Listening Session Summary

Here's the outline of discussion points/results that came up for the Sept 28 listening session. Topic (now locked since discussion is closed)

- better status reporting in bug zapper
   - not able to replicate
   - viewed
   - not a bug
- add helpers
   - upgrade ticket system
       - allow selection for needing help or having a question or needing to report a bug or rule violation
- site-wide competitions
   - both individual and club
   - have club mascots compete
   - perhaps based on achievement points
   - could be weekly, allowing one horse submission per player and one show per level per discipline
- changes to clubs
   - club shows? private for members
       - higher payouts?
       - custom rewards even, like items?
- bring back confo shows
   - based on breeds competing against one another (discipline not considered)
- mass complete riding school in 10s
   - as credit item like auto show
   - for same cost as auto show
- make rides more useful
   - stats from events or choices
       - perhaps even clarify which option would produce which stats
   - increase money findable
   - increase treats findable (normal ones)
   - collect items
   - get backgrounds, maybe even normal ones
   - have training level impact which messages show for a horse - lower training being more spooky, higher more obedient and bomb-proof
   - random/rare NPC encounters, trader, ghost, etc
   - nighttime art for areas?
   - flavor text depending on horse’s training level - higher would be more bombproof, lower might spook
- buy credits in custom quantities
- tack room
   - show number of each equipment item and its level
   - list with equipment shown per horse, and the ability to mass edit (perhaps like treat assignment)
- more decors
   - custom ones users can make user blueprints too?
- creative team has been reassembled in discord to help with leisure riding improvements, please feel free to join


Last edited on 2019-09-28 at 14:51:58 by River

Oct. 30 listening session notes (topic): 

- Foal art
   - Use the same art for multiple breeds temporarily?
   - Partial implementation would be ok
- Colorful tack
   - If enough is done, add colors in in phases perhaps, not necessarily everything at once
- Spaying mares
   - Seems low priority now, some members might use it but there’s not a lot of call for it from anyone with retiring at the rescue center being available now
- More events
   - Bring back halloween event? Easter egg hunt?
   - More event items for purchase, more variety
   - More backgrounds, more colors for current items like wings?
   - Perhaps introduce more with each year
- Allow users to submit art for contests possibly, to be used in game
   - Include approval process and feature the art separately in store
- Or allow custom brand images to be created
   - These would be like rump art, but would need blueprint for creation since each breed is in a different position
- Breeding NSS down
   - Not much support for changing cube behavior with stat distribution
   - Maybe add random effect that would produce more of a non-specialty stat decrease
       - Only apply above certain level, like if a nss is above 15
- Farms/orchards - check on bringing them in, to work with implementation of seasons

Nov. 25th Listening Session Notes: (no topic this time, as discussion was Discord-only)

- Confo shows
   - Add in with levels for horses of similar ‘ability’
- Adjust player levels
   - Breeding comes in too late for some players, leveling may be barrier to enjoyment/continued play
- Increase show earnings
   - Add percentage of overall pay-in or base on grade
       - Like ’sponsorship’
- Height showing on art
   - Some support, but not resounding enough to add right away
   - Adjust foal art for tiny breeds anyway
   - Maybe make foal height show as percent of adult height, then increase over time
- Variations in base coat color
   - Base on genes, like different sets for double and single dominance for bay for example
- Bring back color in horse search
   - This was originally inaccurate, but may be able to be added back (given proper filtering based on genetics)

Dec. 13th Listening Session Notes: (no topic this time, as discussion was Discord-only)

