Interview of an International Moderator.

Hey everyone, we apologise for the large break we've taken. But we're back now and we're excited to give you all the low-down on the latest Howrse news!

We interviewed another moderator, one who works on the international server. We're interested to know what really annoys our mods, what they enjoy and what they love about our game. So sit back, relax and read Mod "I's" interview!

TH: We're sure you must enjoy your job, what's the highlight?
  I:  I love playing Howrse and I love the people I talk too. It's so enjoyable to breed horses and look after them.

TH: And the lowlights?
  I  : Definitely having to sanction players, nobody enjoys that.

TH: What's your favourite breed of horse?
  I  : I really like Akhal-Teke horses, pity they aren't on the international server. It's ok though, I also play on other servers, which allows me to breed AT's!

TH: What's the rule that get's broken the most often on Howrse?
  I  : I don't know if there is one that gets broken the most, they all get tested. Multi-accounting is becoming more prevalent it seems, that rule is a big one. Another one is what goes on in the forums. The rules are pretty basic, yet it's the basic ones that seem to get broken the most.

TH: What kinds of things do you not like seeing in the forums?
  I  : Advertising, players being rude, mini-modding, people posting 6 or 7 topics a day.

TH: Why do you not like these things specifically?
  I  : Advertising - well because we'd all like to have our things seen. We'd all love players to buy our horses, board in our centres etc. But if we all advertise, then we tend not to answer game play questions that really need answering.
Rudeness: because it makes players angry, sad and really a whole range of emotions. FYI, just because you have high seniority, doesn't mean you know everything about the game.
Mini-Modding: Again, if you have seniority, help other players with your knowledge that's all you're there to do. We will sort out the rest.
Serial-Posters: If you have 6 or 7 genuine questions, that's ok. If you're asking silly questions over and over again then you're going to annoy other players.

Thanks again to I, you've really given us insight into the things moderators do and what makes you tick. Just remember players, Moderators aren't paid. They volunteer. So give them a break now and again! Also, thanks to TH writer Analeise from America for getting this interview for us.

Advertising, Where and What?

I've been hunting around the forums lately and have noticed a lot of Howrse players asking where they can/can't advertise. So because of the lack of knowledge regarding Advertising we thought we'd fill you in.

 

What is Advertising?: 
Advertising is where you tell people about a service you're offering or something you're looking for or believe in. 

What can I advertise on Howrse?
It varies depending on where you plan on doing it. Here is a list of places and what is acceptable there.

- Your Presentation: On your page you can advertise trades, services - both for your personal breeding farm (sales, coverings etc) and your EC (Jobs, boarding etc), you can advertise a giveaway or service of another player. You may also advertise your religion however this is limited to a small wordless image. You can also advertise your ideas that are in voting.
  Hint: If you want more people to check out your page, go give some congratulations. 
- Your EC Presentation: You can advertise the same things here that you can advertise on your personal page however most people just use it for their EC.
-  Your EC Forum (International) You can advertise the same things here that you can on your page. You can also allow others to advertise. 
- The EC Forum - Specifically designed for offering board, offering jobs etc. This is the only thing that can be advertised here. 

What can't I advertise on Howrse?
You can't advertise religion (other than stated above) nor can you advertise politics. 

Where can't I advertise?
 Read the places below.
- Personal Messages: So no spam, no advertising. You can't even advertise via your email if it is for your EC.
- Forums (Other than EC forum) You can't advertise in the Game play forum or the Events forum. You will lose karma. 
   Hint: You can't even ask where you can advertise (in the forums) as this is also seen as advertising.
- EC forums of others, The exception to this is if you have permission. 

Q&A - Gameplay Questions Answered

We've had a few people ask us questions that they couldn't get answered in game play, and are dying to know the answer to.

1. I'm trying to blup my horse but it hasn't happened yet. Why?
A. You haven't given much detail but these are the criteria for a horse to reach +100 Blup
            - The horse has his or her top 3 skills bolded. (Training and Rides can do this) 
            - The horse has won 20 competitions (first place)
            - The horse is at least 10 years old
Reply: Oh darn! I feel so silly, my horse is 9. Thank you TH


2. I'm doing the objective where you need to put your horse in a box to find a Tub of Grease, problem is I've been doing it for days and all the horse does is sleep.

A. My first instinct is that you're maybe putting your horse in the wrong box. Here is a diagram of which box to use. The box marked with a red X is the wrong one. Once you've found the correct box (the one with the yellow circle) Select a time period for your horse to stay in there, repeat until you get a ToG.
 Reply: Thankyou TH! I got a ToG the first go and validated.

3. I'm stuck on objectives 88, 91 and 94. Help!
A 88 - Propose an item exchange. Breeding > Shop >Exchange Items.
   91 - Buy a horse over 25 years with 0 skill points. Hunt around in the sales for horses matching those criteria, or search Objective 91 in the sales search. Be ready to pay a premium for these horses though. 
   94 - Get a Pandora's box by trading items, simple. You can even complete 88 and 94 at the same time. Offer either a Pandora's box for a Pandora's box, or use something you don't need.  

