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Hey guys,

I'm a terrible person - I haven't spent much time on Equiverse over the past few weeks. Some of you may know that I'm actually getting married this year - on the 3rd September. Less than 2 weeks away! As you can imagine, things are getting extremely hectic now, and we have foreign friends visiting us for the wedding soon so once they arrive I will have even less time. I wanted to make a nice big update to EV pre-wedding, but my time has been soaked up by wedding and my mum's hip surgery over the past 4-5 weeks that it doesn't look like it's going to be possible now.

I have taken some time to go through the "How can we improve Equiverse?" topic. You guys are extremely passionate about this game, and I love that about you. There's a lot of text, so I have mostly skimmed over the posts to get a general feel for what is wanted.

The bigger ideas that I like the most are:

* Leisure Riding expansion
* More dynamic clubs - polls attached to newsletters, player and horse halls of fame
* Shows being available immediately with some caveat on many entries from the same person to avoid creating shows only for themselves - we're a community ;)
* Personal cron - where horses only age, lose hunger/happiness/etc, have their shows reset, Deluxe days decrease, etc. when a player logs in for the day
* Rewards for logging in X days in a row ($5k for 7 days, maybe 1 EVC for 30 days and then it resets? so players can essentially earn 1EVC every 30 days if they are active)
* Monthly Championships
* Conformation shows
* Official site events (snowball fight, scavenger hunt, etc)
* Beauty contests - for the genetic/colour breeders
* Horse trophies and awards that are displayed on their page for winning shows, championships, contests, etc
* Optional Questing for more money + exp income
* Optional Jobs for more money + exp income + unique bonuses (for example: money off at the store for taking a store job, less durability loss in tack for taking a tack workshop job, etc)
* Limited crossbreeding, where breeding an Arabian with a Thoroughbred can create an Anglo Arab, etc. These cross breeds would not be available to purchase from the Equine Center.
* Member Orchards, Vegetable Patches, Tack Workshops - where players can grow their own treats and create their own tack and either use it or sell them to the stores
* Horse auction house

I like a lot of the smaller ideas too, such as adding in horse heights as a vanity/conformation trait (something else to breed for), horse temperaments, putting treats back on horse pages to feed from there, random page events.

Just to note, this isn't a comprehensive list of EVERYTHING that I like, but it's the main points. Basically, I now have a fantastic source of good ideas for the next year which I can refer back to. I will be asking for your thoughts and suggestions on some of them as I won't want to make massive changes based on what I think is correct (I've been wrong before...) and perhaps not everything on this list will make it into the game. But now I have a good frame to work with.

This is going to be a relatively brief news post as I have some more wedding stuff to do (yay...) but I wanted to leave you with a couple of questions about horses on Equiverse.

1. What do you think would encourage members to breed outside of their own stock of horses?
2. Why do you think there is a problem with it at the moment?
3. What do you think would encourage members to sell and buy horses more frequently?
4. Do you think that there should be an overhaul of how stats work with horses? Should they be more static to encourage breeding horses at younger ages (and make the game less static for the first 15 weeks of playing)?

I know this might be a bit of a heated discussion, but for the sake of the game I think we need to have it :)


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Posted by

Abbey 🌸

Posted on
2016-08-23 05:41:46

Comments

Thank you so much your the best!!!!!!!!

Posted by

Night Shade (#102378)
23rd August 2016 at 05:50:23

Hope your wedding goes well Abbey! :) I really like the ideas you have gathered particularly the individual CRON idea though I'm not sure how that would work with showing XD

Question-Wise:

1. Have a limit of buying no more than 40/50/60 foundies per month and possibly having a guide to pricing and a topic on how people like to price their horses, how quickly their horses sell at what price and stats and what people think of the 10k/100 stats for Novice horses.

2. Because people are just buying 100+ store horses and dumping the ones they don't want in the RC and not buying from other players.

3. Fairer prices; I'm not gonna buy a 200 stat horse for 50k+ even if it is a rare color as, like a lot of people, I can't afford that.

4. I'm not sure about this really, I'm not that bothered about breeding under 15 so long as they are at least 7/8 and not up for public stud. I have however benefited from a certain member putting their horses up for stud extremely cheaply with awesome stats and color! xD

Posted by
Wisteria (#94743)
23rd August 2016 at 05:59:06

I really like those ideas, especially the expanded Leisure Riding and limited crossbreeding!
Since I'm still a fairly new member, I can't answer those questions yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what the others think.