- Fyi that small breed foals are going to be adjusted down in size so the foal is not bigger than the adult, and bugs related to locked horses in shows are to be investigated
- Christmas/winter themed versions of coming decor items for horses will be added to the Snowball Fight shop, with red/green/blue ones to represent the teams
       - Normal versions of the items will be released in the general store at a later date
- Plushie rarity adjustment
   - Black and unicorn plushes need their rarity increased so they become less common
   - Will make efforts to include the holiday/event themed ones at the appropriate times in event shops etc
   - The non-event ones will be handled differently
       - Add pegasus to summer stargazing shop (since pegasus is the event character)
       - Veteran plush unlocked after certain account age - over a year of play/365 days (if that’s possible to track)
       - Make unicorn and black plushes less common, very strong agreement
       - Add thanksgiving to fall leaves shop (when opened, presumably next year)
       - New year/lucky/april fool’s/birthday/halloween themed maybe as well - have these available on their specific day in the general store for a higher price (with a purchase limit per account), then make them available as a random event in leisure riding too for those who want to try to get one for free
- Marking removal
   - Marking applicator to include ‘none’ options (essentially to remove all markings)
   - Option not to be included for the marking randomizer too, since this could lead to confusion and undesired results
   - Not really any interest in an item that remove a single selected marking
       - Conclusion: Add “none” option to the marking applicator, and do not include it in the marking randomizer, since it will likely cause confusion
- Specialty settings on player pages
   - Supply (optional) options on player homepage for discipline and breed preferences, and include these in member search so players with the same goals can find each other (perhaps up to five separate options for breed+discipline combos) 
- Add more granular options to horse search for specific stat and confo scores
- Potentially add more awards for leaderboard placements or other achievements, and choose to display them in an award cabinet

Last edited on 2019-12-13 at 22:33:07 by River

Jan. 24th Listening Session Notes: (no topic this time, as discussion was Discord-only)

- Applicator/randomizer for face and leg markings
   - Separate items for face and leg, priced at a credit per thing changed (1 credit for face, 4 for legs)
- Foal art for longer
   - under 3 years?
   - Under 2 years?
   - Add poll on whether to change foal art to show for under 2, under 3, or to keep as is
       - Changing to under 2 makes sense as the horse transitions out of foal/young horse training at that time
       - Changing to under 3 would signify the transition to adult more, but is not realistic in terms of horse growth
- Silver changes
   - Separate for bay and black?
   - Foal art is different from adult
   - Neither differs depending on base color
       - Silver files need changing, as silver shows only on black base areas - will produce mockups for foals and adults (so they’re matching) and share
- Priorities - many items that have been talked about
   - Variations in coat color
   - Specialty settings for player pages
   - Improve leisure riding
      - Requires more flavor text and input from the creative team
   - Adding color back to horse search
       - Requires gathering all genes required for each color as search parameters
   - More stable search options
       - Do not include stables whose owners are no longer deluxe
       - Allow some sorting that is not by ID
       - Show results randomly like for training
   - Breeding nss down - requires check with Abbey
   - Increase show earnings - requires check with Abbey
       - Of these adding color back and leisure riding require the most contributions
- Check into tack colors (are there dye items? Are we just going to offer different colors in the general store?)

Feb. 21st listening session notes:

- Consensus from poll on foal art is to use for under two
   - We can change this, offer an item to customize, have a setting for it, or both change it and have an item
   - Another thing we could do is offer items that would allow users to set the age they see foal art for (under a year, under two years, under three years)
   - Change to under two years, as in poll, and perhaps add option to see foal art for longer/shorter in the future
- Items have been approved by Abbey
   - Breeding non-spec stats down, with random chance of decrease
   - Increase show earnings, either by percentage of entrance fees, or by a specific amount based on grade “sponsorship”
       - Use percentage then increase it based on the grade level of the show
   - Face and leg marking applicators/randomizers (need icons)
   - Auto riding school completion (need icon)
       - Use riding school icon edited?
   - Changes to silver (I will fix files)
- Not sure if we have dye bottle images, it’s looking like we may not
   - Recolor existing tack? It depends on what we have
- Fields/orchards
   - Find out what exactly is missing, then get it testable on beta
- Need to check the genetics list for color search (the more eyes on this the better)
   - Get reviewed/added to more, since genes will be used to determine color instead of names, for more accuracy
- Need to complete more leisure riding events, perhaps with a creative team meeting where we assign people to fill out text for specific events
   - Need to meet with creative team to fill out all events and options
- Keeping white markings on grey horses
   - Fix greyed out horses not showing markings
   - Get grey preview gone for foals
- Make foals selectable in wardrobe

March 28th Listening Session notes - this one was held in the new listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

