Pink Poogle Toy Forum

I have been pondering this 'change' and reading what has been posted here. There has only been one conclusion I can draw right now.

IF this is an April Fools prank, TNT should have it go this way: They say: 'Wow! You are all awesome at every game! Therefore, we will be changing all the payouts to [Insert very bad ratio].' We say: 'I got 10^10 on [Insert any game] and only got 1 NP as my payout!' They say: 'Got ya!'

I think that would be one of the best case scenarios.

I haven't played games regularly in months. I doubt this change will impact casual gamers' incomes since their income is not entirely game-based. I don't think regular gamers' incomes would be hit too hard either since they would be pretty good at their usual games to meet the higher demands.

I actually don't see what's the big deal. To me, it sounded as if things that were 1:1 ratios would become, like, 1:.5 or something. Nothing huge. I figured it was small changes, but people were noticing so they decided to announce it in the news to make sure people don't think it's a glitch. I say, "Whatever."

If it changes often, Im just going to whine about having to bring out a calculator each time I play a game to figure out what I'd need to get a decent NP amount. Im not good at calculating quickly in my head.

I remember being upset when they lowered Bouncy Supreme's payout without saying anything, so I guess Im glad they're giving some sort of warning. All my 12 favorites are games I get can get 3k on, and gaming is a huge part of how I get my NP, so I hope it doesnt turn out horribly. Even seemingly small changes from 1.0 to 1.5 can mean a fair amount of extra/less time and points.

Alternatively, perhaps there will be other games that are now profitable that weren't before.

I haven't noticed any changes yet, but let's try to keep in mind that none of us have. This isn't a bad thing (yet), nor is it a good thing. Until we know more, it's just a thing.

That's true, this could turn out to be a very good thing, making games that seem to have a way too low payout a better pay out, or it could have very little impact at all. Or it could really mess with profitable games, making them less profitable, or fluctuating so much as to make figuring out which games to play for NP making hard.

We just won't know for a while yet. I'm one of those people who are weary of change, and I worry when TNT starts messing around with things. But I'll refrain from running around yelling that the sky is falling just yet. After all, it's not like NP ratios have never changed before.

Notice: Don't get me wrong here, I'm not the scuzzy sort of person that would do this... but I forsee a problem and am wondering about it. End Notice.

If it's based on average payout, what's to stop a large guild/bunch of hackers with 30 accounts each from getting together and playing and sending scores of 2 points for a week, thereby boosting the point ratio for that game into the skies and then reaping the rewards with their "real" accounts? Yeah, it would potentially be balanced by the high score worthy players, but at an unpopular game with enough jerks trying to break the system... Dunno. Seems like there's another factor I'm not considering somewhere.

Perhaps the number of accounts and plays required?
For instance, Spell-Or-Starve(to pick a random game) has 16,400 plays as of this post. It would probably take a minimum of 3,000 plays to change the median or average scores--I don't know which they'd look at when determining NP ratio--which means that 1,000 accounts would have to send 3 scores. You'd have to get 100 users with 10 accounts each to send 30 scores in a day, or 200 users with 5 accounts each to send 15 scores in a day, or some equally ridiculous number of users and accounts. That seems rather excessive to try and get the NP ratio changed, not to mention such activity would probably be noticed by TNT.

I must be one of few 'freaking out ranting about this.' From the very example TNT uses in the FAQ, it appears to me like this: as more people improve playing a game, the NP ratio will be lowered accordingly (to somehow make it more challenging to earn NP).

Re-quoting the FAQ: "I got the same score as before in a game, however, I received less Neopoints." and "In an attempt to balance the amount of Neopoints earned ... "

To me, this does not sound like a good thing at all! And it is hardly an incentive to encourage people to play more to improve, as if they do and we all do, then the ratio seems more likely to be lowered *ahem* to "balance" those NP earned amongst all of us. What is this balance thing?

I hardly see the point. People that are good at certain games, deserve that 1k NP if they are that good, in my opinion. Now if TNT allowed us to get more than 1k NP for a game, that would be a lovely incentive, heh.

