World of Neopia

Aristide · **Posted:** Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:47 pm

So we have the main site, which is so laggy and glitchy at the moment that it's almost impossible to do major activities like playing games and restocking, Key Quest is coming out soon, and now World of Neopia. Oh, and the petpetpet environment...
Yet they can't even handle something like the Return of Dr. Sloth plot well, and the Roothless Challenge made most Mac players cry.

I hated to admit it when Viacom bought Neopets, but I can't deny it any more - the site is going to the dogs. I just want to RP and draw pretty pictures of my pets. Plots are nice when they're fun and every one can have a good time, site events are great when they work right, but Viacom has proven they don't care about that with how much junk it's trying to cram onto TNT's already full plate. It's no wonder the pound has been down for over a year.

It doesn't help that World of Neopia might be a Pay-to-Play version of Neopets, considering how some of the articles go on.

I keep telling myself that it'll probably be optional and to focus more on getting myself hyped for the Altador Cup in two months, but it's like there's a dark cloud on the Neopian horizon and it just keeps getting darker.

Pickles · **Posted:** Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:09 pm

I almost think there's not enough information at this point for me to decide what I feel about it.
If it ends up being an option, great - for some people, it would be a dream come true. It might be kinda fun to actually walk your pet around sometimes (provided there's a stealth mode. I, like Siniri, prefer to be anonymous, than someone often attempted to be hacked into.) At the same time, I don't want to hafta walk to every shop, to every game, to every everything. As a side note, though, if they *do* pull it off, and keep it free...that would be an impressive feat, if you ask me. (Keeping in mind that WOW and other online sites have monthly/yearly fees to play, which keeps the support staff quite happily paid and more numerous, etc...)
I'm going to try to reserve judgment for once things are more clear and more details are out. Half of those articles jumped back and forth between WON and other potential communities too much.

cdtcasper · **Posted:** Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:29 pm

*Waits in line to play tombola*
...um no thx

Siniri · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:40 am

smudgeoffudge wrote:

I don't know how they will do it, because most of the ads I see are for products a little too mature for neopets. Things like the cinnimon toast crunch and a few items like that that I see currently on the side ads, could easily make the transfer, but what about things like "Go to college online at the university of Phoenix?" I don't think that would translate seamlessly with the neopet world, it would stick out like a sore thumb.

Since Google bought doubleclick.com, the ads are tailored to what other sites you go to and quite possibly also the info you gave the site when you signed up (age, gender, hobbies, country, etc.). So you probably get the "adult" ads because you're an adult.

(A few years ago, I literally would get "adult" ads with scantily clad women in suggestive poses -- I'm not sure why since I'm female -- I reported the ads to TNT, but it took months for them to go away.)

Shoyru_Lover · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:49 am

I'm actually quite curios to see how this thing is. If they can run it out with World of Warcraft... well now!

eilu · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:14 am

just had a thought, since they never specifically said anything on platform, but what if this wasn't for PC but rather for a console? An internet-enabled console, like the Wii? It's not like they have a lot of console games, so they can go branch out and "diversify" (businesses seem to like this term a lot anyway), and it makes more sense to put it on a console because then you won't have to worry about hardware and software incompatibilities. Just a thought.

Helena · **Posted:** Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:52 pm

Oh, eilu, good point. *wishes she had thought of it*

If it's browser based flash, I feel sorry for us dial-up / slow broadband users. "Loading Neopia Central - World 34 - 12% Done".
(Runescape, anyone? D:)

cookiemunster · **Posts:** 103 **Joined:** Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:33 pm

This article is from canada.com

Quote:

Nickelodeon explores virtual worlds
Steven Zeitchik , Reuters
Published: Thursday, April 03, 2008
LOS ANGELES --

Nickelodeon is building a virtual world in a bid to increase revenue in the real world.
The company is expected to announce Thursday that it is developing an entire virtual world, involving games, avatars and a strong social-networking component, based on network hit "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Nick also is expected to announce that it is developing Monkey World, a social-networking and massive multiplayer game based on an original concept and not tied to any of its existing franchises.

The network also will announce that it will increase the interactivity on its Neopets site through a new virtual world called World of Neopia, and will add a paid tier to Nicktropolis, the overarching virtual world that's divided into sections based on Nick television shows and other properties. SpongeBob, Monkey World and Neopia also will have paid tiers when they launch next year.

