The Creation Space

This week, Howrse have just introduced another new feature - The Creation Space.

The Creation Space is now the place where you submit illustrations for Golden Apple coats via the Black Pearl.

Howrse have also introduced two new items that you can submit illustrations for: the companions (bought with a Horn of Gold) or backgrounds for your horses' pages (bought with a Helios's Ray).

The Creation Space is for all languages (English, German, French etc...). That means if you propose an illustration and it wins the vote, it will be available in all languages and vice versa.

Yes, there is now a vote involved. When you submit an illustration to the Creation Space other players will be able to vote for their favourites. Your coat / background will only be accepted by Howrse if enough players vote for it!

The selection process takes place every month, and follows a specific procedure. This month:

• Proposing illustrations
  16 may 01:00 » 23 may 00:59
  Everyone can propose illustrations using the Black Pearl
  
  
• Validation
  The Howrse team removes any illustrations that don't comply with the rules
  
  
• Voting
  25 may 01:00 » 30 may 00:59
  Players of all languages vote on the illustrations once they have been validated
  
  
• Selection
  The most popular illustrations are selected and sorted by category
  
  
• Publishing
  31 may 11:00
  The selected illustrations are published online in each of the site's languages

Proposing illustrations gets the creator rewards. The day an illustration is published, each illustration earns its author:

• 10,000 equus
  
• Different numbers of passes for different types of illustration:
  • 50 passes For a Coat for the Golden Apple with no limitation on the number of uses or 25 passes for a coat with a limited number of uses
  • 25 passes for a Helios's Ray landscape
  • 15 passes for a Horn of Gold companion

Golden Apple coats have also been changed slightly. Old style coats can now be retired by their owners after 100 uses. Any Golden Apple coats created using the Creation Space will either be published as unlimited coats or as limited use coats (with a fixed number). However, Howrse will now make the decision on how many uses these coats have. The author no longer has any control.

So, get yourselves along to the Creation Space and start submitting your illustrations, voting and enjoying the new graphics that come along. Let us know what you think.

Lucy

Flash Sales May 2011

Today Howrse have announced the return of the ever popular flash sales. From today, Tuesday 17 until Monday 30 May at 12.00 game time you can use your equus to bid on gifts in the flash sales.

Among the gifts to be won are new companions not yet available on the game - the Squirrel, Turtle and Frog. Howrse introduced companions to the game last week and these three are currently only available via the flash sales, so they are bound to be popular items.

You can also bid on Nyx Packs, Poseidon's Packs, Fertility Wands, Passes, Pieces of Cloud, Ploutos' Parchments, Horns of Plenty, Made-to-measure tack and aging points.

There are two types of flash sale - the direct sales in which every item has a fixed price (but you have to be quick to get them) and the auctions in which you can bid any amount for the item you want. Remember though that you can only buy one item in each type of sale every 3 days - so make sure you pick your items carefully.

Right, time to save up your equus and get bidding on some great gifts!

Lucy

Howrse Companions

UPDATE: Howrse removed companions from the game in July 2012. They are now very rare and can fetch a lot of money in the sales. If you're looking to complete your trophy collections or want to know the value of the companions you already have, use the links below to find horses with companions for sale.

Very common

Goat companion

Currently the most common companion and cheapest to find in the sales

See all goat companion horses for sale

Rabbit companion

See all rabbit companion horses for sale

Zebra companion

See all zebra companion horses for sale

Swallow companion

See all swallow companion horses for sale

Monkey companion


See all monkey companion horses for sale

Squirrel companion


See all squirrel companion horses for sale








Common

Hen companion


See all hen companion horses for sale

Cat companion


See all cat companion horses for sale

Dog companion


See all dog companion horses for sale








Uncommon

Phoenix companion



See all phoenix companion horses for sale

Sheep companion



See all sheep companion horses for sale

Turtle companion



See all turtle companion horses for sale

Butterfly companion



See all butterfly companion horses for sale

Griffin companion



See all griffin companion horses for sale








Rare

Giraffe companion



See all giraffe companion horses for sale

Bear

See all bear companion horses for sale

Frog companion


See all frog companion horses for sale

Owl companion


See all owl companion horses for sale

Kangaroo companion


See all kangaroo companion horses for sale

Penguin companion


See all penguin companion horses for sale








Very rare

Ghost companion


There are 3 different types of ghost to collect - all pretty rare these days.

See all ghost companion horses for sale

Dragon companion


There are 4 types of dragon to collect.

See all dragon companion horses for sale

Camel companion


See all camel companion horses for sale










Extremely rare

Bee companion


Bee companions are extremely rare and hardly ever seen in the sales

See all bee companion horses for sale

Ladybug companion



Ladybug companions are also extremely rare and hardly ever seen in the sales

See all ladybug companion horses for sale











Original post below:

Howrse have just introduced companions to the game. Here's a quick guide to what they say about the companions and how they will affect the game:

Once your horse is 8 months old you can now assign him a companion. Once a companion has been assigned to your horse it can't be removed, so make sure you choose wisely. (Scroll down for a guide to what each companion offers your horse).

The companions act as a bonus for your horse giving skill gains and a dressage bonus.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: You now cannot play games with your foal unless your horse has a companion!

Each day when your horse wakes up, its companion is asleep. You can choose to wake up the companion by playing with it or leave it asleep. If you play with a companion the time you choose to play is taken out of your horse's day - just like lessons, rides, training etc.

If you buy a horse with a companion already in place you have 7 days to decide whether to keep the companion or change it to a different one. If you replace the current companion you do not get any compensation and the companion runs away.

When you play with your companion the following things happen:

From 8 months to 1 year 6 months
Your horse receives a gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play, equaling a maximum gain of 1.2 (as previously). So, your old foal games will still work but you MUST now give your horse a companion to be able to see the foal games button.

From 1 year 8 months to 25 years
Your horse wins equus and/or skills depending on which companion it has. The maximum skills gained over your horse's lifetime is 60. These are spread evenly between all his skills (so 10 extra points per skill).

From 1 year 8 months
If you play with your horse's companion for at least 30 minutes it will give your horse a bonus in dressage for that day.

When you age your horse it's companion falls asleep again ready for the next day.

There are currently 7 companions available (Howrse say that there are more on the way)

Goat
Cost: 300e
Dressage bonus: +2
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:
A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:4 equus for each hour of play







Monkey
Cost: 500e
Dressage bonus: +6
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:
4 equus for each hour of play



Rabbit
Cost: 1000e
Dressage bonus: +3
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years
6 equus for each hour of play



Swallow
Cost: Variable
Dressage bonus: +5
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:0.06 skill gain for each hour of play





Cat
Cost: Variable
Dressage bonus: +9
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:0.09 skill gain for each hour of play





Phoenix
Cost: 1 pass
Dressage bonus: +12
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:0.12 skills gain and 25 equus for each hour of play





Griffin
Cost: 2 passes
Dressage bonus: +14
From 8 months to 1 year 6 months:A gain in Genetic Potential for each hour of play
From 1 year 8 months to 25 years:0.15 skill gain and 30 equus for each hour of play



Let us know if you've got any questions or opinions about the introduction of the Howrse companions.

Lucy