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BY SNOW KITTY
We all have days where the cup of
bad luck seems
to run over, and we feel an urgent need to let it all out. For many,
the perfect place to do this is the Vent forum.
The Vent forum is a popular device
on both VirtualHorseRanch and
VirtualPups. My question to players on Orbis Games was: “Are players
who use the Vent board just seeking attention?”
At first the consensus seemed to be
“no.” But the reasons behind each person’s response were very
different.
“I do not think that they are
seeking attention,” said ilyanthony1995
of VP. “Some of them might, but not all… sometimes when you have to get
out your inner feelings, and you can’t tell them to people who don’t
understand, then you can just explain them in Vent.”
Young Native, of the same game,
agreed. “Most of my friends that I have
aren’t good venting buddies. I believe [people] use the board to keep
their valuable vents a secret and not harm their social [structure].”
Also, “attention could be an intention too.”
Other players like Sikara of VP
expressed great agony over the recent
closing of the Vent board on VP, something which definitely peaked my
curiosity. “That board is important to us,” she said. “I hate how it is
gone. It’s what we needed.”
Why is it so important? Why do
people use it unless for attention?
SeventhSanctum of VHR seemed to have
the answer. “Sometimes people get
so wrapped up in the real world… [they] need someplace where they can
get it all out. And the Vent board is designed to do just that. To give
players a section where they can get issues off their chests before it
escalates into something else.”
In short, the Vent forum seems to
give players a place to let off
steam, and most agree that it is beneficial to the community. For those
of us who use it on a daily basis, this is relieving news. Still, not
everyone using is one-hundred percent honest, according to Firemedic of
VHR.
“There are some legitimate vents,
but there are a lot of pleas for
attention and people looking for a little empathy as well as some that
are there just for entertainment… people do empathize with their fellow
VHRians and this gives them an emotional investment in the issue.”
“However,” they added, “When this
emotional investment is violated by
someone just looking for a laugh, people get hurt. A lie is a lie, and
lies do hurt people.”
When writing Open Forum, I ask
players on the VHR, VP, and SBF to share
their opinions on important topics that arise within the Orbis Games
community.
Responses are on a monthly topic
posted in the "Orbis Worlds
Newsletter" category of the VHR and VP forums as well as the "Chicken
Chatter" category of the SBF forum. Responses are received via forum
private messaging.
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BY ORIYANA
AND ALABAMA
At first glance,
Virtual Horse Ranch and Virtual
Pups may seem rather similar. I mean there’s the obvious difference in
that one features horses and the other dogs. And there’s the question
as to why VHR isn’t simply called Virtual Horses, or VP isn’t called
Virtual Dog Kennel. The difference in names may become clearer as you
take a deeper look into both games and come to realize that Virtual
Pups is not just a newer version of VHR featuring smaller, fluffier and
slightly more carniverous animals.
One of the biggest
differences lies in the sponsor
versions of the
games. In VHR, you can do almost everything with one sponsor and nice
build-up of offline points. In VP, you have to choose a kennel
specialty, which leaves you buying multiple sponsors if you want to try
every aspect of the game once you use your three specialty changes. So,
for someone who is unsure of how they want to proceed in the game, VHR
is a little more flexible when it comes to changing skills. However, in
VP not all sponsors can excel at the same skills, which promotes
community in that you have to look for a sponsor breeder, trainer or
rescuer to do something for you if you don’t specialize in that type of
kennel.
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distinction between the
games, the care of the animals. VHR has diseases such as West Nile
Virus that require vaccinations, your horses diet must be altered as
needed for optimum performance. Shoes, tack, riders and diet can all
greatly affect how well a horse does in competitions. VP has plans
for required vaccinations and diseases but they have not been implemented
yet. You have to pay for food for your dog, but you don’t have to
choose the amount or what type to feed. This leaves the care of your
animal a lot less stressful in VP than it is in VHR. Of course in VHR,
if you don’t want to age your horse you can just pop it in the pasture,
and in VP you have to pay to board your dog at a sponsor boarding
kennel.
Not only are the sizes
of the animals different, but
so are their
life-spans, fertility and ability to breed. In VHR, all horses have a
33.1 year lifespan, while dogs on VP can live anywhere from 8-25 years.
