Sim Horse Ramblings

Urban Dead Review

2008-08-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Horrible me, reviewing a non-horse sim game, but I feel it's too much fun not to mention it. For those of us who absolutely adore zombie movies this is right up your alley. As described by the game itself:

Urban Dead is a free-to-play browser-based multi-player game where you play the survivor or victim of a zombie outbreak in a quarantined city centre, alongside tens of thousands of others.

Play as a survivor or as a zombie, but be careful of ravenous zombie hoards and zombie hunters! This is a complete free-for-all in game play. There is some etiquette to follow as far as where you can kill zombies, etc so be sure to read the Wiki files as it will help you out. In this game zombies can be resurrected to play as survivors and each group has unique abilities you can buy with Experience Points.

I highly recommend this challenging and fun game for those who love zombies and zombie movies!

Stock Horse Corporation Review

2008-08-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

From the makers of Hunt and Jump Inc comes the western version! Not only that but it's a more challenging game than the original game as the creator has been keeping out certain features such as the tests for gelding stallions and showing ability so it is up to the users to figure it out for themselves. Very challenging to figure out which horses to keep and which to sell at times.

For the color whores out there (like me *guilty as charged!*) you will love this game as it is fairly easy to procure a nice variety of color genetics in your stock. However getting the colors and the quality in is another matter entirely, but that's the challenge of the game. The available breeds for this game are: Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa, and Pintaloosa (I know I know Pintaloosas are not a breed, it's a fake game get over it.)

The game is free, however there is one up-grade level available for a mere $20.00/year that has an auto-trainer on it as well as the option to change the horse's pictures from the stock logo, the ability to edit your member page, and your weekly paycheck is automatically deposited into your account.

This is not an automated game for beginners, it is a very challenging game, it helps to know genetics, western classes, and unless you up-grade it is vital to get online everyday to train your horses for them to succeed.

More Reviews Coming Soon!

2008-03-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry about not posting lately, to put it mildly, all heck has broken loose in my life. I do have several reviews in the works. (And even was invited to review a game! Yeah me!) Also starting up another blog which I will introduce soon for more of my personal life as I learn to be a truck driver! So don't give up hope, more reviews are coming.

However I'm interested in what YOU think! (Yes you, stop looking around! He he he). What do you look for in a good horse/dog/cat/emu sim game? Do you like a points based system with titles to earn, horse of the month/year, games that don't do points/titles. What aging systems do you like; year/year, year/month, year/quarter? Any other requests/ideas for sim game owners/creators/admin that you have?

I ask as I know that myself and many others have sim horse games (I'm working on my original one to bring it back, ETA sometime this summer. For those interested in seeing the rough draft it is: Fly Away Sim Game.

It is still a work in progress, need to organize everything better, need to finish the forums, etc. So might as well put it out there, any horse sim game owners out there who would be interested in an inter-sim olympics? (First thought of the idea in 1997 but had no other horse sim game to coordinate with.) Of course there's always the idea of having an intra-sim olympics (between boarding stables, regions on your game, etc).

Horse racing is an important point in most horse sim games, how many games have something like a Breeders Cup, Triple Crown/Tierra, and/or Eclipse Awards? What breeds are allowed to race? When are horses encouraged to retire from the racetrack? When are 2 year olds allowed to race, are 2 year olds allowed to race? Is there steeplechasing and/or endurance racing in the game?

Anything I haven't thought of? This is your platform to speak up!

Impulsion Sim Game

2008-01-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Do you like Arabians? No seriously do you REALLY like Arabians?!? In that case I have the e-mail/forum based horse sim game for you! Ignore the references for 2006 on the front page, it really is active and up-to-date. Although the game does have all sorts of different breeds of horses (Marwari anyone?) The Arabian fans have taken over and have done a marvelous job at promoting the breed, you can easily find all flavors of Arabians in the game. (My favorite is watermelon....*ducks*). But seriously, Egyptians, Spanish, Russian, Polish, (haven't seen Persian yet but might be in there.), Domestic (of course), etc Arabians are very popular in the game. (Shagya Arabians are a separate breed btw). You can find all sorts of different half-Arabians as well.