I mean, I don't stop playing Space Fungus at 750 points just because that is all I need to earn 1k NP so, again, I hardly see the advantage / point. And I am certainly not likely to attempt to improve at games I already suck at (or don't enjoy), if more people are pwning me than ever. What sense is that?

This in fact seems likely to be a disadvantage to us all in the long run.

I wonder why TNT cares to "balance our Neopoints earned" at all, really.

It's like working harder for less pay, and that seems very backwards. A deterrant to playing games, a deterrant to improving, and a 'penalty' for anyone who does? Maybe it will bring Paint Brush prices down, since soon it seems like very few of us will be able to save fast enough to afford one, before we all grow old and die trying. Maybe if we all try very hard to play poorly, we can collectively raise the NP ratios? I just don't get it, lol.

Well, not that many people are going to be looking at the FAQ because they're upset that they're getting MORE NP than they used to from a game. :-)



Really? I don't usually play a game past 1000 NP unless I have some other reason to -- avatar, game challenge, (rarely) trophy attempt, etc. Except Meerca Chase. Because I like Meerca Chase. :-)



Well, it is true that games are a hugely inflationary source of NP -- I suspect the biggest source of inflation on the site. (Stock Market produces far more NP per person, but a lot fewer people play the Stock Market than play games). So if it became a lot harder to earn NP from games, inflation probably would go down. However, that would also pose problems for a lot of people who earn NP via games unless non-inflationary ways of earning NP with games were introduced.

As I said earlier, I share a bad feeling about this but am willing to wait to see what happens before getting upset. Even if the overall rate I earned NP from games fell, I might still like the change if it meant I could get a decent payout from a wide variety of games instead of a fabulous payout from a few and a terrible payout from all the rest. It would mean I wouldn't be playing the same 5 games over and over and over again. It gets to the point where playing games feels like a chore and not like fun.

However, my primary source of income isn't games anymore. If it were, I might feel differently.

I would think that if TNT had to post an FAQ to prevent people from freaking out, they wouldn't even HAVE to post an FAQ with an example like "Hey I got the same score but more NP, what's up with that?"

Of course there would be no complaints if that were the case. It just does not seem like the plan. In times past, TNT seemed more likely and willing to post in the News "We just increased the NP ratio for [insert new game here]!" Having said that, the effect of MORE NP in the "economy" would benefit us all; contrarily having less would make us all us all unhappy.

It's simple to me: Play more to earn more. If we earn less, we play less.

And yes, I play Space Fungus through all levels, because it is fun and challenging to me, plus I can complete well in the WC. Personally, that is one game I can see lowering the ratio on simply because it is so "easy" but that might not be other people's opinion or experience. Almost every game is someone's favorite game, therefore this should have minimal effect on those that can already get well above 1k NP in a game. However, it severely affects those affect those that DO need or want more Neopoints "per gaming time/experince" and also puts a huge dent in the "incentive to play a game" factor in my opinion. If I am going to earn less NP, why bother to play at all? Less page hits for them.

I don't think games contribute to "inflation" in the least. People regularly play what they regularly play .. or don't. We certainly aren't going to all alter our gaming schedules now with this "ratio adjusting thing." I knew the Daily Dare seemed fishy. It is all demographics. Tests and figures. INCENTIVE. Will people play a game if they are good at it to earn more NP? Or will they stop playing the game as soon as they earn 1k NP such as yourself. I personally would not. I love getting NP, but the games I like I do not play to earn NP. Especially now that that is more unreliable than ever. It is just a way to get us to 'rely' more on sponser games, in my opinion, and to "grade us" as if we are in Kindergarden all over again.

I just don't get trying to limit the amount of NP earned. Keyword: earned. Why not just put a cap on overall NPs earned from games overall? Why not make the NP ratio 1:1 on ALL games and adjust the GAMES according to overall, average, or median scores of all plays over a course of time? That might be a more daunting task, but seems more fair to the players.

