Is it worth?

[-Kai-]

Whats better, saving for that ultra rare stamp or waiting hours and hours refreshing the window in the post office and be lucky enough to buy it?

[Unstream]

I'd say save up for it, because more likely than not, someone's going to get it before you at the post office.

[antiaircraft]

Well it depends on how good your RSing skills are... personally I'd save up, but I just suck at RSing.

[maxwerx]

The question is how much do you consider your life to be worth? I value the little time I get to play Neopets, and I don't want to spend it trying to play the restocking game because there are tons of other things to do and especially because restocking is difficult if you haven't had weeks of practice and if you don't have a fast Internet connection and if you don't have a fast computer and if you don't have a good keyboard/mouse and if you don't type numbers very fast and if...

 

You get my point. There's always somebody who can restock better than you, and chances are high they'll get that stamp before you will. It's much better to explore the rest of Neopia, play some games (you may even get an avatar or trophy), join some contests (items, trophies, and fun), and gain a few levels in Neoquest I or Neoquest II. By the time you have enough money to buy the stamp from the store of some "master restocker" or whomever, you will also have become a better Neopets player.

 

However, you can ignore everything I said if restocking is one of your priority objectives. Learning to be a good restocker is a great way to bring in NPs - but only if you have the hardware and physical speed and mental alertness to grab the good deals.

[mxpxrocks222]

i agree with maxwerx.

 

unless you know what stamps will earn you neopoints and resell them in your shop. or you have super fast internet and go on neopets when not that many other people are there. or you just really love restocking.

 

to me the games really are where all the fun is at.

[-Kai-]

thanx guys, I really wanted advice, you showed me another world lol i'm going to play some games and get faster internet connection this month :D thanx for all your advices.

[YahuhItsJake]

I'd Save Up And Buy It, Theres No Point In Wasting Time For An Avatar You'll Never Get. I Think Like Max, I Value My Time Too. So If You Do Go To School Or College And Dont Stay Up Untill The Early Hours On Your Computer. I'd Value Your Time Too If I Wer Yooh. =)

[jun]

Hmm, Though! I sound stupid for this, but you can always do both. Keep a window Open or check back every once in a while. If you make it to the shop and there are nothing there... then i would wait it out and refresh a bit. You might miss the item yes, But usually when i do this, i get the item no sweat. Its not too hard as it seems playing the Restocking game. But, if you find it a bit to hard, then yes, save up...

[naalaro]

The question is how much do you consider your life to be worth? I value the little time I get to play Neopets, and I don't want to spend it trying to play the restocking game because there are tons of other things to do and especially because restocking is difficult if you haven't had weeks of practice and if you don't have a fast Internet connection and if you don't have a fast computer and if you don't have a good keyboard/mouse and if you don't type numbers very fast and if...

 

You get my point. There's always somebody who can restock better than you, and chances are high they'll get that stamp before you will. It's much better to explore the rest of Neopia, play some games (you may even get an avatar or trophy), join some contests (items, trophies, and fun), and gain a few levels in Neoquest I or Neoquest II. By the time you have enough money to buy the stamp from the store of some "master restocker" or whomever, you will also have become a better Neopets player.

 

However, you can ignore everything I said if restocking is one of your priority objectives. Learning to be a good restocker is a great way to bring in NPs - but only if you have the hardware and physical speed and mental alertness to grab the good deals.

 

 

"By the time you have enough money to buy the stamp from the store of some "master restocker" or whomever, you will also have become a better Neopets player."

 

That has to be one of the most awful remarks i have ever heard here. If you're going to go about lodging the restockers into one camp as 'inferior' to the others just because we bother to spend the time engaging on a certain activity in neopets more than others, i send the question back to you: does playing games and NOT trying out restocking makes you a better neopets player than restockers? Does that mean that those who bother playing at the auctions instead of the games, or traders and resellers on the trading post, are inferior neopets players because they dont play games? You sentence reeks of that 'holier than thou' attitude i cannot stand.