Posted by

UnlimitedMagic7 (#103575)
23rd August 2016 at 06:04:19

Congratulations! Hopefully you (and your partner) have an amazing day to never forget on the third of September! :)

Some of the ideas sound amazing! I don't care about all of them, but overall they are all great and will bring more joy to the game.

I've been playing this game for a couple of weeks/months now and I have no clue how things work around here. Therefore I can't answer any of the question about breeding and buying horses and things like that.
If there is a main goal when breeding, I'm not aware of it. I just do whatever I want LOL. xD

Posted by

Atanza (#100437)
23rd August 2016 at 06:04:50

Would you ever think of adding Connemara's to the game? :)

Posted by
Toastie (#103831)
23rd August 2016 at 06:22:05

@toastie- we had those in the old EV, but they were rarely bred, so they aren't used now

thanks for the update Abbey!

Posted by

cerulean-k (#77338)
23rd August 2016 at 06:36:40

I will not be adding new breeds (the crossbreeds included) for a long time yet.

Posted by

Abbey 🌸 (#1)
23rd August 2016 at 06:42:09

Congratulations on getting married!!! I hope the day goes great for you!

--

Wisteria - as for the individual CRON idea I think they do something similar on Howrse...but I'm not sure. Something like you have to put your horse to bed each day or else they'll get the negative effects, but your horse won't 'wake up' until you login so it prevents negative effects from accumulating if you're not able to make it online for a while. At least that's my understanding and take on it. Could be completely off base though.... ^^; As for myself if this is the same idea (and even if it's not) I'd be interested in the adjustment if done.

--

For the Questions:

1. I like Wisteria's idea of having a guide to price along with a FAQ topic to help people with pricing. Also I think not only would this be advantageous for horse sales but also for Stud Costs as well. Maybe even having a specific Breeders/Breeding Page?

2. While I admit to have taken advantage of the multiple buying of store horses and them leaving the ones I didn't like to the RC, I've slowly adjusted now that I've gotten some horses I like to breeding outside my own stock to increase diversity (mostly now that I've gotten a pretty good idea on how everything works in game and even then I do still browse the RC and pick up a few every so often otherwise I'd feel guilty about submitting so many... ^^;), I do think this is a problem. Maybe you can only submit a set number of horses to the RC per week or per month? Or maybe you get rewards for adopting from the RC? Or limit the store bought foundations like Wisteria brought up. (Or all of the above ^-^) I've also personally have had frustration with basically what was brought up in the first question with sales and stud request and corresponding prices. (This might be why some people choose to take advantage of the RC as well...then again they might just think it's easier that way or something else entirely.)

3. Better understanding of pricing for stats, conformation and coat coloring...I'm still trying to figure that all out and putting my own criteria together, but a FAQ/Guide would be very helpful and mostly likely not just for me. Also maybe an auction along with regular sales? I like the direct sale and the open bid (so if you know what price you want you can just put up for sale but if you have a horse you're not quite sure what to sell at then people can just bid until they choose a price you're okay with), but when I think auctions I think timed along with the multiple bidding so it's more of a competition for the bidders and the individual whose is selling gets more money racked up (as long as they maintain suitable price of course).

4. If this doesn't change I'd be fine with it. On the other hand I'd be curious as what adjustments would be made if changed. One thing I think would be nice (though who knows if others would) is if the higher the stats are that perhaps the more improved conformation is, or perhaps the other way around (which might actually make more sense..) that the higher the conformation is the better they do in shows and/or the more probability they get a stat gain (...though I'm not quite sure if this is already done to a certain degree or not....) The one thing that I'm a little disappointed in is points, I've basically just started ignoring them since they really only are there for bragging and since I focus on coat, stats and conformation they've been pushed to the far back in priority. I've actually wondered if people would agree to having point rewards (whether they be items or perhaps stat gains/conformation improvements). I think this might be useful for the first 15 years of the horse, in particular if it's for stat/conformation gain, (well with the exception of the first three if a foal) since it would add more to do to improve the horse as a whole and thus making it more desirable for breeding.

