My GoPets Guide ^^
Oct. 26th, 2005 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windandwaterBwahaha... checking my Referrals to GoPets all day has made me very happy. Bwehehehe. >:3
And now, because I don't want people who DID sign up to be confused, here is a quick (okay, maybe wordy) guide to GoPets and getting started. I have a bunch of other info and stuff on my blog on GoPets, about food items and stuff, so I suggest you look at that, too. ^^ But here we go, from the very beginning of signing up, to earning more Shells.
WHAT IS GOPETS?
Like I said before, GoPets is sort of like a cross between Gaia Online and Neopets. You get to choose (and design) your own pet (a cat or dog so far) and take care of them. There's food, clothes, toys, and other stuff to buy for your pet to keep them happy and healthy. GoPets originated in South Korea IIRC, so there's a definite Asian flare to everything.
The thing that makes GoPets unique is that your pet can actually VISIT other users who have similar interests as you. So, as you keep your Client Window up and running, not only will YOUR pet be on the screen to interact with, but other peoples' pets will visit, or your pet might run off to visit other people. It's really important to have a good profile, so that your pet knows what kinds of people to visit. And having Friends gives your pet a place to go as well.
Ha! And you don't have to interact with the people you friend. I certainly don't if I don't have to. I got a LOT of friends requests and just friended back to give my Kyuu a place to go. I've only really written messages or IKUs to about three or four people.
SIGNING UP AND THE USER CLIENT CONSOLE
First of all, you have to sign up and join GoPets. That's pretty basic with choosing usernames and such. After that, you need to download the GoPets Client program. Basically, the program (which is somewhere around 20MB) includes the Main Client Console which you need to connect and play with your pet, and a specialized sort of browser that runs when you click on the buttons in your client.
You need to be connected to the internet to run the client and interact with your pet. You can also sign onto the site using a regular web browser, but your pet won't be around to play with, though you can do all the regular profile updating/blogging/buying food and items from just your regular web browser. Frankly, I find it easier to use my IE (I don't like Firefox STFU) to sign onto the website and buy/blog/message, etc. because the GoPets browser is kinda slow and sucky. Maybe it's just my dial-up connection though.
Ah, and the website is sorta slow and laggy sometimes. Depends on the time of the day. GoPets also announces server downtimes for updates and such. When you first launch your client, it will automatically look for new patches or updates first. If you get an error during this phase and the download stops, just wait a bit and keep trying. It'll work eventually.
The first time you run your client after installing, you get to create your pet. That's pretty cool because you get to design their fur and stuff. Easy once you see the application, just go for what you like best.
RUNNING THE CLIENT CONSOLE AND BASICS WHEN YOU FIRST SIGN ON
Then! Actually signing on! Once you have your pet and you sign in and your client connects, you get to choose if you want your pet in a window or on your desktop. I keep Kyuu in a window because I do other stuff online, so that's how I'll be describing everything. So... two windows should pop up at first.
One window will be the window where your pet (and visiting pets) will be. The window will have the default "wallpaper" background of a grassy park with flowers. Your pet will "fall" from the top of the window and wave at you. A little Nameplate will float above your pet's head and show his name and your location (that you indicated in your profile). The Nameplates float above ALL pets' heads, and you can just close them or set up in your Client Console to not show nameplates.
One window will be labeled "Main" and that is your Client Console. That is what you use to interact with your pet. There's a diagram and description in the FAQs on the GoPets site; or you can click on the litte "?" button in the header, which will bring up the Help. The "Options" button has the basic options for running GoPets, like whether to show Nameplates or the Tip of the Day; you can also limit the number of visiting pets, and whether they need your permission before visiting.
The buttons are pretty self-explanatory, so I won't go into them much. But, I WILL go into some very important buts of GoPets that can be confusing.
