Return of Dr Sloth [Split 8]

[Pink]

While I do think it's a bit ridiculous for them to think a nine-year old can do it with enough work when some college students are having a hard time with it, I do like that it's, quite obviously, aimed toward the older players of Neopets. It's been a while since they considered us at all...maybe they did this all on purpose? Don't know. Still, it is strange that they are making things challenging all of a sudden while continuing to childize the site.

[TDG]

Poor TNT, damned if they do, damned if they don't. I really don't like the kiddy-ized feel to some of the new parts of the site, but I applaud TNT for not making the plot childish. The last plot didn't require any real thinking and the plot before that had one hard part that could be solved by others and a step-by-step guide could be given. I wasn't thrilled at having to do the codes, but I do like the fact that TNT are putting their foot down and giving a plot that is difficult.

Frankly, there's a lot of other kiddy things on the site for younger players to do - I like the fact that this plot isn't made for them. When was the last really tough plot? The Island was easy, Tale of Woe had a "hard part" if you wanted to do it straight away, but if you wanted to wait it was easy to get a guide, Altador Constellations is easy, Mystery Island one was only tough to solve if you weren't online for the hour or two after the final solution was found (because they only allowed 10,000 winners and they filled up very rapidly). As far as I'm concerned, the last hard plot was the Neopets V2 Space Plot, back over 6 years ago. No doubt there will be further plots that could be solved by a monkey for kids to do, but for now I'm stoked that this plot actually has difficult sections to do even after a solution is found.

[Pink]

...As far as I'm concerned, the last hard plot was the Neopets V2 Space Plot, back over 6 years ago. No doubt there will be further plots that could be solved by a monkey for kids to do, but for now I'm stoked that this plot actually has difficult sections to do even after a solution is found.

WOW! You're really versed at Neopets plots. 6 years ago was a long time. I think you're right. It is about time.

[Kenjiro]

If they just made step three (and further steps) possible for people without having to complete step two, I'd be rooting for TNT all the way. A plot that anyone can do, but the ones that really put some time and effort in it get more points. But since they don't...

[Meer]

I for once am very very pleased with TNT. I'm thrilled that with all the childizing they've done they still haven't completely forgotten us older players. I LOVE that this plot is hard. I want a challenge, I want something that makes me work so I can feel really good at the end. TDG said it perfectly. I hope the rest of this plot is very challenging! Although please, not as tedious and unpleasant as the decoding, I never want to do anything like that again.

That said, I must now complain. I can't believe we don't have a new plot step for the weekend! I'm really bored and I want to waste time working on this plot. How much longer do we have to wait?

[yellowsugardog]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my rant-about-puzzle-thing the other day, and particularily the user who gave me tips to stop myself from exploding. XDDD

I just completed it ^_^

[cybertrini]

To me, the only saving grace here is that they aren't closing off the steps...yet. People still have a chance to catch up and move ahead. I hate plots that close off steps, because then people who miss out (like me because I tend not to have internet access on weekends sometimes) get shut out. At least here, those who stick with it are afforded the same chance as those who finished earlier.

I for once am very very pleased with TNT. I'm thrilled that with all the childizing they've done they still haven't completely forgotten us older players. I LOVE that this plot is hard. I want a challenge, I want something that makes me work so I can feel really good at the end. TDG said it perfectly. I hope the rest of this plot is very challenging! Although please, not as tedious and unpleasant as the decoding, I never want to do anything like that again.

It is nice that this plot is challenging, because the last few plot were laughably easy. That being said, for one step in a plot to be this hard is incredibly unfair. It's not the other steps were even comparably difficult (although I'd probably just be upset about that then, lol)

[Trilian8]

Also in agreement here about the difficulty of this plot. I know I complained earlier about how much dragging of the codes made my hand hurt (A LOT), but to anyone out there who still doesn't like that this plot is more difficult, just remember how GREAT you felt when you finally got the codes right! Yea TNT!!! This will definitely be a trophy I feel I earned!

P.S. Valaarien, love your siggy.

[butterflygirl]

I love the fact that this plot, or at least part of the plot, was hard. I kind of hope the rest is really hard so I feel like I really earn whatever trophy I get.

[ColleenMegan]

While I do think it's a bit ridiculous for them to think a nine-year old can do it with enough work when some college students are having a hard time with it, I do like that it's, quite obviously, aimed toward the older players of Neopets. It's been a while since they considered us at all...maybe they did this all on purpose? Don't know. Still, it is strange that they are making things challenging all of a sudden while continuing to childize the site.

