Starters Orders Pro released

[condors]

haven't seen any threads about this on the forum but it looks pretty good

downloading the demo

anyone have any experience with this game?

[Bee]

http://www.startersorders.com/

Link for the lazy among us.

[mgadfly]

If you try this game, let me know what you think. It looks interesting.

[SirFozzie]

First game from what I remember was crap.

[condors]

well i have been playing it

I am not a horse racing expert so some things may be out of whack and i don't know the difference.

Muliplayer league is an option and you can export horses you train to race against each other. Some pretty neat stuff.

You start with 3 horses, I have played 3 years and i don't have a star horse but i have one that has won a few listed races and has finished 2nd in a stakes race winnings are over 70k.

It is possible to keep your stable afloat without betting which is a big deal for me(i wasn't able to do this in hrm)

Everything looks good so far....back to trying to make some serious money

[Raven Hawk]

I played around with the Demo for awhile and read a couple of boards and such. The two main complaints that I had were:

1. You can breed a horse without retiring it.
2. Betting seemed to be in a British format that I had a hard time grasping.

[Axxon]

well i have been playing it

I am not a horse racing expert so some things may be out of whack and i don't know the difference.

Muliplayer league is an option and you can export horses you train to race against each other. Some pretty neat stuff.

You start with 3 horses, I have played 3 years and i don't have a star horse but i have one that has won a few listed races and has finished 2nd in a stakes race winnings are over 70k.

It is possible to keep your stable afloat without betting which is a big deal for me(i wasn't able to do this in hrm)

Everything looks good so far....back to trying to make some serious money

I'm with you condors. I'm not an expert but I've been having a blast with this game. In fact, I've had more fun with this than any other horse racing game. I wish some of the board experts could judge the accuracy of the sim.

I just autosimmed the first four months and started a new game. I have a 2 yr old who's a distance guy which means he's useless in all the 2yr old sprints that he is eligible for. I had a promising 3 yr old sprinter which won a claiming race and I ended up selling for over 60k.

I also have another horse. Best I can say about her. :)

I was watching the auctions and everything has been either too expensive or too pathetic but one day I see Zacchera on the blocks for ~7k. Zacchera is a distance horse, prefering the 2m races. Zacchera had won his last 2m race handily but then was inexplicably entered into a 1m6f race against better competitio which caused his rating to plummet and the owner wanted to sell.

I bought him for less than 8k and he was already entered into a 1-100 2m handicap race which he won for me quite handily. My jockey suggests I bring him up in grade next race. He won 3.7k and now is worth enough money that I'll have easily turned a profit, even if he has reached his peak.

So, my stable isn't exactly rich but I didn't need to gamble at all and I've got 140k, a decent distance horse, a promising youngster and one more horse. :) It's been a blast.

It seems balanced enough and if you work, you can find money makers. Stars? I don't know. I haven't played long enough yet to think about buying one of them. :)

[thesloppy]

I've also been having a blast playing this game for the last month or so.

Unfortunately, I'm even less knowledgable about horse racing than those who have posted before me, so Ican't offer much 'expert analysis'.

I've played through many seasons under numerous careers, my longest one spanning 5 years (I had to restart my early careers due to the patch), and I've done about as well as I can expect....a few decent horses, one-or two that performed above expectations, handfuls of trash, but none of 'em have even come close to winning a major race. I think the level I've performed at speaks well of the game's balance. I haven't had to bet, and by trading in slightly-above-average horses I've been able to keep my stable afloat for 5 years while maintainging 5-6 horses at all times. It took me a lot of work and experimentation just to get to this level of competitiveness (is that a word?), and I'm glad I had to work hard instead of just having a random super-horse handed to me.

Gameplay is great, going almost as quickly or slowly as you'd like it, depending on how in-depth you want to get. There are a handful of interface complaints, but they're all pretty minor and are of the too-many-clicks variety. The graphics are stale at best, but for what is basically a text sim they're much more than servicable.

Totally recommended, and no horse-racing experience is necessary as long as you bring a little patience. I'll also echo the thoughts of those above; I too would love to hear the opinion of those more familiar with the realm of horsies.

[condors]

thesloppy (or anyone else)

what things do you look for when buying a horse to turn a profit on?

I have bought the top rated 2 year old in the 2nd season 3 times and each time the horse has come up short for me. I am currently 74k in debt in start of season 5(i ran out of money a couple seasons ago) with a horse a bought at the auction for 184k who hasn't done much as a 2 3 or 4 year old i gelded him hopefully he produces as a 5 year old. I have always restarted but i am going to try to keep going till the game shuts me down.

[Capital]

Can you change the currency to dollars? It mentioned that you can make the game use furlongs so I hoping that the same can be said for dollars.

[QuikSand]

From the download area, there seem to be two separate "builds" for the game -- in pounds and dollars. Seems odd to me... though on slightly closer inspection, this might just be a function of what currency you wish to pay for it in.

Here is a selection from the FAQ:

- - - - -

Is this game based on UK racing only?

The core of the race calendar is UK based. There is an option to choose between Furlongs/Fraction odds (UK) and Meters/Decimal odds for those unfamiliar with UK fraction odds and furlongs. There are a number of showcase races throughout the game at racecourses in Australia, USA, France, Canada, Japan, UAE and Germany.

How much does Starters Orders cost?

Following the release of Starters Orders PRO, the origional Starters Orders game is now available at the budget price of £9.99 sterling or $14.99. Starters Orders PRO costs £19.99 or $34.99 USD. Owners of the origional Starters Orders are entitled to a significant rebate if purchasing the PRO version. You can buy either of the Starters Orders games from ANYWHERE in the world. Your card issuer will convert the game price to your local currency based on the current exchange rate.

I live in X country. Will you be creating a version specific to my country?

Starters Orders has been designed to appeal to a worldwide racing audience. However, there are currently plans to look into releasing Add-ons for specific countries. At the moment only the USA and Australia are being considered. There is no current release date for these add-ons.

[Capital]

I think that it is just for the currency that you wish to pay, but I appreciate you trying to answer my question. Unfortunately, the answer is probably on their forum board but I can't get to it here at the office :(. At least I can still get to this site.

