Winter Sidebar...

[Arka]

Somebody mentioned points, and I am thinking more and more that that is it, since it seems that there is no common criterion.

Even what I had thought the most likely, that you collect every item from the calendar, doesn't seem to hold.

So how about points for each thing and a certain number of points gets the avatar? Eitther 1 point per thing or several points for collecting the items from the calendar.

For example:

1 point (or more) for collecting all prizes from the calendar
1 point for watching the animation all the way through
I point for having a snow pet
1 point for having a snow petpet
1 point for having a snowflake
1 point for playing a winter game
1 point for sending a gift

And for the sake of illustration, let's say that 5 points gets you the sidebar.
In this case you could miss getting all the prizes, but if you had a winter pet and a snowflake and sent a gift and watched the animations and played a winter game, you could still get the side bar.

Possibly each day of the calendar would be worth a point, (or instead of each day getting a point, then getting bonus points if you get every day) and each snow item a point, and each donation or gift. So that we are talking maybe 70 points needed.

[Daze]

I like that idea a lot Arka.

It would make much more sense.

[cslewislover]

I don't think I had any of the things people are suggesting for points, or whatever, in my inventory. My inventory was very low when I went, and I had perhaps one advent item in it. My son had a lot more of the snow and wintery things in his inventory, and he didn't get it. It seems random, or maybe relates to the time you went to the advent calendar.

[mercurius]

i don't know if this helps, but I think it's worth mentioning, I received 2 faerie quests within an hour of each other today alone. Heightened RE activity might have something to do with it. Not sure.

[Arka]

When you go to the Advent Calendar could be it, but when I went about 10 am Neo time there were a number of people who had already received it.

Cslewislover, instead of a point for every item, perhaps just having an item or more would be worth one point. So the same number of points for one or 1000 items. Did you play winter games, or collect from the calendar every day? Since you have your son to compare against, if you give one point for having any number of items in the inventory or just owning any number of items no matter how many- only one point- how would you compare other activities that you and your son did? Would you say that you played the same number of winter games? or visited the calendar the same number of times? or had happy pets? or had winter pets? Can you pin down something that you did or had that your son didn't?

Something I did that I forgot to mention was that I had snowballs and snowflakes in my inventory, SDB, gallery, and shop. I don't have a neohome. Perhaps I got a point for each area where I had snow or ice things.

[anjuna]

Bah, I am just bitter because TNT claims the sidebar is available "all day" but what they really mean is 'at any point in the 24 hours of the 31st that you collect the Advent Calendar prize' and NOT at ANY point in the day (as in a Random Event, which almost seems more fair at this point).

[Medusa]

I got the sidebar and had:

- 12 snowballs in my Inventory (4 different types)
- 12 snowballs in my Shop (4 different types)
- 12 snowballs in my SDB (4 different types)
- Terror Trove Scratchcard in my Inventory
- No Trades up but I have an Offer on an Advent Calendar item
- Delighted pet
- 13,291 neopoints on hand
- Collected at random times each day but most often at about 3am NST
- Did not collect randomly on the 25th, I waited until 7am NST before collecting and I didn't even visit the site from about 8pm NST on the 24th until 7am NST on the 25th (as per the second NT Editorial - better safe than sorry)
- No Snow petpets
- No Snow pet
- Only one pet so that pet is "everything" - oldest, youngest, smartest, highest stats, lowest stats, etc.
- I didn't send Christmas presents (or Snowballs) as I didn't have time this year.
- I recieved two presents from friends both by Trades.

I think that's all.

Edit:
- No garage sale
- No winter games (only Scratchcards)
- No Taelia quests completed (although I did offer to do some)
- No winter items equipped to my pet
- No winter type gallery/shop keepers
- Collected everyday

Last edited by Medusa on Mon Jan 01, 2007 5:15 am, edited 2 times in total.

[cslewislover]

Cslewislover, instead of a point for every item, perhaps just having an item or more would be worth one point. So the same number of points for one or 1000 items. Did you play winter games, or collect from the calendar every day? Since you have your son to compare against, if you give one point for having any number of items in the inventory or just owning any number of items no matter how many- only one point- how would you compare other activities that you and your son did? Would you say that you played the same number of winter games? or visited the calendar the same number of times? or had happy pets? or had winter pets? Can you pin down something that you did or had that your son didn't?

I don't remember if I played any winter games in December, although I may have played the snowball one a couple of times (can't remember it's name). As far as the time I went to the calendar, I didn't pay attention, but it was in the afternoon. So, let me make a list.