Nicktropolis currently averages about 1.5 million visitors per month, and executives said the paid tier will preserve that traffic by charging only for additional features like personalization. The company declined to disclose pricing details for the new tier or say what it might charge for various virtual words, though it's likely that pay tiers could be a key part of its revenue strategy.

The announcements, timed to the Virtual Worlds Conference this week in Manhattan, amount to a digital development slate for a company that is trying to establish itself as a digital heavyweight. Nick hopes to use these worlds not just as a marketing platform but as a separate business, generating revenue from subscriptions as well as in-world advertising.
The company is in an eyeballs race with Disney, which through acquisition Club Penguin and assets like Toontown Online also targets youngsters with virtual worlds. Penguin charges for subscriptions as well.

Steve Youngwood, executive vp digital media at Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, acknowledged that TV networks have found it difficult to create properties from scratch, as the company was attempting to do with Monkey World.
"Now a virtual world is putting its foot out there as another viable medium, not just to extend brands but to create brands," he said.

Neopets, which Viacom acquired several years ago, has been one of the Web's biggest success stories among the tween demo, boasting 45 million registered users.

Another Viacom division, Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE), also is expanding its presence in virtual worlds, announcing deals to bring its VooZoo application -- which are short clips from its vast film library -- to MTV's own vMTV and Makena Technologies' There.com.

There.com and vMTV members will now be able to send each other three- to five-second video clips called "voohoos" from films including "The Godfather," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Footloose."

eilu · **Posted:** Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:35 am

So they're going to develop SpongeBob world ("Bikini Bottom" perhaps?), Monkey World and World of Neopia? All in the same time frame? A bit much, unless they have huge teams, gazillions of cash and servers lying around. Or they get lazy, cut costs and make one working framework and just skin it thrice. :roll:

Quote:

Neopia also will have paid tiers

Doesn't neopets already have a "paid tier" called... PREMIUM? Unless this implies that Neopia is a whole separate world. Or are they going to saying stuff like "free subscribers can have only 1 pet, pay a one-time fee of $X to get more pets!" or "As a free subscriber, your bank account is restricted to <level> only, pay $X to upgrade" and "as a free subscriber, you can only have 1000 items in your SDB, pay $X to upgrade!" (they can't make it less than 1000 or else you will also be excluded from the packrat avvie... or maybe they will) and so on... *sigh*
If that ever happens, well, depending on how restrictive it gets, I will pull up stakes and leave. It'll stop being fun if you actually have to pay for everything.

Of course I do understand that they need to make money- but there's a line between making a profit and being entirely profit-driven. A lot of sites have decent content/services for free subscribers and do very nicely (Runescape, DungeonRunners, Google...)- they get too greedy they'll just end up alienating everyone.

schlough · **Posted:** Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:53 pm

They better make Premium members automatically part of the "paid tier". We don't get much for our $$ as it is, we get no NC mall 10% perks or anything of that sort, and if we are expected to pay MORE for access to member only features while we are already paying a membership fee...

I love this site, but that might just push me over the edge. And that's saying something, since even "the great redraw" didn't shake my devotion too much.

Pink · **Posted:** Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:27 pm

schlough wrote:

They better make Premium members automatically part of the "paid tier". We don't get much for our $$ as it is, we get no NC mall 10% perks or anything of that sort, and if we are expected to pay MORE for access to member only features while we are already paying a membership fee...

No kidding. I was just thinking something along those lines. The only real perks for Premium is the scratchcard every friday, ssw, shh events, and no ads. It would be nice if we could get the other with our Premium memership...that being said, I'm still not sure how I feel about a 3-D Neopia...

Rubywinged · **Posts:** 559 **Joined:** Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:38 am

I'm hoping its more of a game with few perks to those who pay.... I mean I'm on dial up and i KNOW that this isnt going to be something I can participate in. It's just not going to happen. So I'm sort of hoping its like Neoquest lots of people like it lots of people play it you CAN get some great things from it BUT I dont feel I'm lacking anything by not playing it.

This one is really a throw up for me. I either want it to be a separate sort of thing or a low/rare prize game.... i mean its a great idea which i do like.... it's just one of those i dont want to see anyone getting something TONS better for cash or better because they have a better computer.

So yea that's my opinion.... atleast at the moment lol

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