[Axxon]

It's only in pounds but after enough CM I really hadn't noticed. :)

[Capital]

Thanks for the answer...although when I play CM I change it to $$$. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have.

[Axxon]

thesloppy (or anyone else)

what things do you look for when buying a horse to turn a profit on?

I have bought the top rated 2 year old in the 2nd season 3 times and each time the horse has come up short for me. I am currently 74k in debt in start of season 5(i ran out of money a couple seasons ago) with a horse a bought at the auction for 184k who hasn't done much as a 2 3 or 4 year old i gelded him hopefully he produces as a 5 year old. I have always restarted but i am going to try to keep going till the game shuts me down.

I have made my money avoiding the big money horses. For example, the horse I had above was bought for 7k because his handicap rating plummeted when he was run in the wrong race and at the wrong distance. He has won three straight times for me and has more than made a profit and if I wanted to sell him now, I'd make a tidy profit.

I've had good luck doing this with several horses who cost less than 40k, which is my imposed cash limit this early in the sim. I have no intentions of buying a high ticket horse until I'm sure I can afford him busting. I can get my money winners a lot cheaper.

One one of these cheaper horses wins a few, I sell them and turn my money. I think it's a mistake to think any of these horses have potential so it's all a business at this point.

[condors]

i guess i have been unlucky

i need to pay more attention to horses running in bad races.

Most of the horses i buy win in a claiming/selling race and then i run them in a couple other races(which they usually don't finish in the money) then hope they can win another claiming/selling race

I have found horses that win claiming races that look like very good horses but they can get over 200k and i don't have that kind of funding yet

I noticed some horses have big builds would they be better suited for handicap races for carrying extra weight? I am not sure what exactly that means and i didn't see anything in the docs about it

[Axxon]

Look for horses who have run out of class, at the wrong distance or on the wrong ground and view the auction. If the price gets too high forget them but often enough, but not often, if you know what I mean, you'll find a horse that is a bargain. I'd say if you don't have a plan on how you want to run the horse to make your money back, you really shouldn't bother buying the horse.

[Axxon]

Dola, if you watch the auctions every day, horses are sold that didn't win a claiming or selling. These are where you'll tend to find the bargains I'm describing. Their trainers have basically given up on them and sometimes it's for the wrong reasons.

[thesloppy]

Axxon is right on line with my personal strategy, so I'll just stand behind him and nod my head.

I think the risk is too great to buy a big-dollar (or pound) horse if you don't have a bunch of money in the bank to offset the chance (s)he's a bust. In retrospect I'm not sure I've ever payed more than 50K for a horse, much like Axxon.

A strategy I've used with pretty good results is to pick up an under-10K horse with a relatively low handicap rating and run him/her in the big group 1 or 2 races...if the horse even does a little bit better than expected their handicap rating will take a large jump, thanks to competing against such strong competition. Of course, you won't see any benefit if they finish last, as they often do, and you'll still have to pay the exorninant entry fees for those big races.

Another thing you can do to raise the value of super-cheap horses is to try and run them in the races with only 3-4 other horses. Even if your horse finishes 3rd, it's still adding to it's earnings and this can sometimes cause it's value to rise a little.

Try some of those strategies and see if they work out for you. I was just where it sounds like you're at for a good while, skirting bankruptcy and restarting careers every couple seasons as I slowly built a little strategy. I think it will help you a lot to stay away from the expensive horses in the early game.

When you're thinking about buying a horse, start 'going to the races' everyday...you don't have to watch the races, but just check the auctions at the end of the day and wait for a younger horse that costs under 10K and doesn't strike you as obvious glue-fodder. Just so long as you don't finish dead last in every race it's hard to not turn a decent profit on a really cheap horse, but you have to be patient to find them.

If you're looking for a horse to run a couple races and then sell, just to keep the money flowing, you also might want to think about a couple other things. Don't buy a 2 yr old distance horse, as they won't be eligible for the long races until the next year, and therefore aren't likely to bring you a profit for a long time. Consider the weather/season, as buying a horse who likes soft ground in the middle of summer means you'll likely be losing some races, and therefore value, while waiting for the ground to soften up....the same applies to buying a horse who likes firm ground in the spring or fall.

That's about all the hints I've got rattling around in my pea-sized brain, and I'd love to hear more tips if anybody has them....I'd LOVE to get to the point where I'm making a decent profit and can begin to legitimately compete in the big races.

[Capital]

I'm glad to hear that there's finally a horse racing game where you can actually run a stable and not have to bet. All of these game histories and opinions may lead me to make a purchase, or at least give the demo a try.

One question, if you breed your horse, how many times can one do this? If you end up with a stud horse, can you breed him for essentially eturnity. The breeding aspect is something that could be interesting.

[condors]

i am currently in season 1 with no horses and 240k hopefully this time will be different

[Axxon]

i am currently in season 1 with no horses and 240k hopefully this time will be different

Good luck!

I still say that's too little money to buy an expensive horse. ;)

I just did this though. Food for thought. Right out of the gate. I started a new game with simple training. I had developed a method that had me pretty much maxed out every race anyway so I decided to automate that.

Anyway, after viewing race one, a horse came for sale with a reserve of 33k. It was a short distance horse. A 5yr old mare. It was set to enter a claiming in a week and the field didn't really look like it was that good. She was a 55 handicap.

The bidding was really weak so I decided to take a chance on her. I won the bidding at 39k. Long story short, she wins the race and then sells for 56k. In 6 days, I'd made 19k ( 17k + race winning 2k ). I would actually have liked to keep her but I couldn't outbid the computer. In any case, with very little work I'd turned a tidy profit.

It doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough to justify the risk if you're buying cheap and often and selling quick.

Anyway, good racing. Let us know how it works out. :)

[thesloppy]

One question, if you breed your horse, how many times can one do this? If you end up with a stud horse, can you breed him for essentially eturnity. The breeding aspect is something that could be interesting.

Breeding was something that really picqued my interest in this game, as it's an area that a lot of racing sims have ignored and others have just plain screwed up. Unfortunately the level of my play has not allowed me to put any research into that feature. Before you can breed you have to buy the facilities to do so, and I believe the process will remove two of your horses for a small period of time and the mare can't race again until the foal (I don't even know if I'm using the right terms here, so excuse my ignorance) has been conceived...with my little stable I can't really even afford the facilities, let alone the time off for the horses.

