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Nena Olson wrote: ↑4 years ago
No matter what the purse structure is, you have to also remember that the goal is to win a race. There are a LOT of horses trying to break their maiden and when Danny Derby/Laura Ferguson/Susie Rydall/etc. are in a maiden special weight, I check their horse. If it has its typical 56.7-57 flat dirt works, the chances of me facing them with my own freak is very slim. I will go run it in a lesser purse just to avoid them to get a win. Same with stakes races. While it would be ideal if all freaks were able to enter the same race, the goal is to NOT face one of the big monsters and ruin your horse's confidence. So off we go to a listed/G3 race where maybe a stakes galloper or even an allowance galloper would like to win. Its really all about placement. I rarely enter a stakes galloper in a stakes race because, well, mine aren't very fast but with good race spotting, I got a G1 win with a stakes galloper recently which felt like a miracle.
Long Story Short - There are a lot of freaks and not all freaks are freaky freaks so you try to avoid the freaky freaks so you, too, can make money by entering the races that many see as races fit for allowance/stakes gallopers instead.
I somewhat agree, but also somewhat disagree. Winning races is a goal, yes, but so is making money. The game is cyclical. You buy horses to make money to buy horses to make money and so on. Winning is a goal too, but you almost always need to make money to do that. You know you often can't beat the freaks churned out by the players you listed, but I also know that I probably can't beat your horse either (in general, of course there will be exceptions). So when you bring your horse to the bottom purse level, I know I - or most smaller players for whom I am speaking - can't win. This is why greater purse variance is needed. If the freaks are in the 90k, like you said, you might bring yours to the 45k. I might run my stakes galloper in the 25k. The difference of I think 15k from top to bottom (15k-30k?) in maidens isn't enough incentive, but the difference of let's say 85k is.
Adding more purse money, regardless of where it is added, won't make the game easier when it comes to making money. You're right that there is a cyclical nature to it, but there is also a wide range of income-making strategies ---- and running lots of horses for smaller purses is typically somewhere in the toolbox of the successful new(er) players. As they build up a barn, they may get more selective about how much they run while still making a good income overall, but then again some players choose high volume for the long term.
Bottom line, adding to the purses will make the difficult task you're describing even more difficult.
“In the race for excellence,there is no finish line.”
— His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Nena Olson wrote: ↑4 years ago
No matter what the purse structure is, you have to also remember that the goal is to win a race. There are a LOT of horses trying to break their maiden and when Danny Derby/Laura Ferguson/Susie Rydall/etc. are in a maiden special weight, I check their horse. If it has its typical 56.7-57 flat dirt works, the chances of me facing them with my own freak is very slim. I will go run it in a lesser purse just to avoid them to get a win. Same with stakes races. While it would be ideal if all freaks were able to enter the same race, the goal is to NOT face one of the big monsters and ruin your horse's confidence. So off we go to a listed/G3 race where maybe a stakes galloper or even an allowance galloper would like to win. Its really all about placement. I rarely enter a stakes galloper in a stakes race because, well, mine aren't very fast but with good race spotting, I got a G1 win with a stakes galloper recently which felt like a miracle.
Long Story Short - There are a lot of freaks and not all freaks are freaky freaks so you try to avoid the freaky freaks so you, too, can make money by entering the races that many see as races fit for allowance/stakes gallopers instead.
I somewhat agree, but also somewhat disagree. Winning races is a goal, yes, but so is making money. The game is cyclical. You buy horses to make money to buy horses to make money and so on. Winning is a goal too, but you almost always need to make money to do that. You know you often can't beat the freaks churned out by the players you listed, but I also know that I probably can't beat your horse either (in general, of course there will be exceptions). So when you bring your horse to the bottom purse level, I know I - or most smaller players for whom I am speaking - can't win. This is why greater purse variance is needed. If the freaks are in the 90k, like you said, you might bring yours to the 45k. I might run my stakes galloper in the 25k. The difference of I think 15k from top to bottom (15k-30k?) in maidens isn't enough incentive, but the difference of let's say 85k is.
