Inner Conflict. :( Need PPT advice.

[Temiko]

This is the email I just composed that I had originally planned on sending to TNT.

Dear The Neopets Team,

I read on a fansite a while ago (I forget which) that it was possible to type EDITED on the snowmuncher game and have your score multiplied. Thinking it was rubbish, I ignored that tip but today I thought of using it simply to see if it worked (what with the avatar and all) and surprisingly it multiplied my current score by 100.

You might be able to guess the turmoil I'm in, this wonderful "cheat" shall we call it, and no idea whether it is considered cheating at flash games or not. Why do I say that? Because if anyone had used this "cheat" the high-score tables would most likely reflect on it and yet, why would this cheat actually work unless the programmers of the game intended it. Furthermore, seeing as this "cheat" was viewed on a fansite, there are no doubt people who have and perhaps still are using it.

Therefore, I am writing to you to request that you either repair this "cheat" or to give me the ok to use it. Until then I will not use or share this information (for I know a lot of people must be longing for that avatar).

Many thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Temiko

Ok here's the thing, once you've typed in the mystery word, your score multiplies. However, if you eat more ice, your score goes back to the original score so I'm not sure if it makes a difference when you send your score. However, being a "cheat" I'm not too keen on trying either.

Also, I happened to recall a guy who posted on PPT once who coded a pet verification thing to match Neopets one to proove that it was possible to replicate it and when he mailed TNT about it, they froze him. Not sure if anyone here remembers him. Anyway, I'm just worried that they'll freeze my account just for submitting something like that to them...

What should I do with this knowledge...?

[Jasujo]

Yeah, I believe that person you are talking about was FirebirdGM. I remember that.

Anyway, it's a tough call. It is a good idea to email support and ask, but people have been frozen for that. I think as long as you haven't used it and sent the score, that you would probably be okay. I can't be positive about that, though. I'm sorry I can't be more help, but you never know what can get you frozen nowdays.

[Yoshi]

I tested the so-called "cheat" out earlier today. I'm pretty sure it's just a harmless dud- cause it only multiplies your score by 100 visually, until you eat another block or send your score. Your score will return itself back to normal when you do so.

...That is, unless I'm wrong here and there was a time when the x100 cheat actually did multiply your score by 100. But have you checked the high score lists? Most of the good people would end up with scores like X00 000 (X being a random number above 0), but the highest scores are only in the thousands.

Last edited by Yoshi on Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Mystique]

yeah, it's one of those grey areas of neopets. since i don't have much faith in the support staff, i would keep mum abt it and not do it again unless further clarification are made on this.

edit: the problem is the game-designers and the support are probably 2 different teams. the support staff may not be totally aware of any game "secrets". i have heard of players frozen for using that autoplay mode in slots.

[kiay]

If you do decide to send the cheat/glitch report make sure that you use your side account or an account you wouldn't mind to get frozen, there is always a chance that TNT will think of you as a cheater.

[everconfused]

yeah, it's one of those grey areas of neopets. since i don't have much faith in the support staff, i would keep mum abt it and not do it again unless further clarification are made on this.

edit: the problem is the game-designers and the support are probably 2 different teams. the support staff may not be totally aware of any game "secrets". i have heard of players frozen for using that autoplay mode in slots.

I agree, this is murky water you're treading. To write or not to write, that is the question. Especially when it comes to these types of "cheats". Like in the current Neopets magazine, page 71, there's something called:

"Hidden Gems"

"Typing in therse short "cheat" phrases could help to give you the edge you need to earn that elusive trophy. Note, each cheat only works once per game"

And they give you things to type during Meepit Juice, Gourmet Club Bowls, Mynci Beach Bolleyball and Korbat's Lab.

So, technically, Neo is giving us certain legal "cheats", like the autoplay that used to be on slots and ended up glitching and causing so much grief.