From what I've read (which isn't too much on this subject), the breeding sounds like a nice-to-have feature, but probably shouldn't be used to drive your decision.

One negative for the game is that the community isn't very lively from what I can tell. There are a couple regular posters on the board, but generally there aren't more than a handful of new posts every week, and it doesn't seem like hte development team replies to posts very often. There's an in-game help feature, but even between that and the manual you can sometimes be left with unanswered questions, and as someone mentioned above the british terminology can be confusing at times. Overall, I think it's a blast, but I don't want to set the expectations too high for those yet to try the game....it's far from a slam-dunk, but if you can get by it's quirks it can be a heck of a lot of fun to play.

[Axxon]

I'm with you condors. I'm not an expert but I've been having a blast with this game. In fact, I've had more fun with this than any other horse racing game. I wish some of the board experts could judge the accuracy of the sim.

I just autosimmed the first four months and started a new game. I have a 2 yr old who's a distance guy which means he's useless in all the 2yr old sprints that he is eligible for. I had a promising 3 yr old sprinter which won a claiming race and I ended up selling for over 60k.

I also have another horse. Best I can say about her. :)

I was watching the auctions and everything has been either too expensive or too pathetic but one day I see Zacchera on the blocks for ~7k. Zacchera is a distance horse, prefering the 2m races. Zacchera had won his last 2m race handily but then was inexplicably entered into a 1m6f race against better competitio which caused his rating to plummet and the owner wanted to sell.

I bought him for less than 8k and he was already entered into a 1-100 2m handicap race which he won for me quite handily. My jockey suggests I bring him up in grade next race. He won 3.7k and now is worth enough money that I'll have easily turned a profit, even if he has reached his peak.

So, my stable isn't exactly rich but I didn't need to gamble at all and I've got 140k, a decent distance horse, a promising youngster and one more horse. :) It's been a blast.

It seems balanced enough and if you work, you can find money makers. Stars? I don't know. I haven't played long enough yet to think about buying one of them. :)

I just had to update this a little bit. :)

Zacchera ran very well in handicap races for me this season. He won his first three races, then finished third when I bumped his class a bit. Still, even this race upped his handicap.

Well, the season is winding down and I'm wanting to race him one more time. I notice the pickings slim but I see the Melbourne Cup. It was kind of expensive to enter and Zacchera was the lowest handicapped horse, but I entered it anyway. It was a reward for a very nice season. Zacchera had more than payed for himself and he really did dominate every race he was in.

Well, the oddsmakers see more in him than the handicap and they made him the 5th choice and gave him 11/1 odds. He didn't break well, but he was middle of the pack. He hit the halfway point in sixth. He was running well but he wasn't pushing the pace at all.

At this point, he starts making his move on the pack at the same time Pooka's Daughter was pulling away. By the stretch, Zacchera had caught the pack but was still a good bit behind Pooka's Daughter. He was gaining quick. He has great stamina and Good acceleration. His top speed is poor but the combo he does have works really well. But is it enough?

The zoom in comes and Zacchera's nose is running with PD's tail. He's still picking it up, PD is fading. Here comes the finish line and Zacchera is by first!!!

He wins the Melbourne Cup by 3/4 L. He picked up an $871000 purse.

I guess I'll be shopping for some higher priced horses next season. Then again, Zacchera only cost me 7k. :)

[QuikSand]

He wins the Melbourne Cup by 3/4 L. He picked up an $871000 purse.

I guess I'll be shopping for some higher priced horses next season. Then again, Zacchera only cost me 7k.

Congratulations, of course... but I don't see this as a great thing.

You're a self-confessed non-expert at this stuff, hacve been playing this game for a fairly short time, and you claimed a horse for peanuts who goes on to win an extremely prestigious handicap event. Good for you, but this is the sort of thing that makes me awfully hesitant about the game -- I don't want things to fall in my lap like that.

[Axxon]

Congratulations, of course... but I don't see this as a great thing.

You're a self-confessed non-expert at this stuff, hacve been playing this game for a fairly short time, and you claimed a horse for peanuts who goes on to win an extremely prestigious handicap event. Good for you, but this is the sort of thing that makes me awfully hesitant about the game -- I don't want things to fall in my lap like that.

I consider this a valid concern and it's one of the reasons I really wanted to hear from some of the horse guys.

I will say this. I have four careers going for testing, and I've bought a lot of horses and the losers outweigh the winners and I've had nothing even close to this. I've never won a purse worth over 10k before.

This horse's stats aren't the best I've seen but I haven't bought many distance horses, usually sticking with the sprinters. Horses are rated on spd/stm/accel. Using rough guages I'd say he is a 10/80/55. I've seen sprinters with maxed spd and 90 stamina. They don't always have great success.

What I would say may be wrong here are a couple of things.

1. He was a good horse who had one horrible race. It dropped his rating 12 points and made him look to the computer like a horse worth dumping. That was a mistake.

2. Once he was on the block, no one was willing to spend money on a 7 yr old horse with a low rating. They didn't see him as worth the risk but at the same time, I've seen them pay a grand or two for broken down junk. Maybe there should be some tweaking on the setting of horses value.

I don't think him winning the race was all that off, all things considering. He was an 11/1 shot and it shouldn't be unheard of for an 11/1 shot to hit. He'd shown to be nothing but class but I entered him into lesser races, preferring the sure thing. I didn't showcase him but I think I could have. He outclassed the field in every race he ran but it was a weak field.

So, early on, before there is a lot of form to go on, a horse has a bad race and is sold for peanuts. The horse proves the owner wrong.

It was heady stuff but I'm really thinking this is not going to be a common occurance. If it becomes one then I'll be really disappointed in the game but I haven't had anything close to this happen and like I've said, I've bought a lot of cheap horses. :)

[Axxon]

Dola, I want to clarify one thing. I'm not experienced at the sport of horse racing but I am experienced in horse racing games. I've notched many an hour with Hooves of Thunder, Good to Firm, and others. My understanding is that these games do a poor job of simulating real life however so I can't judge the game on that criteria.

