wildcat173, July 29, 2024 10:36 AM NST

Maybe they change based on the time of day? Just a guess!

artemisaltori, July 29, 2024 10:36 AM NST

they are raising prices on ONE BG item? 5 bucks for ONE BG ITEM? oh heck no

darlingsenpai, July 29, 2024 10:47 AM NST

5 united states dollary doos for a background, it better fill the whole petpage with animation and do my dailies for me

mothrey, July 29, 2024 10:47 AM NST

happy about the cookie! not too thrilled abt the super expensive backgrounds

nightshadeswiftswing, July 29, 2024 10:49 AM NST

From what I can see on the NC board there is nothing special or different about them. It just seems they’re going to start having pricing tiers depending on the quality of the artwork. Feels like a desperation move

charharr, July 29, 2024 10:54 AM NST

Coming soon:

Ultra Super Deluxe Backgrounds! - 1000NC!
Mega Ultra Super Deluxe Backgrounds! - 2000NC!

In one move TNT has brought back all the negative feelings of the NFT rubbish for me, and their arrogant response, after being excited for the Pet Styles and the plot and other positive changes

biediep, July 29, 2024 10:55 AM NST

Fancy little coathanger icon on those BGs, fancy price tag... but after trying them on, I'm not too impressed at all. Can't figure out why these would cost more than any other BG.

nightshadeswiftswing, July 29, 2024 10:56 AM NST

Other than apparently the 175nc background is not animated.
None of this feels good. I’m glad I already have a stockpile of nice background if they’re going to change the pricing on them going forward

darlingsenpai, July 29, 2024 11:00 AM NST

i hope these new backgrounds don't cause biases in the nc customization spotlight either, it's annoying enough seeing entries with a pet style and a background win over genuinely unique customization

purplebin, July 29, 2024 11:08 AM NST

They are not nicer than many NC BGs we already have, and the animation isn't even very good!
I was thinking maybe they could be used on more than one pet at once... I couldn't think of what else the Deluxe could mean. Turns out it's just the price.

purplebin, July 29, 2024 11:10 AM NST

I hope they make up for this nonsense with a spectacular Ruki Day!

snix_snix, July 29, 2024 11:30 AM NST

@nightshadeswiftswing - which is so weird, because the artwork on all three of these backgrounds is fairly weak, imo :/

it's giving real world: asking more money for a cheaper product

biediep, July 29, 2024 11:45 AM NST

I honestly wouldn't even pay the regular 200NC for these because I genuinely just don't like 'em that much. They're definitely not spectacular enough to be worth more than any other background. Even the animations are mediocre. More like the kind of stuff you get from the NC portion of an event.

Maybe if the trees next to the waterfalls in the summer night ones were really nicely detailed and animated as well.. then maybe I'd be willing to pay 250NC, 300NC tops, but 500 is ridiculous

fenix, July 29, 2024 11:49 AM NST

Those are not worth any more than any other BG out there. Maybe if it were as good as Stunning Moon, I could see that, but it's not. Those animated waterfalls look terrible.

nice try TNT, what a failure idea lol

krasavitsa, July 29, 2024 11:55 AM NST

These don't hold a candle to older NC backgrounds. The animations also aren't great. TNT need explain this goofy move.

spongegrundo, July 29, 2024 11:56 AM NST

Nothing special to past bgs. But if only they put that level of art quality on the plot comics...

blaze, July 29, 2024 12:06 PM NST

I think the increased price is fine IF that means the frequency of nice backgrounds locked behind as capsule bonuses is reduced (I doubt it). I rather pay the increased price then gamble on capsules for one.

sailormoon, July 29, 2024 12:06 PM NST

We asked for improved upcycling and instead we are given overpriced backgrounds? TNT keeps disappointing the users that spend real money.

