Refreshing to get challenges

[Welcome Back Apathy]

So some people told me that the way to get faction challenges is to hold down the refresh key for 30 seconds.

 

I seem to remember that being against the rules, though. If you refresh like that to get random events (which a faction challenge is) then you're breaking the rules. Am I wrong?

[Anxious Zombie]

You are allowed to refresh a lot but you can't hold the refresh button down. you have to click it every time.

[Rebecca~]

I've always gone with "as long as it's your finger, it's okay". Basically, don't use anything to hold down the F5 key but your own finger. I do it the 15-30 second spurts because my computer is so slow- it takes forever to load up again after a refresh.

 

Though, I went looking for an editorial that said that holding it down for a short period of time was okay, and I was proved wrong.

 

Hey TNT, I've been hoping to get the Lab Ray Scientist as a Battledome challenger for months now and haven't had any luck. What are the odds of getting him as a challenger when you go to the Lab Ray page? Is it against the rules to refresh a few times in the hope of it happening? Could you remove my username if this gets published? Thanks. :) ~[username removed]
You're welcome to give it a reasonable amount of refreshes. Just remember though, please no coffee mugs carefully balanced on your F5 key, automatic refreshers, or mass refreshing. Just tap tap tap. ;D

 

Err. So. Yeah, I guess I won't be doing that anymore. XD

 

EDIT: Just found another editorial that said it was fine.

 

Some people say that you can get frozen from refreshing to much. For example some avatars people say you can only get from refreshing and they say that you can get frozen from refreshing to much. Is that true? ~ x_tammeh
Just like many things in Neopets and life, there is a line. Let's clarify.

- Hitting refresh repeatedly for a few minutes, allowing the page to load. – Great

- Holding down F5 for 10-30 seconds at a time, checking for the avatar/challenger, then trying again if it has not been achieved – Still good.

- Holding down the F5 key for 20 minutes – Okay, but try to take a break for your mental sake and ours.

- Leaving your "cat" on the F5 key while you make a sandwich. – Not good.

- Leaving your "cat" on the F5 key all night while you sleep – Bad.

- Using a program that refreshes for you at the same rate as a human – Frozen!

- Using Opera to open 100+ pages and hitting "refresh all" – VERY frozen.

Basically, anything that plays the site for you, and requires no effort on your part, is considered a "bot" and will get you frozen. Even your "cat." This includes auto refresher functions in browsers, or putting a weight on F5 to do things the old fashioned way. If you don't do any of that, you don't have to worry.

 

 

 

So it seems like holding down the F5 key is fine, but if you really want to play it safe, you can just tap tap tap. :D

[Welcome Back Apathy]

Rebecca, what editorial was it from? The people who were saying it's okay got this from the Neopian Times #521:

 

People seem to be taking what was said in Editorial 446 (and any other Editorial that may be similar to it) as an okay to go ahead and refresh any page on the site just for the sake of refreshing in order to get Random Events. While I doubt that was actually your intention, would you mind clarifying again whether or not refreshing just to get Random Events that have nothing to do with avatars or Battledome challengers is allowed? ~esomera
You're welcome to refresh the site where and however often you like, as long as YOU are PHYSICALLY doing the refreshing without the aid of your cat/mug/water bottle/robot butler sitting on the F5 key. So, if you want to sit at your computer pressing f5 for 6 hours straight, that's acceptable, though we wouldn't advise it for your own well-being. (Also, to clarify, using any "refresh all" browser functions and the like are also off limits. Again, you must refresh each page yourself or we consider it using an outside force to aid you.)

 

 

I took that as you have to press it repeatedly--and how would they prove that it's not something sitting on it, that it was your own finger?--but they took it as since you are personally holding it down, it's fine.

[Rebecca~]

Rebecca, what editorial was it from? The people who were saying it's okay got this from the Neopian Times #521:

 

People seem to be taking what was said in Editorial 446 (and any other Editorial that may be similar to it) as an okay to go ahead and refresh any page on the site just for the sake of refreshing in order to get Random Events. While I doubt that was actually your intention, would you mind clarifying again whether or not refreshing just to get Random Events that have nothing to do with avatars or Battledome challengers is allowed? ~esomera

You're welcome to refresh the site where and however often you like, as long as YOU are PHYSICALLY doing the refreshing without the aid of your cat/mug/water bottle/robot butler sitting on the F5 key. So, if you want to sit at your computer pressing f5 for 6 hours straight, that's acceptable, though we wouldn't advise it for your own well-being. (Also, to clarify, using any "refresh all" browser functions and the like are also off limits. Again, you must refresh each page yourself or we consider it using an outside force to aid you.)

