Player Contest Rules Clarification

For those who are interested, here is my latest message!

Once again, Howrse provided no reasoning when I asked them bluntly the reason why horse giveaways are not allowed. Their blanket statement "This rule was changed due to the number of requests we received in the past." makes no sense, as every player I have ever talked to has either been for horse giveaways, or simply doesn't care about them. I haven't found any player who didn't want horse giveaways to be allowed - how can this be the reason why they're not allowed? And if it's simply by demand, why haven't horse giveaways been allowed yet, when I and so many other players have been asking for them?

"Horses can no longer be offered as prizes because there is no facility to gift horses and the winner would be charged a fee to get their prize. This would then be against the Item and Pass trafficking rules, and could result in sanctions."
Let's say it once again - if this is the issue then CREATE a way to gift horses! But otherwise, don't pretend like horse giveaways were trafficking. It was usually clearly stated that the horse would be sold for a minimum price of 500 equus. Anyone who wasn't okay with this simply wouldn't enter the contest, or would refuse the sale of the horse.

And furthermore, why can't we say "The winner will get the OPTION of purchasing a horse for 500 equus?" They're not winning the horse then - they're only winning the option of purchasing it. No fee for that, isn't there?

Howrse is floundering with this rule. The only thing that's maintaining it is their stubbornness. (But I'm stubborn too - I'll continue to protest it )

Sorry, does this mean that prizes can't be BMI gifted via the item exchange now either?

My posts keep getting censored! This is like when Howrse first revoked the compromise, and there was such an uproar that they had to lock this topic so no one else could post about how much they hated the rule.

It was only opened again when they reposted the topic, which was both good and bad - on one hand, it opened the discussion again, but on the other, so many great points and comments were deleted.

@calvalvo, no, BMIs can still be offered as prizes. Howrse is just getting flustered

Unbelievable! I believe everyone posting in this topic (and any other topic, too) has a right to discuss and question... I haven't seen a single hateful post in this topic.

"This rule was changed due to the number of requests we received in the past."
I'll put in bluntly. If humanity had a bit more common sense, you wouldn't be getting those requests. Or were they complaints? Of course you had people complaining about the 500e fee, or how they were scammed, etc. The thing is, if people had and/or have a problem with that... two words. Don't. Enter. It's as simple as that. Eliminating something completely may satisfy those kind of people, but it's a lousy way to go about things. And worse in the long run.
And just how many "requests" were there? I have never, ever talked to someone who actually liked the "no gifting horses" rule, as Goat_Girl pointed out.

"The prize is no longer a prize when the winner must pay a fee. Such is then considered as horse trafficking."
If you have a problem (yes, it's a problem), you put forth the effort to fix it. Want to satisfy those of us who miss gifting horses? Legally, at least. Want to give those who don't really have an opinion an easier time? Make a system that will allow us to gift horses for free.

This is a horse game, Howrse. Bottom line. The horses, every aspect of it, should be the focus.

Well... that was "bold", I'm sure. Fingers crossed I don't get censored. Just in case, I'm saving this paragraph for later.

Can I offer exclusive coverings as a prize because all my horses with my Affixes do not offer covers to horses that meet my rules list but if you won you would get a cover from one of my horses. Are you able to not charge anything for you covers reserved for other players

If Howrse keeps saying there is no system in place for players to gift horses, why keep arguing about it? They have stated multiple times, over the years, the reason why horses can not be gifted at this time.
Will there be a feature added in the future? Maybe, maybe not. Just have to wait and see. Arguing, protesting, repeatedly posting the same info, and trying to find ways to bypass the rule is not going to speed the process up. Howrse has seen the feedback multiple times I am sure. There is no magic wand that will magically place the feature in the game without any problems. Yes, it has been years. But so has the idea of drafts and donkey unicorns. Look how long it took for them to come here.

Personally, I have always disliked the player held contests that gave away horses. Too many times when the host would decline to give the horse they stated to give, or would complain and threaten to report because they "accidentally gave the wrong horse."
If this feature does come in to play later down the line, I am wondering how many posts we will see about players complaining saying someone "stole their horse" because they "gifted the wrong one" or wanted it back after some time.

You cannot expect admin of any game to flat out say "this will be added" or "this will not be added." They can only say that they have seen your message and will pass it on to the team to see if there is a way to add the feature in game, either soon, later down the line, or not at all.

elemental, all good points. I keep arguing about it to make sure that Howrse doesn't forget that the majority of players do actually want these giveaways. Too often, there's been a change that players don't like and get upset about, Howrse says they'll take their feedback into consideration, and then, as players get used to the change, do nothing about it. Time settles the matter. I don't want them to "do nothing" about this.

What you say about players not giving horses away, that can happen with BMIs or items too. That issue isn't limited to horses. Personally, that never happened to me. But if that's an issue for a player, the easy thing to do is not enter the contest. There's the saying - don't let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch.

I'm not going to stop arguing and protesting, because it was my favorite part of the game. Will it make any difference? Maybe, maybe not. But if there's a chance that it causes them to allow horse giveaways again, then I'm all for it.

