A guide to Jamaa #9: Beta vs now

Hello! C:

Yup. Beta days of AJ. 

We probably all know what that is, aaand just in case you don't im gonna explain it right now. :3

The beta days where a period when Animal Jam was undergoing "testing," to see if jammers would like it or not and to generally develop the game before launching it fully. So the game was pretty much unfinished, and you would expect it to be a lot more different, which it is. :P

So in this guide to Jamaa, im going to be comparing the beta game to the full game. :D

First up, why don't we start with the homepage? After all, it is the place you have to visit in order to log onto AJ. :3

The old homepage was styled more like a blog, similar to the Daily Explorer. Also, there's no login, just a "play" button leading to it. below the button, there is a general summary of the game, so new players can find out a bit more. :3

 I think that's a pretty good idea, and im confused why AJHQ didn't put it on the new homepage. :c

Speaking of the new homepage, we probably all know what it looks like, but here's a picture anyways, just to compare. :P

Way more simple than the beta one. In fact, it's FAR too simple. O_O

However, younger players might find this design better, but honestly i think AJ is for players 8+, the youngest being 7. 

5-6 year olds CAN play though, i played CP when i was 5 but all i did was to pointlessly walk around . . XD 

However, in the beta days the Daily Explorer didn't really exist, so perhaps it was good back THEN to make the homepage like a blog? :3

Compared to the old one, this one has super cheerful colors, which is better for attracting attention, however, the old one has duller colors. I think it matches AJ, since Jamaa is a mysterious land.

Mira, Zios, Phantoms, and the Alphas. There are still not fully explained in the story of Jamaa, and that's what i like about Animal Jam. It actually has a history, unlike other virtual games, but the history doesn't reveal everything either leaving the rest for the imagination. :3

On the other hand, some people might have thought that the old one was too dull, also the homepage was originally created to celebrate the return of the Alphas. Its bright, simple design is much more welcoming. ^.^

The winner? It's a tie.

What happens after you log in?

You end up in Jamaa township, which is what im going to write about next. c:

This is the beta township. It might not look like there's many differences at first, but if you look at the details there's a fair bit.

You probably noticed that there was no Sol Arcade. Some of the buildings you see today didn't exist back then, such as the diamond shop. *glares*

Instead of Jamaa Central, there was a huge stone gong, which was later replaced by a gigantic gemstone. Or was it the other way around? Im not an expert on beta times. XP

But since there's no HUGE differences, let's look at the jammers.

When someone says "Jamaa township," you probably think of tons of jammers gathered in the centre, advertising for either trades or other things such as fashion shows. It's almost always a busy place! However, that wasn't always the case. Back in the beta days, there where fewer jammers which means a less busier township. Sounds almost impossible in today's AJ. :P

(unless the servers are empty . . hehe)

While i have no problem with the town being busy (towns are MEANT to be busy XD) the bad thing is, with the busyness there's bad things such as scammers, or . . *shudder* matebeggars. ;-;

In design, the modern township wins.

In the community, the beta township wins.

There used to be a medical center in Jamaa township as well. :3

However, it was deleted due to, um "inappropriate roleplaying" and is now known as the beta medical center.

*NOT MY PIC!*

Whoa. What a mess! O_O

Everything's scattered all over the place, and there's no beds either!

However, i like how this medical center feels more cheerful and cozier. Usually medical centers are a cold, white color. If not white, then blue. However, this medical center has a brown and olive green color, which is a warm mix of colors. :3

AJ eventually decided to release the medical center again, however it was a very different design . . 

That is WAY more cleaner! XP

It also has added beds, IV's and . . uhhh i don't know what that huge thing is. O_O

(also has SINKS for more hygiene!)

So it looks more like a medical center.

However, why is the bed just on display for everyone? You can't get on the bed, so it's sorta useless anyway. In fact, forget about the bed. It doesn't even exist because you cannot get on it.

 The music bothers me as well. It doesn't suit a medical center. O_O

Tough choice, but . . the winner is . . . 

The new medical center.

Yup.

I actually like the old one WAY better, but the new one has more advanced technology sooo i guess you can treat injuries better?

Also, even though there's no bed, there's still that sink for hygiene. 

The huge circle thing is probably useful. Although i don't know what it is.

(I know it's just a game and you can't actually get injured.)

The final one . . 

The nonmember den!

Yup. HUGE difference, but let's start off with the beta one! (as we always did XP)

Whoa,

It has three floors! :O

Ikr.

The beta nonmember den is very complex, and as big as a standard member den!

However, back in the beta days, there was no membership, so that's probably why the nonmember den was so complex and big. Back then, basically everyone was a member because membership didn't exist.

And after membership, this is what the nonmember den looked like.

Very small, and no floors.

This was probably because AJHQ wanted to make membership something worth having, but instead of the den being so small, they could have made it much larger! Or the den could have stayed small, but there could have been at least two floors.

So the winner definitely goes to . . 

The beta den.

Unfortunately, i am out of time for now so bye! :3

A guide to Jamaa #8: New animals! (And pets)

READ DIS!! so anyways, i didn't know the picture was a piece of artwork. So all credit goes to the creator. (and well done since it looks just like the real thing)
Hello! ^-^

AJ has been having lots, in fact, too much new animals lately, which makes you wonder: Which animal is going to be next?

