Written By: Roze
Other animals beside horses make Virtual Horse Ranch their home. Antelope and cows already exist, but lately a possible addition of llamas was mentioned in the “Praise for the Game” section of the forum.
Recently, someone brought up alpacas also.
Some players believe that Virtual Horse Ranch should be strictly for horses. After all, the game isn’t called Virtual Animal Ranch. They think the extra animals take up server space and don’t like the similarity to Horse Land the animals cause.
Other players took the same stance they did during the “Grade Issue.” If you don’t like it, ignore it. Most were unsure about the idea of adding llamas being a good one, but also believe that the ratio of the animals to horses is so small that it doesn’t matter.
(Thanks to bobbysgirl37, Celtic_myst, Bovidaeloony, SheWolfGeo, kitty_loves_othello, and kesquivalerian for quotes)
Poll:
Do animals other than horses belong on VHR?
No 57% [ 22 ]
Yes 13% [ 5 ]
Don't care. 28% [ 11 ]
Total Votes : 38
Written By: Broken
Plenty of people have given VHR-Olympian a shot...but it always seems there are a lack of players online at any given time. We've discussed the popularity of VHR-O in this newsletter, now we look at one of the biggest issues that stops players from continuing with the game.
Birthcaps. In VHR Grand Prix, they are a way to solve the problem of every breed being born quad. An issue many were concerned about long ago, when most breeds had at least one horse having gone quad. Nef implemented these birthcaps to solidify stats in a certain state, no matter what the stats of the parents are.
In VHR-O, since you are unable to roll stats throughout a horse's lifetime, having birthcaps means a breed cannot advance anywhere past a certain point. In the opinion of most players, this is worse than quad, because all horses will be born with the exact same stats or worse, causing a massive problem of every horse being nearly identical.
Perhaps one day the issue will be looked into, but for now, the horses remain capped.
Written By: Broken
It seems like Nef might have to step up VHR to hang on to players now....the recent surge of players leaving VHR for Horseland has left the community staggering. The loss of such fine artists, trainers, breeders, and friends has brought a strong feeling of remorse amongst the players. "It's just never gonna be the same without most of them..." remarks TyeDye, a player who's been with VHR since the beginning.
Why this recent, and sudden, fascination with HL? We interviewed a few key players who have made the jump back to "good ole" Horseland...
"I much prefer the point and click of Horseland compared to VHR. VHR is too complex, it's too hard." - Eso
"Why would anyone want to play a game with colours like Clear and Savage Garden? I'd much rather breed forks and houseplants. Who wouldn't?" - Letisha
"I'm sick of the fighting and favoritism. I'd rather be able to have a chat where we can just advertise." - Averie
"A computer game is supposed to be easy, you're supposed to be able to sit and point and click. Otherwise it's too hard." - Yella
It seems VHR will be hard-pressed to try and keep these players around, as the pull of Horseland is simply too strong. In the opinion of most players, it's a far superior game, and who could argue?
Editors Note: this is a joke!
Meet The Staff!
Editor: Broken
Reporter: Roze
Researcher: Jumper
Advice Columnist: Shade
Games Organizer: Shai
Written By: Roze
Favoritism is defined as a display of partiality toward a favored person or group or the state of being held in special favor. Lately, players have been arguing about whether or not favoritism exists in the VHR forums, chat, and in the game itself.
The players who say they see favoritism find that it’s most apparent in chat, where ops favor their friends and punish their enemies frequently. Some players fear ops showing favoritism will drive away future players from VHR and believe that a few ops abuse the power they have. They also think ops can help showing favoritism, but they won’t or don’t.
A few take a more neutral stance, believing that only a robot could be truly unbiased. They also think that favoritism is unavoidable when VHR has such a large pool of people with different backgrounds trying to interact.
Many of the ops take the stance; there is no favoritism, and that most of people who claim favoritism are just trying to stir up trouble. The remaining few, they say, may have misinterpreted the situation and believed because they were punished; someone else was being favored.
Several players have sided with ops also, saying that they’ve never seen any favoritism, just ops doing their jobs.
This issue doesn’t look like it will be resolved. Usually, in a case where someone claims favoritism took place, its one player’s word against another. It’s hard to say if favoritism exists when charges are based on a ‘she said, he said.’
(Thanks to AngelWitch, Lady, Vertigo, Sarita, bobbysgirl37, and paula** for quotes)
Poll: How many have here have been victims of favoritism among the ops?
20 Yes
16 No
8 Maybe
44 Total
Researched By: Jumper, Written By: Broken
Rainbow, clear, pink polka-dotted, caramel cookie creme taffy w/blue mane & clear tail...we've all heard it before. These are the colours of our dreams. Goodies purchased for nine dollars in real life cash, used to dye a horse a fantastic new colour, and either keep it to yourself and rare, or breed it out and make, quite literally, millions. At first, colours like black roan, sabino, rabicano, and frost were among the new colours cropping up...quite normal one would say. Then came telephone. Clear. You get the picture.
Why the unrealistic colours? Why do people find them so alluring? Why don't some like them at all? Some say colours are a way to express yourself, to create fantasties that otherwise would be impossible in real life. They let your imagination take over. Others just plumb love the idea of a badger-coloured horse, and can't otherwise see one in a barn somewhere in this world. Some prefer colours they can, at the least, visualize, like Cookies and Cream, or Ultraviolet, as compared to sounds or ideas.
