Neopets "comebacks"

[Narkotiq]

I was clicking through the profile of my newest main and realized something while looking at my pets. My oldest pet is over 300 days old, which got me thinking and I think this has been my longest Neopets "Comeback" ever.
I started playing in the very early 2000s, (shortly after the site gained some traction) and played almost every day for years and years and then one day I just stopped and didnt touch it for awhile. Every few years after that I'd create a new account and play for about a month then abandon the game again. Then early this year I got a huge craving for something nostalgic, so I came back to Neopets and started a new main. The fact I've been playing almost every day for almsot a year is kind of shocking considering how quickly I ditched Neo in the past after getting my nostalgia fix. I'm kind of proud that I've been able to stick to 1 "main" for almost a year now instead of jumping around from account to account and have built it up pretty well. Also for the first time since childhood I actually feel attached to a few of my pets. Usually, I get bored with the lack of content (plots, battles, games, new things to do even if it's just a new daily etc) and venture on to find something else to do but even now with next to nothing to do on the site I'm on almost every day.

I figured I'd ask to see how my experience compares to others.

-When did you first start Neopets?
-How often are your comebacks?(or have you never left?)
-How long do your comebacks usually last?
-Do you play the same account every come back (if you can help it) or do you like to start fresh?
-What usually makes you go back on hiatus after a comeback?

[DrSloth]

i took an hiatus from 2015 to 2018 when i lost the main acc i had, ever since even though there are times there's not much to do on neo i still keep doing my dailies.
i never took hiatus other than this one since i started playing in 2007 and luckly was able to get that main acc back <3

i like collecting avatars so changing accs is something i would hate doing, but now that i recovered my old main i'm keeping both active xD

[team rocket]

omg!! love this thread. i am definitely in the group where i've been frozen more than i've actually played on a single account. 300 days would be a frickin miracle for me to survive LOL good for you! but i think back in the day i was a little cockier and wasn't as secretive or censored myself as much.

i always make a joke about how i've been "neopets sober" for x and x number of years, and the last time i got iced, i literally swore off neopets because tony p. had a raging boner for freezing me and being a total asshat about it. but i came back after hearing he left and was able to get my main unfrozen that he vehemently denied me, and i "started over" and am about 5 months in. all my pets were converted but i just bought more. LITERALLY the longest i've ever had a "cheating" account lmfao.

- when did you first start neopets? -- when i was prolly 11 or 12? i'm 30 now. i remember my adult cousin who was like 8 years older than me showed me the game. she had a jubjub and the first thing she showed me was the wheel of excitement and lemme tell you....the second i saw those flashy lights and the cute pixels, i was hooked. my mom & i always joke about it, but if i ask her, she gets serious for like 5 seconds and goes "you really were addicted".

- how often are your comebacks? (or have you never left?) -- last time i was frozen was about 4 years ago, and like i said, i swore off neo. i lost too much money and i don't play if i can't have UCs, cuz the converted colors aren't "neopets" to me. i missed it.

- how long do your comebacks usually last? -- if i'm cheating, in the past, no more than like 3 months hahaha.

- do you play the same account every come back (if you can help it) or do you like to start fresh? -- only if i can get it unfrozen. i have absolutely no desire to play neopets legitly from the ground up. things are too unobtainable and i like my UCs and staring at "my" accomplishments hahaha. there are other pet sites i never cheated on because i could actually get shit legitly, but neopets will never be that site for me.

- what usually makes you go back on hiatus after a comeback? -- boredom! lack of motivation, ennui, mental health. i don't really talk to a ton of people on neo that i also don't talk to offsite, so it's not hard to just sort of...float away for a lil.

[Totodile]

I'm with you there on coming back to neopets and still being here. I actually got back into neo when covid happened aha. I had nothing to do and remembered neopets and was like huh let me see if my account is still there

When did you first start Neopets?
I started Neopets when I was a child. I remember watching alot of nickeloden as a kid and I happened to see their advertisement and asked my parents if I could join. They made me an account and I had so much fun with childs innocence! I didn't know what I was doing of course but I was having fun with my neopets. I remember I won a PB from the Lost Desert Machine and I ran to tell my parents who we're watching a movie aha

How often are your comebacks?(or have you never left?)
I think I left when I was in highschool. It was getting to that point I needed to focus on the last couple years to graduate and things we're getting a bit hectic so I just forgot about neo with my school work. I don't think I even did my dailies it was that busy for me.

How long do your comebacks usually last?
I'm about on my 2+ year comeback. Like I said I came back in 2020 because of Covid and I'm still here... 2 years later (About to be 3) oh god

Do you play the same account every come back (if you can help it) or do you like to start fresh?
I recently moved accounts with a different username I can connect too vs my old one I did not connect with. Moving everything over was a bitch (Esp the NC part) but I'm so thankful we now have unlimited transfers. Otherwise I'd prob would of taken me a few months to send all my pets over to my new account.

What usually makes you go back on hiatus after a comeback?
If something really important happens in my life (Deaths being the #1 thing - it makes me lose my spark for neo while I'm in a dark place). But sometimes I just forget to log in a couple days and those days turn into weeks, then into months. Its just a sudden thing - I'll go on hiatus or I wont. Simple as that

[Buizel]

- When did you first start Neopets?
For me, I believe I started around 2002-03. Ever since then, I've been addicted. I played on Neo when I was younger a lot more than other sites like Cartoon Network's or Disney's old flash games.


