If you�re even the slightest bit familiar with Neocash items, you�re probably aware that there�s a certain group of items that have what, at first glance, appears to be complete gibberish proceeding the item names: MME##-S#. Well, my friend, you�ve just stumbled upon items from a Mysterious Morphing Experiment (MME). If you�re still confused, you�re not alone � in fact, MME�s are what I find to be the concept that many Neocash-loving Neopians still have trouble wrapping their minds around. This guide is designed to help you better understand how MME�s work and why they�re often so valuable.
Mysterious Morphing Experiments are essentially �packs� of items that you can buy in the NC Mall. However, before the MME retires and starts to �morph� into new items, the real kicker is that you only know what the first item looks like � the rest of the items might be complete crap, or you could find some real treasures that everyone wants. As the MME retires from the mall and starts to morph, however, it�ll change into different items at random and continue to do that until it has morphed into its final stage. Once the MME reaches its final stage, you will receive all of the previous stages through which the MME morphed. Although MME�s have evolved quite a bit since they were originally released, it appears TNT has settled into a pattern; full MME�s have 4 different stages of items (plus a possible bonus item), and mini-MME�s (which are just cheaper, smaller versions) have 2 stages of items (plus a possible bonus item). Easy enough, yeah? But since graphs and pictures make everything a little easier, let�s take a tour of one of the most recent MME�s.
MME�s have multiple �ID�s,� which I�ll explain later. Basically, if an MME has 3 ID�s (as this one does), each ID of the MME will morph into a different item for some of the stages. In this MME, there were 3 different ID�s and 4 different stages (plus a bonus item). When the prizes are finally awarded, there�s a chance you�ll receive the bonus, but what other items you get will depend solely on the ID that you have. So, for this MME, you're guaranteed to get the background and dress (stages 1 & 3), but stages 2 & 4 are surprises, and whether or not you're lucky enough to get the bonus is an even bigger surprise!
So, Rachel, what�s up with the weird names? Well, random guide-reader, let me tell you! Each MME is given a number; it�s sequential from the very first MME that was ever released. The one in the image up there was MME16: Menacing Forest Path Background. Once all the stages are released, each item gets not only its own name, but also something that identifies which MME it came from, and on which stage it was released. For example, MME16-S2a: Menacing Tree Vine Garland indicates that this item came from MME16, it was a second stage (S2) item, and it came from the first ID (indicated by the �a�). Make sense? Good!
You can either wear the MME�s on your pet (which I always prefer to do � it makes it more fun to see what they morph into while on your pet!), or the MME�s will morph just the same sitting in your inventory, SDB, or closet. Every MME, no matter its ID, will morph between stages at the exact same time. If it�s on your pet and morphs, it will replace whatever item was previously in that zone, and the item it replaces will be sent back to your closet. For example, if it morphs into a dress and replaces your Butterfly Dress � do not fear! You still have your Butterfly Dress, it�s just been bumped to your closet. Because these items can (and do) morph wherever they are, some people panic that they can�t locate various stages of their MME. If you�re confused about where the stages have ended up, make sure you check on your pets, in your closet, in your inventory, AND in your SDB. Don�t forget, either, that you won�t receive any of the stages (except whatever it has currently morphed into) until the MME is completely done morphing, when all of the stages will magically appear!
You can trade MME�s, either before they�ve started morphing or while they�re morphing. If you do trade an MME while it�s still morphing, the person you trade with (a.k.a. whoever is in possession of the MME when the final stages are released and the MME is completely done morphing) will be the one who ends up with ALL of the stages. Once the MME is done morphing, each item will become its own individual item, and from that point on, you can trade them individually.
Now, back to those ID�s I mentioned: each ID corresponds to a different pathway that your MME can take. If you buy two of the same ID, you�ll get two sets of the exact same items. However, if you buy two MME�s with different ID�s, you�ll get a couple of the same items (during stages in which ALL MME ID�s have the same form), but you�ll also get two stages of different items. Don�t forget, too, that mini-MME�s will only have two stages + a bonus item � one stage that all ID�s will share, and another that will split the ID�s into their separate pathways.
If you�re wondering how to figure out how you can avoid getting two sets of the exact same items, you�re not alone! Luckily, there are a couple different ways that you can figure out which ID of the MME you have, or which one you�re planning to purchase*:
- You can figure out which ID you have in your cart before you even purchase it from the NC mall. To do so, add the MME to your cart, and then highlight the image of the item by dragging your mouse over it. Then, right click on the image and select �Inspect Element� (for Google Chrome), �View Selection Source� (for Firefox), or �View Selected Source� (for Internet Explorer 8). It�ll bring up some coding that looks like this, and the number that�s circled in red will be the ID for your MME (which differs from the two other ID's available, which were "70268" and "70269"):
- You can also figure out what ID you already have after you buy or trade with someone. You can do this by having the item in your gallery, your closet, OR your SDB. Since I�m not all about recreating a perfectly functional wheel, instead of describing the process in depth, I�ll let JellyNeo do it for me: (you need an account to see links)
*Please note that these methods appear only to work in Google Chrome, Firefox, or IE8 internet browsers.
Now that you're familiar with Mysterious Morphing Experiments, how they work, and why they're so much fun (especially for people like us who love a good gamble!), you're just in time to buy the MME released today: MME18-S1: Gothic Rose Dress! 
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