 

I have respect for the master restockers, for they, like the elite in the games room, have invested much time and effort at perfecting a craft that many people lambast as DIFFICULT, or UNFAIR due to alleged internet speeds or whatever. Let me tell you that my computer runs on an avergae run of the mill modem and i have no problem restocking unbuyables during the rush hour periods. Even those with top of line internet connections does not give them a stranglehold at the shops, nor does having good equipment ensure a success. This i know from a restocking friend of mine walking away with a multi million stamp at my school's computer terminal, and believe me when i say his hand eye co-ordination and reaction time is so great it left mine in the dust. His answer to his own abilities is simple: Practice.

 

Does playing games all day make you a better neoepts player, or a better GAMES player? I have never restricted my options. I have entered contests and the neopian times, i have tried my hands at popular games, i have tried auctioning, i have been a reseller at one time, but In the end i love restocking. You allege that playing games will make you a better player of neopets, when all you do is encourage limiting one's experience to simply playing games?? Perhaps i should amend the word 'better' into 'worse' instead, lest it confuses new players on this site called 'Neopets'.

[maxwerx]

"By the time you have enough money to buy the stamp from the store of some "master restocker" or whomever, you will also have become a better Neopets player."

 

That has to be one of the most awful remarks i have ever heard here. If you're going to go about lodging the restockers into one camp as 'inferior' to the others just because we bother to spend the time engaging on a certain activity in neopets more than others, i send the question back to you: does playing games and NOT trying out restocking makes you a better neopets player than restockers? Does that mean that those who bother playing at the auctions instead of the games, or traders and resellers on the trading post, are inferior neopets players because they dont play games? You sentence reeks of that 'holier than thou' attitude i cannot stand.

 

I have respect for the master restockers, for they, like the elite in the games room, have invested much time and effort at perfecting a craft that many people lambast as DIFFICULT, or UNFAIR due to alleged internet speeds or whatever. Let me tell you that my computer runs on an avergae run of the mill modem and i have no problem restocking unbuyables during the rush hour periods. Even those with top of line internet connections does not give them a stranglehold at the shops, nor does having good equipment ensure a success. This i know from a restocking friend of mine walking away with a multi million stamp at my school's computer terminal, and believe me when i say his hand eye co-ordination and reaction time is so great it left mine in the dust. His answer to his own abilities is simple: Practice.

 

Does playing games all day make you a better neoepts player, or a better GAMES player? I have never restricted my options. I have entered contests and the neopian times, i have tried my hands at popular games, i have tried auctioning, i have been a reseller at one time, but In the end i love restocking.

 

---

 

First of all, this post is not addressed to naalaro only. This forum thread is not the place for two people to argue with each other. Instead, I am doing what we have always been tasked to do: we share anecdotal evidence, opinions, and helpful tips so that other readers can decide for themselves.

 

In the above quotation, naalaro reacted to my my Dec 13 2008 01:17 AM post. I'm sorry if my words in my Dec 13 2008, 01:17 AM post were ambiguous and have caused a misunderstanding.

 

I hope that this post will clarify some things.

 

---

 

Towards a good synthesis

 

Basically, please, don't misinterpret my previous post to be a false dilemma. That is, I wasn't setting up an "either/or" logic tree. I was setting up a "both/and" logic tree. Here is what I mean by "both/and":

 

(1) If you don't have the time, patience, and resources to become a master restocker, then you can prioritize other things - Flash games, NeoQuest, whatever. The months you spent doing these things will make you a better Neopets player than you were when you started.

 

(2) If you do have the time, patience, and resources to become a master restocker, then you can prioritize being a master restocker. You will read up on the topic, become familiar with the process, etc. The months you spent doing these things will make you a better Neopets player than you were when you started.

 

The conclusion of both alternatives are so similar! As you can see, I wasn't making an argument to exclude restockers.

 

I ask my fellow forum readers to always avoid the fallacy of "the false dilemma"; very few things in life are either/or dilemmas; there's always a synthesis, compromise, synergy, or gray area. In this case, a possible synthesis is to be a "both/and player"; you can switch or blend priorities depending on circumstances.

 

What's my synthesis?

