*Make Higher Level Shows Give Higher Payouts

Personally I can't believe this isn't already a thing. I think it could work as part of a solution to fixing the horse market. The problem is that horses have no value. We put time and effort into them, but that alone does not make them have value. Why do they have no value? Because it is very difficult to breed horses that actually let you perform better in shows. Having higher stats means nothing because the only way to do better in a show is to have the horse's stats be at the top of its 'bracket.' But you get just as much money for winning a novice show as you do an international one. This causes stats to be worthless to breed for. Why would people pay money for a horse that will never make that much money back in its lifetime? It's an investment that will never pay off. Low non-specialty stats matter in shows, of course, and a few other things, though I don't remember exactly what.

Increasing the payout of high-level shows will give horses a chance to earn back the tens of thousands spent on them over the course of their lifetime. It will also encourage more players to use up sugar and hay cubes to get horses' stats higher and higher. This will of course come at a cost, as the higher non-specialty stats will make the horse less likely to win. So it gives these horses quicker access to a chance at winning high payouts, but at the cost of being less likely to win the shows. I am completely fine with the rarity of cubes being adjusted if this suggestion gets implemented.

Note: I know it sucks to be told your horses are worthless. I am talking about their value as a show horse/investment. Hard work should be rewarded, and increasing the payout of higher level shows will reward players for breeding horses with high specialty stats.

Last edited on 2018-10-01 at 13:54:11 by River

SUPPORT! I agree with you completely. It is so weird to have a horse in National/International because the name of league sounds so fancy and rich (aka where you get most money from) but they earns just same as novice. In fact, I find that my novice is more valuable than National and International. Depends on which specialties, sometime you just don't have enough competitions in Na/I so you winds up losing money by showing your horses.

Na/I is so easy to obtain now as well. Just go to search horses and you probably will find several horses with 2k stats for under $1k because they literally have no value. If they earns a lot more money, the players would've kept them instead sell them for $50.

Edit:
In my experience, I think Locals/Regionals are the best levels to show in (depends on specialties) because you get enough of entries but still have good chance of winning.

Last edited on 2018-09-30 at 14:05:59 by ωιςκεδ

<sup>I seem to remember a similar suggestion in the past but it was said that it was an unwilling change as it would be "free money". The only way for a "higher payout" is to enter higher entry fee shows- which is more risk in itself but a better reward.  I would love higher payouts but I enter higher priced shows for it, and make shows with a $20 increase for each grade for other people to try their luck at a higher win. Unfortunately, and I have been told to "make cheaper shows", players also only enter $50 and below shows in most cases (even the show search defaults to $50 unless manually changed), so even if you did enter a higher show, it's a gamble on whether you'll get the stats for it or your money back for a single entry show, since 20% goes to the creator. 

-- Those horses with 2k stats have no value because of the commonness of their pedigree and many siblings, hence the lower price- many breeders only want exclusive pedigrees or at least non-common if introducing to their own lines, they're okay for random showing horses.</sup> 

If the exponential locked fee on, say, higher-ranked arenas is implemented, I agree this should as well. Even if it comes in the form of the entry fees being a higher minimum to match those other aspects of the exponential cost to even train those higher-ranked horses.

The problem also comes with there are fewer shows to enter at the higher ranks, so you're generally forced to make your own shows (at which point you're technically not even earning anything) or at the mercy of whatever other people set their show fees to.

Last edited on 2018-09-30 at 16:02:53 by Yggdrasil

@ Maple, you do have a point.
Umm, let me think for a bit...

Correct me if I am wrong, I believe that shows with higher pays usually receive sponsors to help increase prizes in RL. I grew up with a girl who often go on shows and have a family friend who breeds championship-level Oldenburg horses. The entry fees and prize money rarely match up. EX: 10 entries for $50 each = $500 but the prize money is $1k instead. Therefore, the hosts got additional $500 from somewhere else. I also remember seeing a lot of posters with various companies' logos. Based on that, I am pretty sure that they got sponsors or something to help increase the prize money.

If that's true, then maybe we can do that with this game somehow (with NPC or actual players)

I am aware that most of those 2k stats horses usually have poor lineage. However, I won't just toss away a poor lineage horse when he give me a lot more money than a well-lined horse in lower levels. I will just keep it and use it to earn money until he retires. It's like riding school horses but for showing. I won't breed them because of poor lineage but I am going to take fully advantage of money I can earn from that horse. Why would I sell a horse for $50 when I can keep it and earns $100k+ in his whole life?

Just double checking too make sure I understand what your suggesting, when you say "higher" you mean exponentially in ratio to the entry fee?
If so,  YES, PLEASE! This is one of the reasons I don't show. It's just not profitable for me. 

At the very least, first place in a one horse show should break even. After all, the creator didn't spend any money to create the show, like in RL, so why can't the prize money be generated by the game? I know that would be "free money" but it would increase the number of people showing, including myself, and possibly improve the economy and, if exponential payout were added, the horse market. 

First off, I SUPPORT this idea.

Secondly, @Odella,
I 100% agree that the change to showing that makes it so people in minimals shows can not even break even is detrimental to showing in that people will opt to not show because they feel they can not make money. If people could break even in minimal shows, what is it, 3 or less entries? I think that in itself would increase the amount of horses seen entered in shows.

I like this idea. I know when I create shows I charge less for a novice than for a higher grade show. If everyone did this then national and international show entries could earn more. So I think there needs to be a minimum entry fee for higher graded shows as there are with training arenas.