Well, winning and making money go hand in hand. Your horse has to have confidence in order to win races and in order to have confidence, you must wisely select where your horse is entered. This game needs less money brought into the game though, not more of it. As a middle-level player (with a bankroll that rarely ever is over $2 mil and sometimes can't even get over $1 mil) I can guarantee you that adding more money into the game for the bigger barns to pick up won't benefit smaller/newer players. With more money, comes higher stud fees and higher horse prices. Sure, you may be able to afford daily board but if the goal is to be able to afford a Steward bred or something along the line of that quality wise... you need things added to REMOVE money from big barns instead of letting them build up more. The less money in the game, the lower the prices are and the more even the playing ground when it comes to trying to purchase said top tier horse. The SIM is NOT an easy game to get to instant success. I've been around since 2006 and still can't afford the top horses that the big barns aim for in auctions.
If there were a proliferation of $90K MSW and Allowance races I'd be running in them consistently, and would be less inclined to part with low level stakes and allowance runners that could earn more in those.
Glenn Escobar wrote: ↑4 years ago
Adding more purse money, regardless of where it is added, won't make the game easier when it comes to making money. You're right that there is a cyclical nature to it, but there is also a wide range of income-making strategies ---- and running lots of horses for smaller purses is typically somewhere in the toolbox of the successful new(er) players. As they build up a barn, they may get more selective about how much they run while still making a good income overall, but then again some players choose high volume for the long term.
Bottom line, adding to the purses will make the difficult task you're describing even more difficult.
Agreed. Adapt your barn to the SIM. Don't expect/wish the SIM to adapt to your barn. It's a building process.
Be very careful of what your asking for. The game has been on some kind of crusade to drain money from the game. I FIRMLY believe it has caused more hardship to poorer stables then the intended target, richer stables. Like not getting money for gelding. Having to hang on to horses till they are 5 so as to not get hit with $5,000 fee. I have made peace with those changes. Now you want a vastly different purse structure that will fly in the face of what the game has been trying to do, remove money. If that were to ever come to fruition, more cuts or higher fees will certainly follow that I'm sure will further impact cash poorer stables. Like mine and like the player that came up with this idea. Please stop while we are already behind and don't make things worse.
Nena Olson wrote: ↑4 years ago
No matter what the purse structure is, you have to also remember that the goal is to win a race. There are a LOT of horses trying to break their maiden and when Danny Derby/Laura Ferguson/Susie Rydall/etc. are in a maiden special weight, I check their horse. If it has its typical 56.7-57 flat dirt works, the chances of me facing them with my own freak is very slim. I will go run it in a lesser purse just to avoid them to get a win. Same with stakes races. While it would be ideal if all freaks were able to enter the same race, the goal is to NOT face one of the big monsters and ruin your horse's confidence. So off we go to a listed/G3 race where maybe a stakes galloper or even an allowance galloper would like to win. Its really all about placement. I rarely enter a stakes galloper in a stakes race because, well, mine aren't very fast but with good race spotting, I got a G1 win with a stakes galloper recently which felt like a miracle.
Long Story Short - There are a lot of freaks and not all freaks are freaky freaks so you try to avoid the freaky freaks so you, too, can make money by entering the races that many see as races fit for allowance/stakes gallopers instead.
I somewhat agree, but also somewhat disagree. Winning races is a goal, yes, but so is making money. The game is cyclical. You buy horses to make money to buy horses to make money and so on. Winning is a goal too, but you almost always need to make money to do that. You know you often can't beat the freaks churned out by the players you listed, but I also know that I probably can't beat your horse either (in general, of course there will be exceptions). So when you bring your horse to the bottom purse level, I know I - or most smaller players for whom I am speaking - can't win. This is why greater purse variance is needed. If the freaks are in the 90k, like you said, you might bring yours to the 45k. I might run my stakes galloper in the 25k. The difference of I think 15k from top to bottom (15k-30k?) in maidens isn't enough incentive, but the difference of let's say 85k is.
Well, winning and making money go hand in hand. Your horse has to have confidence in order to win races and in order to have confidence, you must wisely select where your horse is entered. This game needs less money brought into the game though, not more of it. As a middle-level player (with a bankroll that rarely ever is over $2 mil and sometimes can't even get over $1 mil) I can guarantee you that adding more money into the game for the bigger barns to pick up won't benefit smaller/newer players. With more money, comes higher stud fees and higher horse prices. Sure, you may be able to afford daily board but if the goal is to be able to afford a Steward bred or something along the line of that quality wise... you need things added to REMOVE money from big barns instead of letting them build up more. The less money in the game, the lower the prices are and the more even the playing ground when it comes to trying to purchase said top tier horse. The SIM is NOT an easy game to get to instant success. I've been around since 2006 and still can't afford the top horses that the big barns aim for in auctions.