Horses become infertile at the age of 23, while dogs become infertile
at 12 years 6 months, assuming they live that long of course. One
option VHR has that VP does not is the semen straws that are able to be
used even after a |
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Another difference
between the two games is training.
Obviously in both
games it requires a sponsor trainer to get the most out of your
dog/horse, but a skilled VP novice is capable of training a dog to
perform adequately in shows while a VHR novice would be lucky to max a
horse before breeding time is over and the horse would be beyond
optimum showing age. Even though the training pages look similar, the
methods of training in both games vastly differ. An excellent trainer
in VP could be a flop in VHR and vice-versa. VP concentrates on “stars”
to show the level of your dogs’ stats, while VHRs’ horses are rated by
words that describe their potential. These stars change only in the
offspring of a well trained dog, while in horses, the words can change
while training and in the horse’s offspring. In both games, the key to
producing the best offspring possible is training to raise stats. In
addition, in VHR it’s recommended that you “roll” the stats as much as
possible, making that training system much more involved than VPs.
There is another main difference, in that a dog trained for breeding
can still excel in events if their skills are raised as well. However,
an event horse does not usually make the best breeder compared to a
horse trained for breeding, and one trained to focus on breeding will
not have the stats needed for showing.
Again, looking at both
games there is another
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stallion has become infertile. In VHR crosses of
certain breeds can create other breeds, while in VP, with the exception
of crosses to arctic wolves, all crosses create neutered mutts.
Competition differs in
both games in that novices in
VP can gain
handling skills, which aids their dogs in some events, while in VHR
novices have to purchase a rider from a sponsor in order to do well. In
both games, only sponsors can host events, but anyone can enter them.
The club system also differs between games. In VP your dog is limited
to being the member of only one club at any given time, while in VHR
horses may belong to multiple clubs. An entire ranch may join a club in
VHR, an option which is not available in VP.
So, in conclusion,
while they are different in some
aspects, both games
offer a large selection of breeds to work on, disciplines to compete
in, and many jobs to specialize in. Plus the two very different
communities of players have also developed various options within both
chat and the forums, such as games, art, contests, and places to just
talk and meet people. Both games offer endless hours of fun, as there
is no true ‘end’ to the game. I suggest trying both games to see which
fits you best, and I promise, whether you end up sticking with VHR, VP,
or both, you won’t ever regret it. |
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I
received the privilege of having a one on one
chat with one of our esteemed ops. The famed Dragon Wings of Dragon
Wings Stables. DWS is a well know brand in our community and beyond.
The original Dragon Wings
Stables started 12 years ago and has stuck
fast to our beloved Draggy. The real Dragon Wings Stables houses
Draggy’s steed Bear and five other horses. Bear’s parents were a
Belgian and a Quarter Horse technically making him an American
Warmblood and Draggy can be found riding him and performing mounted
archery demonstrations at Society for Creative Anachronism events in
the spring. Draggy is also a jouster at these events on a friend’s
horse.
Not a stranger to
animals and
hard work, Draggy grew up raising cattle
and growing cotton with her father. “My dad is amazing with horses,
Bear loves him.” She has also acquired this skill and trains her own
horses and even manufactures her own training materials. “I refuse to
pay 30 bucks for a piece of wood spray painted orange. I shall make my
own carrot stick!”
An avid collector of Breyers
since age 4, she has over 2200 in her
collection currently. “I’ve done some custom work, but I mainly
collect.” Dragon rotates 200 of them at a time to take to the shows
that she loves to attend. Her favorite mold is the Cedarfarm Wixom and
her favorite model a portrait of The Gypsy King.
Draggy came to our community
about five years ago and has been very
active for the last four years. DWS has become a brand that is often
sought after to strengthen player’s
lines in Lipizzaners, Irish
Thoroughbreds, Fresians, Boulonnais, Dread Horses, Appaloosa and most
especially Gypsy Drums. DWS is also home to the infamous Spotted
Drafters and Dragons. “I think my lines are pretty good, I’ve worked
hard on them”, she stated humbly, “The
only thing I’ll be conceited
about is my Drums.” DWS Drums are famous and Draggy has even sponsored
The Gypsy Drum Horse Registry while working hard to better the breed.
