Redwood Valley Equestrian Centre || Discussion

[iStarz & Everly]

I like the random events and it is more likely that stallions will act out on occasion.

However i will miss the halter shows, but i hope they come back now and then.

[caf.]

while i see where you're coming from with the geldings, from experience, geldings can and will act up (@ my horse). at every show i've competed in, a level-headed mare always had a smoother run than a mischievous gelding. as it stands, i think the gelding bonus is plenty enough to sway owners towards castration for competition horses. honestly, if it were me, i'd make random events attitude-dependent; timid and nervous horses tend to spook, naughty and mischievous horses tend to buck and rear, honest horses tend not to run out, etc.. i definitely could see this being complicated, however, you could make it so that each attitude translated to a certain variety of possible events (i.e. timid - 20% chance no event, 40% chance spook, 10% chance rear, 20% chance run-out/stop/disobedience, 10% chance fall). it could make attitudes a little more valuable since right now the attitude bonuses are somewhat small. just a thought, either way i look forward to seeing what you come up with!

perhaps for the halter shows, if you do decide to bring them back, you could do divisions? the easiest way would be separate divisions for stallions, mares, and geldings - that way, the classes would be smaller and easier to manage. just a thought. you could always cap the class too - first come, first served as to who gets into the show. again, just thoughts!

[SydneyandStorm]

while i see where you're coming from with the geldings, from experience, geldings can and will act up (@ my horse). at every show i've competed in, a level-headed mare always had a smoother run than a mischievous gelding. as it stands, i think the gelding bonus is plenty enough to sway owners towards castration for competition horses. honestly, if it were me, i'd make random events attitude-dependent; timid and nervous horses tend to spook, naughty and mischievous horses tend to buck and rear, honest horses tend not to run out, etc.. i definitely could see this being complicated, however, you could make it so that each attitude translated to a certain variety of possible events (i.e. timid - 20% chance no event, 40% chance spook, 10% chance rear, 20% chance run-out/stop/disobedience, 10% chance fall). it could make attitudes a little more valuable since right now the attitude bonuses are somewhat small. just a thought, either way i look forward to seeing what you come up with!

perhaps for the halter shows, if you do decide to bring them back, you could do divisions? the easiest way would be separate divisions for stallions, mares, and geldings - that way, the classes would be smaller and easier to manage. just a thought. you could always cap the class too - first come, first served as to who gets into the show. again, just thoughts!

Hmm, excellent point there, haha. I do kind of have it currently that set up so that attitudes affect the event as it is, such that honest horses are unaffected by refusals, focused horses don't spook, nervous horses are more likely to spook, timid horses are more likely to refuse a jump, etc. so they do actually affect things in that way, just a bit more behind the scenes than I have time to write out cx Don't worry though, attitudes do have a decent bit of bearing on shows as it is! They won't throw the results but they do affect it a good bit ^^

[caf.]

good to know! is age a factor as well? after all, green horses are much more prone to miscalculations and disobediences than older counterpart(though elderly horses could also be penalized due to declining musculature). just thinking out loud again

[SydneyandStorm]

good to know! is age a factor as well? after all, green horses are much more prone to miscalculations and disobediences than older counterpart(though elderly horses could also be penalized due to declining musculature). just thinking out loud again

Hm, that's a really, really good idea! Honestly, I hadn't thought about that for green horses, and the only thing with older horses is that if they get an injury they're out of showing... That's an interesting idea! I'll have to look into that c:

[caf.]

While conducting the showing survey I did get one interesting response, which I'd like to open up for discussion. I'll try and give what accurate responses I can, but Syd, if there's anything I missed or a suggestion you might have, please don't hesitate to jump in! I certainly don't want to step on anyone's toes.

It would be interesting (if even feasible) if the horses could enter multiple shows during the 'year' as apposed to just one show and one training session per 'horse year'. It could be an advantage offered to training/showing specific barns.

As it stands, horses are allowed to enter up to two shows per "year" - I may open it up to three if I find I have enough time to do so. As well, horses registered to futurities in utero are able to train twice a week up until their fourth birthday. Having more shows/more training sessions as an advantage to showing barns is an interesting thought though. We'd just have to make sure we didn't accidentally give show barns an overwhelming advantage!

Are there any considerations for boosting shows with the Associations? Getting that aspect of RVEC more involved in the SIM could be an option.

Currently, associations are welcome to run their own shows however they wish. They are unregulated by RVEC and given a 3,000c subsidy for every class they run. They may run them as similarly to or differently from RVEC's shows as they desire. Of course, right now, associations simply aren't terribly active - I know I can't run mine right now. Any suggestions for how to possibly support growth and activity in the associations?

