August 10 News and Multiple Account Rule Update

[everconfused]

If you haven't read today's News, there's a "clarification" of the Multiple Account Rule.

10th August

Multiple Account Clarification
Many people seem to be confused about the multiple accounts rule so we thought we would try to clear things up. You are allowed to have up to five accounts, but you cannot use them to gain an unfair advantage over other users (ie. playing Flash Games or Restocking). The extra accounts are to be used only for non-Neopoint making activities such as posting boards, making galleries or storage accounts. If you are found to be doing this, you will be warned, and very likely frozen.

So we now know that you cannot play games for a fact. The no restocking is in the T&C, but it's nice to have that repeated.

What this doesn't address, and why I put the clarification in " " is the what can you do or not do re: having a shop, using the tp/auctions, transferring np/items FROM main to other (shop upgrades, gallery stuff, food, etc.) and the whole trophy thing. What it says in the News is "non-Neopoint making activities"...so it sounds like we can't. But how the heck do you support a gallery or other (guild/lab) if it's not your main account?

I wrote to Support and this is what I basically asked:

Thank you for the August 10 News multiple accounts clarification on not playing games or restocking on other accouts (which I always thought was against the Rules, along with doing any dailies). There are people who have gotten emails from Support saying that it is ok to play games on other accounts and to "switch days" to do the dailies, so the News clears that question up.

I do have a question, and I've seen alot of people ask this. Are we allowed to sell items in a gallery or shop, use the trading post and auctions to sell items just to support a second account? No sending np to the main account; any np would stay in that second account.

I got an email from Support saying you can set a trade up in your second account and bid on it from your main account to send needed np (shop upgrades, things like that and gallery items bought on main account, food, etc. for your second account and pets there) and that you can put an overpriced item in your gallery and "buy" it on your main account as a way to support your second account.

I want to be sure that this is allowed. Otherwise, I don't know how you would upgrade your shop size, etc. I'm not talking about transferring millions of np!

The only other confusion I have is regarding BC/site/pet/gallery spotlites and "wars". If a pet, petpage or gallery is on our second account are we allowed to enter the spotlite on that account? I ask because if you won, that would involve getting a trophy and some np. The same question with the "wars" where you can get a shield/trophy for beating so many opponents, or just signing up on one side. I don't battle, but it seems to fall into the trophy question.

Thank you

[shapu]

Just send money to guild accounts - that should be OK. I don't think they've ever mentioned that it's against the rules to buy overpriced items from one account to get it money.

[Ammer]

My question is, how about people who play on the same computer? If a family is sharing a computer on Neopets than they're more likely to do dailies, restock, play games etc... It doesn't clear that fact up. Anyone sharing a computer with a family member can be frozen for cheating.

[Moogum]

I have no idea what to do for my situation. I wish I hadn't put a gallery on my main account. I only use my second account to sell the stuff I get in my main (gallery) account, and then I send all the NP back to my main account. It's not like I'm gaining an unfair advantage. I don't play games or restock in my second (shop) account. It's as if I'm just selling the stuff I find in my main account, however the shop is just on a seperate account.

I think I need to re-e-mail support with this one...

[coming2atvnearu]

So nice of them to reclarify what we already know instead of clarifying what they don't tell us.

[Xil]

My question is, how about people who play on the same computer? If a family is sharing a computer on Neopets than they're more likely to do dailies, restock, play games etc... It doesn't clear that fact up. Anyone sharing a computer with a family member can be frozen for cheating.

Well, theres some clear give aways for this, even though they can be manipulated. I'm sure Mommy, Joejoe and Sally don't all use the same email account. A lot of people who sue multiple accounts to generate NP aren't smart enough to be creative with their Names.

My Brother, Mum, and I have been sharing a computer for Neopets for over three years, we've been fine and I'm sure you will too, Ammer.

[everconfused]

I have no idea what to do for my situation. I wish I hadn't put a gallery on my main account. I only use my second account to sell the stuff I get in my main (gallery) account, and then I send all the NP back to my main account. It's not like I'm gaining an unfair advantage. I don't play games or restock in my second (shop) account. It's as if I'm just selling the stuff I find in my main account, however the shop is just on a seperate account.

I think I need to re-e-mail support with this one...

Moogum, the disadvantage in your situation (and why my gallery isn't my main account) is that if you have things to sell that aren't "trade-worthy" you have really hard time selling them...so yes, sending those to your second account and selling them in your shop there does make sense. But no, you should never, ever send np to your main account - that's a red flag big time.