blaze, July 29, 2024 12:10 PM NST

In addition to my comment above. A bonus capsule background generally trades for 3-5 caps or 600-1000 NC. So TNT pricing is cheaper than that assuming these backgrounds would have been locked behind as capsule bonuses.

katina_choovanski, July 29, 2024 12:18 PM NST

This is BULL-you know the rest! It's a slap in the face of faithful NC'ers. SLAP IN THE FACE! I'm so mad. This better not be the direction going forward, or I'm done.

shihtzu64, July 29, 2024 1:00 PM NST

i agree with blaze - this could be a good thing if it means more nice NC items that aren't locked behind gacha mechanics, and they are ultimately cheaper than having to trade or open multiple caps. but i don't know how many people would be willing to justify that kind of price tag unless these backgrounds are nicely animated along with the higher quality illustrations. i suppose we'll have to wait and see!

kimberdigi, July 29, 2024 1:01 PM NST

Super sad about these high priced items, absolutely ridiculous.

jessalynn, July 29, 2024 1:09 PM NST

Will this training cookie replace the original one?

shihtzu64, July 29, 2024 1:12 PM NST

adding to my last comment - i was under the impression that these backgrounds weren't animated at all, but they are! the summer day at the waterfall BG is pretty basic, but fine. the dreamy summer beach is nice, though the jumping delfins could look better. and then i actually really like the summer night at the waterfall background! again, it's pricey, but i would definitely consider it if i were making any new customs. i'd like to see them take more inspiration from fan favorites in the future, but if the super deluxe backgrounds are that quality or higher, then i don't think i mind them.

annw, July 29, 2024 1:18 PM NST

I needed a reason to stop buying more nc, and 5 dollars for a single bg gave me that reason. I definitely can't afford that price Sort of sorry I got premium during the sale. There was some place in the sale ad that mentioned getting a free monthly cookie, but that hasn't happened at all. Guess I will be only getting nc items sparingly going forward

armyfromnothing, July 29, 2024 1:40 PM NST

Yikes… coincides with crazy price hikes in tales of dacardia as items in the pretty parlor used to be a couple hundred neggs now at thousands

armyfromnothing, July 29, 2024 1:41 PM NST

Pearly* that also can be acquired with real currency

armyfromnothing, July 29, 2024 1:42 PM NST

We want a gift but only if it’s MONEY !!

spicylife, July 29, 2024 2:06 PM NST

Moooooo says the Neocash Cash Cows.

I personally am done with NC.

silvercaracal, July 29, 2024 2:10 PM NST

The new backgrounds, especially the 500 NC ones, are very heavily animated with lots of details. I think they're really pretty!

felinegurl, July 29, 2024 2:34 PM NST

still waiting for a fully functioning website several years later btw. clownery

faellie_ridiculous, July 29, 2024 3:12 PM NST

I purchased the Summer Night Bg. Thought it looked pretty. I'm not sure the quality is Super Deluxe, but I continue to buy NC items to support the site.

purrmeister, July 29, 2024 3:14 PM NST

Why do they continue to insist upon adding petpet animations into all their items, it makes it all feel like asset flips. If the "Deluxe" part let me turn off some animations, it may be worth the price

nightshadeswiftswing, July 29, 2024 3:54 PM NST

I think honestly what irks me the most is there’s still hundreds of wearable items, including NC items you can buy with real money, that haven’t been converted to html5 yet and are essentially broken. Maybe instead of making these supposedly deluxe items they should fix the items that exist

purrmeister, July 29, 2024 4:07 PM NST

@nightshadeswiftswing But if they never fix the broken items, then they can avoid reminding us that items from 15 years ago were superior to the Deluxe and Super Deluxe items (/j)