- Leisure riding
   - Needs text - creative team will work on filling out the flavor text
- More backgrounds
   - Get list, ask Abbey about getting
   - Come up with top 10-20, vote for maybe 5 to add (will add google form for poll in next news)
- Another way to sell horses (not just get rid of)
   - Add the return of Shifty Jim?
- Tack colors
   - Ask Abbey if we have all the files, or if what we have is it
   - Can possibly colorize existing art if no other files exist
- Does trading/selling special holiday/day plushies fulfill your one per person limit?
   - Limit buy one per year, still can find but chance goes down the more you have
   - Consider change, make special plushies purchasable once per year regardless of how many you own, have still available to find in leisure riding but the more you have the more the chance of finding one decreases
- Stable search parameters
   - Exclude full stables
   - Show only active players (active within a week)
   - Include inactive players
   - Sort by random/activity/available stalls
- Horse search
   - Ability to disclude mares on cool down (tick box)
   - Dis-include horses whose owners are inactive/not progressed
   - Add some way to search by non-spec stats
- What will reward for horse dying naturally of old age be
   - Player points, money
- How will plushies trade-in work, what will you get?
   - Maybe trade in for a plushie themed decor (like 10)
- Is search for offspring necessary when they are linked from a horse’s page?
   - Consensus is no, feature likely not to be added
- Parameters for marketplace sorting
   - Separate for decor
   - Sort by tack level
   - Inventory categories
   - Sort by breed
   - Sort within category by price ascending/descending
- Change how money is added to trades
   - Confirm what is being put up, include screen before proceeding

April 22nd Listening Session notes - this one was held in the new listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

- Leisure riding location backgrounds
   - Findable in locations? Or purchasable?
   - Findable in their respective spots
- Leisure riding text
   - Discipline scenarios are done
       - How much should stats be boosted?
       - Random 1-3 point increase
       - Event should not show up for horse without discipline, and how often it shows up should be random
       - Consider removing riding for horses under 3
   - Have one possible training level event per location, may need more
       - Change other ‘falling down’ events first
- Genes for search
   - Looks pretty complete
- Don’t show locked horses in lists for clubs - are they still showing up?
   - Old bug
- Club chat, still want it?
   - Add chat as purchasable addon
   - Reply to newsletters - add newsletter comments
   - Have clubs go invisible after too much inactivity
- Preview for applicators and for backgrounds? Can use wardrobe for backgrounds, maybe simply show for applicators instead?
   - View horse link after using credit item
   - Add preview when using applicators
   - Add link to wardrobe from horse, use to apply decors
- Approve/refuse individual transfers - get a message that would notify you, and you could accept or decline
   - Options to auto accept/auto decline/choose per transfer
- Bring back the old login/home page
   - Random horse for sale
   - Random items for sale
   - Latest news post
   - Show activity feed
   - Recent places
   - Want its return

Last edited on 2020-04-22 at 14:33:58 by River

May 30th Listening Session Notes - this one was held in the new listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

* Autobuy price for trades, do we want that?
   * Include, easier for sellers and buyers
* Allow marking applicator to add marking instead of replacing 
   * Add dropdown to select to replace or add
* What would search/sort for your posts do differently from simply searching forum posts by your id?
   * Fix search, keywords don’t always work and are case sensitive
   * Sort by newest
   * Sort by forum area
* Bring back old homepage, any further details
   * Add farmstead to it somehow?
* Possibly use wardrobe as equipper, or add as new item, include foals
   * Maybe add equipping feature to the wardrobe, where you have to select a horse to equip to
   * Preview for applicators, integrate using equipper style feature? Somehow these could tie together
* Auto riding completion is coming but needs some time for developing the feature
* Marketplace sorting, more specifics
   * Fix tack being in decor category in item sales
       * Sort tack by discipline and level
   * Fix horse decors showing in tack category
   * Fix decorations only showing backgrounds
   * Show decor and backgrounds separately
* Increased show earnings are in the works too, percentage based off of total money paid in
   * Test this feature on beta first, just to be sure it works right
* Time for feedback on farmsteads, response has seemed very mixed 
   * Fun, people sometimes forget it, not enough treats for large herds
   * Add fertilizer?
   * Ability to upgrade plots to increase production?
   * Compost to make your own fertilizer from horse dung?
* Talk more about luxury items that are non-beneficial and act as money sinks
* Ability to remove tack from the tack room

Last edited on 2020-05-30 at 14:41:28 by River

June 27th Listening Session Notes - this one was held in the new listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:


