Advent Calendar, Y9

[adi_gallia]

I wish TNT would give some sort of hint about the sidebar. They insist it isn't random but it's really not reasonable to except us to figure it out when we only have one chance a year.

(I got it last year so I can't contribute any data on that score. It's well-established that it has nothing to do with collecting every day, though.)

To be honest I think TNT are either liars or there was once a way to get it but there isn't now. The past two years I've visited every day and got the Sidebar. I can't remember if I visited every day before that. But we've heard of people getting it and they hadn't visited every day.

This December I haven't done anything remotely special on Neopets except zap and play Qasalan Expellibox so I can't imagine what I did that would separate myself from those that didn't get it. I have both of the avatars given by the Advent Calendar since I visited every day but I'm guessing Will has both and he didn't get it.

My theory is that it actually is random, no matter what TNT says.

[nanabobo567]

No sidebar for me, regardless of how it's gotten. Perhaps it has something to do with some prompt from your pet? I 'unno. Whatever, the animation today was the best ever.

[Darigan]

I wish TNT would give some sort of hint about the sidebar. They insist it isn't random but it's really not reasonable to except us to figure it out when we only have one chance a year.

I didn't try "everything" to get the sidebar.
I collected the items everyday (last year I lost the first few days, the previous one I may have missed one or two)
My pets were all delighted on the 31th, some people say they must be always delighted, but some o them got sick and hungry during the month, so if it has anything to do with the sidebar it's only the last day.
Some people say you have to get something with the word snow on your inventory. I didn't try to do it but after getting the bar I noticed the snow pyramid was still there. (Did you have yours on your inventory, Illuen?)
Also, I got the items just past midnight, so maybe there is a limited amount to be distributed.

[Ailiel]

Well, I never got it previous years, and I got it this year. And I have played the advent ever year since it came out. I would have been really upset if I didn't get it, it is the ONLY sidebar I'm missing (except for premium, that one doesn't count to me because you have to pay). And now I've got it!

The only thing that I did this year specifically was collect my items faithfully, every day. That's it. I got it.

I filled out avatarlog's little survey thing about it. Anyone else who did or didn't get the sidebar today should check it out, it's not too difficult.

EDIT: I collected at 11:44 a.m. NST, and collected my items in general all over the clock. Some days I stayed up until right when it came out, some days it was the very last thing I did before bed.

I had, amongst a bunch of other things, a peach snowball in my inventory. No Christmas or advent calendar items besides that.

My pet was "joyful" and "very full." Other pets were content and delighted. Nothing special there.

Honestly the ONLY thing I can think that I did differently this year to the last two years was collect the items every day. I think that is key.

[Darigan]

Here is the link to the avatarlog survey in case anyone else would like to help:
http://avatar.starried.net/wintersidebar.php

I too suspect collecting the items everyday is probably the ONLY requirement.
The first time I did it I got the sidebar.
Around 98% of the people who got the sidebar, according to avatralog had collected items everyday. All other possible requirements are met by 40/60% people, so that doesn't count.

The last 2% that claimed to have collected everyday but didn't get the site theme is probably composed of people who didn't take the survey seriously or missed a day and forgot.

I'm still interested in hearing from Illuen. He didn't get the site theme, would like to know if he missed at least a day or not.

[Wingsrising]

That can't be the only requirement, though, since tons of people who collect every day don't get the sidebar (including me, the first year). And lots of people who don't have snow pets, snowballs, or snow items in their inventory get the sidebar (including me, last year).

I don't think TNT is lying to us, but it may be that someone somewhere was misinformed and passed on wrong information and it really is random. Or the requirements are so weird that it might as well be random.

EDIT: Nope, Darigan. I have collected every since AC item every single day since I started playing the site and I still didn't get the winter sidebar the first year it was given out. And according to the avatarlog data, 21% of people who didn't get the sidebar last year also collected every day. It could be necessary (although there is that annoying 3% who say they missed a day and still got the sidebar, although I could believe they were misremembering) but it's certainly not sufficient.

Looking at that data, it does look like collecting every day is the only thing that's different between the two groups. (That and having the two advent calendar avatars, but I'm sure that's an artifact of having collected every day, as everyone who collected every day will have both avatars) but if it's not random than there must be some other factor that we just haven't thought of yet.

[Illuen]

I didn't get it.

Again.

Fuck you TNT x.X.

Have you missed a day?
At what time did you try?

I've not missed a day of the AC since 2004 =D. I collected 8:30ish EST, so 5:30 NST.

I think TNT just hates me *sigh*,

[adi_gallia]

I've not missed a day of the AC since 2004 =D. I collected 8:30ish EST, so 5:30 NST.

I think TNT just hates me *sigh*,

Ouch I really can't think why you wouldn't have got it then.

I'm pretty sure it's been disproved, but I just checked and it turns out I actually had items containing the words Christmas, Snow and Ice in my inventory. Well "Journey to the Lost Isle Snowglobe" and "Iced Ceiling Fan" were my Snow and Ice items.

[Cranberry]

I got it last year... collected every day but didn't have any special items in my inventory or anything like that. I can't remember any more specifics, but my pets are always bloated and delighted thanks to the lodge.

[Nectaris]

Your pets being happy has nothing to do with it, unless it is just your active pet that counts. I got the theme this year, yet one of my pets was unhappy because of a disease from the Quasalan Expelibox.

[Cyaneus]

I've never gotten it. I missed two days this year because I took a trip out west. Which is a pity because it's the site theme I've wanted most since they released it.

[Ken]

How about warnings? The first year it came out, I had a warning, went and collected my last prize, and didn't get the sidebar. Next year, I had no warnings, collected my prize, and got the sidebar. Maybe thats it? Maybe you have to be good all year and collect all your prizes to get it.

[oogabooga]

I've never had a warning in my life, and I didn't get it till this year. And I think I'd collected every day in previous years, though I can't be sure.

[Ailiel]

I think it's one of those things that you have to be SURE, 100% sure, you collected every day. This year I made sure that I did, and kept all my prizes in my SDB and tallied them up in the end to make sure I had them. I can't be sure if that's the ONLY requirement, but it definitely seems to play a big part in whether you get the sidebar or not.

I actually forgot and thought you got the sidebar on Christmas Day, so when I went on the 25th and did not get the sidebar I got a little upset. Then I remembered it was the last day.

[Wingsrising]

It's definitely not the only requirement (I am totally, completely, and 100% sure I've collected every AC prize since the day I started playing Neo, and I didn't get the sidebar the first year) but it does seem to be one of the requirements.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything else the two groups (sidebar getting and non-sidebar getting) differ on.

I'd like to see the avatarlog data broken down comparing JUST the people who collected every day and did get the sidebar to the people who collected everyday and didn't get the sidebar. Maybe I should email them to suggest it.