No disrespect to the artist - the actual art IS nice - but I find that the animations in HTML5 items lag so badly that they're nigh unusable. So raising the price makes no sense, especially when we have no confirmation that the extra profits are actually going to the artists. (Referencing today's news post from 7/29/24)

carbonhex, July 29, 2024 4:08 PM NST

It looks like the difference is most likely the number of animated objects in each background. For 300 NC, there's one animation, the waterfalls. For 500 NC, there's at least three or more different animations; for example, the Dreamy Summer Beach has Delfins splashing through the water, moving clouds, a slowly expanding/shrinking sun, petals blowing in the breeze, and the flowers and trees are swaying in the breeze. As for the Summer Night at the Waterfall Background, you have shooting stars, a flowing waterfall and river, and active fireflies. I think the point is to pay for one item and have a "complete" custom (minus clothing/etc.) with several different features, whereas you would normally have to buy a background and filter and a background item and so on... I don't think the Summer Day at the Waterfall Background is worth buying, but I think the Dreamy background is. If anyone needs or wants to see for themselves, I placed all three backgrounds on three of my pets on my Neo account.

carbonhex, July 29, 2024 4:10 PM NST

I forgot to add that I'm assuming the new Indoor Pool Background lacking any animation at 175 NC might be the new price going forward for "basic" backgrounds.

purrmeister, July 29, 2024 4:16 PM NST

@carbonhex Yes, they confirmed that in today's news post. How that differentiates them from NP items - which also have no animations, yet do not cost irl money - remains to be seen lmfao

carbonhex, July 29, 2024 4:22 PM NST

@purrmeister I haven't seen it, I only really pay attention to Jellyneo for news and such. As for the second part of your comment, you could say that about all NC items. It's just more items available to you with different features.

yekith, July 29, 2024 4:23 PM NST

@carbonhex But what they say would make sense if those super deluxe BGs occupied other zones other than BG. Even if they have several animated parts, the bottom front of them are still quite empty, so most people would still feel like adding fgs, etc.

***
I personally don't like so much animation and the quality (not talking about the art itself) is not too better...

gigiamore, July 29, 2024 4:47 PM NST

They do all say "summer" on them, so I really hope that they're going to change with the seasons, or it just isn't worth the money. Very disappointed in Neo for charging for less rubbish artwork. It's poor marketing and has only seemingly upset everyone.

Now if they shifted with seasons, I would happily pay it as there's 4 BGs in one technically.

skitterskitter, July 29, 2024 5:04 PM NST

Just here to be the person to say I don't really mind the deluxe BGs; people will pay more for them if they feel they are worth it or they want to do that, or they just won't. Nobody is forced to buy any one BG, and I already often have to say "no" to a random BG for being too "valuable" in the trading market (however-many-caps) and find a substitute whos price is reasonable to me. I guess I don't know if these commenters are experienced NC traders? I can't imagine balking at $5 for a BG, because that's already not unusual ...

As a person who trades NC, I'm already sometimes paying that for a background I feel is worth it. If I trade 2-3 GBCs for these, it's not really any different to me than the market already is.

I would have a lot more criticism for the forced scarcity market that PRESENTLY EXISTS as being the most unpleasant experience it could be, with some BGs being over $20 essentially by happenstance community desirability. Though I feel all the constant re-releases and dyeworks have been doing a good job equalizing a lot of NC items and bringing down the overall cost of customization.

If a BG I was already willing to shell out 2+ caps for sold suddenly in the mall for 500NC, I'd consider that convenient, and just a less roundabout way of getting my money. It's still about whether I feel it's worth it to me personally. I don't feel any more deprived or kept from these than I might feel kept from the 25-cap items.

The hubris as I see it here would be presupposing what is a 'valuable BG' without the audience itself deciding that (which seems to be the frustration)... I almost think people will just stubbornly disagree. I think the BG I've traded the most for was 'Red Bamboo Forest Background'... I would have spent $5 on it directly if I coulda, LOL. Instead of stalking the dang boards !

yekith, July 29, 2024 5:05 PM NST

I think they'd have said that in the news if it was the case (if they changed with the seasons, etc). I mean, they'd want to convince people to buy them as much as they can.

nobody, July 29, 2024 5:14 PM NST

I hate having to gamble.
Gambling for BGS on caps sucks.

