Why I've Stopped Playing Howrse

So, you may have noticed I've been inactive. Or maybe you didn't notice. But, either way, I haven't really been updating here because I've been drifting away from Howrse.

At first, I planned to go quietly but I've been thinking it over and figured I'd share the reasons why I no longer want to play this game. Maybe you'll agree. Maybe you won't. But I feel that I've been playing Howrse, and SIM games in general, long enough to weigh in on some things that I believe are holding the game back.

So, in no particular order, here are my grievances. I've played Howrse competitively for years and I just can't do this anymore.

1. Community controls and restrictions.

Howrse has a very strict code of conduct on their forums. Player content, in general, is heavily moderated and controlled.

At first, this seems logical. The game widely appeals to children and there are a number of reasons why a website may want to limit what they can and cannot discuss. Some of it has to do with liability but a large part of it, no doubt, is to decrease the demands that come from moderating open discussions.

The problem with this is that the site's community suffers. The limited communication outlets don't really do anything to protect young players, as underaged accounts are already subject to reduced freedoms and added parental controls.

What the site loses is the sense of community that makes so many other SIM games great. It also creates a very strange dynamic in that the game's existing forums become hangouts for players that are obviously looking for social interactions but are left parroting answers to inane gameplay questions all day long. It's downright bizarre.

I never realized just how bad this was until I joined SIM games where you're actually free to talk about whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. We're not even talking questionable content. Just a basic place to chat freely. Share things. Make friends.


2. Premium account restrictions

The introduction of the VIP account was a good idea. However, I think it's rather ridiculous to limit the number of perks a player may have, especially considering many of them are features that I believe should be included in basic free gameplay.

Again, this is one of those cases where you can see the logic, and it makes sense on paper, but in practice, it's a disaster.


3. High premium fees

Howrse is expensive. Like crazy expensive. We're not even talking about a micro-transaction here or there, we're talking $350 Divine Packs and events that will cost a minimum of 50 Passes to complete being standard fare.

Howrse's VIP charge is on par with what a membership to a new MMORPG would cost you. Or a subscription to a premium gaming service.

For a game about ponies. Played widely by children.

It's disgusting.


4. Event cash grabs

One of my biggest problems with Howrse is the events. When I originally joined, the events were a great way to score some great items while also being fairly easy and low stress. But, over time, the cost and difficulty increased while the prizes themselves decreased.

Added to the fact that Howrse works against players by making them essentially select between high-tier prizes or the event Divine, all while requiring that both choices require a large pass expenditure, you're left shelling out a good chunk of cash while only enjoying the benefits of a portion of the event in question.

One could argue that this is done in the interest of balance. On one hand, you don't want to give a top-tier player the divine as well as all the high-value Black Market Items right? Wouldn't that be unfair to less invested players?

Well, yes, if the Howrse team didn't expect that the top-tier player wasn't just going to turn around and purchase those Black Market Items at a later date anyway.

You can see evidence of this in that the event items (like cards, fertilizers and so on) used to be offered in chance items. You could open a Horn of Plenty and receive some event items while also getting a chance at a BMI. But that was phased out and replaced by event item packs. What's that prove? It proves that they knew they could throttle the event prizes because they could count on their Pass buying players to still need those items enough to purchase them outright later.

The problem, however, is that it hurts the low-tier players the most. They're left without the divine and with only a handful of fairly useless low-level BMI. And assuming a player did save enough Passes to make a bid for the divine, it only stresses their future ability to purchase BMI and play competitively.

And do not get me started on the constant barrage of Divine offers. It isn't uncommon to have an event running while also offering two separate promotions to win Divines through gambling with Black Market Items.

My guess is that the saturation of cash offers will only increase.

Not to mention that Howrse's events simply are not fun.


5. Lack of customization and basic genetics

All breeds have a small set number of available coats. There are no markings. No variations.

The only real customization Howrse offers are the Golden Apple coats, Helios Rays, and assorted bonus skins like the 5th Element and Magic Hat. But these aren't terribly unique either and are all predetermined.

