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Basics

After creating an account, players can have up to four different pets per account. Multiple accounts (up to five, according to the rules) can be created in order to have more pets, but using these accounts to gain an unfair advantage (such as claiming once-per-day privileges) is prohibited. The majority of users are aged 7-12 at about 60%, but teenagers (about 20%), and even adults (about 20%) are known to be regular Neopians, as well as a small few below the age of 7.

As of May 2006, there are 54 Neopet species available, 11 of which are limited or restricted editions and more difficult to obtain. The first Neopet species created is the Grarrl, and the newest is the Lutari. A few species are based on real-world animals - for example, the Nimmo and Quiggle are stylised frogs, the Blumaroo is kangaroo-like, Tonus and Grarrls resemble dinosaurs, and the Kougra looks like a tiger. There are also Neopets versions of popular fantasy creatures, such as dragons (Draiks, Scorchios, Shoyrus) and unicorns (Unis). When creating a pet, the user can customise it by selecting a gender, one of four colours, and personalities. By using certain methods or items, such as expensive paint brushes, the user can later change the pet into such "colours" as purple, orange, pink, etc., and there are also more extravagant colours like darigan (based on the Darigan Citadel in the game), faerie, plushie and baby - view the complete list at http://www.neopets.com/help/paintbrush.phtml (note that this list does not include colours that cannot be obtained by using 'paintbrushes', like mutant and robot). The name and personality of the pet cannot be altered once they have been created.

The pet's starting statistics, such as strength and defense, are chosen randomly, seemingly by the roll of a die. The user may have up to 5 rolls before deciding on a set of stats. Stats include Strength, Defense, Agility, Maximum HP (hit points), and Intelligence. These stats can be improved through numerous ways, including "training" at one of three training schools, a blessing from a faerie after the user completes one of their quests, as a reward from certain games, and by collecting every piece of the Secret Laboratory Map and using the Lab Ray on the pet.

Players must take care of and feed their pets (though Neopets will never die). Ways to care for a pet include reading books to pets, letting the pets play with toys, and healing them when they are sick or wounded. Neglecting a Neopet will lower its happiness level, which may have negative consequences such as the pet's turning blue via a random event if it is sad, or red if it is angry , no matter which colour the player had made it. Pets can battle each other in the "Battledome" in a style akin to popular role-playing games such as Pokémon. Users can also play over 200 games within the site to earn Neopoints (game currency), and can submit their scores for each game up to three times a day. Other activities include talking on the message boards with other players, completing quests, entering contests, and shopping and "restocking" at shops.

Once Neopians become familiar with the game, they can begin spending Neopoints on things for their pets beyond basic care. Popular goals include paint brushes and other items that change a pet's colour or species. Some colours cannot be obtained from a paint brush: "robot", for instance, can only result from using the Secret Laboratory ray or completing a rare Fountain Faerie quest. Colour and species changes can also be acquired through random events, the use of potions, or even special food items.

Petpets (smaller pets for pets) are also popular. A user can attach a Petpet to their Neopet, give it a name, "talk" to it, and always have the option of removing it. There are even "Petpetpets", smaller critters attached to a Petpet permanently. Any of these can cost an enormous amount of Neopoints, and dedicated users will often spend months trying to reach their goals.

Neopians earn Neopoints to care for their pets and purchase items mainly by playing games or selling items in their own shops. Items are usually purchased in the main shops, which are automatically restocked, or in user-owned shops.

If a Neopian is caught breaking the rules as stated in the Neopets Terms and Conditions, their account will be "frozen" or "iced". (Accounts suspected to have been scammed are also sometimes frozen to prevent additional damage.) For users wishing to regain access to an account, there is a response form with which to contact Neopets. Unfortunately, the Neopets team does not always respond promptly, and may sometimes take up to a month or more to reply, or not reply at all.