First up, is the leaked goats.

It has been a long time though, since this leaked photo was released. Makes me wonder if AJHQ has changed their minds on adding this animal to the game, even though i doubt that because AJHQ has also gotten as far as adding the animal to the game. (even if it's just beta testing. :P)

But i admit this is a little unusual to be on AJ. o.o

 None of the animals are kept in farms, like this goat does which might be the reason why AJHQ canceled this plan. :c

 Some species of goats do live in the wild though.

It would be great of goats came out. dem eyes . .  so cute! :3

Also, i think they only have a 60% chance of being in the diamond shop. Yay! :D

However, 50% chance of being released. *cri*

And secondly, we have . . 

The arctic fox! :D

Okay, so this is not a leaked picture, this, in fact is from the polar bear book. However, doesn't mean it's not coming to Jamaa! :3

 Some people mistaked (not sure if that's actually a word. O_O) this for an arctic wolf, but since it has a smaller snout and huge ears, AND a smaller size in general, it's a fox.

And i think they have a good chance of being in Jamaa, because of the popularity of Arctic Wolves and the fact that AJHQ also has regular foxes. So i think this has a 60% chance of going on stores! :3

Sadly, if it did come it it would probably have a 90% chance of going straight into the diamond shop. -.-

Check below the link for more!

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A Guide To Jamaa #7: Helping New Jammers

Everyday, lots of new jammers come to Jamaa. Since, they have never played the game before, most might be a little confused or left out. That's why i decided to write a post on how to make new jammers feel more at home. :3

Check below the link to see some pawsome tips!
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A guide to Jamaa #5: 2015!

Yes, we are in another year. In fact, it's nearly February! Time sure does fly past. :P

2014 was a good year for animal jam, but there where some cons too. One of the things that many jammers (including me) where upset about was how there where members-only animals for one whole year. Members where pretty disappointed too, since they where almost always in the Diamond Shop - and the fact that AJHQ made the chat far too restricted. I mean, i understand they're trying to keep us safe and all, but the amount of blocked messages i get everyday is far too much.

But there was some good stuff too. Almost all the dating stuff, got better. In 2013, there where far too much people saying "go to my den if u like me"

Unfortunately, there's still a few jammers that do these but a huge majority of it is gone.

So anyways, we celebrated 2015 with the adorable pet pandas. :D

- Which where sadly in the Diamond Shop as well. *sigh*
But since 2014 was an entire year od DS pets & animals, will 2015 also be the same?
I hope not. :c
But after pet pandas, im not that optimistic  about the upcoming owls.

Pet owls where member, Eagles where member, it just seems so predictable. ;-;
We gotta hope for the best, i guess.
But now im remembering what happened with the otters . . Everyone was so hopeful they where gonna be nonmember, and BOOM.
They're sold for diamonds.
So this might continue for a few months, but if it's the rest of 2015, just . .

No.
But shall we focus on the positives now?
Like the new adventures!
No, not ocean or seasonal adventures but the original land animals. :D

I think AJHQ will begin to make 1 or 2 more ocean adventures, but honestly, it would be just amazing if there was a land one! What happened to the Phantom Fortress mentioned in The Search For Greely?

I really wanna see what happens next! Do the phantoms capture ALL the alphas? Like hinted in The search for greely too? (or was it greely's inferno?)
2015 might have amazing, good, bad or just downright terrible things for us. But i guess we'll just have to wait and see.

A guide to Jamaa #4: Avoiding Hackers

Click here to enter my giveaway!

Since i did how to avoid getting scammed a month or two ago, i thought it would be a good idea to give tips on how to avoid getting hacked. c:

Okay, so we know all the super obvious rules like don't tell your password to ANYONE, even if it's a friend and make sure you password is secure.

However, what are some extra, but very helpful tips to avoid getting scammed?

That, is what i'll be telling you on this post.

1. Watch what you say.

Okay, so you're talking with a friend - whether it's a virtual or a real-life one you eventually start talking about hacking or something similar. (but not actually about trying to hack someone! xD)

As the conversation continues, you go to the subject of how you think you should have a safe password and you say - My password it really secure, it has 20 characters - 10 numbers and 10 letters 5 of which are capital.

Orr, something LIKE that. But you don't realize that you gave out a whole lot of clues about your password.

Okay, you're probably thinking - That'll NEVER happen to me!

And you know what?

I admit it, i nearly made that mistake of telling clues about my password.

So whenever something like this comes to your mind, remember this!

2. Don't get tricked!

There are MANY ways you can tricked into being hacked! One technique some use is being a "fake" friend. So first off they be super nice to you, give you items and stuff, and as you gain trust in him/her they tell you they're giving away a code to get something but then they tell that you have to tell them their password. Even though you might not be able to say your password, they can still make you do it in other ways like in email or something. 

No matter how nice the jammer was, no matter how many items he/she gave you, Just. Don't. Do. It.

You also may have seen some youtube videos about member account giveaways and stuff. Do not trust these either if they ask for your password, email or anything personal.