* Specialty settings on player pages, how many options
   * Three, integrate into member search too
   * Also include activity filter for member search
   * Settings for breed/discipline/focus (color, stats, confo)
* Colorful tack? This would be a large project involving recolorization of existing tack but it could be done, it has to be worth the work though
   * Preference is for doing colorful tack
   * Black/brown/tan/reddish brown too?
   * Use existing colors for cloth
   * Add special white tack with gold, perhaps for event shop
* Fixing markings, if we need this, which markings are the most incorrect
   * Start with mustangs
       * Really good reception to the tobiano mockups for mustangs, possibly proceed on TWHs and chincos as well
   * Matching to foals will not be done as markings must be individual for breeds
* Collapse training and riding school fees in bank
   * Useful but not the highest priority
* Plain fly sheets (not just the holiday ones from the snowball fight shop) as alternative to tack or ‘naked’ horse
   * Put in general store
   * Black, white, perhaps navy?
* Show your bids on the auction house page
   * Also notifications when someone outbids you
   * Not too much interest as auction house is not heavily used
* Early signs of greying on foals?
   * Interest in it, since it would indicate grey without requiring a gene test
* ‘Yard overview’ of your horses’ performance, etc, included on the returned old hub possibly
   * Implement in place of activity page, include activity, old hub stuff
* Choose exact genes on custom horse
   * People do want to be able to choose dominance
   * Interest in selecting discipline to ensure stats match - run this one by Abbey
       * Perhaps add additional credit cost to select discipline which will help customize stats to a degree
* Visual feedback for horses completed with their riding school work?
   * Yes, add some icon before horse name like training boost etc

Last edited on 2020-06-27 at 14:35:13 by River

July 25th listening session notes - this one was held in the listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

* Bring back pumpkin carving? Need more community engagement
* Optimization, return to search during entering riding school process
   * Useful, since there is no way to return currently, you have to perform a new search
* More details on horses in trade, including color, confo, and pattern
* Talk about luxury money sink features
* Leisure riding, discuss success of updates and future improvements
* Colorful tack - implementation process (in sections?), how to go about in terms of disciplines, breeds, and colors
   * Do by discipline, starting with biggest population
   * Allow dying of existing tack
   * Perhaps one day commission more art like reflective gear or saddlebags etc
* Club updates, what needs fixing, how can we make them better (club chat, polls, etc)
   * Club shows (bring back)
   * Also polls and raffles
   * Item prizes from clubs
* Owner defined breeding cap for studs
   * Add, just for public studs, have set to zero by default
* Visible foal training progress
   * Show percent for sure
   * See which items of training have been done? This seems to have been intentionally not visible (don’t know why), ask Abbey if changing this would be alright
* Public notes for divisions (or ability to toggle notes to private or public)
   * Add public notes in addition to private notes
* Ability to ‘lock’ stallion against gelding, possibly tick box on page
   * Not relevant as there is a confirm popup for gelding
   * Perhaps add a note to people with popup blockers that they will not see the confirmation popup, clicking the button will be instant and irreversible
* Match scrollbar sorting for horses to division sorting
   * Want to implement

August 22nd listening session notes - this one was held in the listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

* Talk about luxury money sink features
   * Companion animals decor (for when we can get more art)
   * Apply all stat boosts? (better as credit item, having to visit horse pages is intentional)
   * Auto farmstead (better as credit item)
   * Customizable stable page
   * Custom stud/brood book, ability to feature a horse?
   * More collectables
   * Expand farmsteads - useful but also not necessity, perhaps counts as a luxury item?
   * Pay to display your achievements?
* Leisure riding, discuss success of updates and future improvements
   * Touched off discussion about more events
       * Water balloon fight in June
       * Flower/spring event in April or May
       * Fall leaves event shop
           * Add thanksgiving plushie (tweak name to fall plushie)
           * Add fall themed halter/fly sheet?
           * Add fall leaf garland
           * Check that witch/zombie plushie have been added to finding during Halloween
* Tack colors - update plain silver pad to have pattern?
   * Add boot colors
   * Add exclusive blackout and whiteout tack colors, maybe black/silver black/gold and white/silver white/gold
   * Update the silver pad to have the texture too
   * Fix headstall attachment on western tack, check for suggestion
* Remove topics from recent posts area
   * Not much opinion
* Time limit on market items
   * No objection, not a fervent need either
* More details on horses in trade, including color, confo, and pattern
   * Yes, this is wanted, more like rescue center info
* Levels past 30
   * More exp levels
   * Maybe some kind of reward for each 10 levels?
   * Badge for hitting major levels like 50, 75, 100
   * Achievements
       * Add little pixel images (sized like mod/admin crowns) to earn for each user achievement
       * Pay to display them all on your page (money sink feature?)
       * Names
           * Super shower
           * Horse hoarder
           * Pursuit of excellence (confo)
           * Plushie collector
* Trade in plushies
   * Craft unicorn plushies into unicorn horn decor?
   * Black pony into black horse background?