Posted by

RM Mustangs (#101125)
23rd August 2016 at 06:42:49

As I forgot to add in my previous post (whoops!...so many thoughts whirling around in my head ^^;) in regards the the third question and my answer of a better understanding of stats, conformation and coat coloring in regards to pricing, I think it might be helpful to understand what coat colorings are more "rare" than others (unless you use a basic random generator then it might be difficult to figure out depending on how its coded) thus knowing what coat colors should be expected to have a higher price than just basing it on personal preference (to which I think overpricing and confusion could happen as a result).

Posted by

RM Mustangs (#101125)
23rd August 2016 at 06:49:20

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding. I hope it's the perfect day for the both of you.

I am still fairly new to the game but I do have some input

1)I have been breeding outside my own herd because of where my breeding focus is but prices (especially for newer players) seem a bit outragious.

2)my only problem is finding horses with decent starting conformation. I have to click every single horse (perhaps make the conformation numbers visable like stats currently are)

3)again I am still new so hard for me to answer this one

4)I haven't had any issues or problems with how stats work so I think it is fine just the way it is

Posted by
HiddenAcresPaints/Chiwing (#101063)
23rd August 2016 at 06:49:28

I personally don't like to breed to other users horses because I like planning ahead breeding pairs, and its just easier to control things when it's your own horses. I don't buy others horses because sometimes their lines become common. Also there's a bit more of an accomplishment in breeding a homebred foal.

Right now I just have foundations but maybe in the future I will need to branch out to prevent inbreeding or something.

The only idea I have is inspired by pokemon, where if you get a traded Pokemon it has boosts and levels up faster. So many some bonus? Though I kinda don't like feeling punished for wanting homebred horses.

I don't like change, and I ldunno how the stats thing would work where you breed earlier....like if I bred a mare at 12 yrs old and then that mare kept gaining stats til retirement how could the foal still have as many stats at one bred later?

Plus I only want one foal per horse it would make most of them useless if I breed them earlier, then what would I do with the horse now that it's purpose is fulfilled?

I like the current system, people just need to stagger aging their horses at slightly different ages so that there's always one or two horses that are going to breed. Don't have all your horses at the same age or it will take forever for breeding day.

Sorry if this was long....

Posted by

✎ Jezarae II (#36828)
23rd August 2016 at 06:58:57

Good luck on the wedding planning! I know it's a lot of work but it's totally worth it!

And thanks for thinking of EV

Posted by

✎ Jezarae II (#36828)
23rd August 2016 at 07:00:56

Really glad to hear a lot of the ideas I liked may be added. :D

In answer to some of your questions:

#1. What do you think would encourage members to breed outside of their own stock of horses?

Perhaps some sort of small bonus to breeding to outside lines, such as greater chance of better stats/conformation (this would be most realistic, as it's effectively better genetic variation), or chance of twins, or better chance of rare genes. Perhaps also better visibility for horses at stud/brood. Maybe some sort of searchable advertising area similar to the proposed auction house? It could look a bit like this:
http://orig00.deviantart.net/ebab/f/2016/183/a/e/auction_house_example_by_thedarkdesert-da8g6h7.png

Advertising is key to seeing suitable outside lines and currently all breeds and ad types (i.e. sale/stud/brood/etc) are jumbled together in the one board, which means it's difficult to find things, and relevant ads are often lost amongst irrelevant things, like breeds you're not involved with. Frankly that board is such a mess I don't ever bother to browse it. Perhaps separate things by breed at least, with breed specific advertising boards, either in the forums or give the clubs their own small forums on their pages. Or a semi-automated advertising area similar to the proposed auction house, that could be filtered by breed, ad type (sale/stud/brood), etc. I like the latter option best.

To place an ad there you could pick a horse you own from a drop down menu, another menu you could choose whether the horse is for sale/stud/brood, and then perhaps also a small text area where you could leave a brief message or advertising spiel about the horse, limited to 255 characters. The ad would then automatically fill in fields such as horse image, name, age, stats, colour, markings, conformation, etc, to generate something like in the above linked image. The ads could also not require the horse to be actively for sale/etc so you could also advertise locked horses, or brood mares, or similar, and people would just message the owner if the horse wasn't actively for sale/stud/whatever. To keep the area relatively clear ads could automatically expire after a week (or two?) so it doesn't get clogged with sold or deceased horses.