I do see your point. But just like with other topics that have been locked: "don't let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch." Repeatedly trying to find a loophole in a rule that is placed may get this topic locked as well.
It's good to have feedback, but not to the point of protesting and demanding a rule change. Its not going to solve the problem. Time settles the matter.

Good luck.

Your posts gave me a lot to think about. I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts, first of all!

Regarding your first post...
A host could lie and not give a desired BMI prize, or report someone for "accidentally" giving away the wrong BMI. It does not only apply to giving away horses. So... should Howrse take away BMI gifting completely? Of course not. Why can't the same be said about horse gifting? In fact, as it is a horse game, shouldn't the horses be of more value than BMIs?

Sometimes, if a rule is logically or morally wrong, you have to find a loophole. It's the only option you're given. Other than doing nothing, of course.
Also, protesting and demanding shouldn't be categorized as the same thing in one sentence. Let's look at definitions...

Protest
"A statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something."

Demand
"An insistent and peremptory request, made as if by right."

Note: These were literally the first definitions that popped up, after typing out "define ___" on Google. I did not come up with these definitions on my own.

Protest sounds a bit more mild, doesn't it? And I think that's the goal for many "protesters" posting in this thread. In the end, we can't do anything, no. But why sit back? Everyone should have the right to voice their thoughts, whether it be boldly or quietly. As long as violence or hate doesn't occur, I think protesting is a good thing.

What about TPBM posts that offer say a random foal for 500e? I assume those are ok, because you don't have to accept, you can just say pass and offer something else, or find a different TPBM game in another forum, and they are games not contests. /genuine question

It's giving away a horse for 500e. Bottom line, Howrse believes that horses should not be given away for 500e. There's a fee, therefore it's not free.
You can gift BMIs and other items via friend list, so if you want to give something away, it "has" to be those options alone.
Yes, the second person can't "get in trouble", because they didn't offer the horse. They can move on. Technically, the same could be said about giveaways. If you don't like what you see, leave. Or find another giveaway. Games and contests are practically the same thing, if things are being given away.

Thank you. On that note what is the rule on offering coverings? Would that also be a no because it's not free?

Interesting parallel! I suppose it's the same kind of idea. You get the foal, I get the fee. You get the horse, I get the fee. I don't think Howrse is trying to eliminate the thought of gifting completely, though. They have set systems for coverings, giving away BMIs, etc.

Let's review the situation...
There was no mechanism for gifting horses in the first place.
People "gave away" horses for 500e, as that was the lowest they could do.
Howrse received complaints. We do not know if they were valid, or how many, which frustrates many people.
Howrse decided, since you couldn't give away a horse for free, you can't have horses as prizes. Thus, the rule that you can no longer gift horses.

Hopefully that helps, and hopefully that answers your question.

It does thank you!

So when I say "Would you like a unicorn? message me and I'll give you one for 500e" on my presentation - isn't that the same thing? That is now not allowed?

Ok. Hear me out. Why not make gifting horses an option in the game? It would greatly improve game play not only for senior players, but for new players as well.

It's hard to tell whether Howrse allows certain words, like "selling" a horse to someone for 500e. That's why people have been able to find loopholes. Howrse says this...

You can give in-game prizes (only those which can be done via the gifting options already within the game)

Make of it what you will. I'll just say this...
Because unicorns are worth more than 500e, and because it's a private transaction, it could be considered giving away horses.

A lot of players have already expressed this! Especially in this topic. It just makes sense! This is a horse game. We have a gifting option for BMIs, we have a gifting option on the friends list. A simple adjustment to the "sell a horse page" doesn't seem that hard. But Howrse has not acknowledged this idea. And by that I mean point out if it's doable or not, for whatever reason(s). As EchOw said above, which you'll see a lot...

We understand that you want things to change, but at this time no changes will be made.

That is not true. Selling horses is completely in the rules and a big part of the game. Howrse themselves have set a limit of 500e. Just because some horses may have a higher worth than that, doesn’t mean players can be penalized for selling them for below their value. That’s their whole logic behind not allowing giveaways. Because you can’t give a horse away for free. Therefore by their own logic, selling horses for 500e breaks 0 rules and can’t be considered a giveaway. For them to punish a player for doing this would be to go against the rules that they themselves have set.

I also asked a moderator in the past and was told that as long as it didn’t say giveaway and was clear about being selling horses, it’s allowed. Even if it is for 500e. It’s not different than advertising cheap horses for sale. And as long as you keep it on your page and your forum, you’re breaking no rules.

I’m not sure why you think the words selling would be flagged in any way since the whole foundation of the game is based on breeding, buying and selling horses…

On that same note, I’m honestly not sure why they keep making the game worse. Adding an option to gift horses to players should be easy enough (and worth it) considering the fact that we can donate to Ow. And I think an option to trade horses would also make the game far more interesting. But for some reason the people in charge seem to get enjoyment from slowly taking away everything good about the game If they don’t want to add an option to gift horses then why take away the giveaways? They weren’t negatively affecting anyone