Random Event
A Random Event is an unexpected occurrence while playing Neopets, similar to real life as a random happening that is different from normal routine.
Types
Random Events come in 4 different varieties. They are:
Something Has Happened!
The most common Random Events show a small graphic saying "Something Has Happened!" when they occur. These events can be positive (such as finding neopoints or an item), neutral (such as having a Draik fly overhead on the way to Krawk Island or a passing Neopet saying something), or negative (a pet getting sick, ghosts stealing neopoints from you and putting them on the Money Tree, or something turning your petpet into sludge). Unlocking an Avatar or a Sidebar is a "Something Has Happened" event as well, sometimes occurring at random while playing Neopets or making certain actions while playing. Sometimes you should try to find out why that event happened. Example: You get a event saying a robot is flying pass you on fire saying Dr. Sloth is after him. You should try to find out what was with that robot.
Local Events
Local Events are a subset of "Something Has Happened", which only occur in a specific world. As of January 2007, they include "Winter Random Events" (Terror Mountain), "Tyrannian Random Events" (Tyrannia), and "Island Random Events" (Mystery Island). Like Random Events, they can be positive, negative, or neutral.
Battledome Challengers
Many one-player battledome challengers are unlocked randomly, although certain opponents can only be unlocked in specific ways.
Faerie Quests
While playing Neopets a user may be confronted by a Faerie and be given a Faerie Quest. The user must purchase an item without the use of the Shop Wizard for a reward. The exact type of items as well as the rewards depend on the faerie.
Maximising
Random events are mostly beneficial and sought after, with players always comparing the number and quality of their events with each other. There are some practices that exist to maximise the number of random events received:
Sidebars
Some special Neopets Sidebars (like the Birthday sidebar, obtained and usable only on a users and Neopets birthday) will increase the probability of receiving a random event. However, having a special sidebar does not guarantee a user will get more random events. It has been known for some people to get as many as 30 random events on their birthday while others only 5 or 6.
Refresh
The more times a user refreshes a page (reloads the page in their internet browser), the more chances they have for a random event. Although a player can literally refresh the same page repeatedly, it is generally considered less boring to move about the site (preferably without using bookmarks, so more pages are viewed). Playing non-flash games such as Cliffhanger, Pyramids, and NeoQuest also increase the chances. However, sometimes TNT reduces the chances of random events on these pages.
The reason this works is that you get a shot at a random event for the "world" you are in each page request (load) and refreshing a page causes a new page request. The best bet in this department is to simply explore, interact, and get lots of usage out of the site.
External Links
- Neopets TCG: Nothing Has Happened, Bag of Neopoints, Something Will Happen, Bag of Neopoints (2nd Print), Something Will Happen (2nd Print)
- Help File: I never get random events, what do I need to do?
- Editorial: 3, 40, 60, 72, 73, 74, 84, 85, 94, 116, 117, 127, 130, 131, 132, 134, 138, 139, 141, 150, 152, 157, 160, 164, 165, 166, 175, 184, 190, 193, 205, 209, 211, 212, 213, 219, 220, 221, 224, 228, 235, 241, 245, 249, 250, 252, 254, 255, 256, 258, 259, 261, 263, 264, 265, 273, 274