Thank you,

it was confirmed by an admin a couple of years ago that pass horses would be removed and replaced with a modified version of the loyal player pass system. It was introduced on a few of the smaller servers and the general consensus seemed to be that it was a system that did not work correctly and was depriving players of passes they could have otherwise obtained. At the time we were not given a solid date for the change and there was a lot of protest against it, so with the length of time it has been since anything was said regarding the change being implemented I think people were hoping the idea had been abandoned. This latest information may mean the idea is not as dead as we had hoped but we'll just have to wait and see if any other information comes our way regarding whether this is something we can expect to see happening on this server or not.

pass horse changes since the furore it created a couple of years ago. If they are adjusting the IT server's pass system again, it doesn't really bode well for the future of pass horses on other servers. At the very least, it shows that they are still looking at alternative ways for passes (or rather, diamonds) to be earned. Though who on earth thought that replacing free passes with the far more restricted currency of diamonds would be a good idea is beyond me. If they thought the fuss over pass horses was bad, I can only imagine the uproar there will be if it is confirmed that our free passes will be replaced by diamonds.

Why so many bad changes in the last few months?! We've had the new BLUP calculation and now these weird co-manager and passhorse changes that nobody asked for. I hope the ambassadors will do something about this, because it doesn't look like Owlient is going to...

Wow. Just, just wow.
I've held off putting my thoughts down here because I wanted to see if they were going to open Preprod again- there seems to have interestingly been _very_ few spots this go-round, since not a single VIP I've spoken to has a spot.

Very interesting.

Might I just start with the fact that we have to discuss these changes- huge, game-wide, destructive changes- under little spoilers (SPOILER, your game is about to be ruined) in this single thread that most players probably don't even look at. This is information that should be introduced to players early, with plenty of time for the WHOLE GAME to voice their opinion on changes of this magnitude. This; the co man changes (which I will rip into later on) and pass horses being removed- this affects Everyone. All Of Us. Every player on this game. Yet it's being kept very hush hush, so the majority of people will be slapped in the face with it when it's inevitably implemented despite our begging- (BEGGING! We are your customers, your fan base, your entire motivation fore existing and we have to BEG you not to introduce changes that will make our lives more difficult!) These changes should have been polled. Members - All. Members. - should have had a say in these changes before they even underwent production. I know you have the capability to send a PM to all of us, why do you refuse to use this feature when there's something meaningful on the table? You promised us more say with the Ambassadors. You promised us more transparency, more empathy. More empty promises, as always.

And on the co-management changes. I really have nothing to say except _Why?_ You call them "safer and easier to use" which is laughable. Right now all you have to do is click a few buttons and whoever you trust enough has access to you account whenever they please, however they please. We know this before we give them that privilege. We accept the risks when we click that button. And most of the time, it's perfectly fine. They come on, run their BLUPs, use our fillers, farm our horses, and head back out without ruining anything for us. It's easy, it's safe if you trust that person and understand the risks, and it's wonderfully, incredibly convenient. Just a few days ago a teammate wanted to run BLUPs but had no resources, while I have plenty but my internet is struggling and I can't run a BLUP. I give her co, play with my Divines and eat dinner while she BLUPs away, and fill for her when she asks. At the end of it our team has gained ground we otherwise wouldn't have because we worked together. This is how teams work. This is WHY teams work. Our strengths are different but we can use co to apply them as a unit. Taking this away benefits no one. This fixes nothing. This is not safer- how am I meant to watch someone on my account for the first time if I can't be logged in? What if I forget to leave access before logging out and they can't get in? This is certainly not easier either- you've added about 6 different steps and conditions to using co. Anyway you slice it, this is not an improvement. It's just not.

It's heartbreaking and frustrating because there are so many things on this game that need fixing, REALLY fixing. There are so, SO many ways you could actually make Howrse a better game, but instead you're focusing on these changes that fix nothing and help no one (except, perhaps, your pockets). You don't listen when we tell you what's broken and you ignore us when we beg you not to break other things.