INVENTORY
Your Inventory will, of course, hold everything that you buy for your pet from food to clothes to bathing supplies. When you first sign up and get your pet, your Inventory will automatically be given a small supply of Pet Food, Water, Fortune Cookies, and other things. One important gift is the MAGIC BOX. Open it whenever you feel like, but in it will be quite a few items, depending on your luck. My Magic Box had 13 different items in it, from foods to clothes, to different Nameplates. But, because it depends on luck, the number of items you get can vary, and you might get clothing items that won't fit on your pet (I got a number of Dog clothes, even though I have a Cat). But don't worry! You can just sell or trade those items later. :3
Your Inventory has one default Storage Box called "Delivery". Everything will be there, and if you buy stuff using a web browser and while not being logged into the GoPets Client Console, the items you buy will automatically be "delivered" to you once you DO sign onto the Client. You can also make new Storage Boxes to keep things organized; just click the "New" button.
Whenever you have a delivery or buy new things, they will be highlighted in the color Pink. When you click on an item, it will turn Orange. Double-clicking an item will either:
1) Send it into your pet's Window; i.e.: if it is food or drink or a toy, the item will show up in the middle of the grass.
OR
2) Open up a window for you to choose options or read a message. For example, when you double-click the Magic Box to get the items, a window pops up to announce how many items you got. Then you have to go check your Inventory Deliveries to see what exactly you got.
WHAT THE HELL IS IKU?
IKU is the totally iconic language of GoPets. Because the site is international, it recognizes that not everyone speaks English. So, you can send messages to people using IKU. You can also send Shells or items to other people through IKU. All you do is open your inventory and drag the item into an IKU bubble.
You will most likely see IKUs mostly from HoLeeChow. HoLeeChow is the Admin account for sending fortunes to people. Whenever your pet (or any other pet on your screen) eats a Fortune Cookie, you will get an IKU from HoLeeChow. You open it up, and read the fortune, and see what prize you won! I'll go into this in more detail later.
SHELLS: WHAT THEY'RE FOR AND HOW TO GET MORE
Shells are the currency for GoPets. There are three types of Shells: Green, Pink, and Gold. When you first join GoPets, you automatically get 50 Green Shells (IIRC).
The Green you earn just for being logged into your Client. You get Greens very easily just by being online, updating your profile, and feeding your pet and any visiting pets, etc. You also might get Greens if your pet eats a Green Tea Fortune Cookie. The Pink Shells are earned by contributing creatively to the site; i.e. through making IKUs, writing Testimonials, and you can also earn Pinks by feeding your pet certain types of foods. You could possibly earn Pinks by feeding your pet Strawberry Fortune Cookies. The Gold Shells are the hardest to earn. You can get them as a prize if your pet eats a regular Fortune Cookie, or certain types of foods. Mainly though, you need to BUY Gold Shells or buy a Premium Account.
While the site says that the Shells don't really have a conversion rate, I've seen that most people on GoPets have the following conversion rates for the shells:
1000 Green = 100 Pink = 1 Gold
Different items on GoPets cost different amounts. There's some items you can't buy unless you have a certain type of Shell. Of course, most of the nicer clothing items cost Gold. But you can find a number of foods and drinks that cost Greens or Pinks, or a combination. When you check the prices of things in the stores, remember that the price listed isn't a CHOICE; you have to have ALL the types of Shells. For example, something that's labeled:
1 Gold 30 Pink 100 Green
... means you have to have ALL those amounts of Shells, not just pick which type of Shells you want to use to pay.
So, Shells are very important. Your pet won't die of hunger or thirst or anything, so don't worry about how long it takes to earn Shells. However, I have a tutorial to earning Shells. I found this method through melmel's blog on GoPets.
GETTING GREENS --
To earn Greens, start out by going to the Pet Store and just buying Pet Food, Water and Milk. Feed your pet AND visiting pets with these as much as you can. You earn Greens everytime a pet eats or drinks, and you get a small return on each food item. ^^ I'm experimenting on how much you get in return for food types in my blog, but really, just stick with the Pet Food and Water. Once you get a nice number of Greens, you can also start giving pets Apple Juice to drink from Fresh Squeezed Juices, which returns more Greens (but is also more expensive than Water or Milk).
Slowly, but surely, you will be earning Greens.
PICKING UP PINKS --
Once you have alot of Greens (say around 500), you can start earning Pinks. Go to the store Korean Traditional Drinks and buy Ogapi Tea. It costs 35 Green. Then go to Sweets by Nadia and buy Chocolate Mousse Cake, also for 35 Green. Whenever these items are eaten, you earn 1 Pink and 12 Green Shells. Slowly, you will earn Pink Shells. But don't forget to also feed pets Water and Pet Food and the basics! That way you can make sure to still keep getting Green Shells to continue to buy these more expensive foods.