I like being able to just buy cool bgs.

nobody, July 29, 2024 5:16 PM NST

Anyway. Yeah. I don't mind this.

These three BGS are pretty cool.
Except...
Um.
The dolphin levitates on Dreamy Summer.
Did someone cast a time freeze spell on it!?

ravioliandcheddar, July 29, 2024 6:27 PM NST

Wow. As a non nc-trader / someone mostly here for looks - they'll make me buy super deluxe background no questions asked when those makes sound / music like some old wearable.

Never used a training cookie but I'm considering it to boost my pet... Which needs to go from level ~50 to ~80 right now. Maybe try and speed that up a little bit...

nobody, July 29, 2024 6:33 PM NST

@ravioliandcheddar
Ooooh! Yes, please. Musical BGs!!!

I'd love to blast visitors with obnoxious repetition of a little neopets song when they visit my page and have them frantically scramble to find its source and mute it. Like, no sarcasm, it's just hilarious to me. Please, TNT, enable my mischief, I pay you X-Tra!

roshchodesh, July 29, 2024 8:12 PM NST

For $5 I'm going to Dairy Queen for a vanilla soft serve.

carbonhex, July 29, 2024 8:13 PM NST

@skitterskitter EXACTLY! THANK YOU!

bananabunny, July 29, 2024 8:18 PM NST

Before seeing that they just gave us some regular bgs, my automatic assumption was that 'deluxe' would mean something new and unique like interactive features and/or complete with their own built in fg/higher fg/lower fg/bg item... TNT, if you're determined to go down this route you better bring something new and exciting. This release is giving me nothing.

kiriska, July 29, 2024 8:42 PM NST

I'm with skitterskitter on the NC stuff. I'm a casual trader at best, but if they keep a bunch of nice "deluxe" BGs/other NC items in the mall permanently instead of retiring things constantly to capture the scarity mindset and market, that makes NC overall way more approachable.

Re-release caps/similar have been helping keep cap values for NC trades under control, but man, imagine if they just re-released old, highly sought after items for a direct(higher) price in the mall. Even if it's 500 NC (hell, even if it's 1000 NC), that's better than gambling on caps or trying to find a trade, because even if an item drops from 20 caps to 10, that's still way more than 500 NC lol.

"Niceness" is always gonna be a matter of taste, so I'm sure plenty of new deluxe items aren't going to be popular at all, but I don't hate the concept.

jchunli, July 29, 2024 10:42 PM NST

Backgrounds are barely even seen anymore now that most of the site has been converted. We need a new main site theme that can actually take advantage of these, animated or not.

solsticesprite, July 29, 2024 11:08 PM NST

@ jchunli

qft

funnysaurus, July 30, 2024 12:20 AM NST

booooo *hiss*

the thing about this is there's no point in playing devil's advocate and saying "you don't have to buy it," bc others buying these overpriced BGs are signaling to TNT that they can price em higher + higher and that we'll all just roll over and take it. :/

stormmonarch, July 30, 2024 1:17 AM NST

Based on leak, BGs are not the only item category subjected to this tiered treatment. Deluxe clothing and accessories have been found.

miranai, July 30, 2024 1:18 AM NST

I think I'm asking the same question as most other users when I think, "what makes these backgrounds deluxe?"