Heh, it's funny - this plot is quite rightly aimed at the college-aged players! My father, sixty, is having the WORST time with the plot (then again, he still calls floppy disks and c.d.'s "round things" and "square things"). It's kind of a combination of intelligence and technology, yes?
That being said, I'm SUPER happy about this plot! I love the fact that it's been difficult. The L.D.P. was the first time I participated in a plot; I consider that somewhat similar to this one, in the fact that one needed to map out his entire house of tombs. I love, love, LOVE that it's more of an intellectual event! I'm quite happy, as well, that I had enough time to finish Step #02 - my sorority's recruitment period definitely took up a ton of time, so I needed a while to finish it!

[Rachel]

Also in agreement here about the difficulty of this plot. I know I complained earlier about how much dragging of the codes made my hand hurt (A LOT), but to anyone out there who still doesn't like that this plot is more difficult, just remember how GREAT you felt when you finally got the codes right! Yea TNT!!! This will definitely be a trophy I feel I earned!

I didn't feel like that when completing the codes - it's not like doing it in a vaguely intellectual way was necessary - if you sit and drag the codes across one by one you can still solve it, and you're just giving your time to a mindless activity.

I wasn't a fan of the codes at all, the three-mod ones were just an exercise in patience rather than skill.

[Ange]

This week's editorial actually mentions the difficulty of the code section of the plot and kids. TNT pretty much clearly states (as clearly as TNT can state things, anyway) that they don't want to make plots too simple just so younger kids can complete them.

Hi, my daughter is nine years old and I honestly can't see her being able to get through the code part of the current quest (it's making me tear my hair out). Obviously I can't help her, but would it be possible to have a "junior" set of plot prizes where younger Neopians can complete codes with only two variables or something similar? She's driving me to distraction! ~youvebeenkateid
Haha, sorry, we know plots can be difficult for players of all ages, but we don't have any intention of making "junior" prizes. We're sure that, with enough guidance and patience, a nine year old could do it. You're welcome to aid her, just not do it for her. For our even younger players, if they cannot do the plots, they may have to wait until they are older to participate in them. We want to make sure that plots are challenging, and if we geared them so that even incredibly young children could do it, we think that would take a lot of fun out of it for everyone else. The site is meant for all ages, but not every age group can be catered to with every single activity.

[Trilian8]

Also in agreement here about the difficulty of this plot. I know I complained earlier about how much dragging of the codes made my hand hurt (A LOT), but to anyone out there who still doesn't like that this plot is more difficult, just remember how GREAT you felt when you finally got the codes right! Yea TNT!!! This will definitely be a trophy I feel I earned!

I didn't feel like that when completing the codes - it's not like doing it in a vaguely intellectual way was necessary - if you sit and drag the codes across one by one you can still solve it, and you're just giving your time to a mindless activity.

I wasn't a fan of the codes at all, the three-mod ones were just an exercise in patience rather than skill.

I guess it depends on how you looked at it. I actually dusted off my old math skills and did it mathematically (to a point) though still tedious, I could at least narrow most of the possibilities down. That's the good thing about longer plots, there's something there for everyone. (And stuff there that we bang our heads over)

Too bad it's a holiday weekend, nothing new until Tuesday

[valaarien]

P.S. Valaarien, love your siggy.

lol Thanks! it's one of my favorite quotes form Douglas Adams right after: "He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which." and "It is known that there is an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the product of a deranged imagination."

Personally I am glad that TNT has decided to make a plot that is a little more difficult then the ones we've had recently but I don't like the fact that there was so many codes to solve. If there is too many steps like that people who have real lives will have to drop out or cheat.

[Rakumel]

It took a week and a half (I think, a long time at any rate) but I'm finally caught up. I never never never NEVER want to do those codes again. I didn't find them difficult, exactly, just extremely tedious to solve. Must've gone through half a notepad writing down all the combinations I'd tried for each message.

Once I was able to start decoding the 3-mod+O messages, I did every single one listed, over many days, and STILL didn't get the correct message. After saying many bad words that can't be repeated on this forum, I went through the last few 3-mod-no-O messages that I'd left untranslated. Turned out one of them was a +O message, but I'd skipped over it because there was no O character in the subject line. Translated it relatively fast, did a happy dance, moved on.

Got through all the mazes in under an hour, I was that happy to be on the next step. For the last couple of mazes, sometimes I would intentionally move back and forth on the same two squares until a guard came within striking distance. Then I'd take him out and keep going.

Those of you getting Commander Garoo, he's a DoN challenger. Most likely not related to this plot...if we did wind up fighting him, it'd probably be a souped-up, different version. I hope we do get to battle at some point; though I also hope there's time to train Drilax back up to decent fighting shape. But since the Lab Ray decimated his Level and Defense...I got a long way to go. (By the way, anybody know which scratchcards have a possibility of raising level?)