It would be misleading though to think that I'm somebody who fires up the program and has no idea of what he wants to accomplish or how he's going to go about it and has no idea about how to judge sim horses against other sim horses. :)

I was studying the form book and the horses results and my decision wasn't random. It was a deliberate thing and it payed off. I don't really have to know how it works in real life to know how it works in the sim world. I hope this makes sense.

[Capital]

I really need to download this demo...

Do they have any American races?

[condors]

i know they have some american races

[Blade6119]

Anyone still playing this bad boy? Had more success?

[Franklinnoble]

Good grief, man... use the mod powers for good, not evil. I was thinking there was a new version out.

[SirFozzie]

there is. Starters Orders Pro 2

[Blade6119]

there is. Starters Orders Pro 2
Is it any good?

[SirFozzie]

Is it any good?

I haven't played 2 yet, but I'm keeping an eye on it, it's supposed to have gotten really good reviews, though

[TroyF]

Man the thing looks like it'd be fun to play. I really can't do it now. With PureSim and OOTP on the way, I'm just not going to have the time. I may d/l the demo today just for kicks.

[cubboyroy1826]

Hey i would like to give this a try but when i try to install the demo it gets to 10% and stops. Anyone else having this issue.

[QuikSand]

*sigh*

I always fall for these games. I'm pretty sure I played the first version, and didn't enjoy it... but here I am downloading the new game in hopes of seeing something exciting in the demo.

[Flasch186]

i bought it but Im really having a hardtime learning what race means what:

Claim?
Sell race?
Maiden race?

Blinders?
Cheekplates?

Where can I learn about this stuff?

EDIT: Found it after skipping their blank FAQ screen.

[Blade6119]

i bought it but Im really having a hardtime learning what race means what:

Claim?
Sell race?
Maiden race?

Blinders?
Cheekplates?

Where can I learn about this stuff?

EDIT: Found it after skipping their blank FAQ screen.
SO do you still need to know? Cant tell if by found it you got your questions answered.

As for someone else, i noticed an earlier complaint was being able to breed horses still racing. That has been fixed in this version. The demo is really limited, but it seems like the game has some potential. Not sure if im going to buy it or not right now, as i just got back into a hooves of thunder kick and was looking for a newer game to play

[Flasch186]

SO do you still need to know? Cant tell if by found it you got your questions answered.

As for someone else, i noticed an earlier complaint was being able to breed horses still racing. That has been fixed in this version. The demo is really limited, but it seems like the game has some potential. Not sure if im going to buy it or not right now, as i just got back into a hooves of thunder kick and was looking for a newer game to play


yeah, i typed that after getting to their general FAQ which was blank then i started hitting some other FAQ's on their page and one of them was the instruction booklet so I got my answers, and of course started a new career.

[cubboyroy1826]

Hey guys are there any other Horse Racing Sims that are worthy of a try? I still cannot get the demo to load.

[bbor]

Anyone have a review yet...Quik?

[QuikSand]

I'm opening up the demo now... will post thoughts sometime today or tomrrow, assuming I can get into it a bit.

[Icy]

Mofos, i'm downloading it right now, why don't you keep your mouth closed about new text sims? :D

I have zero idea about horse racing apart from watching the Grand National once per year but i think i can enjoy breeding to create my own champs, etc. It could be fun while waiting for the new OOTP.

I'm going to play the demo now but i think i can only play one race, not seing anything about the career mode so please Quicksand, review it fast before i blindly pull my credit card :D

[Icy]

Dola, real jockey and owner faces in this thread:
http://p083.ezboard.com/fgallopracerseriesfrm234.showMessage?topicID=12.topic

Here is the direct download link:
http://www.orlworld.com/Starters_Orders2/sopro2_portraits.zip

[QuikSand]

It doesn't look like the demo (6 racing days) is enough to really base many judgments upon -- I started a stable, got assigned two horses, and ran each in one race -- and that was it. So far, it looks nice, the race sim engine seems okay (though a little tedious) -- but I have no idea about the real game atmosphere.

It does have a variety of leader boards -- the sort of thing that I always felt was sorely lacking in games like Quarterpole Plus and its predecessor, Hooves of Thunder.

This is definitely a UK game, though -- no easy way to convert it to a more familiar US format that I see. I can live with that, but that will leave some US fans wanting, i'm sure.

[Blade6119]

flasch, or any of the others who bought it...any impressions past 6 days?

[QuikSand]

I just paid for the full game. Will report back as it unfolds - probably tomorrow.

[Blade6119]

I just paid for the full game. Will report back as it unfolds - probably tomorrow.
Let us know, as your the horse racing expert around here. It would seem to have potential, but the demo holds it back...using the 3 tools on the main menu seem to help(well, the bottom one at least)

[Icy]

Crap i'm going to buy it now, in my first bidding experience in the demo i won 27,000 UK pounds! (i put 4,600 on a horse with 13/2 odds). So exciting, Glasog started in the middle of the pack and kept there until the last yards, then he started to pass all the other horses and he won in the foto finish!!!

http://www.prodeportes.com/images/starterbet.jpg

[Bad-example]

I have tried a couple times to get into horse racing but it didn't click for me. I think a good horse racing sim could be a lot of fun and might possibly be my gateway into the sport. I am very interested to hear if this is the game race fans have been longing for.

[cubboyroy1826]

Yeah please let me know if this is worth the money. For whatever reason i cannot get the demo to work. Since it seems to be a limited demo i will wait to hear back from those who have purchased the game to see if it solid. Does anyone know of a demo for hooves of thunder to quarterpole plus?

[Axxon]

Let us know, as you're the horse racing expert around here. It would seem to have potential, but the demo holds it back...using the 3 tools on the main menu seem to help(well, the bottom one at least)

Fixed that for yah. He's also the resident grammar and spelling expert too. :)

[Axxon]

Yeah please let me know if this is worth the money. For whatever reason i cannot get the demo to work. Since it seems to be a limited demo i will wait to hear back from those who have purchased the game to see if it solid. Does anyone know of a demo for hooves of thunder to quarterpole plus?

If the demo won't work for you I wouldn't hold out much hope that the full version will work better. I'd email them now and see if they have a fix for you before getting my hopes up just in case.