Posted by

UlyssesBlue (spare) (#75110)
23rd August 2016 at 07:12:49

Congratulations on your future wedding! I hope it goes well for you. :)

I love the idea of limited crossbreeding. Anglo Arabs would be awesome. And I love the idea of Arabian-Friesian or Lipizzaner-Friesian crosses to make white Friesians.

As for the questions...

1. Maybe if there were incentives if they bred outside their own stock? Either monetary rewards, stat rewards, etc. Or maybe give some disadvantage for too much inbreeding?

2. I think it's because there's not much incentive for players right now to breed outside their own stock. And for players trying to breed for conformation, it's practically impossible to find horses with good conformation stats to breed to.

3. Maybe if there were a way to remove horses with bad stats from the game, without removing them from the pedigrees? Like, a NPC you can sell horses with low stats/bad conformation to, to be sold to NPC families? Kind of like the riding schools letting NPC children ride your horses. Fairer prices would be a good idea, too. It's ridiculous that 100-200 stat horses are being priced for $40k+, rare color or not. It's just not affordable to players who don't have $100k+.

4. Personally, I like the way basic stats work now, though maybe there could be newbie incentives to make it less static for them? I recently got one of my friends in to the game, but she left soon after because it was too difficult for her to level up, and it was impossible to find good horses she could afford.

Posted by

Ratha (#48080)
23rd August 2016 at 07:25:29

Also, will horse height change the horse images? I had some suggestions about how to resolve the issue with resizing images although I don't know if they would work since I don't know what your back-end code looks like. Would any of this work?
http://equiverse.com/topic.php?id=32996&page=2

Posted by

UlyssesBlue (spare) (#75110)
23rd August 2016 at 07:28:05

How about we take a look at the numerous bugs on the bug board instead of trying to implement new things, which in turn will just make more bugs that will never get looked at? Would like to get some input on those, and if you are not capable I suggest hiring a second hand who can.

Posted by
callinsto (#58772)
23rd August 2016 at 07:39:12

I always keep my barn full of mares and very few studs because i prefer to breed to outside stallions to add colors i couldnt otherwise afford or get lucky creating.Plus it keeps lines fresh,especially since current popular studs are always changing.Mares are the backbone of my farm and as long as i have good mares, i will always have good foals.It also eliminates the risk of creating a less than outstanding stallion when you have limited funds and cant just keep creating til you find one you like.I LOVE the idea of adding height and comformation classes.I put most of my focus on comformation, then stats and color.Love the challenge of breeding for rare colors and markings,but some breeds it is almost too challenging i.e. Arabians.

I would like more options for making money.Its difficult off shows alone, and i dont sell a whole lot right being new and still trying to establish my program.Maybe more earnings from shows? Quests?

Posted by

SpringHillEstates (#104000)
23rd August 2016 at 07:50:43

I am also DYING to have Hunter classes

Posted by

SpringHillEstates (#104000)
23rd August 2016 at 07:54:48

Speaking of bugs, I have noticed a few broken images for different markings and coats and it should be a simple fix of just checking all the source files and urls match up, etc. However, callinsto, personally I feel that putting an emphasis on the bugs/glitches that was stated could have been a bit more tactful. Also, she's getting married, that's a huge undertaking. I think it's perfectly reasonable to be wrapped up in that and not spending the normal amount of time here.

Posted by

RM Mustangs (#101125)
23rd August 2016 at 08:24:56

This sounds amazing Abbey!

1. What do you think would encourage members to breed outside of their own stock of horses?: I don't know about others, but when it comes to buying other members' horses, a big problem is the pedigree or the amount of foals it has. I like to keep lines clean. Price isn't an issue for me, but things like pedigree or stat count is I suppose.

2. Why do you think there is a problem with it at the moment?: I haven't noticed a big problem, mainly because I'm one of the people who breed inside my stock and only buy a new horse when I need a partner lol.

3. What do you think would encourage members to sell and buy horses more frequently?: For me, I only buy horses when a foal needs a breeding partner, so the aging takes a while for me to buy another.

4. Do you think that there should be an overhaul of how stats work with horses? Should they be more static to encourage breeding horses at younger ages (and make the game less static for the first 15 weeks of playing)? Yes, and no. I believe it would be more exciting and nice to have higher stats, however I think overbreeding and/or inbreeding would become an issue. Members may breed the horse at a young age and then just toss it away.

Posted by

Pistol (#35094)
23rd August 2016 at 08:26:40