Choices: Sell, trade, use.

[thelonetiel]

Right after customization was released, I was rather fond of the new draiks and I bought a draik egg. I've not used it, so in addition to gathering dust it's also accumulated a hefty price tag about between 8 and 9 mil. e_e

1) Part of me wants to sell, particularly before TNT decides to do something about inflation. In selling, I could buy four royal paintbrushes, essentially finishing my accounts, which would cost only 7 mil so I'd have some money left over. I'd have three finished pets, but since all three look okay right now, I'm not in a huge rush. This would leave me with a pretty peophin on my main (Female RB, with RG clothes, so two brushes there), a side account permanent lab rat as a Royalboy Kyrii, and another pet morphed into a Royalboy Gelert.

2) Then, if I hatched the egg, I'd be able to try to trade for an unconverted pet. But, from what I've seen on the trade boards, most of the UCs that I want probably wouldn't be traded for a mere basic, well named draik. However, I'm never going to get another draik or krawk, and I'm too noble and attached to my unconverted pets to trade them, so this might be my last chance at some UC pets. This would leave me with lots of frustration that might eventually get me another new, pretty pet.

3) Of course, I'm also fond of draiks and I'd have fun with a new character. I could trade it for a morphing potion and morph a current pet, maybe in place of the double painted royal peo mentioned above. I'm thinking I could create a well named draik, then try to trade him and if unsuccessful, could keep him for myself. But, I have no personalities in mind, and that's a lot of money that I could use elsewhere if I sold it instead.


Those are my ideas, in a nut shell. If anyone has any comments, insights, whatever, I'd be very grateful to hear them. I've been stuck on this for months and it isn't getting any easier. What would you all do, if you had a draik egg burning a hole in your pocket? x_X

[Rah]

Which UC pets are you specifically after? You'd have little to no chance in getting a royal/plushie (unless it was VVVVVVBN) but if you're looking for grey/darigan etc pets then you'd have a pretty good chance, actually.

[covet]

You can get most grey or darigan, and a good number of UC faerie pets for a basic draik. If there's a specific UC dream thats not too out there, I might go the hatch and trade option.

I don't honestly believe TNT will ever do anything about inflation. Considering the current editorial talks about Thyora's Tear costing 70mil like that's just dandy, I really don't see them turning their hand to making Draiks more affordable, much as I really, really wish they would. So far their inflation busters have been on the little things like codestones, maps and low-demand PBs.

I don't know what your savings are like. If you're going to be able to afford the Royal PBs by other means, creating a pet to see if you get attached, and trading if not, doesn't sound like a bad idea. If it will take years to save up for the PBs and you know those are dream pets, I'd be more inclined to sell.

There's no need to rush it, though. You can always advertise for the UC pets you like on the pound board, and see if you particularly like any of the offers you get.

[Larkspurlane]

I want to see your answer to Rah's question before I answer.

[thelonetiel]

I'd be most interested in some UC royals or plushies, which Rah's right, aren't likely to be found for simple (if well named) draik. While there are many of the "cheaper" UCs I like, I can't think of many that I'd feel satisfied trading for. Darigan Bori, perhaps (it still chafes that I didn't get mine before customization). Granted, if I ended up hatching and not finding a WN Dari Bori, I'd probably happily go with a few other easier to find pets...

But, Covet, you bring up a good point. I have about a mil in the bank and a little more than that in stocks. With patience I'll get to a single royal paintbrush, especially if I sell some more item assets, but I'd probably not worry about more than one. But, none of the paint jobs I'm in a rush to complete, since I need to zap a few more outfits on my main before painting a peo even one shade of royal, the other two are much less concrete. It just happened that my "If I had unlimited Neopoints!" plan came out to four royal PBs. x)

Is there any taboo against advertising uncreated customs? Someone mentioned here it wasn't cool, but it doesn't seem to bother the neoboards. All the same, I'd rather not become the test case for TNT if they've shown misgivings.

[Ailiel]

Nope, advertise away your uncreated custom pets. It was in an editorial. In fact I would definitely advertise the draik as a custom vs. already hatched, because it makes the pet more appealing when the new owner can choose a name.

