to assist with these kinds of requests.
6. Are there any plans to improve lag during customization and the NC Mall? [52:53]
- The team has noticed that the lag has increased and it is on their list to try to improve in the coming months.
- They are also looking into alternatives, such as users using Dress to Impress to customize pets.
7. Would you consider loyalty bonuses for Premium? [54:13]
- This will be a part of the Premium revamp they have been working on.
- They are looking to reward players who have been members for a long time.
- They are aiming to launch the new program this year.
8. How is the October purge going to work? [55:22]
- The purge will start in October, but it will be a long-term project.
- It hasn’t been done in many years. TNT had to reference how it was previously done in the past.
- TNT is hoping that the purge could improve site performance.
- They are trying to get the word out that the purge is happening before it actually happens so users who are interested in returning do not lose their old accounts.
- It’s a very long and daunting process, so TNT may do purges in smaller batches/phases.
9. Will the Skarl Collectable Charm be fixed? [57:40]
- The team realized because of this question that it was not fixed; it had been marked as fixed internally. The bug is back on the list.
10. Do you have plans to update any contests? [58:15]
- There are a lot of outdated rules.
- The Art Gallery and Beauty Contest rules have recently been updated.
- However, the file restrictions are a little harder to lift, as it would increase server load.
- A lot of users are also talking about AI art - the team is already using AI detection tools, but AI is improving faster than the detection tools. They are doing what they can to improve this.
- They are also looking into a specific Invisible Pet category for pet customization.
11. Can we not make avatars locked based on region (ex: new Battledome TCGs)? [1:00:50]
- The decision for the Battledome TCGs was made in part by the licensees.
- There is a possibility that the distributor will release on a global level, but at this point, that is not a guarantee.
- The team is not trying to limit things based on region, but for this case, that was out of their hands.
Live Giveaway Code
TNT did not offer a live giveaway code for this stream.
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