September 23rd listening session notes - this one was held in the listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

* Club improvement ideas
   * Polls
       * Multiple or single choice
       * Allow clubs to gauge interest in ideas more easily
       * Unlock for $150k
   * In-club chat
       * Bring back as default feature
       * Put option to disable
   * Newsletter comments
       * Bring back, is a good way to include feedback
       * Allows better interaction than requesting messages
   * Notifications for horse applications
       * Check on if notifications will be too draining for site resources versus a notice on the club page
       * Message that says ‘there are horses pending registration approval’ (no need to specify number)
   * Approve multiple registrations
       * Add multiple selection like for treat assignment
   * More than one contest entry (set per contest)
       * Allow choice of entry limit per contest
   * Prevent voting for own entry
       * Yes, more fair
   * Withdraw entry from contest
       * Yes
   * Items as contest prizes
       * Yes, desirable
   * Ability to edit contests
       * Yes
   * Log for clubs
       * Yes the more info the better
   * Full bank records for clubs
       * Yes, records are only partial/recent
   * Add notification for club fee running out
   * Messaging for clubs
       * Tricky to set up group access, why not just contact club owner?
       * Maybe consider club inbox if clubs get more active
   * Club arenas
       * Cool to add for more exclusive shoes
       * Member shows or public shows?
   * Valuation system
       * Basically a way to assign rankings to horses that are registered/in the stud book, not official on site but used within the club to establish the best horses
   * Owning more than one club
       * Up to two max
   * Search within clubs
       * Add ability to search horses/members by club membership (in horse and member search)
   * Notifications for club updates
       * Not necessary
   * Recent area for clubs in club house
       * Add sorting instead, newness, name, members, fee, points
   * Mass send items
       * Might be some need, but not high priority
   * See member horse registration numbers
       * Not particularly beneficial
   * Show club memberships in list
       * Your memberships area already exists, redundant

Last edited on 2020-09-23 at 13:39:55 by River

October 28th listening session notes - this one was held in the listening sessions channel, so if you're a Discord member you can view the discussion word by word:

* Auction house
   * Show on horse page that it is available for auction
       * Add bidding to horse page, like with sales
   * Add option in horse search to include auction horses
       * Have horse search link to trades/auctions with horses
   * Add starting bid
       * Makes sense
       * Suggest default min bid, which you can edit to be what you want
       * Have alongside reserve as an option
   * Include game generated horses
       * Yes, include, could have different ages/stats/etc
       * Make horses somehow a little better, more desirable
   * Change the player level limit for access (it’s currently level 10)
       * Reduce level, perhaps to 5 and switch tack upgrades to 4?
   * Ability to feature a horse for sale
       * Pay extra to feature your auction horse at the top of the list or in a featured section
       * Maybe max one per week per player, two max per month?
   * Change to have horse sold only at the auction house, items only at the market?
       * Do not change, but add message in the marketplace about auction house being for selling horses
   * Add raffle feature to the auction house - more opportunities for all players to have a chance at a horse
       * Maybe save raffling for site-held raffles and for clubs only, rather than individual members
       * Yes, have special raffle weekly, maybe limit one ticket per person or have the price increase
       * Raffle special/interesting game-generated horses?
           * Yes, have horses that are desirable
   * Better sorting (stats, bids, etc)
       * Ending soonest
       * Breed
       * Discipline
       * Gender
       * Stats
       * Bids
       * Age
   * Option to auction horse and have it retired if it doesn’t sell
       * May not be necessary, player could simply retire the horse on their own
* Soft Equine Center cap
   * 50 or 100 per day or week max?
       * Perhaps add max per week
   * Another option would be to not cap, but add a price jump
       * Debatable
   * Buy EC horses in bulk - limit for this?
       * Perhaps add a premium to buy in bulk
* On-site chat
   * There is interest, have to see if we can make it happen
   * As long as we can moderate it
   * It may be possible to integrate an on-site chat capacity
   * Would there be interest in this?
   * Would we want to host listening sessions there instead to allow more members (ie those who don’t have/want discord) to participate?
       * Very possible

Last edited on 2020-10-28 at 14:17:00 by River