[cubboyroy1826]

Yeah i emailed them yesterday and havent heard anything back yet. Guess we will see how good the support is.

[Blade6119]

Fixed that for yah. He's also the resident grammar and spelling expert too. :)
yah? I love when people correct my countless grammatical issues with comments containing their very own. :)

[Axxon]

yah? I love when people correct my countless grammatical issues with comments containing their very own. :)

No error there bud, simply acceptance of sloppy vernacular in writing as it conveys exactly the way I would say it thus more properly reflecting my thoughs. I'm sure he'd have a problem with that as well but you should really properly label the issue.

Let's take Gertrude Stein and her wonderful work Melanctha and see if it would work with proper and correct english. Of course it wouldn't. That's my counterargument. :)

[Blade6119]

No error there bud, simply acceptance of sloppy vernacular in writing as it conveys exactly the way I would say it thus more properly reflecting my thoughs. I'm sure he'd have a problem with that as well but you should really properly label the issue.

Let's take Gertrude Stein and her wonderful work Melanctha and see if it would work with proper and correct english. Of course it wouldn't. That's my counterargument. :)
The fact you were willing to cite an actual piece of literary work leads me to believe i should concede this point right now.

[SirFozzie]

Blade: Could you do us all a favor and trim your sig? It's ridiculous that a one line post has about 13 lines in the SIG.

[sovereignstar]

I did a little research on their board and read a few things about how the game might be a little too easy.

[cubboyroy1826]

Come on guys there has to be another Horse Racing game worth a shit until i can get the issues with Starters Orders taken care of.

[QuikSand]

I have a request in to softwrap support, as none of the various numbers thay have sent me seems to be my correct "activation code" so I still have nothing but the demo. *sigh*

[Icy]

I have a request in to softwrap support, as none of the various numbers thay have sent me seems to be my correct "activation code" so I still have nothing but the demo. *sigh*

Damn, that is my biggest fear, never purchased a softwrap protected game before, i'm used to elicense and in fact i like them. For what i have read at softwrap website, they only allow you to reinstall the game once if you change computer or for example the mainboard etc, thing that i plan on doing in the next months.

[sovereignstar]

I have a request in to softwrap support, as none of the various numbers thay have sent me seems to be my correct "activation code" so I still have nothing but the demo. *sigh*

Ouch. What I would still consider to be my worst customer support story involved the original EHM, Softwrap, and a guy we'll call Darc Muffy. The situation got resolved only when a saint at SI stepped in.

[Blade6119]

Ouch. What I would still consider to be my worst customer support story involved the original EHM, Softwrap, and a guy we'll call Darc Muffy. The situation got resolved only when a saint at SI helped out.
Why did darc muffy handle EHM? thats riz's game...im mean tiz's lol

[sovereignstar]

Why did darc muffy handle EHM? thats riz's game...im mean tiz's lol

Because.. it's tiz's game.

[Flasch186]

i have not commented on this game yet, which I purchased, because im not sure what I think about it yet....hmmmmm. i just dont know.

[QuikSand]

Still no response from my friends at Softwrap.

[Icy]

Still no response from my friends at Softwrap.

Ok, they just lost a potential sale then, thanks for telling us. I'll wait the 3 weeks for the new OOTP playing another thing.

[cubboyroy1826]

Has anyone had any luck purchasing and playing this one yet?

[cubboyroy1826]

Any updates on this one?

[kmbgolf]

I made the purchase still a lil confusing

[QuikSand]

No update here, Softwrap hasn't bothered to respond to either of my two inquiries yet.

[Blade6119]

Has anyone had any luck purchasing and playing this one yet?
flasch has it and is playing it i thought

[TroyF]

No update here, Softwrap hasn't bothered to respond to either of my two inquiries yet.

I was going to purchase this game. After your experience, I'll just wait for PureSim next week and go from there. Dissapointing.

[cubboyroy1826]

Does anyone have Gallop Racer 2006 or have they been able to rent it? I cant seem to find anywhere to rent it and would like to give it a try before i buy. I am not big on button mashing so i am looking at this for the "dynasty"/replay value. Any reviews?

[Flasch186]

flasch has it and is playing it i thought

Flasch has it but he aint playing it....FM snagged me.

[kmbgolf]

does anyboddy know of any good horse racing forums sop2 seems to be dead

[QuikSand]

Just sent yet enother email to the developer, since Softwrap is ignoring me. I still don't actually have access to this game. Nice.

[rkmsuf]

Maximum Starters Orders Pro

[bbor]

Just sent yet enother email to the developer, since Softwrap is ignoring me. I still don't actually have access to this game. Nice.

This must be worth a free game and refund by now.

[QuikSand]

It's about to get free, game or no game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

It's about to get free, game or no game.
OH SNAP

[bbor]

It's about to get free, game or no game.

Kickie is going to the matresses.:D

[Glengoyne]

Anyone still playing? Just curious

[QuikSand]

The developer seems convinced that my problem stems from trying to re-install the program on a second computer.

Despite the fact that there has never been a second computer involved, and I never had the program running once, let alone twice.


Maybe to the dynasty forum for this...

[Bad-example]

I wonder if pointing out this thread and the potential sales it may be costing him might improve the developer's attitude toward your installation troubles. I bet I am not the only person who made his decision not to buy based exclusively on the poor support evidenced here.

[bbor]

Wow...just...wow.

I wanted to buy this game too:(

[QuikSand]

The developer finally broke down and sent me a coupon code to use to license the game, after we both struck out with Softwrap. It was a pretty painful process, but it looks like the game functions now, at least.

Don't know when I'll get around to fiddling with it -- wind has left the sails, it seems. *sigh*

[condors]

double sigh

[sabotai]

Note to self: Cross Softwrap off the list.

[Bee]

The developer finally broke down and sent me a coupon code to use to license the game, after we both struck out with Softwrap. It was a pretty painful process, but it looks like the game functions now, at least.

Don't know when I'll get around to fiddling with it -- wind has left the sails, it seems. *sigh*

So did you get it working on the first computer or second one? :D

[QuikSand]

This is like deja vu.

[Axxon]

So did you get it working on the first computer or second one? :D

It was the one on the grassy knoll.