3. Locking your account

This is optional, but it sometimes helps. To lock an account, ask your parents to log into their Parent Dashboard and tell them to lock your account after you have logged out. 

If they don't know how to lock your account then they can search it up on the Help Center.
So that's all the extra tips i have for now! Do you have some other tips you would like to share? ^.^

P.S The Jamaaliday gift today is a bow and arrow! How do you feel about this?

A guide to Jamaa #3: Avoiding scammers

Yup, scammers. They seem to be everywhere. >.<

You can't get rid of them, but they can be avoided! So that's why im posting what scamming is, and the methods of scamming.

A basic definition of scamming is where a jammer promises an item in exchange for another item, but instead you do not get the item you wanted and the scammer runs off with your rare. It's actually some form of stealing.

So now we know what scamming is, let's look at the methods of scamming! :3

Method 1: Send me ___ and i'll send you back a ___!

This is the most common method of scamming used, and is unfortunately effective towards unsuspecting jammers. :c

Usually, something along the lines of "Send me a worn and i'll send you back a rare spike!" will be said, but most jammers use a more effective way where they first say "come to my den for a bow and arrow" or another rare, etc. Then, after the jammer goes to it's den, he/she says "Send me things, best gift will get the bow and arrow!" Some will add "If you don't, win your items will be given back!" Which is, usually, and sadly a lie. DX

So remember, if there's ANYTHING involving sending, then don't get involved in it because they're usually scamming. That's why the trade system was invented! ^-^

But, scammers have inventing another way of scamming.. with trade!

It's usually "Trade me founders hat for necklace and i will send you spike!"

So, don't trade unless you can trade for the actual item!

 

Method 2: I decline everything!

In my opinion, this is actually a stupid way of scamming. :I

Usually, jammers are like: O rlly? And then end up trading something super rare to challenge them, aand bam! They accept. But don't be ashamed if you have been in this situation, we do learn through mistakes don't we? c:

Method 3: "Flash" trading

Anyone saw someone advertising flash trading at their den? I have. Tons of times.

It's like normal trading, but the trick is, that they have to trade something rare for a necklace, and before the other person can accept, the jammer trading the rare item has to decline. Because of this, AJHQ has programmed the "accept" button to appear after a few seconds, but who knows? AJ could still glitch out and then suddenly, you traded a non-rare headdress for a common nonmember necklace.

Method 4: I work at AJHQ

This is a rarer, but still a common and extremely effective scamming method. Scammers will act super nice to victims at first, then tell them they work at AJHQ and then kindly ask them if they would be able to send [Insert rare item here] because there's a bug related to the item, and they need to fix it.

Okay, first of all if they where a member of AJHQ they would have a special name tag or something, right? And also, it's their OWN game, why would they need a jammer to send them an item? 

A few scammers also scare victims saying: "SEND ME A RARE HEADDRESS OR MY DAD WILL BAN YOU CUZ HE WORKS AT AJHQ" 

Okay, why would an AJHQ worker ban someone for not sending an item? :I

And that's about most of the common scamming methods. ^-^

I hoped this helped, and what other tips do you recommend for avoiding scammers?

A guide to Jamaa #2: Is AJHQ really that unfair to nonmembers?

We have been having members-only animals, members-only adventures, and more for about six months now. It seems like everything is member these days, doesn't it? >.<

Okay, i admit that AJHQ is more unfair these days than before, but think about it, have you ever compared AJ to other games? For example, Club Penguin never has ANYTHING for nonmembers - in fact, AJ is fair compared to it. And there are tons of other games like this, too.

But wait a second, AJ has actually been making WAY more member stuff. So why is it, that after a while, games like AJ start making so many member things?

One issue is money. As the game grows, way more money is needed to run the game. The solution? Make more member stuff.

But what they DON'T see that there are better options which are less stressful for nonmembers.

Okay, no matter how much we want it, there will always be member stuff in AJ. But AJHQ is just stressing nonmembers out now by making everything member. They need a less stressful option, perhaps where nonmembers still get a bit of the feature. But one thing that really annoys me is the Night Of The Phantoms. Everything is member for like a whole month, which REALLY stressed the nonmembers out, i mean im a member and even I get stressed. -.-

AJHQ needs a solution where they still earn a bit of money without making the nonmembers feel left out of everything, don't you agree?
So, lets sum it up. 

* AJ is a bit more fair compared to some other games.

* AJHQ needs money to run the game, so we can't stop the member stuff.

* What AJHQ DOESN'T realize is that there are other options without making nonmembers feel left out or stressed.

The conclusion? AJHQ isn't SUPER unfair, but they could improve a little, don't you think?

A Guide to Jamaa #1: Polar bears and new pets?

Hai guys! :D

Welcome to the first post of the new series i decided to do. ^-^

But this is a huge spoiler in it! EEK :O

So if you aren't ready or don't like spoilers, then don't read this!

You read that above didn't you? Hehehehehe >:3

Buuuut, some pictures of the new polars bears have been LEAKED! :O

Wow, why am i so hyper?

Don't read below if you don't want spoilers!