For the Peophin, you know about the lab zap trick, right? When you zap a gender change on a royal girl, you get a full on royal boy, clothes and all. I'm sure you do but I'm just checking. It might be more economical; then again, it could also end up costing! As if you need more decisions to weigh on your mind.

As to whether or not to use that egg, I can't help you there. If it was me, I would likely attempt to trade it for an unconverted pet. And a badly named mutant draik was traded on the pound chat for a fairly well named UC darigan krawk, so you never know! Also (for instance) someone was trying to trade their WNed UC royalgirl for a UC faerie pet (name picky). Draiks still command around there (I've been in the pound chat regularly lately, working on some pets!). The problem is that the pool of unconverted pets is finite, it's just what it is, but there will always be more draik and krawk potions/pet pets/eggs. Basically what I'm saying is if you think you might like to try and trade, UC royals and plushies aren't completely out of reach for a custom draik just yet. But they will be very soon.

[thelonetiel]

Ailiel, I hadn't ever heard of a confirmed instance of gender change getting you clothing, but that'd definitely be something I'd be willing to try.

I went ahead and started looking for trades, since I can always pull out and sell, with decent offers. But it is somewhat infuriating, that a Grey Uni now "costs" the same as a draik - or an equivalant 8 mil, and you used to be able to zap them. I actually have a Grey Uni labrat, which taunts me with the 80x80 pics in the search and zapping stages. Blaah.

[covet]

It's entirely ridiculous. That royal pets, which cost their original owners 1.75 mil now almost never go for less than a maraquan draik is insane. There are some plushies and royals you simply can't get without a plushie or royal of equal rarity - literally unbuyable pets.

I traded my own maraquan draik (because I hadn't been overly attached and I plan to turn another of my pets into one one day) to eventually get my royalgirl kyrii, but even having done that, I'd be happiest if they came out with a way to let us revert all our pets if we choose to.

For anyone with an UC RG Aisha, for some reason the NC mall shop lets you try on clothing items even though she's UC. Several, like the wings and things, can look really good on UC pets. I'm sure it would increade, not dent their profits.

Anyway, blah blah blah thats another topic. Good luck, Tiel!

[thelonetiel]

Someone here has an avatar with the mechanical wings put on a UC Darigan Draik, and I'd definitely actually fork over some cash to get that. It looks awesome.

[Edit: Just went to the mall to see... And I can actually fit any wings in the mall on Zolais, my Darigan Draik. That's... Really cool. Now to figure out if they'll work in the real closet.]

And can you imagine if you could buy an item that made your pet UC (but probably not through trades)? I'd buy that from the NC Mall no problem.

I think TNT just thinks it's too late. Allowing pets to be unconverted would infuriate the masses who traded their legs for them. I'd personally find a nice poetic justice in that, but I'm guessing TNT doesn't want to step on more toes than needed.

[Cranberry]

I want to see screenies of (or links to) UC pets with NC Mall items! That sounds really neat.

[thelonetiel]

Zolais decked out in a few things. Obviously it is a glitch, since shoes, dresses, and such just appear behind him in the normal draik location, but the wings happen to fit perfectly.

Which stinks, cause they are pretty darn cool, I think.

[Cranberry]

That is neat! I tried some things on my UC faerie pteri, and they worked, too, although they all looked stupid because they showed up as they would on a converted pteri -- everything just floated behind Milo, in completely the wrong locations for him.

[covet]

You can't use them once they're in your actual closet, sadly. I don't really understand why.

And the wings actually look better on UC dari draiks (I tried them on Morilane, too) than they do on most four legged pets. I can't put wings on my lab pet while she's a lupe, it looks like they're stuck onto her far side, not her back.

[champagnesoup]

Ailiel, does the gender-change on Royal pets also apply to battling the Lab Ray Scientist so he changes your pet's gender?

[varii]

does the gender-change on Royal pets also apply to battling the Lab Ray Scientist so he changes your pet's gender?

No. It does change what eyes you have, but you do not get the clothes.