 

 

I took that as you have to press it repeatedly--and how would they prove that it's not something sitting on it, that it was your own finger?--but they took it as since you are personally holding it down, it's fine.

It was 300-something, I think. The one in the edit was a bit older.

 

But yeah, that's what I originally thought. XD Usually humans need to take a break, whereas other things don't. Most people would only be able to hold it down for a couple minutes at a time before releasing it.

[Lamppost]

Thanks for the tip, and for citing the editorial! I was having trouble getting the random event, so I held it down with my finger for about 15 seconds, and got one!

[crazy_cat_luv_bb]

btw, is there only one faction challenge each new wave? If not then I have to refresh more to get them :)

[Anxious Zombie]

There isn't, it's an RE so the more you refresh the more you get

[crazy_cat_luv_bb]

Thanks! Good to know that. I don't have time much for that, so probably 2 are the max I can get XD

[jcpet]

Is there some special prize if we finish the achievements the day they are released? Like in Games Master Challenge? If not, I won't have to frantically press the refresh button today -.-

[Duskitty]

Holding down the F5 button just turns up the volume as my computer (and my dad's one) is a Mac (:

 

So I have to click the button at the top of the page if I want the challenge... <_<

[karmacow]

Is there some special prize if we finish the achievements the day they are released? Like in Games Master Challenge? If not, I won't have to frantically press the refresh button today -.-

 

That's how it has been in all recent events that I can remember, so I would count on it being like that in this one as well. But no one knows anything for a fact.

[Welcome Back Apathy]

Holding down the F5 button just turns up the volume as my computer (and my dad's one) is a Mac (:

Command + R, apparently, works on Macs. Give it a shot.

[dummydumpty]

Sometimes their editorials aren't always up-to-date for their rules (like they decide that something is okay, and then, nope, don't do it), especially since I read that some people have been banned for holding down the F5 button (see this thread). I'd be careful using that method!

[siniri]

TNT has changed their answer on this over the years (i.e., in one editorial they said it was not okay, but in all others before and after that one, they said refreshing manually, using your own power, was perfectly okay). For completeness's sake, here are the relevant editorials, in chronological order (hiding repetitive ones in spoiler tags)*:

Issue 219: Some people say that you can get frozen from refreshing to much. For example some avatars people say you can only get from refreshing and they say that you can get frozen from refreshing to much. Is that true? ~ x_tammeh

Just like many things in Neopets and life, there is a line. Let's clarify. Basically, anything that plays the site for you, and requires no effort on your part, is considered a "bot" and will get you frozen. Even your "cat." This includes auto refresher functions in browsers, or putting a weight on F5 to do things the old fashioned way. If you don't do any of that, you don't have to worry.
- Hitting refresh repeatedly for a few minutes, allowing the page to load. ? Great
- Holding down F5 for 10-30 seconds at a time, checking for the avatar/challenger, then trying again if it has not been achieved ? Still
good.
- Holding down the F5 key for 20 minutes ? Okay, but try to take a break for your mental sake and ours.
- Leaving your "cat" on the F5 key while you make a sandwich. ? Not good.
- Leaving your "cat" on the F5 key all night while you sleep ? Bad.
- Using a program that refreshes for you at the same rate as a human ? Frozen!
- Using Opera to open 100+ pages and hitting "refresh all" ? VERY frozen.

Basically, anything that plays the site for you, and requires no effort on your part, is considered a "bot" and will get you frozen. Even your "cat." This includes auto refresher functions in browsers, or putting a weight on F5 to do things the old fashioned way. If you don't do any of that, you don't have to worry.

 

 

Issue 276: Hey guys you rock! I rock, too, by the way ^^ I read that you can't open tons of windows with a page and reload it because it will get you frozen, but what if I do it to get a BD challenger on just one certain page? ~marivenezuela

Sorry, it's a BIG no-no, even if your intent is to get a BD challenger and not Random Events or other such things.
Here's some things to keep in mind while refreshing for BD challengers:
~Hitting the refresh button repeatedly or F5 to refresh the page is a great way to do it.
~Don't place items on your F5 key to refresh for you.
~Don't use programs or multiple windows to refresh at faster rates anywhere on the site.