Learn to listen or you're going to chase away the few loyal players you have left. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't your goal.

I'd honestly be fine with this co change if it was so people can choose to allow co even when they are online. Being able to control when people can and can't get on your account is something I approve of, but I feel that only one person at a time is a step in the wrong direction.

Agreed. I'd be fine with, even supportive of these changes- were they added as OPTIONS and not the universal co-management experience.

Well, if they change the way that the pass horse system works, I don't think I will be able to be a VIP anymore. We can't use diamonds to purchase a VIP membership, and while I do buy passes on and off, I can't, as a teenage not old enough to drive or work, afford to buy 10 passes for VIP every month + however many i need to just function on the game.
Surely Howrse realizes that they have a wide demographic of players, and that some of us don't want to beg our parents for Howrse money. And then the working players might not want to spend their HARD EARNED, REAL LIFE MONEY, for a online currency. Especially when, in my opinion, pass prices are a bit high already, unless you can afford to purchase a really big pack.
Of course Howrse is a business and needs to make money, but in the long term, these changes aren't gonna earn them more than a few bucks if all of their players leave the game. It's disappointing because this is more or less the most popular Horse game that allows you to interact with other players. But at this point, I may as well start looking for somewhere else to spend my time.
It's frustrating, because of all of the hours and money that have already been put into this game. And I can only imagine how much time and energy and money players above me have dedicated to this game, just to have them wasted by a few changes that PLAYERS DO NOT SUPPORT.


It's like Howrse literally doesn't care what it's audience has to say about some of these changes. And of course I do realize that not all of the blame can go in one direction, but surely you can do something to make your OWN GAME more enjoyable for the loyal players... ugh.

Co management was not created to fill comps, although that now seems to be it's main purpose for many.

- Shock horror but people can and do still blup without filling - yes it might take longer than your 4 min record but is [potentially] slowing the gp race a bit not a good thing?

- People ran teams before teams became an official part of game and co was dreamed up

- co is also used to create 'team multi's' to get around purchase/filling etc criteria whether people care to admit it or not - i personally would suspect this is an influence behind the proposed changes and will therefore help level the playing field for teams and individuals who do not bend the rules.

** hastily retreats whilst dodging flying objects **

If the pass horse system indeed changes into a system where only diamonds take place, I’ll be sending my VIP subscription with a ‘farewell’, unless there’s a way to transfer diamonds into passes Is the loyal pass system going to still take place or is it just the pass horse system being removed?

“Co management was not created to fill comps” — maybe not when it was implemented, but games evolve. Why should that invalidate a feature’s current purpose, just because players found different uses for it? The logic here is faulty, to be completely honest.

You claim people use co-management to bend the rules in a manner that is not endorsed by Howrse...why do we have a 10 slot comanagement perk as part of the VIP account, then? Surely if it was used for its ‘original purpose’ then you would only need a couple slots for people to care for your horses while you’re away? I also wonder how using co-management to help fill your own blups is bending the rules in any way, shape, or form. There’s no rule against entering horses into your own horse’s comps—it merely facilitates one of the core elements of this game, which is competitive breeding. Even so, players who are not part of a team might find this change even more harmful, as they won’t have as large of a player network available to them for help in blupping, etc.

I don’t disagree that the GP race needs to be slowed down, because I think it has very little to offer now, but this is not the way to do it—period. If this goes through then I fear Howrse has shot itself in the foot and hit the self-destruct button along the way down.

They want to weed out players who don't play officially and I get that. They want
to force account owners to actually log on get involved in the game. The thing is, if they aren't already interested in playing, the likelihood of the account just being left to die is probably high. Insted of limited things we can do, why not make changes players like, maybe it will bring these account owners back?

There are a number of reasons why this is the most awful idea ever.