I think (I hope) what they mean there isn't balancing the NP of the players, but just the game payoffs. So it won't be a matter of gamers earning less than they used to, so much as having/getting to play other games for their NP.

Well if they are limiting my usual game payoff, there is not exactly much incentive for me to play "other games" I am not as good at, is there? Except for perhaps sponsor games (see my point above).

The FAQ example was pretty "clear" to me; I have no idea how y'all can be so optimistic. I can only hope the effect will be negligible and result in TNT abandoning the "project" since it seems manipulative and detrimental. (To regular players and therefore to their regular page hits.)

Well, I suppose people have been saying they wished TNT would try to stop inflation. Games are the main source of "new" NP entering the economy. If the amount of NP entering from games is reduced, then the amount of NP that people are willing to spend on items is also reduced. That would mean that inflation on avatar items, etc, is reduced. Hopefully. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out.

Well, all well and nice, and glad you bring up the point. Not that I wish to rant about it, BUT those such things are also MORE easily controlled. As in, 1) allow the very rare occasional restock of a paint brush in a shop (or other things not able to get in shops but thru REs) or 2) increase the number of REs overall, perhaps even tailor them to favor PB giveaways.

*Cough, Tarla and similar giveaways -- cough cough*

Again, this is all just so backward and seems more energy consumptive. There are better ways to fixing or revamping while still maintaining FAIRNESS throughout the site. (There are even opportunities already existing for TNT, such as hey maybe update the Altador Daily plot-completed prizes, as well as the Lunar Temple in Shenkuu prizes.) !!! Heck, Tarla already has a Mystery Shop on Terror Mountain? Why not stock something more rare than a Kazoo!? *Argh, tears gray hairs out*

( EDIT: Okay, wait, I just have to take this opportunity after a year or so to 'complain' that I only joined the LDP to get the Fruit Machine back. Since at that time I thought the 'comics' of the site were boring and had NO idea they were related to such intersting plots, with prizes to boot! (And good ones, at that, the LDP.) I used to get something great every day from the Fruit Machine. After the plot, I get nothing almost daily.

What the HECK is up with that, or am I the only one that notices the rare payoffs are usually a person on the Gloat and Cry thread boasting a win of 2 paintbrushes at a time and tens of thousands of NP, whilst it takes me 2 weeks to get 50 NP and a worthless Baggus? )

On a side note, I have been considering Premium for a while. I have enough qualms about it to prevent me from spending frivolously on the 'benefits' of such for now. I would still be willing to pay a one time yearly fee to try it out, but only when they have a sale again. Call me a cheapskate, or else call me trying to lower inflation through boycott.

I hate to sound so bitter, especially since I have been getting REs like I used to when I first signed up, after what seemed like a year and a half of not getting barely a few in that time. However, now more than ever I realize yes I signed up for neo because it had more games to play like many other clones on the web, but with a NP advantage and virtual items to spend it on. Sort of makes a virtual life outside of a life. If you don't have a life? Anyway, now it is twisted. Instead of it being a respite from stresses in my life, it is an additional stress. Perhaps I take it very seriously, but I am not one to whine when things are unfair that often. I don't generally complain about plot prizes and other things that others that do play more seriously take more seriously. I just notice when I do something regularly that used to make me feel calm and serene, takes a sharp turn in the opposite direction. Some of you may know what I mean.

And to clarify, just because I am responding to a lot of points made now, I am not arguing with any person here, please believe that. It is just that everything brought up, I thought to rant about before, but try to not be so obsessively excessive as I usually am. However now seems the time.

Sorry. If anything say bothers anyone, just enjoy laughing at me instead.

What happened to the game rankings? You know, the ranks on your High score page (ranging from Beginner to Grand Master). And the required points to gain advance a rank are also set on 'weird numbers', like 2644 instead of a round 2500.

Could this be part of the changing NP:ratio system as well, or is the whole thing the real April fools joke? If it's not a joke, it kinda sucks, since I think I've lost more Grand Master's than gained