Issue 276: On one of the editorials you mentioned that refreshing 100 pages at the same time will get you frozen faster than you can say Gerapitiku. BUT! What if you are a restocker and refresh continuously in different shops? Will I be at risk of being frozen because I restock at a lot of shops at the same time? ~berri_gallery

This is just fine. You can have a bunch of different shops open in several different windows that you can go through and refresh individually. Basically, we don't allow opening up a large number of pages and hitting "refresh all" so that you refresh them all at the same time, because that is something only a computer can do, which means you are using a program to aid you in playing Neopets.

 

 

 

Issue 277: You have frozen many, many honest people for what you call "cheating" by having widely available browser ActiveX plug-ins that refresh screens automatically at preset time intervals. Refreshing a screen isn't cheating. It isn't a "program" that buys things or plays a game. How rottenrottenrotten of you. ~[removed]

Wow. Umm... where to begin? First, Neopets itself is a game. It's played by visiting a series of pages in a web browser. So, technically, having someone else (whether it's an automated program or a person) refresh pages for you means that they are playing a game for you, which you agree is cheating. But let's forget that for a minute and use your other example.

What is the difference between using a program to outright buy an item, and using a program to help you click on that item and buy it before anyone else even sees it? Not much. Despite which of you actually did the final purchasing, the program is giving you an advantage no one else has, right? This is exactly what auto-refreshing programs do. If you can refresh a shop every two minutes using a program, that greatly increases your chances of getting an item. It's more precise than a human, and you can be off making Neopoints at Scarab 21 in another window while waiting for the shop to refresh. How is that fair? The same can be said about refreshing for avatars or Random Events, too. You are not doing the refreshing, so how can you say that you are the one earning the rewards?

So basically, none of those people were "honest," despite what you (or they) claim. They broke the rules and were frozen for it. Everyone should start on equal footing on Neopets, and while we have no control over connection speed, we do have control over whether or not we allow third-party programs. How well you do on the site should be determined by skill (and a bit of luck, of course) and not by how well you can download programs and install them on your computer.

By the way, a program being "widely available" does not make it okay to use. There are lots of things in the real world that are the same way. ;)

 

Issue 278: Hi, I have sat for 8 to 10 minutes at the faerie furniture store and I can't get any items. I refresh the shop every time the minute changes, but still no luck. I would refresh it more often but it was said that that could freeze your account or something like that. I want to follow the rules and get stuff fairly, but I want to get the stuff too! What can I do? ~isithrade1

You can refresh as often as you like! The only time you'd be frozen for refreshing is if you used a program to do it for you. Legitimate restockers need only worry about temporary "shop bans," which limit how much a single person can restock (it happens to every restocker). You will not get frozen for manually refreshing the page repeatedly. As for the eight minute thing, it's a rough time

span. :) It can happen at six minutes or ten minutes, so you'll just have to keep a close eye on the shop. If you find you're not seeing
anything at all for very long periods of time, it may be that you've reached that shop ban. It will clear on its own and you'll be able to
restock again soon.

Issue 323: After a lovely discussion about refreshing at the Advent Calendar for a Christmas paint brush, we all know that your have a fairly good chance of getting one if you explore around the Terror Mountain area. So I think it is wrong to solely sit at the Advent Calendar and do nothing but hit F5 waiting for a paint brush to fall into your lap. I don?t care about being wrong; I'd just rather be more informed on this topic. Please elaborate and clear this up. ~krystalsalerno

We could have sworn that somewhere in another Editorial we said that refreshing solely for the purpose of gaining wealth through Random Events was a no-no. Also, to make sure people don't get the wrong impression, refreshing in Terror Mountain will not shower you with Christmas paint brushes. It's a fairly rare Random Event. {Note: The writer of this editorial was incorrect about past answers, and later editorials also contradict this answer. This is where my own hesitancy about refreshing came from, but now I'm less worried having seen that all other editorial answers contradict this one; see below.}

Issue 361: Hello! I just bought a Cooty for my pet, and I am trying to get it to attach. Someone told me that I can just open a large number of tabs with my inventory in them, say 30, and then just (manually) use the "refresh all tabs" option in my browser until it attaches. I know that auto-refreshers are against the rules, but is refreshing multiple tabs at once bad? Thanks! ~tip_of_the_iceberg

 

Ack, yeah, please avoid doing that for the safety of your account. Just refresh the old-fashioned way of pushing F5 or clicking the refresh button in a rational manner. :) {Sorry, this is part of the spoiler, and I've triple-checked and moved the spoiler tag, but it keeps messing up.}

 

 

Issue 362: I'm trying to get the "Drackonack eats cheese" avatar, but my Drackonack refuses to eat the cheese! Is it lactose intolerant? ~loadingplzwait
Just keep refreshing, and good luck to you! Unlike Neopets, Petpets aren't too picky about what they eat.