I think with Em lowering the stakes purses that will help balance the game a lot. I think Lance was on to something here just wasn’t perfectly on it. Instead of raising purses of lower races we need to lower purses of higher races.
Brad Fabman wrote: ↑4 years ago
Be very careful of what your asking for. The game has been on some kind of crusade to drain money from the game. I FIRMLY believe it has caused more hardship to poorer stables then the intended target, richer stables. Like not getting money for gelding. Having to hang on to horses till they are 5 so as to not get hit with $5,000 fee. I have made peace with those changes. Now you want a vastly different purse structure that will fly in the face of what the game has been trying to do, remove money. If that were to ever come to fruition, more cuts or higher fees will certainly follow that I'm sure will further impact cash poorer stables. Like mine and like the player that came up with this idea. Please stop while we are already behind and don't make things worse.
Em said purses for stakes races are being slashed. The more I think about it the more I believe this is the answer to our prayers. It will take a long time but eventually nice things will cost less in the SIM and be more accessible to players who can’t go for the huge races.
Dave Trainer wrote: ↑4 years ago
It costs $880 per season per Sim horse. Compare that to the average cost in the UK of around £16k. That doesn't include vet bills and entry fees.
If you want Purses to reflect rl then costs should as well.
Anthony was onto something just not the way he thought. Since things are cheaper in the SIM than in real life in terms of owning a horse then the purses should not mirror real life, which, they don’t at the lowest levels but do at the highest and it looks as if management is changing this.
Danny Derby wrote: ↑4 years ago
If there were a proliferation of $90K MSW and Allowance races I'd be running in them consistently, and would be less inclined to part with low level stakes and allowance runners that could earn more in those.
“It’s like I’m driving a Mac truck with the speed of a Porsche and the brain of a rocket scientist,” Gary Stevens on Beholder
Slashing the ## of races you mean? I found a couple of regions that have a pretty clear reduction in Y54 as opposed to 53. I am sure that is a big task, too.............
No just the purses. But keep in mind all sponsored races/sponsored tracks haven't been duplicated for next year yet, so that could make it up!
That probably is about the difference in size year over year. Purse slashing is fine as well, I know that is a tough task to keep them somewhat in balance.
Just out of curiosity and because it came up in another conversation several months ago..........do you know what the grand total of all SIM purses is for a year, approximately?
SPENCER KNOWS!
"There's no secret to training a good horse. It's a matter of being fortunate enough to get one."
"Funny how you often regret the stuff you didn't do more than the stuff you did do" - GG
No just the purses. But keep in mind all sponsored races/sponsored tracks haven't been duplicated for next year yet, so that could make it up!
That probably is about the difference in size year over year. Purse slashing is fine as well, I know that is a tough task to keep them somewhat in balance.
Just out of curiosity and because it came up in another conversation several months ago..........do you know what the grand total of all SIM purses is for a year, approximately?
SPENCER KNOWS!
We are getting an accountant! Good, because I need someone to keep my incomings and outgoings in order
“ A lot of it is out of your hands and the more you do this the more you realize this."
-Chad Brown
Dave Trainer wrote: ↑4 years ago
It costs $880 per season per Sim horse. Compare that to the average cost in the UK of around £16k. That doesn't include vet bills and entry fees.
If you want Purses to reflect rl then costs should as well.
Anthony was onto something just not the way he thought. Since things are cheaper in the SIM than in real life in terms of owning a horse then the purses should not mirror real life, which, they don’t at the lowest levels but do at the highest and it looks as if management is changing this.
There are 30 players with over 19m in the bank who will still be able to afford the best horses. I very much doubt the SC purses will be reduced.
Lowering the purses of stakes races will reward quantity over quality. I don't think that is the way to go.
I love the Sim. I am very happy with how things are. It's a great game and there really isn't any need to nit pick things to death. Emily and the entire team works very hard at this and I have zero complaints right now. Keep up the good work you all!!