The Diamond Apple was a great item which allowed a player to basically design their own horse and even choose coat colors that would otherwise not appear on a particular breed. It was discontinued, I am told, due to a programming error. It has never been reintroduced to the site. When the item is brought up, the moderators are generally quick to spew out excuses claiming it lagged the site or that the difficulty in programming it is too great.

The same excuses are given when the question of genetics comes up. We're told it's too much to program. Too much for the site to run.

To which I say bullshit. There are literally dozens of other SIM games in which genetics are a basic feature, some of which are fairly complicated. And most of these games don't have the benefit of being backed by a major company like Ubisoft. There are civilian-run games that are more compelling than Howrse.

They could do all this. They just don't want to. And don't lie to yourself and claim they can't justify the cost. They're making bank off of you.


6. Community moderators and the hands-off approach the admin have taken

In general, I've always felt community moderators are a bad idea. They're biased. They're unreliable. They're not invested in the continuing health of the game.

But because Howrse does have such a controlled forum model, player moderators are generally enough to keep the forums clean. However, they're not very good about dealing with problems more serious than player banter and bickering.

The problem is that the admin aren't very good at this either. They've taken a very hands-off approach to running the site and deal mostly with backend issues, leaving the front end to a bunch of unpaid housewives and retirees.

It's difficult to talk to an admin without receiving a copy-and-paste response or a flat out dismissal. The result is that most problems never really get resolved and the successful player is one that knows when to shut up because the only time you'll ever prompt a moderator or admin to act is when you're being unruly.

Having a problem? Too bad, kid. Go buy some Passes.


7. Owlient and Ubisoft's poor track record

Owlient has had a number of their SIM games close down due to low profits, and Ubisoft is in the same boat. Ubisoft's recent announcement to close Tales of Etria made me nervous for the future of Howrse. Howrse's shameless cash grabs also don't bode well as these tend to be the last gasps of a failing game.

Ubisoft seems to understand that there's a market for horse themed games. They just can't quite figure out how to make one that anyone actually wants to play. This is generally their own fault, as they can't seem to break out of the micro-transaction model. They'd rather make your gaming experience so frustrating that you throw money at it to progress, as opposed to actually making a compelling game that you're happy to invest into.


8. General site stagnation

Lack of meaningful updates. Recycled events. New divine designs are simply poor edited 3D model templates.


9. Pay-to-win model

You really cannot progress if you don't have a steady Pass flow.

If your horse isn't top-tier, it will lose in any competition that matters. If you do not have the ability to either buy Ageing Points or have a number of Divines to make farming them easier, you will never be able to keep up with the players that do. Bonus BMIs are what will make or break a horse's performance, and whether or not you have a VIP account heavily influences the number of bonuses you can acquire at any given time.

But really, I think a player that's supporting the site should have an edge. The problem here isn't that Pass buyers have an edge, it's that they completely and utterly dominate the game. Non-Pass buyers are playing to lose. And losing isn't fun.

This game is an imbalanced nightmare.

The game isn't conspiring against you

Guys, let's talk about basic statistics. I've seen so much nonsense lately that I think this should be addressed.

A little bit of background. I've recently seen claims that Howrse utilizes a predictive algorithm for the purpose of screwing people over. The example given was that when you're trying to breed a male foal you're more likely to get a female one and vice versa.

Sorry. But no.

First of all, this is ridiculous. There is no secretive predictive algorithm that's silently waiting to screw with your breeding plans. Think logically about this for a moment. Thousands of foals are born on any given server on any given day. The game has zero way of knowing what gender of foal you're hoping for, nor does it actively track your breeding habits. And since different players adopt different breeding habits, any sort of predictive system would have to be functioning independently for each and every one... And again, that simply isn't logical. You're giving the game a lot of credit it doesn't deserve.