[Axxon]

Just purchased this one. I was holding off for Quik's opinion but boredom got the better of me and I did enjoy the first game so I thought I'd give it a try.

I started the demo and clicked the buy option from there and basically never had to enter an activation code at all.

I agree that the customer service that Quik didn't receive was horrid but offered my experience as another data point and a possible work around for someone who may want to buy the game.

Well, it's time to play. Shame I really don't have the expertice in horse racing to do justice to a review. I'm beginning a 2 yr old auction as soon as I post this.

I'll download the real data for my next start which will most likely be soon. :)

[bbor]

Look forward to hearing your reviews Axxon.

[Axxon]

OK, first impression/question

When you bid on a horse there is a reserve set which when you mouse over it states that it is the minimum required bid for this horse.

I'm halfway through the first auction and I've already seen two horses sell for less than this. One I was bidding on but I didn't click fast enough and he sold out from under me. No, it's not a clickfest but you better know you want the horse. :) Any thinking while bidding can cost you.

The other was out of my range anyway.

I wonder if I don't understand the system well enough or if this is a bug?

Back to the auction. Any insight/help would be appreciated.

I did decide to watch all the high bid horses before I bid on any I would want though. I'm hoping the computer spends all it's money and lets me get somebody I want. The second horse I bid on was very aggressively bid on by the computer driving the cost higher than I was willing to risk.

I started with 150k and the horse started the bid at 47k and I dropped out at 100k. This could be a good sign.


[edit to add]

Now, I'm approaching biddable horsed and I just had a horse I bid on not reach the reserve and it clearly said reserve not met. No, I wasn't the high bidder. The computer does really go after these horses and the bidding is quick. I'm pretty sure but not positive the other two sold though but I'll keep my eye open to definitively try and confirm this.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll get any of these nags and since I haven't RTFM I don't know if I even have any horses now. Maybe it's the claiming races for me. :)

[Axxon]

Finally I got my nag. Kevfar. A 2 yr old filly who is from a class one parent and should prefer the 5f range. She reserved at 77k and I won out in a heated battle with P Cole at just over 100k. :)

Taps me out but I'm going to watch the rest of the auction to see if I can see anything about the reserve. Doubt I will though. All we have left are lower price horses but we'll see.

[edit]

Nope, all the other horses cleared reserves quite easily so no insight gained here. There were two other horses I would have rather had than Torrid Kentavt ( her real name not my best guess :) ). She is a good prospect though. Almost maxed out on acceleration but just below average speed now.

She does seem perfect for the 5m races. Oh, and I did already have three other horses so the auction wasn't required. More impressions as I go along. Hope they might be helpful. :)

OK. Pet peeve. I really wish I could have seen my stable before I bid. :( I have basically four horses that all are fit for short races.

Oh sure, one prefers the middle distances and he's also a two year old, he's a carbon copy, only a lesser one of Torrid Kentavt. Hey, maybe they'll breed one day.

I also have a 3 yr old filly who is a 5f type who's Torrid Kentavt but with better speed and fitness. I will be eager to see how my 2yr old develops and if when she's three she has improved and by how much.

I also have a 4 yr old filly who runs the 6f but can't match either of the other two.

Still... I wouldn't have spent my cash on a short track horse given I had three of them already but I had no way of knowing. The auction came exactly at the start of the game. Not cool.

[condors]

good luck axxon

keep the updates coming if you don't mind and your overall impressions

[bbor]

Ride those claimers :)

[rkmsuf]

Rape the horses and ride off on the women.

[SirFozzie]

If a horse doesn't meet the required reserve price then the sale does not happen, or at least that's what was supposed to happen. KINDA like on EBay :)

[Axxon]

Ok, not exactly a review but a few observations.

First, I've never noticed the bug again and I've watched a lot of auctions so I'm going to chalk that up to me missing the messages which go kinda quick until you get used to them.

Second, I am a fan of the lower levels. Sure I want to eventually get into the big events and the big money but the fun is in getting there which is good because this game isn't going to be easy to succeed at, at least for me.

In the game I described above I entered eight races and came in last in seven of them. I did come in next to last in the eighth. :) My biggest problem is understanding what races to enter but the bottom line is the stakes are really low unless you have a horse that can win the premier races and you can't buy one of them unless you have a lot of money. The buildup is going to be slow unless I gamble and I suck at that part of the game so far. I am getting better but I don't want to use gambling to seed my stable. I'm not a gambler by nature.

I didn't quit that game for that reason though. I quit it because it became painfully obvious that investing in a 2 year old is a huge mistake at the b eginning of the game, especially spending 2/3 of your seed money on one.

There aren't enough 2 year old races to be able to recoup any money right away unless you can afford a true champion which my horse was not. After embarrasing him twice and looking at my bank balance I chalked it up to experience and moved on.

In my second game I have had better success but I still haven't won a race. It's ok though because here is where I'm having fun.

The daily auctions is where I'm toiling and it's fun. No, I haven't found a champion but I've found a horse or two who can turn a profit for me. Mainly, finding a horse who has dropped in handicapping rating ( thus making his owner ready to unload him ) for a few races and snapping him up, putting him in the right races and then selling him on.

That's the theory anyway. :)

I am going by my experience with Another Roseberry, a 3 yr old filly who I bought for 10k after asoem bad races and ran in two races where she came in 3rd and 4th and sold on for 30k. I sold her as an experiment actually because I really liked her but I do what I can for my fellow FOFC'ers. :)

Back to the auction. Here's whats cool. The horse sheet not only shows all their past season races it allows you to watch a replay of them. I was able to use this information, both in the formbook and the replays to understand what I was buying, how she was run and how I felt she should be run.

I used this to help place her in races and to give jockey instructions. As I learn to better book races I hope my results will be better buy considering it takes about 300k to buy a talented 2 yr old the pace is still pretty slow.

Now, more on that which puzzles me. Most of the game players play the solo game to breed horses for the online game. This requires a load of money and the game provides no option to start with this.

Since the solo game is more or less not the reason his game sells this makes no sense to me. On the board they tell you of a method to win a lot of money by betting a particular race. It isn't a cheat or an exploit because it isn't foolproof but it's a keen observation on one particular race.