Neopets has launched a premium service, which costs real-world money, and gives additional benefits such as the Super Shop Wizard (a comparison shop tool better than that offered to regular players), removal of ads, a sidebar, and message board avatars unattainable otherwise. The Neopets Premium service is in a beta testing stage. Users can only apply if they receive an invitation from another premium user, or if they find the premium portal open for sign-ups.

Neopets is continually changing: new items, avatars, games, and plots (such as "Hannah and the Ice Caves" or "Curse of Maraqua" or "Lost Desert" or the current 2006 "Altador/Darkest Faerie" plot) are introduced almost daily. Collecting large amounts of Neopoints and rare items is a challenge for competitive players, and a player who keeps up with the news has a greater chance of being the first to obtain a rare item (and sell it before it decreases in resale value) or to earn a top score in a new game.

Neopets also provides "Neopets Jr." for younger players, a simpler version of the site for those who register as age eight or under. Younger players still have the option of playing the original version.

Environment

The game takes place on (or in orbit around) the planet of Neopia. The main setting is Neopia Central, where the main stores are found. There are also various "themed" worlds: Tyrannia (prehistoric), Faerieland (faeries), Mystery Island (Polynesian), Haunted Woods (Halloween/spooky), Krawk Island (pirates), Lost Desert (Ancient Egyptian), Maraqua (Underwater), Terror Mountain (winter/Christmas), Virtupets Space Station (Space station), Kreludor (moon), Meridell (medieval), Brightvale (medieval with an emphasis on knowledge and enlightenment, à la the Renaissance), and Altador, with its Roman and Greek influences.

There are also mini worlds and sub-worlds, such as Roo Island, Kiko Lake, and The Lost City of Geraptiku. Each of these worlds (which are really more like "regions") has unique shops, games, and other activities based on its theme. Each world may span several maps; for example, the world Terror Mountain has three parts: Happy Valley, Ice Caves, and Terror Mountain.

These worlds are usually introduced through in-game plots that involve their "discovery" or "destruction". For example, Maraqua (underwater) was originally destroyed by the Kiko Captain Dread and his pirates in one storyline, but has been rebuilt, reopened, and saved from the pirate Lupe Captain Scarblade as a result of the "Curse of Maraqua" storyline. In the Lost Desert Plot, the city of Qasala was discovered in the Lost Desert.

As of April 2006, "Jelly World" (http://www.neopets.com/jelly/) is the only world in Neopia that is inaccessible via the main world map. The existence of Jelly World is consistently denied by the Neopets staff, as a joke.

Gameplay

There are many activities Neopets players can do to advance towards their goals. They can train their pets to become fighters, and participate in the wars that occur (usually when new worlds are "discovered"), or fight against the regular battledome NPCs and other players' pets. Players can also become merchants or collectors of rare and expensive items. Players can submit their artwork or writing, and be rewarded for their creativity and skill.

Most of the games on the site are divided into three categories: Puzzle, Action, and Luck/Chance.

Puzzle games are those that require thought and often language or mathematical skills. For example, in "Spell-or-Starve", a player must spell as many words as possible in a limited time by clicking the letters on the screen. Action games are arcade-like games. In "Hannah and the Ice Caves", a player guides the characters Hannah and her sidekick Armin through increasingly difficult icy caves, while collecting treasure and avoiding snow beasts. The Luck/Chance category includes various slot machine games such as "Brucey B. Slots", and other gambling-themed games. Card games and a game based on hide-and-seek are also part of Luck/Chance.

Most of the games on the site are Flash or Shockwave games, which require the user to have certain software installed on the computer. Many are similar to older existing games-for example, "Meerca Chase 1 and 2" are very similar to Snake, while "Korbat's Lab" and "Frumball" are like Breakout and Arkanoid. Also, Flycatcher is based on the game Millipede.

A player may submit achieved game scores up to three times a day (five times during Neopets's birthday week, Nov 15-22), up to 1,000 Neopoints per game for most games. Users might earn trophies or message board avatars from the games. They can also participate in World Challenges for the chance to win more rewards.