1. Who is going to remember to activate co EVERY TIME they log off? What about those who may have health issues related to memory loss? What about me with a baby? When I put her down to sleep and I get some time to myself to play the game, what if she starts crying and I have to see to her? Activating co isn't going to be my priority. I had a difficult pregnancy with her, and was rushed into hospital a few times. Again activating co isn't my priority. But what if I still want the people I have ALLOWED access to still access my co in my absence?

2. The biggest population of the game is who it effects massively. Teams. There are 100s of teams, they make up a lot of the top, pass buyers who fund the game. I know the feature was not intended for the usage of teams, however, it is a feature that you have given to us. No one is misusing the feature, it is in fact being used as it should be, just that teams have evolved and now use co for fillers, co blups, rescuing blups etc.
- I give co and I receive co to help fill comps. Teams use fillers to effectively achieve 20 wins without bothering anyone else. We use empty comps and fill so that we don't snipe wins from horses with less skills/potential. Sometimes teams have a quiet period where there are not many people around, what if the person blupping wants to fill but no one is online? The people they have co to are online or they haven't activated co so they can't use co. So that person now has to spend more time getting wins, or enter over other people for quick wins, people are going to start complaining that the comps need changing because "the top horses are allowed in low comps and keep beating us" because we can't fill due to lack of or no co and have limited time so have to enter over other horses.
- Rescuing BLUPs is a big one. The aim of the team is to keep the BLUPs moving. What if a team mate has had an emergency (their internet cut out) and the BLUP is stuck, but
they haven't activated co, then the team will be stuck.
Really what I am trying to say is that co allows teams to find ways to work together to help each other out. The whole idea of a team is the working together to progress a breed. I really enjoy the team feature and working together with my team mates, but it's not a very teamy feeling if you can't help each other out and work together.

3. What if I want other people to be on my co at the same time as me? To me, it is my choice. I have activated co to 10 players because I trust them and I gave them permission to use my account via co. Why should the game dictate that they can't use my co while I am online? How will this effect mobile users who are logged into the app all the time? No one will be able to use my co in that case, when I should be allowed to use the feature like everyone else, but it can't be used unless I am not online. Maybe I prefer to activate co to people when I am online so I can also keep an eye on my account too so that I can revoke co before any damage is done.

I feel like this is a half thought out idea. Wouldn't it just be easier for them to weed out people who have not logged on in a set period and deactivate co for those? That solves the issue without anything else having to be "fixed" aka dumbed down.

Your attitude towards this is deeply upsetting.

The GP race and teams have been lining Owlient's pockets for years. We drive the economy forward. We keep the game relevant. We devote stupid amounts of our time, money, and emotions to keep moving forwards. We are the reason there is still a game. We are actively creating the competition. We do the heavy lifting of keeping Howrse around, and yet you're standing there from a place of power and going "now sweeties, is it really SUCH a bad thing if teams move a little slower?" This attitude is precisely why Howrse has been disintegrating for years, I hope you're having a nice time mocking the rubble.

Filling isn't done out of speed but out of necessity. Even if you're blupping the biggest baddest breed on the game you can bet that someone out there has a bigger badder horse and my, wouldn't it be just awful if a rival team happened to stumble upon your comps just sitting there so pretty, not a filler in sight, ripe for the plucking?
That happens to me at least once a week NOW, when I have co access to fill and team mates who are on to fill for me. This wouldn't make BLUPing "a little slower haha" it would make it painful.

And that's our POINT. We the teams who work so hard making Howrse tick are having this change dumped on us despite all we do, despite pointing out the flaws, despite us begging it to be left alone. It wouldn't just be "kind of annoying" it would be incapacitating. It doesn't MATTER that these features didn't used to exist, we have them now, we need them, and taking them away from us after all teams have contributed to Howrse is nasty and unfair.

As for your last point, I truthfully have no clue what team multis are. If they're accounts owned by separate people that's not bending the rules, that's just... having teammates?? And if they're accounts owned by the same person, these changes won't even touch them. No point at all.