Magic Ride - Info and Help

The Magic Ride - Our Christmas 2012 Promo

So, We've been going at this promo for a week now. 

You're required to roll a die to collect a total of 25 keys to unlock the Wind Gate to win the Divine Eurus. It's pretty simple, just check back when you're due to roll again and Bob's your uncle!

Along the way, as well as collecting keys you can undergo missions (by landing on the lightning bolt) squares. You also will collect presents along the way, that you can begin opening from December 25. Each present varies in prize and worth of prize.

Check out the links to find out what each prize can offer.

Small - http://www.howrse.com/operation/balade/cadeau?type=petit

Great - http://www.howrse.com/operation/balade/cadeau?type=moyen

Exceptional - http://www.howrse.com/operation/balade/cadeau?type=grand

A few promo questions sent it...

Question 1) I rolled a 5, by my counting the key I need is 5 away. I'm on board 1. Why can't I get the key?

Answer - Have you checked to see if their are any barriers inbetween you and the key? On the first board it is somewhat difficult to see the barriers, when you reach board two you may notice them more.

Question 2) I can't open my presents, is this a glitch?

Answer - Nope, you can't open your gifts until Christmas day.

Question 3) When I get all 25 keys, what do I do?

Answer - Head back to board 1, go to the Wind Gate (Below the Secret Passage) and head along the path to Eurus.

Question 4) How do I send my friend a gift?

Answer) You can land on a space on the board which allows you to send a friend of your choice a gift to put under their tree.        

Interview with New Mod Y

We've made a new mod-friend.  "Y" will be helping us answer some fan questions along with help from our old friend X. 

But today, we're going to welcome Y to our family and ask them some questions. 

You obviously love your job as a moderator, what's the highlight?
I've always loved getting to know players and helping with their game.

What is the lowlight?
I don't think there *is* a lowlight, really. Everything is so great. I suppose the only negative thing on Howrse is players who continually refuse to follow rules. I dislike sanctioning.

What is your primary 'Breeding goal'?
I guess it'd be to breed high gp and excellency star unicorns. I love the excitement of not knowing whether I will produce a uni or not. These new changes to unicorn breeding really do help. Especially when you're a moderator on a server where you don't live!

Favourite TV show?
Doctor Who for sure!

In your opinion, why is Multi-accounting so wrong and does the system make mistakes?
Multi accounting is wrong on many levels. If you think about it, a player gets 1 pass every 50 days. If a player has 10 accounts they get 10 passes, this can inturn be used to buy items and send them to the main account. Same with equus and horses and other BMI's. It's not fair to players who work hard for what they have or our ever supportive pass buyers. 

As for the second part of your question, yes, I do believe the system makes mistakes. I've seen genuine players have accounts deleted when they have used the same computer. Like humans, computers and IP trackers also make mistakes. 

How can we explain our innocence, if we are to get in-trouble for multi-accounting when we genuinely aren't?
Well, you need to realise first before contacting us that we know when a player is lying to us. So don't multi account and then expect to blame it on your siblings' accounts. Admin do know. 
You must *politely* state your case.
Remember, players, you may not have your ban or deletion reinstated. 

How can we avoid getting in trouble for M-A when our sibling's use the same computer?
 - Simple, use different emails
 - Log on, play and log off. Wait longer than 10 minutes before allowing a sibling to log on, and when they log off, leave a period of time before you log on. 


Thanks heaps "Y". We hope to hear from you soon, Welcome to the TH family!
No, thank you. I hope I can work with you and aid you and players in having a great game and getting the most from it! 

BMI's for New Players

Under 30 days seniority? Read This

We've all been there. Learning the game, making mistakes etc. Well we've been asked to make a post about BM items for new players.

What is a new player?
A new player is anyone with under 30 days seniority. 

Items:
- Gaia Foal
- Business Key
- Professional Trainer (Formally DNA Strand)

Item 1: Gaia Foal
This allows new players to create another horse (picking gender, breed and colour) and not have to wait until they can access the sales. 

Item 2: Business Key
This allows new players to access the Auction, Reserved and Direct sales before having 30 days of seniority. It also allows players to create an EC before having 20 days seniority.

Item 3: Professional Trainer (Formally DNA Strand)
This allows players to immediately and fully train their horse without using any energy. 

These are only available for players with under 30 days seniority, and can only be purchased with passes and diamonds. 

Merry Christmas TH-ers/

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's that time of year again, and from us to you we'd love to say Merry Christmas. Keep safe and enjoy the festive season.

We're answering a few questions we've recieved lately in regards to the X-Mas season..

Q1 - Will the advent calander be coming to Howrse
Unfortunately, we don't know. But we're hoping and praying that Howrse deliver a Christmas themed Promo.

Q2 - Will Total Howrse be online during the holiday season?
We're all very busy folks, but we will be playing Howrse, so with any new changes comes a new post. This might mean promos, updates or important information regarding your game. However in the unlikely event that an event takes place on Christmas day we won't be posting until the following day. 

Again, Continue to send us questions and we'll continue to answer.
Keep safe THsers, we look forward to delivering all the Howrse news in the new year.
All our love, The team at TotalHowrse.