I tested this in a separate game and in 6 tries I lost big three times, broke even or slight game twice and won 500k the third time. The post on this was pre the latest patches though and people were talking about winning millions. Either it's how bad I suck at betting or the game has balanced that race better in the patches. Proper handicapping is a part of the game that the author has been working on.

Still, why not provide an easy way for those who only want to play the online game an easier way to get started? This makes no sense. I played a game a couple years ago that was fun that had an option where you inherited a million bucks and a farm and you could jump right in, buy horses and have fun.

I think that is missing here.

Me, I'll play it the poor man's way. It's less frustrating to lose when you're learning if you can blame it on the poor quality horses you can afford not your skills. :)

Anyway, to me the game is fun. I haven't noticed any other issues with it and it serves my needs for a management sim lite. Hope this helps.

[condors]

Axxon,

i had alot of trouble trying to get a stable to make money. There is a big money race that is for 2 milers 3+ years. Look at the longest claiming races and the daily auctions to get a horse to compete in that. If you finish in the top 3 it sets you up nicely. I usually have a whole stable of 2 milers from the auction and then breeding i end up with 20+ long distance runners and just selling the ones who don't look good enough although there are late bloomers.

this is all from the starters orders pro version not 2 though

[bbor]

Thx Axxon....i prefer to play games as you do too....taking the long slow route to build up cash.It just feels more satisfying that way.

[Axxon]

Axxon,

i had alot of trouble trying to get a stable to make money. There is a big money race that is for 2 milers 3+ years. Look at the longest claiming races and the daily auctions to get a horse to compete in that. If you finish in the top 3 it sets you up nicely. I usually have a whole stable of 2 milers from the auction and then breeding i end up with 20+ long distance runners and just selling the ones who don't look good enough although there are late bloomers.

this is all from the starters orders pro version not 2 though


One point, the whole quick money thing I talked about above was betting on one of those 2m4 races. Your method is similar but does add a layer in that you have to buy the horse and train him. You shouldn't be able to buy a horse that can perform in any big stakes races too easily in your first year. Maybe there is a problem with the long races?

[condors]

there just are not alot of horses that can run that distance or are ran too soon before the race. A horse that wins a 2 miler claiming race can finish in the money on that race as the competition is kinda slim. Got to make sure he is rested and can truely handle the distance though. Not sure if it was fixed in this version but the AI would sometimes overrace a long distance runner and stick it in a claiming race it wouldn't belong in (takes alot longer to recover from the long races than the sprints).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hopefully the horse racing game fans here will have some input about this.
Ran across a discussion of APBA Saddle Racing for Windows (Ver. 2)

It's a conversion of the board game to PC by Gary Stishan (a good guy in the tabletop hobby) but it seems to have a good bit added to the original board version.

The official info is here
http://apba.stores.yahoo.net/apsaraforwig.html

but check out this site by a playtester to get another angle http://ourworld.cs.com/LonBags/SaddleRacing/index.htm

It was a post by Lon in one of the Delphi forums that really got me excited about maybe finding a game that does what I'm looking for with horses
Probably should read the whole thread (his post is #20 of 28 so far)
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tabletopsports&msg=8838.1

But here's the part that got me interested:
"The APBA ASRG game (version 2) does have, as mentioned in another note, a stable management game built in to it. While you can use real life horses within that system, the game also comes with several hundred fictional horses that can be used, and as pointed out earlier, any horses you breed within the system will be fictional as well. (It is also quite easy to create your own fictional horses within the main game's breeding system.) Since it can be operated as a "career mode" game, you may run as many successive years with the horse sets as you wish. The horses will age appropriately, their abilities will evolve, and their statistics will accrue over the course of many seasons. ... There are many features to the SMS that are optional and can be turned on/off to suit your tastes, which makes it very flexible. "

The screenshots on Lon's personal page are accurate according to his Delphi posts, I gather that all that's changed really is that V.2 is now ready instead of "upcoming". I'm wondering if any of the FOFC horse racing folks have taken this for a spin (no demo available, and it's CD only, so no immediate gratification either).

[QuikSand]

Is anyone actually playing this game?

I fired it up a couple of times, haven't gotten really into it, but so far, it's at least superficially stable. My initial two horses got one season to do what they could, then got sold off. I sunk most of my money into a decent-looking 3yo filly, who has hit the board a few times but is clearly not really improving. Doesn't seem unreasonable.


Anyone really getting a kick out of this? I think I could overcome my general US bias if it meant finding a game that really created a stable racing environment for a long-term sim.

[QuikSand]

My biggest problem is understanding what races to enter but the bottom line is the stakes are really low unless you have a horse that can win the premier races and you can't buy one of them unless you have a lot of money.

This is what I'm finding as well... I have had a few horses who were capable of hitting the board, but the races we're running in have absolutely puny stakes -- like 3,000 PS at the high end. I can't even pay the bills that way, even if my horses are running well. Seems like a serious problem in terms of gameplay.

[QuikSand]

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I can't even figure out how to claim a horse in this game. I have clickec on every button I see (apparently not all of them) and I have looked at the trifling bit of "help" available... can anyone help me there? *blushing*

[sabotai]

My experience with the game has been similar. I had one horse that I entered in about 14 races in the year and won half of them (all low, puny winnings) and I still lost a ton of money. I just couldn't figure out a way to make money in the game.

And I have no idea how to claim a horse.

[twothree]

Click Go Racing on a day that has a claiming race being run. At the end of the races there will be an auction. Any horse that won a claiming a race that day will be in the auction.

[QuikSand]

Okay, I have been doing that -- I guess that's the method in Europe, then -- only the winner of the race is made available, and it's for auction? Totally different concept than claiming races stateside, where every runner is available for a price stated in advance, and claims are made before the race is run. Thanks!

[rkmsuf]

Okay, I have been doing that -- I guess that's the method in Europe, then -- only the winner of the race is made available, and it's for auction? Totally different concept than claiming races stateside, where every runner is available for a price stated in advance, and claims are made before the race is run. Thanks!

odd practice across the pond

[QuikSand]

Okay, so I have about 66k in hand... after frittering most of my money away running horses who were competitive in their class. Now what? I have nothing in my barn, and to purchase a horse with any kind of class (enough to win anything but the lowest level races) I immediately get bid past my entire balance in the auctions. It seems the only thing I can do from here is purchase complete fleabags... is that all that's left in this game for me?