1. Taelia avatar
2. christmas pet
3. snow petpet for part of the month
4. frozen mechafish in inventory; snowballs temporarily during December
(I do have a lot of Terror Mtn things in my gallery)
5. Taelia as gallery keeper
6. Snowball wand in pet equipment
7. main pet was extremely happy (not Delighted!).
8. I went to advent every day.

Can't think of anything else right now. I hardly go to the Snowager any more, and I hardly went to the garage sale. Don't know if this info will help at all. My son has hardly any wintery things compared with me, if that makes a difference.

[fishies]

I did NOT get the sidebar.

-I collected my prize everyday.
-I did not get the Brightvale History Book from the Advent Calendar, so I bought it through the Shop Wiz.
-I visited the Snowager almost everyday.
-I do not have Christmas/Wintery pet or petpet, unless if you count a Snowbunny.
-I put all my items in my SDB.
-I read the Neopian Times every week.
-I like cheese.
-I prefer pirates over ninjas.
-I did not post in the Neoboards this month
-I uh... can't think of anything else I didn't do.

[Cerise]

I got the sidebar

What I did this year:
- Had 47 food items in inventory
- Food included snow submarine sandwich, snow sandwich, and snow pizza
- No advent items in inventory
- Visited calendar every day
- Active pet was Yellow Quiggle w/ no petpet
- No snow/ice/x-mas pets or petpets
- Sent and received presents on Christmas, and many times before and after
- Did not get Brightvale book, but did get plushie
- Did not buy any extra advent items
- Had 41,286NP out
- Pets in lodge
- Own a mallow Grundo (featured in an animation)
- No Taelia quests completed or scratchcards scratched this month
- Posted in Neoboards often
- Played with few very advent toys and didnt use other things that could be used
- Part of gallery is Taelia themed
- Active avatar is Number Six and I own all Holiday related avs.
- Collected at different times each day
- Played winter-related games often
- Didnt send greetings
- Did other dailies before Advent

Things that were the same last year when I didnt get it:
- No snow/ice/x-mas pets or petpets
- Visited calendar every day
- Pets in lodge
- Didnt send greetings
- Part of gallery is Taelia themed
- Played with few very advent toys and didnt use other things that could be used
- Owned all holiday related avs.
- Posted in Neoboards often
- Played winter-related games often

Things I did differently last year:
- Collected right after midnight each day
- Didnt wait for animations to load
- Less items in inventory
- Bought many extra advent items
- Didnt send or get any Christmas gifts
- No mallow Grundo
- Wasnt in a guild
- Did Advent before all dailies

Nothing seems extremely relevant though. A lot of whats different between this year and last are things that other people have shown dont matter. That point system idea seems to fit all the differences, but I'd never have thought TNT would seriously be that technical about a sidebar.

[anjuna]

-I prefer pirates over ninjas.

EDIT: Everyone knows that a ninja will kick a pirate's arse any day. j/k

[octochan]

I got the sidebar - and I wasn't even trying.

details below:
- visited advent first thing on neo, before any other dailies
- collected my prize really late tonight; just before writing this message, actually
- visited advent every day and got every item (no glitching)
- no snow foods in inventory
- had an active snow pet
- wiz sniped a couple of Gobblers
- had one advent calendar prize in my inventory (Winter Blechy Hat)
- failed at least a couple of Taelia quests recently
- didn't send any greetings, or neomails
- sent some presents
- received a present
- visited the snowager maybe once or twice this month
- didn't have a winter themed avatar on - I left it on Toast!

[Meer]

I highly suspect that collecting prizes every day is one of the requirements, but not the only requirement. I've read through this thread and seen plenty of people who collected prizes every day and didn't get the sidebar, but nobody who didn't collect every day and got the sidebar.

I missed one day, and I didn't get the sidebar.
I did almost every other theory, but still didn't get it. Oh well, I didn't really want it to use it, just another thing to collect, another number to increase on my lookup. Oh well there's always next year.

I don't see how TNT can expect us to ever figure this out, it's nuts. It might as well be random. >.>

[Bahamut120]

I got the sidebar unexpectedly

- I collected every day and put them in my SDB but i forgot to put in December 30's prizes (Holiday Mystical Tiki Idol, Jakes Fedora Replica)
- Active pet is my Xweetok and A pile of soot
- My inventory had a 4 leaf clover, Fancy Fishing Pole, Fungus Ball Ball, december 30th prizes and food
- Altador Sidebar was on and never changed in the whole month
- Did no quests, only the getting the daily stuff and zapping

but i do have a Christmas Zafara and a christmas petpet (Snowbunny 10638 hours old) on her and she was inactive... if that does anything

[LN Tora]

I got it this year, not last. The only difference I can really think of between is that last year I'm fairly certain I collected my usual dailies, including bank interest. This year I didn't. I collect every day irregardless at no set time.