If they had some objective functional use that normal BGs don't have - a day/night toggle, different color palettes to swap between a la Dyeworks, some kind of foreground on/off feature, or just anything that customizers actually would see some kind of value in having on a single item to justify it being priced up from the normal price, then maybe it would make sense. But all these BGs seem to be relying on is whether or not the user finds them aesthetically pleasing, and that's always going to be subjective, especially when you also have NP BGs that some users heavily prefer over the NC BGs, too.

ferinsy, July 30, 2024 4:30 AM NST

Oh yeah, wait until not only they timegate these ultra deluxe max pro+ backgrounds, but start to put them in limited quantities to sell (once an NFT bro, always an NFT bro).

katina_choovanski, July 30, 2024 4:37 AM NST

People trading NC items for any length of time will know that the duplicate items they get from opening caps to try for that pretty BONUS item are currency for future NC trades. With the 500NC BG system--you get no extra items to trade away later. Just 1 item. I would not be the trader I CAN be right now without all those caps' extras.

ferinsy, July 30, 2024 4:43 AM NST

Oh no, not the several NC elitists deffending the addition of regular BGs as "deluxe" man, we Neopets players really deserve the treatment we've been getting, some of us are really happy to behave like a cash cow just like the new management wants us to... That's why we'll keep on getting more of this stuff and bad quality merch like the advent calendar chocolates, neohoods, TCG etc.

icecream, July 30, 2024 4:54 AM NST

I think the price increase/decrease also doesnt make a lot of sense.
Im not great at math but heres what Im seeing.

Based off 200nc previous price:
Regular is 175nc (-25nc / -12.5%)
Deluxe is 300nc (+100nc / +50%)
Super Deluxe is 500nc (+300nc / +150%)

Based off 175nc price (plus 200nc for regular)
Regular is 175nc (-25nc / -12.5%)
Deluxe is 300nc (+125nc / +71.5%)
Super Deluxe is 500nc (+325nc / +185%)

Shouldnt it be something more like 150nc (-25%), 250nc (+25%) and 300nc (+100%).

You know they wont get rid of LEs and gatcha capsules so, there is no way they are replacing those. They do 3-8 per month, averaging around 5. No way if people bought all three backgrounds would it come close to how much is being spent on capsules.

Personally I used to spend thousands per year, I dropped it down to 100 or so every 2-3 months. Now I dont see the point to bother anymore. I already stopped when they put expensive RRs in capsules and I spent 200 on those just for it to be buyable a few weeks later. I think things should be accessible to new players but its just greedy to do that and all these other things. Plus I cant even customize my pets, they have me the option to have all these pets and items but my closet cannot even hold 1/10th of what I own. Half the stuff doesnt load, randomly pops off, disappears etc.

The issue with neopets and other gaming communities Im apart of, all the ones that fail and continue to fail are because they literally have no idea what its like to be the player. They dont play the game, they dont know anything about the game and they surely cant connect with the people that do.

I used to tell people I played on neopets, I had conversations with everyone in my other game sites, at church and even at CVS! I would NEVER EVER mention this site to anyone anymore. Im embarassed to be apart of it, let alone let someone else come here and see the amount of money I have spent and years of time Ive invested. There is nothing he

icecream, July 30, 2024 4:56 AM NST

There is nothing here for them to see or do, they cant spend enough money to catchup. I dont know if they could spend enough time. The rest of the stuff that was charming is broken, removed or just completely outdated.

Neopets didnt grow up with us, it just got passed around from one greedy handler to another.

araeveya, July 30, 2024 5:45 AM NST

I think the price hike is really unjustified for the quality. I do like the backgrounds but $5?? It makes it worse cause they destroyed the NC card market too. I'm just frustrated with this all, man. With inflation affecting so many areas of my life and not getting a raise in the last three years this is just making it harder for me to enjoy my escape, it's a bummer

araeveya, July 30, 2024 6:00 AM NST

Also JN here is TNT's description of the tiers from new features FYI

More NC Mall News: Tiered NC Backgrounds have entered the NC Mall! These backgrounds have varying levels of detail, quality, and complexity, and thus, they have different tiers and prices. When our artists pour more time and effort into an item, we’d like to put them into a tier that matches that level of quality. This also means all new, normal Backgrounds that will enter the NC Mall moving forward will no longer cost 200NC, but 175NC.