Maybe a tier system for the show levels could be utilized - with increased difficulty demanded of the horse, larger payout incentive, and maybe a higher stake for the player involvement - a creative entry (writing etc.) for the class could have sway for the higher shows - message system, instead of separate thread? Single entry instead of an RP style (one and done instead of months long) with varying writing prompts available for 'bonus' points - Qualifying round/regional/invitational(Mid Tier) level might require one prompt (written or art) while a national/international/championship(Highest Tier) could require more. Examples: A narrative from the horse and/or rider's POV of the class; a personal reflection as to why the SIM horse was entered in that specific class; Hypothetical discussion of the training plan for the horse to show in that level; What a coach would look for or say for guidance for the rider/horse; What a judge would look for in the particular class; Check list for the Show/Class for Horse/Rider along with a quick explanation as to why it is included/how it would be used; How the horse/rider would prepare for the class at the show (clipping, cleaning tack, tacked/dressed[what equipment used/why], hoof oiled/blacked, braiding/banding, etc.). Basically different out-of-the-box creative prompts for those who want to go above and beyond - use their knowledge/real life experience to help their horse show better. For those who wish to partake in the higher tiers but don't wish to engage in the prompt will lose out on the bonus, and possible take a higher chance of 'events'.

If we add invitational shows, that should hopefully add a second 'tier' of difficulty, hopefully encouraging promising horses to move up. My concern with adding any more tiers would be classes getting too small - after all, driving classes simply haven't ever run as is. Perhaps, however, a seasonal championship held every few months wouldn't be so difficult if scheduled right. If it is highly desired, I could definitely talk about adding more levels with Syd and see if it would be at all feasible!
As for the written bonuses, it certainly would be an interesting addition (provided, of course, that all correct submissions counted the same to prevent partiality in judging)! This might be a talking point in future discussions. Would anyone else be in favor of this?

Maybe a tier system for Events? Bump a rail vs knocking a rail vs taking down all of the rails vs refusal vs fall So basically: a near miss - maybe cause some lameness (slight med issue $), four faults (have vet examine leg $$), 20+ faults [multiple rails down] (vet examine $$, maybe farrier for shoe $), 4 faults (with two refusals = DQ), fall = DQ (vet/farrier bill? $$$) Event Tier I - under $30 - bandage leg, replace one shoe, near miss, doesn't effect ranking (maybe out of first place?) Tier II - under $150 - Lameness test/new shoes/chiropractor - effects rank placement (maybe out of the top Three?) Maybe need recovery time Tier III - Disqualified, Large Vet Bill/Farrier Bill, can't compete for the rest of the show/year(?) Pay for damage to property(?) Need recovery time A lot could be played with - obviously anything implemented would make it more difficult and complicated to run - with finding percentages of events and such. Maybe a formula or code could help

Currently we have essentially a list of randomized events that are picked by a random number generator. If a horse takes the 'knocked rail' event, for example, it could take anywhere between one and four rails, or sometimes, even more. 'Refusals' and 'falls' are separate events, however events like 'balks' have a chance of inducing refusals, and feet stats can determine whether a 'trip' event triggers a fall. Events are affected by attitudes, as well - honest horses are immune to 'refusals', for example. 'Falls' may cause 'injuries', which incur vet bills and time off. So while we do not have tiers, per se, we do have a system in place that hopefully produces realistic results. Is everyone happy with the current system, or would they prefer to see change?

Many thanks for your input - as always, I look to improve as much as I can and I can't wait to see what exciting things we can bring to showing!

[caf.]

hello rvec!

i'm super excited for the introduction of invitationals, but as i've begun entering my own horses i've noticed that i may have set the bar too high in terms of the written/drawn prompts. Sydney and i originally implemented them as a means of making invitationals more special than other competitions, and in order to make them somewhat more difficult to enter. however, after noticing how many 300 words really is, i've worried that such a high demand might make players hesitant to enter, especially players with many horses. so, as a result, we have a few options.

a.) leave things exactly the way they are.
b.) lower the word count requirement for written prompt responses to 100 words.
c.) make prompt responses no longer a requirement to enter - allow players to complete them for bonus points if they choose to do so.
d.) do away with the prompts altogether.

please, players, let us know which option you'd prefer and if there are any other suggestions you have for invitational competitions! we'd like to make invitationals as inviting and rewarding as possible, so we'd love to know if there are any improvements we can make. don't hesitate to respond as honestly as you like!

[spirit • daydream]

What is Mustang Million?

[Starwalker123]

B

[caf.]

What is Mustang Million?

Mustang Million was a summer event in 2017 that involved adopting a mustang, taming it, and competing with it in a roleplay-style competition. of course, it is now closed to new players, and it has gone somewhat inactive since, for many players, school started up once more, though it may perk up again if interest is revived!

thanks for your input, starwalker, it's much appreciated!