“There’s loads
of great
players out there that blow
Steamed
Up, or Blowing Smoke?
The Battle of the Century
Can I Plead the Fifth?
Your Community
... PAGE 2
Flocking
to Tibet
The Stars of Virtual Pups
Healers of Nations to
Symbols of the Past
Hakuna Matata, are You
Kidding?
Missing? No, Just Riding
a Palouse Horse
Living Antiquities
Creative Forum
... PAGE 3
Black doesn't always mean Black
How To Have A
Winning Trainoff
Playing With
Chocolate
Wraping Up With A
Dragon Vent
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BY THE
STABLEHAND
me out of the water.” Draggy is quick to
admit. However we all know of the
infamous
“Dark Annie”. When asked how such a
horse came into existence she
admits it took “months and months of
confy breeding.” Dark Annie is now
over 400 million in winnings. This does not include the untold sums of
money made by players betting on Dark Annie. Draggy readily shares when
Dark Annie is eventing so that others can benefit from this sure thing
bet. “I always tell the novies when she’s running, it’s so hard for
them to make money sometimes.”
Draggy stated that she
thought Dark Annie was a fluke. Thought it was a
fluke? Thought? Dark Annie is surely the biggest winner on VHR and
guaranteed a place in VHR history. Can it be there is another Dark
Annie in the DWS stables? Draggy answered, “Can I plead the 5th?”
Even after five years
of playing, she still enjoys the game “as there
is always something new to start on. When I get bored I get new
foundies. That usually keeps Barqs from getting bored too.”
We are lucky to have
Dragon with us today. Ten years ago she was shot
while working as a bouncer. Now she enjoys a slightly safer job
teaching arts to junior high kids. Draggy is the choir director and
drama teacher trying to expose the kids to the arts despite much of
today’s modern music in a school system that wants to cut the arts out
to make room for the sciences.
She also cares for her
“Hobbits”, four little kittens that she
had
saved and a Great Dane. The hobbits named for the LOTR Hobbits, as
Draggy is a big fan of the series. The kitten’s antics could make up an article in
itself and Draggy shares
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them with
us in her rants in the vent section.
When asked what her
favorite part of VHR is she
quickly replied, “I
think the VHR community as a whole is a
wonderful, productive place.
I’ve met some amazing people, and
learned quite a bit. There’s always
going to be a few bad apples in a barrel, but why focus on them when
you have so many other apples around. ”
“I love being an Op.
It’s not a piece of cake by any means…”. Many do
not realize that ops are more then the “police of VHR” guarding our
community. The ops monitor the forums, game itself, chat, support
tickets, and the whole shebang. The ops answer the game play issues
that go through Orbis Worlds support and are often the ones that fix
the problem so that all can enjoy the fun that is VHR.
“Lately a lot of my
free time has gone towards answering player
questions and watching chat.” Despite this Draggy has found some time
to work on her lines and give back to the community. She often puts up
quality tack for low prices and holds train offs. “One of my favorite
things to do on VHR is hold train off’s.” In fact every cent Dark Annie
has won will be given out as part of the “DWS End Of The Year Train Off
of DOOM”!
Animal lover, teacher,
accomplished horsewoman, VHRian, and Op. Draggy
has taken on an amazing number of responsibilities and yet has kept her
sense of humor, as anyone who has read her rants in the forum can
attest to. When asked for words of wisdom to offer new players, Draggy
says this, “It’s okay to march to the beat of your own drum. Everyday I
see so many people who are hurt because they’re not part of the ‘in’
crowd, or they don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. It’s OKAY
to be yourself. Who wants to be a sheep, when you can be a shepherd.
THEN you have one of those cool shepherd canes that you can smack the
sheep around with! VHR is an amazing place. You can work on whatever
breed you want, any discipline you want. You can do whatever your heart
desires. ☺” |
Alabama - Editor in Chief
Alias -
Editor/Writer
Bara - Jack of all trades
Writers:
Cavalry
Bolivia
Broodmare paint
Evlon
Jade
Jbk
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Jelly
Kapricorn
krolak
Moody
Oriyana
Pikachu
Snowkitty
Tarnish
The 2nd Cavalry
The Stablehand
Tobias
Tonyz_Bella
Uber |
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