New to "Key Quest"? Here's Some Helpful Advice!

I wasn't always a Key Quest fanatic; the game was slow to load, people would quit or beat me at mini games or I would be disappointed with the prizes I received when redeeming keys. Over the past six months I have played more than I have the entire time I have been a member of Neopets and I learned a lot in that time. If you are new to Key Quest or got frustrated with some aspects of it, I hope this article will help you!

Game Boards And Keys: There are, at any given time, at least five boards you can choose to play on. None of them give you an advantage because you will have to collect a certain number of keys to enter the Quest Door. You can play anywhere from two to five keys; if you play a two player, five key game and "lose" you will still get a Silver Key that will unlock three prizes at the Prize Vault. A Gold Key will get you four prizes but I gave up on being that competitive; I am happy getting Silver Keys and the NP that you earn during a game.

In order to win the NP and keys you or the person / persons you are playing against have to complete the game. Even if you have all of the keys, you can't quit and still get the NP or key. This is where frustration sets in; there are glitches during the game that will cause it to freeze or end without warning. If that happens you win nothing. More bothersome are the people who quit when they are not winning. To me that is completely moronic because even a Silver Key nets you three prizes and the NP you earned during the game.

Changing A Color Key: There are events that happen within a game that allow you to change a color key that you have collected. If you have one of each color you do not have to change so you are "uneven"; simple select one color key to change (example: yellow) then when you are asked what color you want to change it to, simply pick yellow again. I have seen people quit because they worked hard to collect the keys then were "forced" to give one up and pick another color. That is a waste of time for everyone and extremely frustrating.

The "Rainbow Fountain Key" card allows you to change a color key that you have collected so if you have two blue keys and need a silver you can play that card before you roll the die to change it. The "Distraction Potion" card is used to swap with another player; this is something that I only use if it will benefit someone or they end up a few spaces from a key they need and get sucked into a whirlpool. In any event, you need to play these cards before you roll the die or wait until your next turn to do so.

Dual Another Player: Sometimes if you and the person you are playing against land on the same square you will be asked if you want to duel This is Rock, Paper, Scissors so it isn't rocket science. If you win you will get to pick one of three cards that appear on the screen. I rarely skip this option when it happens; the only time I will skip it is if the person has all their keys and is a few moves away from the Quest Door.

Getting To The Quest Door: You do not need to roll the exact number needed to get to the doorway; if you have three spaces to go and you roll a five you can still enter the doorway. You have no idea how frustrating it is to see someone keep going in circles trying to roll the exact number needed to get to the doorway. Since chat is scripted in Key Quest the only thing you can do is ask "Do you know what you are doing?" with the hope that they will "get it".

Skipping A Turn: If someone plays the "Giant Lint Ball" card on you or you get a visit from the Pant Devil and can't collect anything for a turn it is poor sportsmanship to skip a turn. There are a lot of heated debates on the message boards about if this is a legal move or not. Personally, I don't play those cards on people because it really cheapens the game. I like to have fast games to avoid glitches but some people go there just to get five minutes into a game and quit on you. If you are reported for quitting or cheating your access to Key Quest will be suspended; repeat offenses will result in your account being frozen.

Glitches: Glitches happen; anyone that plays there on a regular basis knows that. It's hard to tell the difference between a glitch and when someone quits out of spite. You do have to keep in mind that not everyone has a super fast connection and they can get booted for a number of reasons. Before you report someone, give them the benefit of the doubt but if it is something that happens over and over you can add them to your block list or report them to Neopets. Reporting someone is a serious thing; false reports can result in your account getting a violation, suspension or frozen.

Load Times: Depending on the number of people on the site, you might get a quick load of the game - other times it can take up to two minutes. Right now the Faeries' Ruin event is going on and there are a lot of people hitting the Battledome; that can slow down other parts of the site. There is a Beta version you can play that is supposed to load faster, have different games and other perks but the one time I played it yesterday it ended up booting me. I had the Key Quest main board die on my four times in a row and decided to just give up and try it an hour or so later. It's best not to get frustrated and walk away with your sanity.