The different tiers can also help with your customisation preferences. Want to deck out your scene with added trinkets and garlands? Go for a normal or Deluxe Background! Or do you want a “one and done” type of Background that fills the whole scene with details? Then try out a Super Deluxe Background! Look for the gold hanger icon for a Deluxe item, and a rainbow hanger icon for the Super Deluxe item! Happy customising!

sacanth, July 30, 2024 7:22 AM NST

So they're saying they put more time and effort into ... those waterfalls than on other waterfalls that look ...

...better.

davequartzez, July 30, 2024 7:24 AM NST

"what's the difference between this regular ketchup and this fancy ketchup?"

"Well this one..... Has the word fancy on it "

sacanth, July 30, 2024 7:46 AM NST

I guess if you want lots of little animated details but don't care what they are/don't want to spend any time on it yourself, then.

stormmonarch, July 30, 2024 8:13 AM NST

@sacanth: Unfortunately, there are 2 issues with that. Several items are not converted into HTML5 and aren't displayed in animated view. A workaround is to force the view to be static, which defeats the purpose of the animation. No matter how good the animation is, unless they convert other items to HTML5, many users will just keep their pet lookup in static mode.

stormmonarch, July 30, 2024 8:15 AM NST

The second issue is that, there are very few places where you can see animation: in the NC mall preview pane, pet lookup and customisation interface. Charging additional for heavy animation doesn't work out if their site is not displaying animation in most places.

sacanth, July 30, 2024 8:24 AM NST

@stormmonarch I agree. I use the static image overlay unless 1) all the items I like on the pet are converted or 2) I love the animated item more than I dislike the other stuff falling off.
My favorite animated wearable was FREE, though. It came from the Wonderland birthday cake last year. Raining Suit of Hearts Cards. That's really the only animated item I've "sacrificed" others for, and I paid nothing.

sacanth, July 30, 2024 8:28 AM NST

So I just don't see how there's that much of a market for such allegedly fancier BGs. There's the animation problem, and then there's the likelihood that most people who really care about customization like to DO IT, not just have it look like they did.

meer, July 30, 2024 8:52 AM NST

Ew yuck! This is the way it's gonna be now? You have to pay extra for decent art/animation? It used to be all NC items (- clothes) had really nice animations, and we only had to pay the standard price for them!

Now, if ya don't wanna spend 5 bucks on a background.. here, have a cheaper one that's pretty meh...

And why should they bother to fix all the old items that still won't work in HTML5? People already own them so there is no $$$$$ in it for TNT. So yeah, not gonna happen. -_-

I'm not buying these backgrounds.

peppermint, July 30, 2024 9:55 AM NST

Here's a Theory:

It makes me wonder exactly who is drawing these backgrounds... Is it a paid full time staff artist, or is it as a result of that thing TNT was doing where they put out requests to the community to apply to be artists?

I get the feeling these backgrounds could be drawn by freelancers working on commission, and if their "deluxe" background is more detailed then they get a higher percentage of profit for it for each purchase.

I don't know exactly how freelance art works, I always thought they were paid at once for their work, but the notion TNT might be paying them based on sales is a possibility. Either way, little flags popped up in my head by what they said in the release "When our artists pour more time and effort into an item, we’d like to put them into a tier that matches that level of quality."

roshchodesh, July 30, 2024 9:59 AM NST

Ah! Neopia / neopets evolves... devolves... into a system like we already have in real life! How fun!!
You get or don't get stuff based on reasons like you live in a different country or you are affluent or that you are able-bodied! Oh dear, it's *not* a small world, afterall.