GOLD IS GOOD --
After getting a good amount of Pinks and Greens, you can start earning Gold. To do this, start feeding your pets Strawberry Fortune Cookies from Xanadu Magic Ltd. They cost 60 Pinks, but you get a chance to earn Gold Shells. Remember to not stop feeding pets the other foods mentioned above to keep getting Greens and Pinks.
Once you have enough Gold Shells, you can start buying Fortune Cookies (1 Gold) and Green Tea Fortune Cookies (100 Green). If you're lucky, you can get Gold Shells from these, too. You could be lucky and earn Shells, or food items, or clothing items everytime a pet eats any type of these Fortune Cookies! The food items you can always sell in your Store, or feed to your pet for other Shells.
Or you can always, you know, buy the Gold Shells, if you don't want to wait. XD;;
YOUR PET AND YOU
One thing you have to remember about your pet is that YOU CAN'T MAKE IT DO ANYTHING IT DOESN'T WANT TO DO. Really. Your pet will basically take care of himself or herself. It will eat when it's hungry, drink when it's thirsty, bathe itself when it's dirty. The way you CAN interact with your pet is to... PET HIM! Just put your mouse pointer over your pet and it will turn into a little hand. Then little hearts will show up over your pet's head to show s/he likes it. Sometimes pets will roll onto their backs so you can rub their bellies. ^^ You can also pick up a pet and move it by clicking and dragging.
You can always check on the Status of your pet (or any pet) by right clicking on the pet and choosing "Pet's Status." The more the bars are filled up, the happier your pet is. Of course, some are BRATS and like to be dirty or go without food (Kyuu does this). The only thing you can do is make sure to make sure to keep food and drinks out for your pet to eat whenever he wants. And if you buy a Bathtub, you can leave it out for if your pet actually wants to be clean. XP
So... that's it! I think I covered most of the basics of GoPets, though I'm willing to go into more detail about stuff if people are still confused. ^^ Just tell me!
Ahahahaha... that got long. ^^;; You can also go to this other page that has some good information for GoPets.
And now, because I don't want people who DID sign up to be confused, here is a quick (okay, maybe wordy) guide to GoPets and getting started. I have a bunch of other info and stuff on my blog on GoPets, about food items and stuff, so I suggest you look at that, too. ^^ But here we go, from the very beginning of signing up, to earning more Shells.
WHAT IS GOPETS?
Like I said before, GoPets is sort of like a cross between Gaia Online and Neopets. You get to choose (and design) your own pet (a cat or dog so far) and take care of them. There's food, clothes, toys, and other stuff to buy for your pet to keep them happy and healthy. GoPets originated in South Korea IIRC, so there's a definite Asian flare to everything.
The thing that makes GoPets unique is that your pet can actually VISIT other users who have similar interests as you. So, as you keep your Client Window up and running, not only will YOUR pet be on the screen to interact with, but other peoples' pets will visit, or your pet might run off to visit other people. It's really important to have a good profile, so that your pet knows what kinds of people to visit. And having Friends gives your pet a place to go as well.
Ha! And you don't have to interact with the people you friend. I certainly don't if I don't have to. I got a LOT of friends requests and just friended back to give my Kyuu a place to go. I've only really written messages or IKUs to about three or four people.
SIGNING UP AND THE USER CLIENT CONSOLE
First of all, you have to sign up and join GoPets. That's pretty basic with choosing usernames and such. After that, you need to download the GoPets Client program. Basically, the program (which is somewhere around 20MB) includes the Main Client Console which you need to connect and play with your pet, and a specialized sort of browser that runs when you click on the buttons in your client.
You need to be connected to the internet to run the client and interact with your pet. You can also sign onto the site using a regular web browser, but your pet won't be around to play with, though you can do all the regular profile updating/blogging/buying food and items from just your regular web browser. Frankly, I find it easier to use my IE (I don't like Firefox STFU) to sign onto the website and buy/blog/message, etc. because the GoPets browser is kinda slow and sucky. Maybe it's just my dial-up connection though.
