Every year is the same floating item thing... I don't know about the others, but I've never been a fan of floating items, because when I'm on mobile version (the desktop version takes a lot of time to load on mobile phones) I can't see floating items.

So I was thinking about a freaking piñata! Well, I guess that'd be a lot more practical and the coding wouldn't be that intrincate, since we already have the Bonfire. The system could work giving an item every X (maybe 5?) minutes, and if necessary, a special line could be added to the link, so no refreshing (like vending machines).

The prize pool would be filled with the aniversary-themed items for that year, maybe with a really small chance (2~5%) of getting old anniversary items. And a message like:

"Oops, that wasn't supposed to be there. Maybe someone didn't want to throw last years' leftovers away and added them to this year's piñata. You take the item and hope it's still in useable."

Really like this idea!

So it would be more like the pumpkin patch? The idea of a pinata is cute, but I don't see much of as point if it's just swapping one holiday staple for another.

Yeah, piñatas sound fun. Maybe we could have them pop-up at the BC as a global not-so-boss, kinda like Aboxalypse, that require "hits" from a lot of users to break them, and make related achievements. (Deal X damage to the piñata) Different piñatas could be made for different tiers, so battlers won't have any advantage. (Like tier 1 piñata only for tier 1 pets, and so on). This wouldn't replace the floating items though.

I don't recall having a problem with floating items previously on my mobile, and honestly I don't really dig the idea of simply replacing 'floating item' type holidays with 'go to this page and click on a thing' type holidays. Even as a current non-battler who's been thinking that battling might be an interesting way to finally investigate, I think 's suggestion is on point.

I like floating items...I was hoping for floating items for this year's Subeta birthday...:/

Good idea, sounds more fun than floating items

"Weak" pets do deserve nice things, you're right.

Now, how should it be approached if people want to fight a low-tier opponent and a high-tier opponent? Make them choose just one? Maybe let them go at as much as they can with any pets they can?

Eh I don't agree with weak pets deserving good things because people put a lot of time and money into training their pets, why should someone who chooses not to do so get good things?

If we want a fair to everyone no matter if they battle or not event, then don't make it involve battling. Most of the good prizes from battles are weapons anyway, which only a battler should really care about. And it will almost always be cheaper to buy the prizes than it would be to train your pet to the pont where you can earn your prize.

"Weak" pets do deserve nice things, you're right.

Now, how should it be approached if people want to fight a low-tier opponent and a high-tier opponent? Make them choose just one? Maybe let them go at as much as they can with any pets they can? I just don't like the idea of people getting sidelined/getting crappy prizes because battling's not why they play the site? I mean, if this was a specifically battle-based event (like Gelatin War) then I'd be like "yeah, okay, Tier 12 should probably get better prizes even if I'm gonna be mad about it" but the birthday event is meant to be For Everyone so even us noobs with Tier 1 pets should have access to everything.

I'd say just let people hammer away at whatever tier they want to? Maybe they'd find it more fun to go after the high-tier piñatas, maybe they just want the easy prizes, it's not really any of my business.

I don't mean good things as in, the same level that people who do put the work into their pets would have.

But for me, it doesn't really strike initial inspiration to try hard at all when you don't really understand the battle system, but the effort you put into it (especially when something crops up for a plot and you're already drawn into the plot) only gets you a pittance. If different tiered opponents were geared specifically for different tiered pets as Greg suggested - especially if you could battle multiple opponents, as I think would be best - then I think the item types should match in rewards. If there's a weapons drop, make it a weapons drop on all tiers. If there's a wearable drop, or a booster, or a plushie, or really-anything-else, on one tier, put another wearable, or booster, or plushie, or really-anything-else in the other tiers. Tier 2 absolutely doesn't need to have the same end-game as Tier 10, that's ridiculous - but I also don't think Tier 2 should be relegated to TC fodder alone.

Battling has a stigma of being complicated and those who do it are elitist, but most of the battlers aren't and a lot of us love to help out new people. I'd be glad to try to help you too btw :)

I do hate how current global bosses are set up, and a suggestion such as this would fall into the same pitfalls that global bosses do now. They are discouraging for newer battlers. the last plot had one mandatory challenger which could be beaten with a brand new pet. Other challengers were optional. I don't really know if having multiple site bosses would even be possible.

To me it just feels like people who don't train their pet want the prizes but don't want to do what other users do the rest of the year. I think things could be revamped a bit to make it more inclusive to all pets, but staff has already said they can't give put dofferent prizes for each tier because of the sheer number of items they would need as prizes.

For an event like subeta birthday, I don't think a site boss is the way to go really as much as I'd like one. Maybe some pinata challengers of varying difficulties, but not a global boss.

[edit] sorry if this post was kinda jumpy or it didn't make sense, I should really not type long posts while on my phone.

ALL THE GUIDES. I NEED EVERY GUIDE. And someone to pet my hair and hum Muse songs to me when I get disenchanted. I started training Krail, realized I lacked balance, panicked, stopped, and am trying again. My only frame of reference was that when I was on Neopets like, eight or nine years ago, I was marginal-at-best at battling there, too. So I'm basically flying blind.

I do agree universal bosses do more harm than good, in breaking users into battling. Universal bosses trick me into thinking "Oh hey, I beat a couple of the low end ones, I'll give it a shot!" And then it ends in heartbreak. I think that, more than anything else, is why I liked Greg's mention of varying tiered opponents as a separate, additional birthday feature.

Ok I think I addressed points and didn't leave any unfinished sentences, but editing long posts on my phone is a nightmare, so this is a crap shoot.

if you are serious about needing guides and stuff, comment me, I can link you to them and help you out with whatever you do need. neo battling is less intuitive imo. I understand here much better.

I think if we wanted a site wide friendly to everyone pinata birthday boss thing, it should be a mock battle where your HA fights with some fake weapons.

I'll save my opinions on how we should promote battling to more users and stuff as it's far off topic. but really I'd appreciate moving away from floating items because they're kinda boring x) though idk, since you can now frag seasonal items, I wouldn't really mind floating items, unless whatever replaces them makes it easier to get more items

This argument is kind of a catch 22. To give non-battlers access to the same prizes as the battlers is rendering the battling pointless thus cancelling it out but to involve battling any other way will be favoring battlers because they have the advantage. Even if the battler and non-battler prizes are different there are always going to be non-battlers who will covet a battle prize but how many battlers are really going to want the prize just to sell it?

So no matter what angle you look at it from the most sensible way to make an event fair to all players is to NOT involve battling.

On a different note, since I don't use Subeta on my phone I don't have any complaints about the floating items and I agree with that we don't need another Holiday's version of the Pumpkin Patch which is essentially what a pinata would be without battling elements.

Battling usually should reward the ones making the most efforts

However, the challengers people are asking for are pinatas.

Pinatas give the same kind of things, no matter how hard you bat them.

So, I think only one low-level pinata should be released. High HP, low everything else, because it's a pinata. People with strong pets can one shot it, while people with weaker pets can defeat it in a longer period of time

Have you looked for a bird for the bird watching daily? Those are an example of floating items

I had a feeling it was something like that! Thought it might be more complicated but I guess not. Thank you for clarifying :)