Heather 
Question for all #HorsePeople: What kind of things/mechanics/gameplay/features would you want in the Horse Game of your dreams? 🐎
Hollie@Rheall Honestly I want to stand there and be able to groom my horse. Scratch their ears, rub my hand down their noses, feed them treats. Pat them. Any horse game should absolutely have the ability to give a pat.
Willow (she/her)
wb x64@hollie @Rheall adding onto the competition that's not a black hole thing, maybe if you place well and get prizes you can afford better shampoo that visually looks nicer. Like start the game with a garden hose and the cheapest human shampoo and end with your custom crafted SkinSoSoft blend or Mane and Tail bubble bath ;)
Upgrading stall mats and mucking tools is often unacknowledged. Random health issues you gotta ask a vet about. Wash, brush, and hoof cleaning minigame. Maybe randomized trails
@hollie @Rheall slightly randomized breed and individual characteristics could be fun for sure, ultimately this is like any other form of animal training we're just used to keeping predators as pets. Horses are prey animals and grazers who are on the lookout for threats to run away from or kick, so we often don't understand their instincts (like leaning into pressure vs moving away from, or other body language)
@hollie @Rheall having a horse is actually quite frustrating and a learning experience so there should be the highs of like actually connecting with the "virtual pet" over a good scratch or being excited to see you or obeying more, and the lows of a snake scare or bucking or external/internal accident/condition. Having the best gear and prettiest well behaved horse should be a reward for all this work, not default.
My mom bought a horse who literally ate fries and drank Coke and was insane lol
@Rheall @wilbr The horse I had when I was a kid was sassy as hell, I was ten years old and everyone kept telling me I was in charge and I was like are you freaking kidding me? She is definitely in charge. But she liked me and we were friends, so it worked.
My friend Stephanie came over one day and was all, "I'll show her who's boss," and I said sure, you do that, and watched Ginger buck her off four times before she gave up. (That friend is now a decorated female Army drill sergeant!).
Nik@Rheall if you want to really go the extra mile you can almost make it like a training sim where you research natural horsemanship resources and gamify the magic of actually communicating with an animal during training and seeing progress, being on the same team to have fun despite different species' idea of "fun" (like a good roll in the dirt after a bath!), versus the traditional "kick harder means go" which isn't really how it works
@hollie Yes, horses must get ALL the scritches!!! <3
zceline