On the other hand, you can play games, sell higher priced things - tp/auctions and maybe even in your gallery (priced a bit cheaper people will look for things), do the dailies on your gallery. I can't do dailies/play games - the only way for me (and many others) to support my gallery is to sell things or transfer from my main to my gallery account.

You can also clearly enter the gallery spotlite -- something I'm not sure I'd be allowed to do because winning (HA!) involves a trophy and np - the rules say no trophies on other accounts.

Someone had brought up the idea of entering, but saying that it wasn't the main account, that name is...so if you got a trophy it would be on your main account lookup -- but that makes no sense really. Why have a trophy on an account that you didn't get it on?

The multiple players on one computer -- I hear you all on that one. I've stopped doing the dailies - period - on my main account. I buy omelettes and send them to my other accout, don't visit tombola, etc. Why? Because a friend of mine uses my computer for Neo. I don't know what dailies she does do and I know she does't play every day - about 3 times a week. But I'm not taking any chances. Who me? Paranoid?

I worry about games too. They used to have your email addy in the game url, then went to date of birth - now it just has username. So if I play some games on my main account in the afternoon, then she comes over at night and plays games (we do play some of the same games), are we in jeopardy? I don't think so, but you don't know anymore!

I'd really like to see the "earning" thing and spotlite/war/contest/multiple players on one computer issues cleared up.

[Mystique]

A lot of people who sue multiple accounts to generate NP aren't smart enough to be creative with their Names.

true indeed. that is one pattern they look for to tell if the accounts belong to different players or one player, other than email address.

[VirtualMetal]

Don't know what you're all worried about honestly. I've had my gallery accounts for years and I trade np when needed for shop upgrades and send all the gallery items there. Don't play games on them anymore (Apart from sometimes I did but then I don't play on my main account)


The rule really is to stop people cheating and is not that complicated.

Oh and about the multiple users on the same ip. Well, where I live me and my housemate and other people use the computers. I know me and him use it and my family do when they are round. We are all networked but all on the same ip. I've told this to neostaff and they said it's fine. It would be pretty obvious if we were cheating since everything he earned from dailys would be going to me if we were or vice versa. Since most stuff he earns goes into our gallery (Which is fine for us to do a joint, since I asked.) or on his pets. Theres is nothing for us to be worried about.

If you're not cheating, then theres no need to be so paranoid. If you have a few people using the same computer, why not email them to let them know?

Even so though. How many public computers must have several users on the same ip logging in and out of neopets every day? A lot of people would be frozen if they were really so bad.

[everconfused]

Hi Virtual

Yes, I did email to let Neo know that there were 2 different people using one computer - gave them the usernames, etc. I did that right before Advent, as it was my friend's first year for that and I wanted to alert them so no one would think I (or my friend) was cheating, trying to get more than one thing. Did get an answer that it was fine and I do have it saved -- just in case.

The biggest thing the update in the News said today was that you can't play games on other accounts. Alot of people have been doing that. Whenever someone asks about multi accounts on the boards, there are always people who say they play games on all their accounts, some every day, not the play on one account one day, another account the next.

I've never played games on any other accounts -- too time consuming to play on more than one, my hands would never stand for it, and I always did think it was against the rules. But now we know it definitely is.

I'm also not too concerned about using the tp to "trade" between my gallery and main account - I never transfer much in np - enough for like 2 shop upgrades and some stuff for my gallery. I also only do it once or twice a month. It's whether we're allowed to have shops, auctions, trades in general on other accounts. There are some big players (no names, but you can guess at least some of them) who have numerous accounts (more than 5) and have set themselves up a "mall" linking all the shops on all those accounts. They gotta be making alot of np on all those accounts!

But I guess as long as they're not sending any of the np to their main account, then it's ok? Seems to be...

[bgryph]

My interpretation of the rules as stated would be that having shops on multiple accounts would be fine, provided you only restocked on the primary account. (After all, it's the restocking that is the actually NP earning activity... where you sell it doesn't affect your income.)

Which doesn't mean that transferring large whacks of NP from a secondary account store to the primary account wouldn't trip a lot of red flags and result in a freezing even if it is technically legal.

Of course, it would be nice if the new "clarified" rules were clear enough that we didn't have to try to interpret them. :-)

[Fool Hi]

i remember before, theneopetsteam said that you CAN sell items in your shop, since the neopoints you get dont come out of thin air, unlike playing games or so

[Nani]

Well, it's a start to put the basic stuff out in the open at least, so I don't have to put up with new people reporting me because I have three accounts.

[Mystique]

the clarification mentioned flash games...what about non-flash games?

[Xil]

the clarification mentioned flash games...what about non-flash games?

Since Non-flash games can be used as a source for NP, I doubt they're allowed to be used on more than one account.