If you're going to write in, I suggest you say something along the lines that you saw this somewhere, but have not and would not consider using this "cheat", as you are not sure that this is in fact true, that it is allowed and is, in fact, part of that specific game. I also suggest, if possible, make up a new email and account and use that one for writing in. Sad how paranoid everything's become, you can be frozen for anything, including reporting a cheat or glitch

I personally wouldn't write in -- I also wouldn't use the cheat just to be safe. TNT has a history of contradicting themselves. For example, again this issue of the magazine in the Editorial, someone wrote and asked how to "spice up their Guild". Part of the answer was to have "money tree giveaways" and an "on-going creative competition". Now this is against the T&C as it says no contests of any kind anywhere on the site including guilds, and our guild leader had written numerous times to Support and was told no giveaways of any kind, no contests - even calling it a competition, no newbie packs, etc.

To me that's one more example of the lack of a good and complete T&C and shows that even Support and people writing on behalf of TNT don't know the rules -- so how are we?

Dark, it may be that writing about or just playing a game on a "side" account is enough to get you frozen anymore. You're only allowed to play games on one of your acounts now. Of course, they've stopped putting the email address (and for awhile the dob - now gone) in the the game url when you load a game. So how they're going to be able to tell accounts on the same computer (not email, just computer/IP) apart is really worrisome to me.

[Chaud]

Even if you are testing it out, I wouldn't reccomend doing it. TNT has a habit of freezing people who are just testing to see if the glitch/'cheat' really does work

[Mystique]

actually, it has become a habit for some players NOT to do active things on their main account. they would restock and play games on a side account and transfer stuff to their secret main account which is basically a storage. some of them even changed ip addresses when transferring stuff to their main account.

[everconfused]

actually, it has become a habit for some players NOT to do active things on their main account. they would restock and play games on a side account and transfer stuff to their secret main account which is basically a storage. some of them even changed ip addresses when transferring stuff to their main account.

Really? Wow, things are getting bad if people are feeling they have to do that. I wouldn't even know how to change my IP address (pathetic, I know), but I think? on dial up it changes sometimes on its own. I'm guessing the people who do this have their accounts on separate email addresses too? This might have been more of a option - changing the email on one account - if you could change the dob, which you can't at all anymore.

I guess I can see the point of doing what some people are and at the same time not. Either way, if something happens at least one account will be frozen. And I've seen people get frozen again! when their main (the account you rs/play games/have stock/do dailies on) gets frozen and they start playing actively on another account - then they get frozen for multi account earning. Just can't win. I'd settle for breaking even, not having to be looking over our shoulders constantly, and actually having fun again without worrying about breaking a rule that we don't even know exists and getting warned/frozen, all the scammers, ab'ers, etc.

[Messiah]

Yeah, I believe that person you are talking about was FirebirdGM. I remember that.

Yep, t'was I.

I don't find the Neopets team has a whole lot of common sense. Any time I've reported a glitch, bug, exploit, whatever to them, they do one of two things:

1) Completely Ignore me, and do absolutely nothing about the problem at hand.

Or

2) Freeze my accounts, and all accounts associated with my IP.

As said in the original post, one of the things I reported was a simple was that one could replicate the 'Pet Verification' part of the Login, for example if one wished to make a fake login. I typed a long e-mail up to them, explaining how it was done, as well as possible solutions. I attempt to login a few days later, and my account is Frozen for Cheating!

Well, that's Neopets for you.

Am I going to get banned now?

[gigabyte]

actually, it has become a habit for some players NOT to do active things on their main account. they would restock and play games on a side account and transfer stuff to their secret main account which is basically a storage. some of them even changed ip addresses when transferring stuff to their main account.

With the extremely high number of accounts and less than 100 monitors (that's what i heard), it's hard to be targeted by one of these moniters. I once logged in at a public library (LOTS of people log in), and i wasn't frozen. But, it's never hurts to be paronoid.

[kali]

erm, the uber-high score thing is actually just an easter-egg. you can get a score of 30k on the thing using it but as soon as you press send score it goes back to what the score would normally be. sorry, but you've not discovered a cheat, lol.

[Valé]

Hum... Although I don't even play that game, Im too scared of being frozen...
Ok, You can laugh.

[Rachel]

you could email a member of TNT from an email address that doesnt have a neopets account registered on it. then they wou'dnt know who to try and freeze even if for some reason they wanted to.

[Matterbug]

Like others have said, Neopets has made cheats to be used in games. They even posted these cheats in the magazines.

While, I don't know anything about this specific one, I can't see how you could be frozen for it, because it was something that TNT made, you didn't change/hack the game in any way. *shrug* That's just my opinion.