Issue 378: Hey TNT, I've been hoping to get the Lab Ray Scientist as a Battledome challenger for months now and haven't had any luck. What are the odds of getting him as a challenger when you go to the Lab Ray page? Is it against the rules to refresh a few times in the hope of it happening? Could you remove my username if this gets published? Thanks. :) ~[username removed]

You're welcome to give it a reasonable amount of refreshes. Just remember though, please no coffee mugs carefully balanced on your F5 key, automatic refreshers, or mass refreshing. Just tap tap tap. ;D

Issue 379: On my side account, I've received a number of Random Events yielding some nice items (like codestones). Could I send them to my main account? I mean, you can't disable Random Events, since they just randomly pop up. It's not profit
purposely made by the player. Please remove my username if this question is published, by the way. Thanks. :) ~[username removed]

Yes, as long as you aren't attempting to abuse the system (refreshing for Random Events on multiple accounts/browsers) or anything

like that, sending items you receive as Random Events to your main account is fine. :) {emphasis added}

Issue 440: I recently saw someone post on the Neoboards that they found a Turmac Petpet at the Rubbish Dump! I LOVE those cute little Turmacs, and I was wondering if this was truly possible? It seemed as though it was, as the person had the items in their trades. I wanted to ask first, though, before I went completely loony refreshing and searching for a Turmy! BTW, I don't have cookies, but I have a lot of appreciation that should bring some warm fuzzy feelings! 0:) ~tipherz84

Yep! They've been known to rummage around at the dump on rare occasion. Thankfully someone usually snatches them up before they make too big of a mess, though. Good luck on your search! :)

Issue 521: People seem to be taking what was said in Editorial 446 (and any other Editorial that may be similar to it) as an okay to go ahead and refresh any page on the site just for the sake of refreshing in order to get Random Events. While I doubt that was actually your intention, would you mind clarifying again whether or not refreshing just to get Random Events that have nothing to do with avatars or Battledome challengers is allowed? ~esomera
You're welcome to refresh the site where and however often you like, as long as YOU are PHYSICALLY doing the refreshing without the aid of your cat/mug/water bottle/robot butler sitting on the F5 key. So, if you want to sit at your computer pressing f5 for 6 hours straight, that's acceptable, though we wouldn't advise it for your own well-being. (Also, to clarify, using any "refresh all" browser functions and the like are also off limits. Again, you must refresh each page yourself or we consider it using an outside force to aid you.) [This one in particular seems to directly contradict issue 323.]

Hi, TNT!!! Yay! You answered my question! *throws confetti* So, I had a friend of mine tell me that I can place an object over my F5 key to have continuous refreshing and maximize my chance of Random Events. This seems fishy to me. Can't you smell it? Can you please confirm that this is against the rules so that I can rub it in my friend's face? ~_ginganinja_

Placing objects on your F5 key to refresh for you is considered cheating. Please don't attempt to abuse the system, as it may get your account frozen.

*Note: I used JellyNeo's editorial database and searched for the word "refreshing." I then looked up issue 446 since it was specifically referenced but didn't show up in the search, though it was repetitive:

 

Hey guys! First of all: thanks for creating the attic! My dream of having a Draik one day is now closer than ever. :D There have been, however, many discussions about whether using the F5 key to refresh the site is allowed. No one knows, but there are rumours that you can get frozen for that. There's no other way to refresh, though, since there is no shopkeeper! We're confused. ^^ Aaah! *running around in circles* Hugs! ~ oomagicwitchoo
o___O That's a rather bizarre rumour. Using the F5 button to refresh is a perfectly fine thing to do. What you can't do is lay your cat or some other weight on the F5 button and refresh for Random Events. You need to push the button yourself.

 

 

P.S. What does TNT have against cats? Dogs are way more likely to stay on the refresh key than a cat. The only way to get a cat to sit on it would be if the cat thought you didn't want it to sit there.

[~Xandria]

Could someone please tell me if I should be refreshing while in a battle or at the obelisk page? Seems like the times I get RE's the past three days were all when I was in the BD. I'm stuck and only have one hour left to get a challenger. D: I don't know if I'm even refreshing in the right spot.

 

Edit: Nevermind. As soon as I held down the refresh button for 15 seconds on the obelisk page I was able to get a challenger. :) Yay!