I've been putting off assembling the map. I eventually wanted to make it over there, and eventually have a Hydrus pet, it's just that I've had more pressing things to focus on of late.

The reason I'm bringing it up now, however, is because I just had a friend join who saw the Hydrus pets on Neocolors and decided to make it their goal to own several of them. He asked for help and I willingly agreed to provide all the help I could, and started by taking a peek at Uncharted Land Map Piece prices.

Ugh.

I instantly decided to give up on myself ever making it over there, as it is not even remotely worth the effort, but now I have to break it to my friend that even with both of us (and he is brand-spankin-new to the site) saving sp, it will still take an ungodly amount of time and effort to gather the map pieces... Never mind that- besides the vending machine(oooh)- there's not a whole lot over there that's enticing enough to warrant the expenditure of millions of subeta points. Even then, access to the islands is limited.

This rant may make it seem like I'm mad, but really, I'm sad more than anything... I do want to access the islands, I definitely want a Hydrus pet of my own someday (still haven't decided on a species), and I especially want my friend to have a positive experience on the site. His signing up was influenced most heavily by the assumption that he'd be able to have Hydrus pets. Of course it was also assumed that this achievement would have to be worked for, but this is ridiculous.

I think that random events yielding map pieces need to have their frequency increased. In any case, something should happen to make the pieces more accessible.

[edit]It occurred to me that this topic might be more appropriate in 'Suggestions and Ideas,' Admins feel free to move it

I mean, I guess I can support the map pieces becoming a bit more accessible, as long as it's not overkill.

-in-Sand I can probably help you and your friend out by making you each a Hydrus pet, if you'd like. :) I already have the map and I thinkkk it's within the rules for me to do that.

-in-sand It doesn't solve the problem of having access to Omen Islands, but if you know someone with access to the island, they can make a pet for you and transfer it to you! If put in the pound they lose their colour of course, but if given directly to you, they stay Hydrus c: I know there are people here on the forums that would help you, as there are some other kinds of pets people can't get on their own; if you think of a species you want, you should look around :) Probably much cheaper than getting the whole map if the only thing you want is a pet c:

The map currently costs ~10mil sP

-in-Sand - The map pieces are actually a LOT cheaper than they were before this past Keelhauliday (September), as they were made more widely available at that time. Before then, the map cost somewhere between 30 and 100mil sP to complete. So the situation has improved.

When I joined Subeta in 2011, I bought the map for 2mil sP. It's gotten a lot easier to make sP since then, with quest bonus weekends and new games being added. For what's available on the Omen Islands, I feel like 2-10 mil is a fair price. If it had kept up perfectly with 5% inflation, the map would cost 6-7mil.

All that said, I think the event could stand to be slightly more frequent than it is without hurting much.

10 million is hardly unreasonable to expect a person to save up.

Considering how easy it is to make sp here, thanks but no thanks.

i don't think 10mil is ridiculous to expect someone to save up for. if you just focus on it, you'll find yourself with the sp rather quickly.

whether or not gaining access to the omen islands is worth 10mil is a matter of opinion, though. for some people, it's very reasonable considering what it used to be. if you only want hydrus pets, then that's solved simply enough as you can see in this topic. the community is more then willing to help out.

i'm not against raising the frequency a little, but it's a game. it's not unexpected that you'll have to work towards some goals, and 10mil is a pretty simple goal.

you can get 10m by just doing quests and sell all rewards in about a week. even if you didn't sell mage amulets, wizard tokens and shinwas boosters, you still can manage to get 10m in about a week :)

I actually just searched the pieces and they were roughly 6.5m? all together :x Only pieces and are above a million... I'm all for keeping it attainable, and I know it was 40m+ not long ago, but 6.5m imo is attainable x_x

I know we sometimes forget that most of the userbase is made of casual players and that even Subq pieces are way too expensive for some of those people. But I promise, if you do all your quests everyday paying attention to your expenses and sell all the prizes, you're going to make the 6.5 in no time! Don't forget Item Hunt, games like Matlal's jewels and maybe try to restock a few items too, like food c:

I remember dropping quite a bit on the maps (both treasure and island) when I first joined, which still came to me much easier than Neopets' lab maps xD Which isn't exactly a fair comparison, but think of it like this: Merana's quests might be really, really cheap (I know this is luck, but mines have always been cheap) and having the map allows you to get as many hydrus pets as you want! Have you looked at the prices for Angelic potions? Or for a Neela? And that's for one pet ;-;

It's not too different from buying the lizard spray/trap and waiting for that to pay itself, too, if you consider picking up restocking on the Inn, vending on OD or even doing Carl quests (he got much better after the revamp, also he often drops event items during holidays)! Carl was really great during Keelhauliday :D

All in all, if you really love the pet color and plan on getting several of them, I think it's well worth the effort c: I'm personally of the opinion that everything should be attainable, not necessarily easy...

I mean, I spent 1000 CSC on the map when the map pieces weren't being given out in REs at all anymore... so... I'm gonna go with no. The price now is super deflated and not at all unreasonable.

And from what users are saying, it's what 6-10 mil? You can make that in a few days, honestly.

I paid close to 20m for my map and I don't even find that to have been unreasonable honestly. Even as a casual player, or a brand new player, 10m isn't at all an unreasonable goal

Blanche's estimate is closer to reality, and if you cannot save up 6.5 M, I'm sorry, but you'll have a hard time on Subeta

No, I think it's fine how it is. I spent ~40m on it just this past summer. It took a few weeks of saving and selling things from my quests, but it's really not hard to do if you have a goal and stick to it. It's cheaper now than it was then, I don't think anything needs to be done to drive it even lower.

Man, I feel sorry for the OP in threads like this - just all whole load of 'No, don't be a dumbass' and not a single agreement...

No thanks, you make sP fast enough to easily save up for it and reading the experiences of others make it seems like the frequency has already been increased enough.

To summarize everyone here: Saving the amount of sP doesn't take long and isn't hard. If you want many Hydrus pets, then go for it. If you only want one or a few, then ask for users to make you certain Hydrus pets. There are plenty willing to lend you a hand. :)

What people seem to have forgotten is that the Omen Island map pieces weren't incredibly rare random events originally. I paid nothing at all for my map because I got all the pieces through random events and it didn't take me long either. I think it's sad that new players now have to pay a lot of sP for something which long term players had for free.

I think 6.5m isn't too bad for the omen map pieces, considering that "The average user has 12,372,600 sP".

When the set was 40m I would agree that that is much less attainable.

Also you have you remember, that there are colours that cost about the same (Bloodred, Nightmare) and you only get the colour. With the map you get access to the Ocean Depths vending machine.

Saving 6.5m isn't too hard, and actually I think that my Subeta life is pretty easy, I wish I could go back to the days when I had to save for things, haha. :P

I mean, look at the snowball fight that just ended. Throw fewer than 100 snowballs (25,000 sP and twenty minutes of time), and you get a special item that has more than one use (toy/food and wearable). Right now, the Sweetie Cane Necklace is being listed for 17,000,000. Is that suddenly unfair or sad to someone who joins tomorrow?

If you weren't here for something, no matter how easy it was at one point in time to obtain, it's no longer going to be easy (or in this case, cheap).