Preview of a new feature which will be implemented soonHello,
I hope you still remember the announcement from the end of the year, where I mentioned the introduction of horseback riding.
There was still much work to do then and we were working to finalize some details. Now I can say the work is almost complete, so you will be able to have it quite soon (in a few days). In the mean time I'll give you a preview of a new feature so you can be prepared for that.
To start off I'll warn you: steeds can be useful, but only if the decision to tame one is really well-thought. Steeds require feed to be maintained, so make sure you are prepared for that, as the consequences of misunderstanding the system will not be refunded in any way.
The first thing to do after finding a horse (or a donkey, zebra, kiang, camel or ostrich) is to tame it. It's almost the same as for other animals, but it requires a special tool - a lasso. If you are successful and get a domesticated horse, then you have to adopt it, just like any other animal. Once an animal is loyal to you, you can start saddling it. You need a saddle and some time. It takes a few days.
Its default dynamic name shows the animal's owner, but you can remember the animal as anything you'd like.
As horses have no locks, there needs to be a different way to restrict control over them. That's why only the owner can start riding, change its speed or make it turn around. The owner can also drag things from the horse much easier and the owner is much harder to drag away from it.
Then there's the equipment: the most basic thing is a saddlebag. As anybody can get on a horse, the saddlebag is the easiest way to keep your property safe. A saddlebag is a single large lockable storage for your things, from which the animal will also eat when there's no feed outside.
Another interesting thing are reins. They are a kind of special 'machinery' that allow you to control the horse by actively working on a project and make it move reasonably faster.
When you are not as interested in having top speed, but you'd like to carry more cargo, then you can build a cart (for big steeds) or a small cart (for small ones). It's a bit similar to a sidecar for motorcycles. Be cautious, as having a cart decreases the animal's speed (even if it's empty).
The lasso I mentioned is used to tame and adopt the animal, while the saddle is used to saddle the steed.
There are also two smaller improvements: to make feed easier to get we've introduced a wooden dung-fork. In addition, time to lay or disassemble a haystack is now halved to encourage mobile hay production.
When you are the owner of a steed unsaddling it is similar to disassembling vehicles: you just have to completely empty it. This makes horses relatively easy to transport: after removing the saddlebag and unsaddling it, you can drag it onto a ship and take it to a different island. Such an animal usually* retains its custom name when saddled again, so you won't have to name it the second time.
*unless you join the animal with a pack
But why use horses? Could they be better than tandems or cars?
The answer is: yes, in some cases.
Firstly, horses are better than cars when riding through underdeveloped areas. When you ride on a path you move much faster than you would with a car. That advantage becomes smaller as the road level increases. A car becomes a comparable (or a better) choice on a paved road.
Something like that
Secondly, they are good when your character travels a lot, because they need to be fed every day. On the other hand, they do require hay or vegetables, which are usually easier to get than petrol or other fuels.
I hope you are as interested as I am. Stay tuned!
GreeK, Resources Department Chair