- How often are your comebacks?(or have you never left?)
The only break I took was when my main got frozen before I even started cheating due to Tony P. just wildin out lol. I took around a 2 year break and that was around 2010-2012. And then when I decided to come back, I wanted to start cheating to get back to where I was with my main. Then around 2013 is when I registered here, lurked, and here we are haha.


- How long do your comebacks usually last?
Even since coming back around 2013, I don't really take breaks. I usually just do my dailies each day and leave the site unless an event is happening. Since doing my dailies is usually pretty fast, I tend to not take breaks since I'll just be missing out on Neopoints and Nerks lol.


- Do you play the same account every come back (if you can help it) or do you like to start fresh?
I have kept the same account for years personally!


- What usually makes you go back on hiatus after a comeback?
What makes me just do my dailies and leave is how boring the site is these days. ;(

[Narkotiq]

@(you need an account to see links) - I love collecting avatars too and stamps. I call myself a glutton for punishment because I always have to redo my avatars and stamps and cut my losses on the ones I can't get (either cause they're retired or have gotten too expensive over the years) every time I convince myself I just absolutely need a new account and can't be bothered with my old main anymore lol. I have 6 "Main" accounts from over the years with tons of avatars and stamps and trophies that I ditched for "OooO pretty new account full of opportunity!" and just use those for pet storage now. It's kind of sad to look all that hard work that just is wasted now.
@(you need an account to see links) - I feel you on never playing legit. I don't go as hard on the cheating as I used to when I was younger. I'd say I'm a half and half "cheater", I play legit but with not so legit (but not from cheating games or ABing or anything) NP, pets, and items, a few quality of life scripts, and 100% gotta have a shop autopricer lol. I used to get frozen like once a week for ABing but now I haven't done it in years (I dunno if its more dangerous or has gotten safer but I still don't test it) and with other programs I don't go balls to the wall on like I used to. I used to think I always had to have a program running 24/7 which screwed me over more often than it helped. Now I'm more selective about the programs I use and turn them off as soon as they've gotten me whatever it is I needed.
@(you need an account to see links) - I felt the "Oh God" after saying that it's about to be 3 years of play. I usually question "What the hell am I still doing on Neopets" after about a few months lol.
@(you need an account to see links) - I admire your restraint. I always say, "I'm just going to do my dailies" and then 3 hours later I'm checking my shop till for the 100th time, I've scrolled through my entire SDB at least twice, looked up a new species/color combo for one of my pets and considered them all for an hour just to not change the pet at all, etc. lol I guess I get distracted too easily.


Also I'm so glad I never had to deal with this Tony P. person. I've only ever heard bad things. I haven't kept up with TNT in recent years but my favorite person was always Rico S. he was always really quick to answer tickets and get me to a solution (even if that solution was accepting my horrible fate, at least he didn't leave me hanging) I have no idea if he's still there or not. I'd venture to say with as many people who have left Neo that he isn't but I could be wrong.

[♥ Sneasel ♥]

- When did you first start Neopets?
2003, and I still have my first account. So nearly 20 years now. We did not have ads here in my country. I stumbles across Neopets on an Fanart Site similar to DeviantArt. So I googled and started playing


- How often are your comebacks?(or have you never left?)
I made a few pauses here and there, the last one 2 years long.

- How long do your comebacks usually last?
It depens, sometimes I just invest my time into other hobbies

- Do you play the same account every come back (if you can help it) or do you like to start fresh?
Yes, like I said, I still have my original account.


- What usually makes you go back on hiatus after a comeback?
I miss many activities on neopets and I am very sad about the state of the site... And then I leave again for a few months

[team rocket]

@(you need an account to see links) - I feel you on never playing legit. I don't go as hard on the cheating as I used to when I was younger. I'd say I'm a half and half "cheater", I play legit but with not so legit (but not from cheating games or ABing or anything) NP, pets, and items, a few quality of life scripts, and 100% gotta have a shop autopricer lol. I used to get frozen like once a week for ABing but now I haven't done it in years (I dunno if its more dangerous or has gotten safer but I still don't test it) and with other programs I don't go balls to the wall on like I used to. I used to think I always had to have a program running 24/7 which screwed me over more often than it helped. Now I'm more selective about the programs I use and turn them off as soon as they've gotten me whatever it is I needed.

that's about where i am i've never used an ABer or a SSer mainly for the fact i don't know enough/don't trust myself enough to try them. trophies aren't as important to me as UCs are. i also purchase NPs and items, and use Bat's awesome script for auto-training and Shawn's shop wizard button mover, but i also turn them off as soon as they're done doing what i want them to do.

back in the day, i had an auto refresher before we had scripts, and i used to use it to steal UFA pets that were gonna be transferred. i kept it on all night to get a christmas PB and that was the first time i was frozen for "scamming". if you feel comfortable enough, you can PM me and we can be neofriends!

[Ridley]

"Your momma's so round she looks like the bank Skeith after it ate a Magical Plum Chia Pop."

[kittyray]

I started playing in 2000 or 2001, but at this point I can't remember because I have conflicting memories and lost my very first account. I've been playing pretty consistently since then, except for a break that started around the time customization/conversion happened and continued until 2011-ish. I'd always stop by for the altador cup and advent calendar, plus dailies here and there, but I was checked out enough to not even know about customization or UCs (I thought everything changed) for that entire time. I've been playing on the same main for over twenty years and my oldest side is a bit older still. At this point, if I lost that account for any reason, I'd just be completely done. I haven't taken a proper hiatus in years, but my interest ebbs and flows, mostly just with how busy life is, where my interests are holding, how motivated I am, all that jazz.