I shudder to think of people looking at customs and saying, "Pity, they're too poor to afford a Super Duper Deluxe Extra Extra Edition of that background."

neolodgeism, July 30, 2024 10:38 AM NST

The more Neopets continues to head more toward this type of disgusting capitalistic profiteering, the more interest I lose in it. As @roshchodesh said, it's too reminiscent of how crap IRL is. I come to Neo to escape real life and enjoy myself, not to deal with all the same profiteering, shrinkflation, manipulative capitalism I already face IRL.

neolodgeism, July 30, 2024 10:40 AM NST

And it goes without saying, but there's no planet on which I would pay 500NC for a BG, no matter how nice it was. However, others paying it will ensure we all get more of the same in the future.

stormmonarch, July 30, 2024 11:53 AM NST

@peppermint: Freelancers are usually paid per piece of work, so I'm doubting that TNT would give them extra comission for each purchase. Also, lots of Neopets items have been drawn by freelancers from countries whose currencies are not as strong as USD, this is not new. Unless TNT shows evidence that they actually pay more to the artists, this tiered system is just a quick cashgrab. They basically take away what we have (animated BG) and gave us 3 tiers: non-animated (which is the same as NP, but charged at 175 NC), simple animation (300 NC, which used to be 200 NC), and "complex" animation (500 NC). Leaks show that this tiered system will apply for other wearable types too.

aristide, July 30, 2024 1:55 PM NST

While I know many people are disappointed, the price change makes sense when you consider inflation.

The price for backgrounds and NC items in general hasn't changed much since they debuted. A 200NC for a BG adjusted for inflation IS worth 300NC now.

Now, weather the Super Deluxe is worth 500NC or not up to preference. I might if they put out something I really liked because I enjoy supporting the site and appreciate nice art, something we don't always get even with LE backgrounds that can end up costing more then a flat $5. But it's absolutely about time TNT started to up the price of their NC wearables to be more inline with modern price points.

roshchodesh, July 30, 2024 2:44 PM NST

The price makes NO sense when you can't see the working background, even to try on in the NC Mall. Puh-leeze

galifan, July 30, 2024 3:05 PM NST

I'm more disappointed in the training fc. If you're training half a dozen pets, it's such a nuisance that you have to roll the dice for *each* pet. Instead of having them all train at the same time, you have to use multiple timers to make best use of the nightmarish fc. If you're only training one pet, it's not so bad, but it's hardly worth the cost for only training one pet.

stormmonarch, July 30, 2024 9:19 PM NST

@aristide: if the increase is due to inflation, I can get behind it (at least for 300 NC background). However, the reason given by TNT in the news has nothing to do with inflation. In addition, they also introduced the 500 NC background. If they truly wanted to tackle inflation, then they shouldn't have enfeebled their cause by introducing the expensive 500 NC.

iloveeevee, July 30, 2024 11:55 PM NST

i mean i get the idea behind the tiers, and seeing that basic bgs are cheaper now you're not missing out if 500nc for a bg isn't your style.
i personally won't buy them though, at least not these. i would've LOVED the summer beach one if it wasn't for the dolphins, they're so awkward looking. just the petals could have been so cute
maybe we will see higher quality deluxe bgs in the future

neolodgeism, July 31, 2024 3:31 PM NST

I call dung on the whole 'cost of living' thing. The problem isn't that the cost of living has gone up, the problem is that the value of workers has gone DOWN. Rather than pay workers commensurate with the work they do and with the cost of living, companies have been hoarding the fruits of labor and essentially engaging in widespread wage theft.

So, 'inflation' as we've seen it over the past several years has been largely mythical, or created by corporations.

The idea that this pricing has anything to do with inflation is utterly absurd. These are pixels that are practically free for TNT to reproduce and distribute. The creation of a NC item is their only expense, and they can create an infinite number of NC items for sale. Over time as software and processing power improve, the cost of creating these things goes down, not up. This pricing thing is about creating new revenue, that's all.

And do they EVER create NC items! I don't know if you've noticed, but since Dom and co have taken over we've been hit with a tidal wave of new NC items, endless, endless NC items. Caps coming out our ears.

And it's the gambling caps that make them the real money. All the merch as well. Premium. I feel no obligation to give them more money than I already do. Nor should any of you. They're not a charity.