The members are very friendly and are quick to help you out. The show system is a bit unique, and takes a bit of time to get it down right. ISG (Impulsion Sim Game) also has a very nice automated banking system which is quick to learn and easy to use. The horse registry is up-dated almost instantly which is lovely. Another unique aspect of ISG is that it is also a dog sim game and although the dogs are a smaller contingency they do have an active show scene!

If you're like me, when you join a new game you automatically gravitate to the humane society to see what equines are kicking back in their pastures waiting to be adopted. ISG doesn't have any disappointment there, many different breeds from the usual Arabians, TBs, stock horses, WBs, to other more unique breeds such as Marwaris, Swedish Warmbloods, New Forest Ponies, Dales Ponies, Knabstrups, Salernos, Welshes of all sorts, Irish Draughts, Hackneys, Fjords, Miniature Horses, Gypsy Vanners, Falabellas, Peruvian Pasos, etc, etc, etc. Most of them have show records, quite a few of them have titles in the game once you do the research on their show records.

Into the racing scene? ISG has an incredible competitive racing circuit, and there's chances to make alot of money by racing a few horses. The show scene is also extremely competitive and titles are fairly easy to obtain.

The downside is that the color of the font of the main page can be hard to read (light blue with a white background), however it doesn't distract playing that much. Lots of support in this game and a friendly atmosphere. It is for mature players (not a kiddie game) and can be alot of fun!

This is a fairly unique type of game, the typical e-mail/forum based sim horse game with some twists, some things are automated, some incredible PHP coding, and a supportive community makes ISG worth exploring! :)

Review of Heaven Sent Simulation

2008-01-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

First off, I'm sorry for being MIA, I've been suffering from a gout attack in my right shoulder, much pain and suffering. But enough of me whining...

Heaven Sent is a nice little game that's restarting from an older existing game. As it is a restart from an older game there's plenty of chances for running quality businesses that will make money in it. It's a primarily forum-based game with members building their own websites if they so choose. It's run by an old cyber-friend of mine. (Pardon me while I show my age...)

If you enjoy the relatively quick paced style of 1 rl week = 1 sim month, this would be a fun game for you. Currently there's a nice sale for horses for new members with some nice stock available as well as a generous $200K starting money. There's currently a Quarter Horse Association and a Jockey Club, so there's tons of different breed associations that can be started up!

El presidente of Heaven Sent is friendly, very approachable, and available for questions and suggestions. Knowing her, this game is just going to get better as it gets older! This is a good chance for you to get on the ground level and be one of the 'original' members! So far there are some Paints, Quarter Horses, Classic Shetland Ponies, and a Thoroughbred and Arabian so the possibilites are endless!

It's a nice, friendly, fun sim game run by an Admin who has been there/done that. Looking forward to seeing how this game turns out! :)

A Review of Virtual Horse Ranch

2008-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

As much as I hate to say Virtual Horse Ranch and Horseland in the same sentence (sorry Nef!) VHR is the grown-up version of HL. There I said it! (Sorry Nef!) VHR is a free game with the option of up-grading for extra perks such as 6 free 'foundation' horses, $100K in game funds, and the ability to train your virtual horses faster and easier.

The site is easy to navigate and rules are easy to learn. The admin is friendly as are the moderators. It's a fun goofy game where you breed different breeds together to get new breeds. In this automated horse game training the sire/dam affects the potential foal's genetic outcome. (Fully trained parents = best possible foal.) Players are able to customize their horse's color and their picture.

Unfortunately due to the admin juggling several automated games at once she tends to concentrate on the newer ones to debug and up-date. But overall it is a nice change from the rest of the automated sim games.

Review of Some Horse Game

2007-12-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

This automated sim horse game is NOT for beginners or for those with no funds to use for up-grading their account. This is one automated sim game where it IS mandatory to read the rules and FAQ completely before you even think about starting to play or you will be completely lost.

Now that the disclaimer is up, Some Horse Game is a fun game, it is a very addicting game and a challenging game. The layout is colorful and easy to navigate, everything you need is at your fingertips. Game play can be complex, you need to keep up with the seasons to know when to breed, you need to actively train your horse(s) otherwise you risk serious injury to your horse(s), you need to keep up vet and farrier on your horse(s) (again risking injury), there's rules about showing horses that are strict. Many rules, many things to keep up on.