I'm admittedly just getting started, but I'm having trouble seeing how to make ends meet without using wagering as the keystone to your career, which is pretty boring to me.

[rkmsuf]

Okay, so I have about 66k in hand... after frittering most of my money away running horses who were competitive in their class. Now what? I have nothing in my barn, and to purchase a horse with any kind of class (enough to win anything but the lowest level races) I immediately get bid past my entire balance in the auctions. It seems the only thing I can do from here is purchase complete fleabags... is that all that's left in this game for me?

I'm admittedly just getting started, but I'm having trouble seeing how to make ends meet without using wagering as the keystone to your career, which is pretty boring to me.

Ping: Michael Gill

He'll help you out with getting your horses to run.

[QuikSand]

Just to continue the same observation here -- in looking at the close-of-day auctions, I just came across an interesting prospect, a 3yo filly who has won 4 of 12 races, with "ratings" (I assume basically comparable to spped figures in some way) getting up into the low 70s -- not tha great, but she ought to be competitve at this basic level of competition, it seems (the big races are being won with ratings in the 105-125 range, it seems). In those efforts, she has won a total of about 8,000 pounds.

So, she goes up for auction, and I'm interested. She's rapidly bit right past my entire bankroll, and ends up going for a price of 133,000 pounds. Let's say that she exceed my curretn expectations, and runs for four more years, winning four races a year, for twice the money she's currently competing for -- make it 20,000 a year. She'll basically be a washed up mare at the end of a nice career, with earnings of maybe 100,000 pounds. And even with this rosy scenario benefitting all sorts of goodwill, she goes for more than that at auction.

Ponderous. How do the economics of this game make any sense?

[Franklinnoble]

It sounds like the economics make NO sense.

Most games like this are geared towards making it more challenging for the gamblers to succeed, with the ordinary horse enthusiasts suffering as a result.

The last version of this game was the same way. The only way to have any success was to win at gambling and build a bankroll to play with. I got bored and frustrated in short order.

[Axxon]

I haven't played a lot since I got it but I did more than double my money in the first season using the strategy I outlined above. The cheap horses are like stock, buy low ( like after a few losses ) sell high ( enter them right and win a few - sell them on ). These horses aren't keepers so use don't get attached to them.

You need to check the auctions every day to really be effective though.

[Axxon]

Just to continue the same observation here -- in looking at the close-of-day auctions, I just came across an interesting prospect, a 3yo filly who has won 4 of 12 races, with "ratings" (I assume basically comparable to spped figures in some way) getting up into the low 70s -- not tha great, but she ought to be competitve at this basic level of competition, it seems (the big races are being won with ratings in the 105-125 range, it seems). In those efforts, she has won a total of about 8,000 pounds.

So, she goes up for auction, and I'm interested. She's rapidly bit right past my entire bankroll, and ends up going for a price of 133,000 pounds. Let's say that she exceed my curretn expectations, and runs for four more years, winning four races a year, for twice the money she's currently competing for -- make it 20,000 a year. She'll basically be a washed up mare at the end of a nice career, with earnings of maybe 100,000 pounds. And even with this rosy scenario benefitting all sorts of goodwill, she goes for more than that at auction.

Ponderous. How do the economics of this game make any sense?

I bet those four wins were pretty recent. She's not a 70 handicap really but she's winning so the handicappers are handicapping her that way and the game uses this rating highly in its evaluation since it can't see the horse. That's the horse I end up buying low and selling to the aggressive computers for that kind of dough.

[QuikSand]

But I don't really want to just buy low, sell high... I can go play Lemonade or Wall Street Tycoon or somesuch if that's the whole game. I would like to be able to invest my time in spotting talent and then guiding those horses to being valuable not as potential sales, but as my actual charges. I do appreciate the insight, and it's good to know it's possible to win... but that's just not the game I want to play.

[Axxon]

But I don't really want to just buy low, sell high... I can go play Lemonade or Wall Street Tycoon or somesuch if that's the whole game. I would like to be able to invest my time in spotting talent and then guiding those horses to being valuable not as potential sales, but as my actual charges. I do appreciate the insight, and it's good to know it's possible to win... but that's just not the game I want to play.

I understand fully.

You asked "How do the economics of this game make any sense?" and I was answering how the solo game plays. The game really is developed for the online leagues and most don't really play the solo game so there's practically a zero chance that it's going to be addressed any time soon.

What you want sounds like the later game except you don't buy the talent, you breed it. That's the real appeal of the game and then the players race their best bred horses in the online league against other home bred horses.You need to either gamble or play the tedious solo game to get the money to feasibly breed and pay the big bucks for the young prospects for your eventual stable. Would that be more what you're looking for?

[Critch]

Got this email this morning, if it renews anybody's interest:

"Starters Orders 2 - US Data pack now available.

The pack adds a full US race callender (including over 200 US feature races), over 60 US racecourses and realistic US trainers and jockeys. This data pack is intended to provide an alternative to the UK biased game for those of you from the US.

The data pack costs $9.99 and you must own a copy of Starters Orders 2 for this pack to work.

Download the new US Data pack today from the Starters Orders website: hxxp://www.startersorders.com/usdatapack.htm"

[Capital]

Thanks for posting...I very well may be interested. While I understand the horse racing business very well in the U.S., I just didn't want to take the time to learn the UK racing game. I may check this out.

[Capital]

How does one find the daily auctions in this game? I can find how to put my horse up for auction, on the page with your horse stats, but I cannot seem to find a master list.

Can anyone help?

I'm currently just using the demo to see if I want to purchase this game. However, if I do decide to purchase, I'm going to try without betting. I would rather manage a stable than just bet. I'f I wanted to do that, I would go to the track.

[QuikSand]

Even with a US data patch, my very strong suspicion is that they still won't have a feasible economics engine underneath this game... rendering it pointless for gamers like me who would like to play the game as a stable-owner, buying horses, running them in races, and attempting to profit by doing so wisely.

No sale.

[tdydynasty]

They have a US add-on and a Aussie add on now available.