Ah, and the website is sorta slow and laggy sometimes. Depends on the time of the day. GoPets also announces server downtimes for updates and such. When you first launch your client, it will automatically look for new patches or updates first. If you get an error during this phase and the download stops, just wait a bit and keep trying. It'll work eventually.
The first time you run your client after installing, you get to create your pet. That's pretty cool because you get to design their fur and stuff. Easy once you see the application, just go for what you like best.
RUNNING THE CLIENT CONSOLE AND BASICS WHEN YOU FIRST SIGN ON
Then! Actually signing on! Once you have your pet and you sign in and your client connects, you get to choose if you want your pet in a window or on your desktop. I keep Kyuu in a window because I do other stuff online, so that's how I'll be describing everything. So... two windows should pop up at first.
One window will be the window where your pet (and visiting pets) will be. The window will have the default "wallpaper" background of a grassy park with flowers. Your pet will "fall" from the top of the window and wave at you. A little Nameplate will float above your pet's head and show his name and your location (that you indicated in your profile). The Nameplates float above ALL pets' heads, and you can just close them or set up in your Client Console to not show nameplates.
One window will be labeled "Main" and that is your Client Console. That is what you use to interact with your pet. There's a diagram and description in the FAQs on the GoPets site; or you can click on the litte "?" button in the header, which will bring up the Help. The "Options" button has the basic options for running GoPets, like whether to show Nameplates or the Tip of the Day; you can also limit the number of visiting pets, and whether they need your permission before visiting.
The buttons are pretty self-explanatory, so I won't go into them much. But, I WILL go into some very important buts of GoPets that can be confusing.
INVENTORY
Your Inventory will, of course, hold everything that you buy for your pet from food to clothes to bathing supplies. When you first sign up and get your pet, your Inventory will automatically be given a small supply of Pet Food, Water, Fortune Cookies, and other things. One important gift is the MAGIC BOX. Open it whenever you feel like, but in it will be quite a few items, depending on your luck. My Magic Box had 13 different items in it, from foods to clothes, to different Nameplates. But, because it depends on luck, the number of items you get can vary, and you might get clothing items that won't fit on your pet (I got a number of Dog clothes, even though I have a Cat). But don't worry! You can just sell or trade those items later. :3
Your Inventory has one default Storage Box called "Delivery". Everything will be there, and if you buy stuff using a web browser and while not being logged into the GoPets Client Console, the items you buy will automatically be "delivered" to you once you DO sign onto the Client. You can also make new Storage Boxes to keep things organized; just click the "New" button.
Whenever you have a delivery or buy new things, they will be highlighted in the color Pink. When you click on an item, it will turn Orange. Double-clicking an item will either:
1) Send it into your pet's Window; i.e.: if it is food or drink or a toy, the item will show up in the middle of the grass.
OR
2) Open up a window for you to choose options or read a message. For example, when you double-click the Magic Box to get the items, a window pops up to announce how many items you got. Then you have to go check your Inventory Deliveries to see what exactly you got.
WHAT THE HELL IS IKU?
IKU is the totally iconic language of GoPets. Because the site is international, it recognizes that not everyone speaks English. So, you can send messages to people using IKU. You can also send Shells or items to other people through IKU. All you do is open your inventory and drag the item into an IKU bubble.
You will most likely see IKUs mostly from HoLeeChow. HoLeeChow is the Admin account for sending fortunes to people. Whenever your pet (or any other pet on your screen) eats a Fortune Cookie, you will get an IKU from HoLeeChow. You open it up, and read the fortune, and see what prize you won! I'll go into this in more detail later.
SHELLS: WHAT THEY'RE FOR AND HOW TO GET MORE
Shells are the currency for GoPets. There are three types of Shells: Green, Pink, and Gold. When you first join GoPets, you automatically get 50 Green Shells (IIRC).
The Green you earn just for being logged into your Client. You get Greens very easily just by being online, updating your profile, and feeding your pet and any visiting pets, etc. You also might get Greens if your pet eats a Green Tea Fortune Cookie. The Pink Shells are earned by contributing creatively to the site; i.e. through making IKUs, writing Testimonials, and you can also earn Pinks by feeding your pet certain types of foods. You could possibly earn Pinks by feeding your pet Strawberry Fortune Cookies. The Gold Shells are the hardest to earn. You can get them as a prize if your pet eats a regular Fortune Cookie, or certain types of foods. Mainly though, you need to BUY Gold Shells or buy a Premium Account.
