November Livestream

On November 7th, 2024, Neopets had a livestream hosted by TNT Luna. This 25th Anniversary Special featured an interview with TNT Aesop, live giveaways, and a fun game show called NeoCash Knockout that featured MacOSTen from Jellyneo, Missy from Neopets Nation and the YouTube famous TheAmandaFiles. TNT Dom held a Q&A based on community-submitted questions. This livestream was first announced on October 24th. You can view a recording of this livestream on YouTube.

Interview with TNT Aesop (he/him) - Weewoo Enthusiast

• How did you choose your TNT alias?
  • Grew up reading Aesop’s Fables, and was captivated by the stories (about animals!) and the morals that went with them. Neopets is a place where a lot of people grew up as well, whether as writers or coders
• What is your earliest Neopets memory?
  • Getting a Happy Meal plushie (either Shoyru or Scorchio) which led him to the site and the Gallery of Evil. The character and lore kept him coming back
• What do you think are some of the most notable events in Neopian history?
  • Plots that introduced new species and new lands such as Virtupets and Tyrannian Invasion.
  • Mysteries of Neopia (Champions of Meridell, Darkest Faerie PS2 game)
  • His favorite is the Fall of Faerieland (Faerie's Ruin plot)
  • Outside of the site's lore, the conversion and end of flash made big waves for Neopets.
  • The Advent Calendar eolved to start having comics and stories.
  • Trying to expand on the lore with The Void Within, Omelette Faerie, TCG, Tales of Dacardia, etc.
  • Luna's favorite is the NC Mall addition.
• What is your favorite thing you worked on so far?
  • The Void Within; very proud with the story they have created and excited to show where it is going.
  • Favorite thing is the Faerie poem from this year's trick or treat bags.
• What was it like working in the Neopets in-person office?
  • Originally from the east coast, he had to drop everything and move to Los Angeles in February of 2020, so he worked in the office for about a month.
  • It was daunting and exhilerating at the same time. Working alongisde a team that is experienced with the site and the players. He was learning how to work in the games industry.
  • There were a lot of decorations around the office with full-sized artowrk and characters. (He was startled by the Lord Kass costume a few times as it was right by the elevators and was scary in the dark.)
  • There's a virtual office called Gather that the team uses now. On Halloween, Aesop dressed up as Trafalgar Law from One Piece for Halloween virtually.
• What has stood out the most from this past year's 25th anniversary celebration?
  • Being able to see the fans at Comic Con and seeing art from fans around social media.
  • The community seems active again and engaging with the site more than they have been in recent years.
• The Void Within is going on pause - how do you feel about that?
  • It's not ideal. It originally planned for shorter chapters (as in chpaters coming out faster) with more games, but had to make some cuts due to developmental resources and making sure users had time to keep up with it. After seeing feedback from players, they want to pivot back to those shorter chapters. They also want to make some changes based on player feedback. Also, the break may be a good idea in preparation for the holiday events (such as the Advent Calendar) so Neopians do not feel overwhelmed with everything to do.
• There are worries about the pacing of the plot. What adjustments are you making?
  • Going to be a shorter release schedule so chapters will come out faster.
  • Shifting more resources to work on the plot internally.
  • The design team is revamping what a week looks like so users don’t have to grind every day for plot points.
• Increased Battledome Drops are going away, Codestones are inflating again - what are you doing??
  • Plans to increase Battledome drops of Codestones while the plot is offline, and codestones have been adjusted to have increased chances as prizes for daily quests
• New The Void Within Logo and Tagline, what is this about?
  • When TVW returns with Chapter 2, it will be called The Void Within - Lost in the Dark
  • More focus on puzzles and games
  • More battledome opponents
  • More prizes in prize shop
  • This break will last a few months, but they plan to return to TVW in Q1 of 2025.
• Aesop will not be able to make it to the LA birthday party, but definitely encourages people who can make it to go (there may be a TNT member in LA! Luna says there may be someone in Florida as well, but is not sure.)