There is a different game featured everyday. When a player achieves a score with the Featured Game, the amount of Neopoints usually given for that score is doubled. The usual maximum winnings is also doubled, allowing players to win up to 2,000 Neopoints each time they play.[13] A Lucky Space Faerie Charm, one of the rewards for referring people to Neopets Premium, can also randomly double a player's Neopoint winnings.

Neopets Plots...

Major Neopets plots are usually presented in a comic book-styled form, and often lead to a "war". Once the plot reaches a certain point, players may be given the option to choose a side to support. Those who choose to fight are given a series of opponents in the Battledome, and they may fight to gain points for their side.

In the early 2005 plot "Curse of Maraqua", players were given the option to support a side by either fighting, or collecting items and playing games. The Lost Desert Plot involved a very complex and time-consuming puzzle, and fighting was very much sidelined; only three battledome challengers were released, one of which was a boss-type challenger and was so strong that it was almost unbeatable unless the player had completed all of the puzzle.

One Neopian arch-villain, Dr. Sloth, is prominently featured in several site-wide plots. His greatest achievements were his enslavement of the Grundos, an alien-like species, and his creation of Transmogrification Potions, which change a Neopet into the mutant "colour" of a certain species. This is supposed to be evil, but the transmogrification potions are highly sought after because of their relative inexpensiveness compared to other morphing potions, especially when the specified species of the potion is 'limited edition' or 'restricted' (such as the Draik, Krawk, Hissi, Lutari, and Cybunny).

The most recent plot started on March 18, 2006 and takes place in the newest Neopian region, Altador. There may be a relationship to the console video game Neopets: The Darkest Faerie, and it has been hinted that the plot will be short and will not involve a war. So far, players have been required to look for clues and connect constellations representing the 12 heroes of Altador, in order to reveal secrets about its history.

Neopets Quests...

There are many types of quests, in which the user must retrieve certain items for a non-playable character in exchange for a reward. Most Faerie Quests are given out through random events while browsing the site, while the user may volunteer for other quests.

Random Faerie Quests are given by one of many faeries: the uber faeries of Fire, Light, Earth, Air, Darkness, and Water, the Unique Faeries (Fountain and Space), and the Faerie Queen. While browsing the site, the user may encounter a faerie though a random event and be asked for an item associated with her (like clothes, trading cards, etc.). To make such quests more challenging, users cannot use the Shop Wizard to quickly search through user-owned shops while they are still on the quests. Users must find the items through auctions, the trading post, or ask others for help (e.g. on the Help Neoboard). Most of the faeries will select one of the user's four pets randomly and raise one of its statistics. The Fire Faerie increases a pet's strength by two, the Light Faerie increases level by one, the Earth Faerie feeds and heals the pet, the Air Faerie raises speed by two, the Dark Faerie increases hit points by two, the Water Faerie increases defence by two, and the Space Faerie increases level by four. The powerful Faerie Queen provides a total of seven stats, raising level by one, hitpoints by three, and strength by three.

Receiving and completing a Fountain Faerie quest is usually very difficult. The quest is a rare event, and the faerie usually asks for a highly expensive item. But, after the user completes her quest, the Fountain Faerie allows one of the pets to be changed into any species and almost any colour (with the exception of Ice, MSP, Royal, Sponge and Robot).

Neopians can also go to Jhudora's Cloud or Illusen's Glade for quests with various prizes according to level. For these, the player is allowed to use the Shop Wizard, but must find the item within a time limit. The more quests the user completes, the better the rewards are, but the faeries also demand rarer and more expensive items. Failure to retrive the item on time resets the quest and brings the player back to level one, with its cheaper prizes. After completing a quest for Jhudora or Illusen, users cannot do either of their quests for another 12 hours.

The Esophagor, Edna the Witch, the Water Chef, the Brain Tree, and the Snow Faerie also give quests upon request. The Shop Wizard can be used to find items for these. Users often only do the quests when the required items are within a certain range, to avoid spending more than their potential reward.