The owner of Some Horse Game has lots of experience with running automated sim games, SHG (Some Horse Game) is a very sophisticated automated game with realistic artificial genetics (color tests and genetic disorder tests). However the owner has a very short fuse when it comes to people who will not read the rules, FAQ, or simply search the forum for answers to their questions. Do I blame the owner for being frustrated in that regard? No I don't, I'm sympathetic to the owner. (Heck, just now I had to look up rules for a question that I had).

I have played SHG since it started, and love the challenge of it (just injured 8 horses while breeding yesterday, oppss). There are several levels of membership, white ribbon, yellow ribbon, red ribbon, blue ribbon, and silver platter. Once you sign up for an account you are white ribbon, you can't sell horses, very limited options for playing (designed for an 'intro' to the game), yellow ribbon you have a little more options, you can show in fun shows, red ribbon you have full access to breed/show horses and sell horses, you have a bunkhouse where you can hire a barn manager (no more stressing about vetting/farrier, it's done for you). Blue ribbon accounts are like red ribbons however you have more turns and more breedings, more imports, more horses that can show per game month, and hired hands: groomers, exercise riders, and trainers for your horses (auto-training/grooming). Silver platter accounts are occasionally auctioned off for real money, they're basically blue ribbon accounts with extra money, and extra goodies added. I would suggest anyone joining SHG up-grade to at least a red ribbon account, it's well worth the annual price, plus you have full access to the site and help to support running a well designed game.

So in conclusion, SHG is a fantastic, well designed and run automated sim horse game that is for experienced horse simmers who aren't afraid of looking up things on their own and up to a challenge. It's a challenge worth accepting, and SHG is certainly a thinking person's automated sim game and can be fun when approached properly, if not, it's frustrating.

El Caballo Review

2007-12-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

First off I must say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Now back to the regularly scheduled review:

I have to admit what drew my original interest in this game was the name itself, spanish for The Horse. Most games are called something similar to gaits of the horse (Trot, Gallop, Canter, so where's Walk?), sounds of the horse (Neigh, Clip Clop), or simply Equine + (Insert Word). So when the words El Caballo Sim came up on my search engine I had to investigate further, especially since the short blurb regarding it indicated it was for 'mature players' only. So I clicked on the link to find myself looking at the stylish, simple website known as El Caballo. With a blue and grey theme everything was easy to find, and the background didn't interfere with the readablility of the text. Very easy to read, the rules are straight forward and easy to understand. I have to admit I'm rather partial to the model horse breeding type of sim game regarding breeding rules. (One foal per year, back-breeding permitted).

Applying to join was an easy process and my application was replied to quickly, I had made an error in my application however the administration dealt with my idiocy with grace and very quickly I was a member of the game. I made my obligatory first introductory post and quickly found out that the game was dominated by stock horse breeds with a small Thoroughbred racing and Arabian following. Just my style, I love my Polish Arabians, Appaloosas, overo Paints, Quarter Horses, and fancy colored Thoroughbreds. (OK, anything fancy colored as the poor, unsuspecting existing members found out rather quickly). But they made me feel very welcome in their intimate community, the administration likes to keep the membership to a small but active group.

I found out that the members of the group are a fun-loving, insane (in a good way), group of young adults who have been involved in horse simulation games for several years and they had a good grasp of what it takes to run a successful game. I found an older suggestion thread on their forum and proceeded to bombard it with various ideas which were well received, some ideas were put into motion, others were put out of their misery. (I didn't say all the ideas were good ones after all, he he he).

The showing scene of the game is bustling, heavily concentrated on western events, however the dressage, show jumping, eventing, etc scenes are getting more popular. There's also a small draft horse population, mostly of colorful Gypsy Vanners, but there are other more traditional heavy horses as well. Although the game is mostly stock horses the members love the rarer breeds as well and embrace them quickly. Both associations/registries and barns host shows on a regular basis, keeping the members busy with show results and other events.

Unlike some other games (or like them, depending on the game) they do not allow non-horse equids (donkeys, zebras, and other asses). (I know, rats no zonies or hinnies, oh well, nothing's perfect).