Neocash Knockout

• This special game show plays similar to Jeopardy!
• Contestant 1: TheAmandaFiles
  • YouTuber, makes Neopets and Animal Crossing videos, and think King Skarl needs to be humbled
• Contestant 2: Zac/MacOSTen
  • Earliest Neopets memory is sitting next to his brother (brother is playing Neopets) and he gets a Checkered Paint Brush in a Random Event and they start arguing over whether they should use it (Zac) or sell it (brother)
  • Hosting a Birthday Bash (did not say which one)
• Contestant 3: Missy
  • Australian who made Neopets Nation with her friend Arden
  • Has been playing since she was a kid (likes pet trading and customization),
  • If she had to remove a Neopet species, it would be Chias (so everyone can get the avatar)

Category 1: Memes

• 100: This Neopet originally associated with the pet cemetery recently inspired both a Gift Box Mystery Capsule and Avatar.
  • (Dead) Chia
• 200: This Neopet was set as active on May 24, 2017 when a user posted “wow this place is a freakshow. i don’t respect literally any of you people” onto the NeoBoards
  • Yellow Korbat
• 300: Around 2007, a group of Neopets players started this initiative, which transformed painted pets from the pound into a common species to promote the idea that users should work hard for painted pets.
  • Green Uni Project (GUP)
• 400: Who does this hat belong to?
  
  • petpet_oldchap
• 500: Drawn to celebrate the 20th anniversary, these two faerie elements are featured in the Neopets version of the cat meme.
  • Dark and Light
    

Category 2: Items

• 100: When a user’s Neomail inbox is at capacity, people often send this r60 item to let them know to clear it
  • Foal in Box
• 200: In 2006, this (real life) item was awarded to 500 winners as part of a soft drink promotion in China.
  • Pepsi Gelert Plushie
• 300: TNT Miss Rainbow oftentimes designs items based on pop culture references. This particular item was inspired by a teenage heartthrob who says his fellow classmate is quote “like a drug” to him
  • Skin of a Vampire Body Glitter
• 400: In addition to formerly being sold in the hidden tower, this r200 item was a prize for Lenny Conundrum #43, and when used in a 2-player BD fight, permanently deletes an item from your opponent’s set of weapons before disappearing
  • Eraser of the Dark Faerie
• 500: This petpet won the Petpet Protection League trophy in 2005, and was originally known as Scary Jack
  • Snomorg

Category 3: Lore

• 100: When was the Neopets site first launched?
  • November 15, 1999
• 200: Three beloved petpetpet species were featured in the old Neopets game: Habitarium. These P3s were divided up by job classes. Name the 3 job classes.
  • Nesters, Workers, and Soldiers
• 300: What inspired TNT Goldfish in Bowl’s TNT Alias?
  • They have a goldfish tattoo  OR
  • Their first job was at a pet store with a goldfish in back OR
  • They have a family member who used to paint landscapes with goldfish in the sky
• 400: Who is the brother of Remnok the Nomad?
  • Damon (the Nomad)
• 500: The Neocam, which ran from 2002 to 2007, gave players a peek into Neopets HQ, and also documented the Y9 TNT Office Halloween Contest where this costume placed first.
  • Go Roo Island!
    

 

Final question

• Category: Neopets Pronunciation
• Question: Using the arrow keys, you can control this Neopet on a game of Beach Volleyball. What is the canonically correct pronunciation for that Neopet?
• Answer: Mynci (mwn-sea) (Fun Fact: mwnci is Welsh for monkey!)

 

2025 Roadmap

• 2024 was a lot of backend work, but they are excited to work more on front-end features in 2025.
• November 2024
  • 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash
  • Tsun Scoops and YiFang Fruit Tea Pop-Ups
  • Monopoly Pre-Order
  • UpperDeck Anniversary Expansion Pack
  • Anime Festival Asia
  • On-site Birthday Activities
• December 2024 - January 2025
  • Advent Calendar (Updated!)
  • Secret Brand Collaborations
  • Fan Art Program Debut
  • Anti-Botting Initiatives
  • Speed Optimization
  • Security Upgrade
  • Phat Mojo Blind Box Plushies
• February - March 2025
  • Neopies (Updated!)
  • Premium UI/UX Update
  • NC Mall UI/UX Update
  • The Void Within Resumes
  • Scratchcard Prize Update
  • Jhudora & Illusen Quest Prize Updates
• Beyond
  • Neopets Colouring Book
  • Second Installment of Neopets Graphic Novel
  • CG Expansion Packs with UpperDeck
  • Site themes update
    
     

Q&A with TNT Dom

1. Can you share with us a sneak peek of what is happening for the 25th Anniversary?

• New avatars, Battledome Items, Stat Boosts, and Stamps for the anniversary onsite.
• Offsite, the birthday bashes!
• 25th Anniversary Paint Brush and Petpet Paint Brush
• Nostalgic Pet styles in 25th anniversary colors