While the site says that the Shells don't really have a conversion rate, I've seen that most people on GoPets have the following conversion rates for the shells:
1000 Green = 100 Pink = 1 Gold
Different items on GoPets cost different amounts. There's some items you can't buy unless you have a certain type of Shell. Of course, most of the nicer clothing items cost Gold. But you can find a number of foods and drinks that cost Greens or Pinks, or a combination. When you check the prices of things in the stores, remember that the price listed isn't a CHOICE; you have to have ALL the types of Shells. For example, something that's labeled:
1 Gold 30 Pink 100 Green
... means you have to have ALL those amounts of Shells, not just pick which type of Shells you want to use to pay.
So, Shells are very important. Your pet won't die of hunger or thirst or anything, so don't worry about how long it takes to earn Shells. However, I have a tutorial to earning Shells. I found this method through melmel's blog on GoPets.
GETTING GREENS --
To earn Greens, start out by going to the Pet Store and just buying Pet Food, Water and Milk. Feed your pet AND visiting pets with these as much as you can. You earn Greens everytime a pet eats or drinks, and you get a small return on each food item. ^^ I'm experimenting on how much you get in return for food types in my blog, but really, just stick with the Pet Food and Water. Once you get a nice number of Greens, you can also start giving pets Apple Juice to drink from Fresh Squeezed Juices, which returns more Greens (but is also more expensive than Water or Milk).
Slowly, but surely, you will be earning Greens.
PICKING UP PINKS --
Once you have alot of Greens (say around 500), you can start earning Pinks. Go to the store Korean Traditional Drinks and buy Ogapi Tea. It costs 35 Green. Then go to Sweets by Nadia and buy Chocolate Mousse Cake, also for 35 Green. Whenever these items are eaten, you earn 1 Pink and 12 Green Shells. Slowly, you will earn Pink Shells. But don't forget to also feed pets Water and Pet Food and the basics! That way you can make sure to still keep getting Green Shells to continue to buy these more expensive foods.
GOLD IS GOOD --
After getting a good amount of Pinks and Greens, you can start earning Gold. To do this, start feeding your pets Strawberry Fortune Cookies from Xanadu Magic Ltd. They cost 60 Pinks, but you get a chance to earn Gold Shells. Remember to not stop feeding pets the other foods mentioned above to keep getting Greens and Pinks.
Once you have enough Gold Shells, you can start buying Fortune Cookies (1 Gold) and Green Tea Fortune Cookies (100 Green). If you're lucky, you can get Gold Shells from these, too. You could be lucky and earn Shells, or food items, or clothing items everytime a pet eats any type of these Fortune Cookies! The food items you can always sell in your Store, or feed to your pet for other Shells.
Or you can always, you know, buy the Gold Shells, if you don't want to wait. XD;;
YOUR PET AND YOU
One thing you have to remember about your pet is that YOU CAN'T MAKE IT DO ANYTHING IT DOESN'T WANT TO DO. Really. Your pet will basically take care of himself or herself. It will eat when it's hungry, drink when it's thirsty, bathe itself when it's dirty. The way you CAN interact with your pet is to... PET HIM! Just put your mouse pointer over your pet and it will turn into a little hand. Then little hearts will show up over your pet's head to show s/he likes it. Sometimes pets will roll onto their backs so you can rub their bellies. ^^ You can also pick up a pet and move it by clicking and dragging.
You can always check on the Status of your pet (or any pet) by right clicking on the pet and choosing "Pet's Status." The more the bars are filled up, the happier your pet is. Of course, some are BRATS and like to be dirty or go without food (Kyuu does this). The only thing you can do is make sure to make sure to keep food and drinks out for your pet to eat whenever he wants. And if you buy a Bathtub, you can leave it out for if your pet actually wants to be clean. XP
So... that's it! I think I covered most of the basics of GoPets, though I'm willing to go into more detail about stuff if people are still confused. ^^ Just tell me!
Ahahahaha... that got long. ^^;; You can also go to this other page that has some good information for GoPets.