Each time you breed your horse, you have a 50/50 chance of getting a colt or a filly. That goes for each and every breeding. The statistical likelihood resets each time. It doesn't matter if your last four breedings resulted in fillies, the fifth breeding is still 50/50 as is each consecutive one. You can get a string of all colts and it isn't unusual. It doesn't disprove the statistical averages and it doesn't mean the game is trying to cheat you.

What does it mean? It means you're paranoid. And also bad at math.

And this is why Howrse doesn't take a strong stance again plagiarism.

The new Wanderers are shit.

At least they had the decency to edit the fennec fox somewhat, but if you look closely you'll see the macaw actually has the same brown discoloration on the underside of the wing that the original photo shows.

I'm sure the rest of the shoddy animals from the other Wanderers are also edits to some degree. The kangaroo and gibbon look particularly suspect and I did manage to find the artic wolf image as well, though that one has at least been slightly altered. I didn't spend too much time on this. The images shown as all easily found on Google images - you don't even have to scroll too far down (and I'm sure the divine "artist" didn't either).

Stay classy, Howrse!

Could you not?

If you'd all stop entering your shitty photo-manipulations into the Creation Space that would be great.

If you think you're fooling anyone then your powers of reasoning are just as bad as your photo edits.

Boarding

Not gonna lie,

If I'm boarding with you, chances are I'm just there to score some free tack and to eat your mash.

Sorry, not sorry.

Things to do on Howrse

Are you in a rut? Unsure of what there is to do on Howrse? Or maybe you're just pressed for time and trying to make the most of your Howrse experience?

I've made a quick list of things you can do on Howrse that should help improve your game play. This is by no means an exhaustive list so take it with a grain of salt. Hopefully, it helps someone.

Take part in any current promotions. It's always a good idea to fulfill any daily objectives a promotion gives you. Do your best to complete them without spending too much equus or having to resort to using Passes. Promotions are one of the best ways to get free Black Market Items and other useful prizes.

Stroke Xanthos. It's worth taking a moment to pay a visit to Xanthos. You can stroke five a day and, if you're lucky, he might leave you a Horn of Plenty the next day.

Defrost Frost. This isn't quite as important as stroking Xanthos, but it's a quick and easy action and you may earn a Hypnos' Blanket for your trouble. You'll also be entered into the monthly drawing to win a Frost divine. You've got nothing to lose!

Work your Divines. If you're lucky enough to own any divines, make sure you set aside a little time to work them – especially those that have the chance of rewarding you with items or Diamonds. Most require some interaction from their owners or they won't produce their prizes. So be sure to work them or you risk missing out.

Age your pregnant mares. If you're in a hurry and don't have time to work all the horses in your breeding farms just focus on your pregnant mares. This can save you time and Ageing Points later on.

Work your foals. Take a minute or two to work your young foals. Foals under 6 months don't require boarding, so they're very easy to care for if you're in a hurry. They're great for farming Ageing Points. I always make a point of working mine.

Check your Equestrian Center. Check your Equestrian Center to see if you have any board extension requests or if your resources are running low. Be sure to monitor your crops as well!

Check and return your congratulations. This isn't a requirement, but it's a nice thing to do.

Teams, Teammates and Stealing GP

So, a few days ago someone (who will remain nameless but they're trash anyway and honestly you wouldn't care even if I were to name them) messaged one of my breeding partners to ask if they'd like to work a certain breed with her. A breed my partner and I are actively working and have been doing together for quite some time.

I'll never understand why some players think this is a good idea.

Let's discuss this. Rationally.

For some reason, you think you should attempt to weasel your way into snatching someone else's hard work by encouraging them to backstab someone they, by all accounts, seem to be working successfully with?

And you expect to instill confidence in this person that you are somehow to be trusted? Because honey, coming in and saying "Hey, let's jack these horses and make our own team!" is not a terribly convincing argument.

Not to mention, cheaters beget cheaters. If you are fine with cheating and stealing, and look for others who are also fine with cheating and stealing, what do you think there is to stop someone from backstabbing you later? Nothing at all.

You earn your reputation in this game. Don't forget that.