2. Why are we putting in such high effort in Neopets spin-off games instead of focusing on the website? 

• Most of what the team is working on (60-70%) is on the classic site.
• Mobile apps, merch, and licensing are in the investment stage to show investors, partners, and potential licensees that Neopets is willing to invest in the product going forward.
• Working on the classic site is not what potential partners will be impressed by.
• Three pillar strategy: Classic Site (main focus), then licensing/merchandise
• Also looking to build the brand so more merchandise is available worldwide vs just in US and Canada
• The hurdle to go back to the classic site is very difficult to new and returning players, so the new experiences are a easier way to jump back in

3. Why haven’t we seen more improvement to the classic website? 

• They have been working on lag/performance issues as the site is growing and more users are coming back.
• However, most of the work on the site in the last year has been backend (security upgrades, backend upgrades) and has taken longer than originally envisioned.
• TNT hopes to start pushing out more quality of life changes over the next few months now that there is a better skeleton to build on.

4. TNT seems focused on generating revenue instead of creating a better product and improving gameplay. Why is that? 

• Would like to thank the Neopets community for sticking by the site all this time.
• Neopets is still operating at a loss, though they are improving revenue and MAU.
• Licensing and merch products can take 18-24 months before products go to market, so it takes time for those to realize a profit.
• 10% of users are subscribers or NC purchasers - thank you for helping keep Neopets afloat!
• The goal is to get the site to be sustainable so even more focus can be put on the classic site.
• They are hoping to hit the break-even point soon as merchandise starts to hit shelves.

5. Users completed the Faerie Festival and are not receiving prizes after clicking on Fyora. Will this be fixed? 

• This is already fixed as of this AMA. Affected users should be able to click on Fyora, read the final dialogue, and get prizes.  (Thank you for submitting tickets!)

6. There are a few plot issues namely: Inflation in Teatime with Tavi, Voidworks achievement being unobtainable, Voidworks requiring a 24 hour cooldown to play rather than reset at midnight NST. 

• todo

7. Can you please address and fix the high score table glitch that is preventing users from achieving game-related trophies and avatars due to foreign language filters wrongly flagging their username? 

• The team has received these reports but are still investigating.
• If you are experiencing these issues, please submit a ticket to assist with the investigation.

8. Do you have any plans to increase the cap on boosts for pet strength and defense? 

• There are plans to increase this in the future alongside improving the Battledome, especially as the plot continues.
• Season 2 and Season 3 of the plot will introduce more fixes and changes.

9. With the release of the new book, any chance we could get Sabre X fixed so he can be unlocked in the Battledome? He is currently broken. 

• Some of the Random Events were turned off, and the team is looking into what it would take to turn them back on.
• They are hoping to be able to reactivate some of these random events.

10. What happened to the fan art programme? Is it cancelled? 

• It has been delayed slightly, but it is on schedule to be released before the holiday season.

11. Are there intentions to fix the interpolation/compression issues on Nostalgic Pet styles

• This happened as a result to fix another issue, so the team is trying to figure out how to fix this without re-breaking anything, but this is still under investigation.

12. Are there any updates on the purge as it was announced originally to start in October?

• The purge has partially started in the backend (NOT things like usernames/pet names). This has helped improve site performance.
• Purge of usernames and pet names has been delayed to Q1 2025

13. Bloat B Gone was removed from the Daily Quest Prize Pool despite the Neopian Times editorial stating it would be permanently added to the pool. When will it be added back?

• This was removed by mistake and was added back in a few days ago (from the date of this AMA)

14. Why were prizes removed from the Caption Contest?

• This was not intentionally removed. In the past, the prizes/avatars/trophies were manually awarded, but when this was changed to an automated system, the prizes were removed by mistake.
• They hope to be able to reintroduce prizes in the future.

15. Are there plans for avatars that are currently broken or plans to bring back retired avatars? Can you re-release retired avatars (such as through a retired avatar neopoint sink)?

• Neopoint Sink is interesting
• They are looking to reinstate some broken avatars, but need to make sure they don’t break anything that is broken.
• This is a lot more complicated than originally thought!

16. When will we see more old stamp pages completed?

• Not overly complex, but need input and collaboration from various team leads to make decisions. They need to determine the best way to design and release new stamps.

Live Giveaway Code

As a reminder, you may only use this on your main account as its only one redemption per player. You can redeem this at the Grundo Warehouse using the code BIRTHDAYBASH