 

Well, I don't settle on one thing only. I play two (and only two) Flash games daily, I invest in the Stock Market, I do my dailies, I sell what Tarla gives me, and I play many of the non-Flash games like NeoQuest and the card games (and I get nice random events this way). I just don't have the time to also learn restocking.

 

---

 

Is restocking an inferior way to play Neopets?

 

MY PREMISES: you need to consider your skills, priorities, and assets.

 

In my previous post, I made the following points in the first paragraph:

 

(1) I said, "The question is how much do you consider your life to be worth? I value the little time I get to play Neopets" (What are your priorities? I prioritize some things. What about you? This is not a value-loaded question; I am merely asking "what do you think?")

 

(2) I said, "I don't want to spend it trying to play the restocking game because there are tons of other things to do" (I decided for myself that restocking isn't for me. Again, this is not a value judgment. It is merely my anecdotal evidence based on my own experience.)

 

(3) I said, "especially because restocking is difficult if you haven't had weeks of practice and if you don't have a fast Internet connection and if you don't have a fast computer and if you don't have a good keyboard/mouse and if you don't type numbers very fast and if..." (Basically, there are many things to consider before you become a serious restocker; these considerations aren't 100% necessary, but they can make restocking especially difficult if you don't take them into account.)

 

So, we now see my main point: restocking is not something to take lightly - you must consider your situation!

 

MY ASSUMPTIONS: if my premises apply to you, then you have some hard decisions to make.

 

In my previous post, I used my premises to make assumptions. That's what I'll do here.

 

I will quote from the second paragraph of my previous post to propose why "it's much better to [not restock]" and how "you will also [be] a better Neopets player." My main assumption: if you aren't ready for the restocking world, then you should choose not to be a restocker. This choice (not being a serious restocker) is better for you if you are unable/unwilling to make the effort to be a good restocker. I don't think this is a threatening or "anti-restocker" opinion. In fact, this opinion is so obvious as to be a tautology: if you can't restock, then don't restock. In other words, be the best you can be: prioritize, look for alternatives, etc. Alternatives include trying to be a good Flash player, NeoQuest player, etc., so you can earn enough NP to allow you to complete your stamp collection.

 

But what if you really want to be a restocker? What's my opinion? Aha! Now I can restate the belief that the best way to restock is to have the following three things: (1) good hardware, (2) have fast fingers and eyes, and (3) be a mentally alert person. You, dear TDN reader, may know of other considerations to take into account; I think many of us will appreciate any helpful restocking tips you have. But I only offer the above considerations.

 

THE DISCLAIMER: if my premises don't apply to you, then you need to make your own decision.

 

So what's my conclusion? Well, in my previous post, I didn't make a conclusion. Instead, I made a disclaimer. Let me repeat that here.

 

Of restocking or not restocking, which is "better" or "worse"? Well, we can't make a universal judgment on that, and I never made a universal judgment on that. I only spoke based on the limited premises I outlined above: if you don't have the hardware, skill, patience, etc., then, I suggest, you should focus on other things. If my premises don't apply to you, then your decision must depend on your situation.

 

Like I said in the third paragraph of my previous post: "You can ignore everything I said if restocking is one of your priority objectives. Learning to be a good restocker is a great way to bring in NPs - but only if you have the hardware and physical speed and mental alertness to grab the good deals."

 

---

 

Finally, let me attach a specific question addressed to me (see the quote box below).

 

You allege that playing games will make you a better player of neopets, when all you do is encourage limiting one's experience to simply playing games?? Perhaps i should amend the word 'better' into 'worse' instead, lest it confuses new players on this site called 'Neopets'.

 

I am bewildered by this amount of venom, especially when I never said "play only games and never restock." It's the "false dilemma" again! It's a common fallacy; there's political, ethnic, and religious conflict in some parts of the world because people think "either/or" and start fighting and arguing; they won't reach out to the "both/and" mentality. I only hope that all such ill feelings will pass. :) It's just a game that we play for fun, isn't it?

 

So, did I or am I alleging that people should only play games? Is restocking inferior? My answers to all such questions is an unequivocal NO! I don't allege anything of that sort! All players deserve better advice than that! I hope this post clarifies that.