Some just downright don't like them, and try to avoid them, preferring to stick to the realism of the game. In the end, everyone seems to have a fondness for them . . . provided they're not Stardappled Bright Blue Sky w/Indigo stripes & freckles. (Thanks to Badgerness, Roze, Racing Star, Kesqui, and McLaughlin for your quotes as references!)
Researched By: Jumper, Written By: Broken
It's coming. Soon to be released, the acclaimed Virtual Horse Ranch II is creating quite a stir in the VHR world. To be able to see your horses! The very idea makes players jittery with excitement...but, we ask, what of the old VHR? Good old text based, imagination-only VHR? The fantastic colours and near-magical artistry? It's here to stay, indeed, but where will the players be? Will they remain faithful to their imaginations, or will they switch over to let their computers guide them through a simulated world with their own horses?
We asked some players where their loyalties will lie. For the most part, people are quite unsure. They want to see the new game at par with the old, all the bells and whistles so to speak. A fair few users are operating on a Macintosh, so their fate has been sealed. They remain on the old. A few players state they will probably try out the new game, but don't like the graphical idea. They prefer to use their minds to create an image of their horse.
All in all, the general population seems to be ready to give VHR2 a chance, a shot at the title of the best sim game on the web. Whether it measures up, is a question to be answered later. (Thanks to Emerald Green, Bobbysgirl, Indie, Roze, and Aryah for use of your quotes as references!)
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http://virtualhorseranch.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=16513
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Quality Pony Studs. What we lack in height we make up in stats.
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Written By: Shade
Finding a fast, reliable trainer isn't always easy. Some trainers get the job done, and you get your money's worth. Other trainers may not do what is asked of them and may age your horses or steal your money for no reason. If you are new to the game, or just need a few foals trained, finding the right trainer may be quite a strenuous task. First, you shouldn’t always go for the cheaper trainers. If a novice is offering 25k for stat maxing, I wouldn’t recommend sending your horse to them. To find a reliable and fast trainer, look through the Forums. You can find a great trainer by browsing through Training Contracts & Connect, or maybe the Bulletin Board on the game.
Usually, Sponsors are the best way to go for training. Your horse is usually younger, and Sponsors tend to be faster than Novice trainers. When looking to get a horse leveled, a normal price range can be anywhere from 40-100k, and for maxing, usually about 100-200k. Full training can range to about 150-300k.
The best way to transport horses to Trainers is by contract, just in case the trainer decides to age or breed your horse. Also, when looking for a trainer, ask to see some of the horses he or she has trained previously, to get an idea as to how your horse will turn out. Also, ask other players what they think of the trainer. And don’t be afraid to ask the trainer questions you may have about how they train, what methods they use, etc.
Don’t forget to check Training Contracts $ Connect, and Tips and Tricks for more information on training VHR horses.
Written By: RufusPony
Whisper wrote: "What do you look for/expect out of a jumping horse?"
For a good jumper, you want a horse that is an all-around athlete. You want good, square confirmation and a powerful, muscled hind end and thighs that can propel the horse over the jump. You also want really nice, correct legs, no knock-knees or pigeon-toes! You want flat knees, and strong hocks. Ask the owners if there is any history of tendon or arthritis problems, as those can inhibit jumping ability. You want a nice, slanted shoulder that will allow the horse to snap up his front legs over a jump.
Now, a horse can have the perfect confirmation to be a jumper, but they might just not have the instincts. Have the owner, or better yet, do it on a lung/free jump, and have the horse go over a jump. Don't have him/her jump something too low, becuase then the horse will barely have to pick up his legs, won't exert effort, and you won't see the true form, but not something above his current training. Try about 2'3" or 2'6". Have the horse jump it a few times, and look for the forelegs to come up and be parallel to the ground, or higher. Also see that the horse tucks up his cannon bones, if they're dangling, that could cause a dangerous situation of catching the fences. Look to see that the legs are together- if one leg dangles each time, look for a different horse, becuase this shows that the horse is off balance and is at risk for catching his leg.
On landing, see that the horse neatly tucks up his hind legs out of the way of a jump-if they dangle, you might want to pass. Also note if the horse jumps "round," using his head and neck and rounding is back, so that the jump looks like a half circle. If the horse's head is in the air and his back hollow- pass. Also, if the horse "lays on his side" and tucks his front legs to one side and is off balance over the jump-pass.
Another important thing to note is whether the horse LIKES jumping. Does he get eager to jump, or do you have to push him forward? Ask his owners, is he spooky and cautious about scary jumps, or will he jump ust about anything? Did he refuse or run out when you rode him, or when the owners did? Does he rush forward at the jump? This could cause striding problems in the future.
By: Shai
This week's game...Reveal-A-Breed!
Send in your guess (one guess only!) to Roze on the forums! More of the horse will be revealed each week...winner gets free ad space for a month!
This week's...
Featured Mare: Inferi
Featured Stallion: Oakcroft Signal
MuteAppeal
See an example of Mute's work here!
Go to Mute's ranch here!