also, this sketch is simply a reference - if this gained ground, i'd probably hold a contest for professional, pretty lines.
most of this is very rudimentary and yet to be fleshed out - i'm putting it here so i remember it. if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know! i may also take on a few extra artists for the purpose of churning out enough adopts to supply all players with enough horses to participate, so if you're interested please let me know.
the sim wrote:this sim (which hasn't yet received a name) focuses on a single, well-developed breed of horse for use in several driving sports. the goal is to create an intense, competitive, and exciting atmosphere. the sim will resemble sims like RVEC in that horses are created with a set of inborn stats and can be trained and competed with. as well, the game will likely have a set currency that horse owners may use to purchase equipment and horses, as well as entering competitions.
for the sim's duration players will be divided into two teams who compete for points. teams can earn points through competitions that individual players participate in - a tally is kept on the front page so that all players may view the score at any time. players and horses may also be ranked, but the ultimate goal for players is to get their team to winning. it is up to players to coordinate, strategize, and maximize their winnings.
the sim runs from may 28 through september 2. once it ends, players are free to keep their horses and use them as characters. if the sim is done again a following year, players must start from scratch and retire their previous teams.
the breed wrote:the breed (yet to be named) is a mixture of gelderlander warmbloods, thoroughbreds (for endurance), standardbreds (for speed), and percherons/belgian drafts (for strength). they tend to be a steady mix between light and heavy build, with noticeably broad chests and powerful hindquarters. they are known to have a refined head and sculpted faces and necks, as well as thick, clean legs. their action is often not as flamboyant as more showy driving breeds, but their strides are large, correct, and ground-covering. their feet are kept large for surefootedness but are still trimmed to a natural, correct shape.
these horses are shown individually or in teams of two or four. for the most part they come in solid colors - most all base coats are present in the breed. appaloosa markings aren't terribly common but still notable throughout the breed. paint markings are much rarer. generally horses with bold white markings are highly prized. chimerism and brindle have yet to be seen in the breed. these horses stand between 15.3-17.2 hands high, with a few exceptions.
stats wrote:the sim has 8 stats for competitions:
- endurance (ability to maintain speed over a long distance)
- speed (ability to accelerate rapidly to a high speed)
- strength (ability to pull a heavy load)
- agility (ability to make tight turns at a high speed)
- action (quality of movement)
- conformation (quality of build)
- sensitivity (awareness of other horses for maximum coordination)
- attitude (willingness to obey commands of driver)
foundation horses have between 5 and 20 points in each stat, with foals able to have more. additionally, a ninth stat is not factored into competitions: breeding score. this number falls between 0 and 5, and it notes a horse's ability to produce skilled foals, with 5 being a good score. don't fret, however, if you have a horse with a score of 0 - the parents' scores are averaged when producing a foal! parents with excellent scores can still produce mediocre foals, as well - chance is a huge factor in breedings.
when trained, horses can earn between 0 and 5 points in any stat - these points are denoted with a + as opposed to being added directly to the stat, as they do not affect breeding.
gelding a horse adds +3 to attitude and +2 to sensitivity.
game mechanics wrote:adoption - adoptions range from raffles to naming competitions to auctions. players must pay a small fee of [game currency] after adopting in order to halter the horse - the halter is always the color of the horse's team in order to identify the horse easily. adoption never costs anything outside of game currency.
items - users must purchase items such as mane braids in order to compete with their game currency. the items will display on the horse's page when purchased.
breeding - any mare/stallion pair can be bred to produce a foal, whose stats are an average of the parents' along with a random factor determined by the parents' breeding scores. breeding comes with a vet fee, as well as a stud fee or breeding fee if one or both of the horses are not owned by the player requesting the breeding.
gelding - gelding a horse costs a small vet fee and offers a skill bonus (see above).
sales - horse sales are set up by players - they can be sold, traded, or auctioned off for a player-determined price of game currency or other horse.
training - horses can be trained once a week - if the player pays a small fee, they can determine which skill the stats go to. otherwise, they go to a random stat.
aging - horses age one year whenever they are trained. when they are under two, they may only participate in halter competitions. between the ages of two and five, they may participate in light driving. only horses six and older may participate in heavy work.
competing - after paying entry fees, a player's team - be it a single horse or a group of four - is entered in a competition. when all is said and done, participants have the chance to receive skill points, game currency, and team points.
leasing - if a player is short a horse for a team competition, they may lease a horse from another player. players may use leased horses for any competition except for the final race of the season. if two players so desire, they may run a merged team in the final race and split the winnings between themselves.
competitions wrote:competitions are judged off of a combination of a horse's skills, with a random factor and, of course, bonuses. the following bonuses are available for certain competitions:
- color bonus: if a team's horses are colored similarly (similar markings, coat, etc.), they receive a small bonus.
- height bonus: if a team's horses are the same height, they receive a small bonus.
- match bonus: if the color and height of a team's horses match, they receive a large bonus.
- wheel bonus: if a team's strongest horses are placed in the wheel position, they receive a small bonus.
HALTER
team type: 1 horse
skills judged: conformation, action
bonuses available: none
CHARIOT RACING
team type: 2 horses
skills judged: speed
bonuses available: none
PULLING CONTESTS
team type: 2 horses
skills judged: strength
bonuses:none
BREED SHOWS
team type: 1 horse
[b]skills judged: conformation, action, attitude
bonuses: none[/b]
DRIVEN DRESSAGE
team type: any
skills judged: action, conformation, sensitivity, attitude
bonuses available: color, height, match
OBSTACLE CONE DRIVING
team type: any
skills judged: speed, agility, sensitivity, attitude
bonuses available: none
MARATHON
team type: any
skills judged: endurance, speed, agility, strength
bonuses available: wheel
COMBINED DRIVING
team type: any
skills judged: all
bonuses available: all
the final race wrote:at the end of the season, a final race is held, offering astronomical amounts of points to winners. the race spans over 75 miles of rugged terrain, with vet checkpoints every 5 or so miles (hence it is often known as a horse's iditarod). in order to enter the race a four-horse team is required - if two players who do not have enough horses so desire, they may combine their teams to run representing both of them in this race and split the prizes between themselves. a player may only run one team in this race - hence it is advised to enter only your best horses. while the wheel bonus does apply, no other bonuses factor in.