I've run my fair share of games and this game is very smooth running, no melodramas, no politics, no cliques, all are welcoming and helpful. Ask a question and quickly you'll get multiple replies to assist you. They also love to celebrate special occasions and milestones. (The Christmas goodies were very pleasant and unexpected!) There's many contests available to compete in for extra sim cash and possibly other goodies. It's still a young game so there are no millionaires yet, however it is easy to maintain your initial $100,000 through showing, contests, etc, despite not having the monthly allowance that other games have in place.)

Overall I highly recommend this game for the more experienced simmer that prefers the type of breeding rules that this game has. It has a very approachable administration, easy to read, yet colorful layout, and full of interesting surprises!

Review of Howrse

2007-12-24T09:16:00.001-08:00

First off, Merry X-Mas Eve! Hope that Santa will be good to you come the morning! And be sure to give extra treats to your four legged companions!

Now to business, Howrse is an automated sim horse game that originated as Equideo in France, it has been widely popular as a fun diversion of time online for a little over a year. The creators are going to be unveiling a german language version in the near future. Howrse is a versatile game, it is free to sign up and free to play, however to purchase black market items for your horses it costs passes which you can either get through purchasing them via Paypal, selling horses, purchasing one with your reserved money once per month, and other random events.

Howrse can be played by anyone, it is simple to learn but more challenging to master, for those just interesting in fiddling around it is a great time to be had. For those more interested in challenging themselves there are various riding level exams to be taken which challenge the mind, you can open up your own equestrian center where you can be a boarding barn, raise crops, employ other players, etc. The challenge of becoming the best equestrian center is difficult and takes time and patience, but is rewarding when you see yourself getting better as a player.

On the horse side of Howrse you can simply breed horses to see what you come up with or you can strive to breed the best of the best of your breed of choice. Competition is fierce but players are friendly in this game. Experienced players are more than willing to assist new players. There is a nice variety of breeds available to choose from as well. The popularity of breeds as of this morning is:

	Race	Horses
	Arabian Horse	137062
	Paint Horse	135518
	Thoroughbred	131063
4	Hanoverian	100679
5	Quarter Horse	87103
6	Newfoundland pony	71638
7	Australian Pony	51662
8	Appaloosa	48803
9	Welsh	47397
10	Connemara	38225
11	Standardbred	34165
12	Canadian Horse	30456
13	Purebred Spanish Horse	26672
14	Chincoteague Pony	17296
15	Irish Hunter	1863

There has been three new breeds introduced in the past few months and those were the Purebred Spanish Horse, Chincoteague Pony, and Irish Hunter. There is talk about a new layout revamping for next year with new graphics for the horses. The administration also hosts several contests per calender year to keep things interesting, most notably their membership drive contest that concluded recently. Currently there is a Christmas Tree decorating contest where you find random items to trim a tree with floating around, you click on them to collect them and the more trimmings you collect the more goodies you win. (Mostly black market goodies with the potential for passes).

All in all, I highly recommend this game as a fun way to waste a day playing! :)

Introduction

2007-12-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the fuglyhorseoftheday blog which I am hopelessly addicted to I have decided to go ahead and post about the various sim horse games you can find online. I have been actively involved in sim horse gaming for over 10 years as well as horse rpging. I therefore feel qualified to honestly rate games/rpgs and hopefully get more attention to them as far as new members go. For new people to the gaming/rpging worlds here's a few definitions:

Automated sim horse game: The game is completely run by a computer, the user hits keys to enter their horse(s) into shows, train them, breed them, etc. No human/human interaction necessary, however usually they have forums and chat rooms in case you wish to talk to a fellow human being.

E-mail based sim horse game: This game is mainly run off of a central forum and the website designed by the game's creator. You use e-mails primarily to enter shows, arrange breedings, etc. Human/human contact is necessary for this game and most games pride themselves on being a small community.

Horse RPG: This game is run off of forums and/or chat rooms where people role play as horses. Rules vary widely in this genre and the rpg might be focused on realism completely, fantasy completely, or a mixture of both. (The famous example from my past where stallions bowed to mares and offered them roses comes to mind.) There is no right or wrong way to role play, only matters of taste.

I will be taking requests for reviewing games, otherwise I'll be going down the list of those games I know of personally and then those I find on webring.com and the various horse sim top lists!