Horse Racing Fantasy Community

It's been a very busy week and we're in the process of porting over a lot of the new technologies we've been working on. As we port over some of the new game features, there will be periods when the server slows down until all the database queries can be optimized. Every time we take a couple of steps forward with technology, we take a half-step back with something else. Like everything else, we'll deal with it and get over it.

The bonus business program is still in its final phases of development. This is the program that pays bonus community points based on the horse racing-related businesses that you buy utilizing your stable earnings. The main infrastructure of this program has been implemented on the live site while other features are still being tested on our test site. It's a very big component and has a lot of bells and whistles, so it's taking a little bit longer than we expected. But, progress is definitely being made and every time I look at it, I know this is going to add a new level of excitement to our horse racing game and community.

Starting Tuesday or Wednesday, we will be displaying the top three best speed rating figures for the horses bred the previous day. This is a really cool feature and will give you an idea of what type of speed figures are bein generated. We will not be disclosing the owner's name or the horse names.

The handicapping module is finished and is live on the testbed and is now being tested. Over the last few days, we started to port over to the live site the basic infrastructure for that program, as well. This is also a very sophisticated new feature that has to be handled with care, but we're getting closer.

3-year-old insta-tournaments will begin in approximately one week. You'll start seeing them show up in the upcoming tournament schedule plus you'll also see them in the community under the Insta-Tournament Races Available Claiming Horses. I know there are players eagerly awaiting the 3-year-old insta-tournaments.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the claiming prices on the insta-tournaments are being increased. We are starting to see the conversion take place now. For example, 10,000 claimer insta-tournaments are going to 12,500; 25,000 are going to 30,000; 50,000 are going to 60,000 and 100,000 claimers (or insta-tournaments) are going to 120,000. The bottom line is, the entry fees will stay the same, but by increasing the claiming prices, the original owners will net a larger return. We're still figuring out the insta-tournaments and expect to make further modifications, but more on that topic probably by early-April. Not enough data yet, but enough to let us know that changes are needed.

I'm publishing a special blog today on a new feature that will roll out in early-April. It's a very big bonus program and is also tied to the awards program that I talked about last month. Read my other blog and get all the information. Bottom line is, there are massive bonuses that will be paid starting in April, but again, read the other blog.

FantasyHandicapper will be publishing information on breeding and training twice a week. I suggest every player subscribe to his blog. Though some of the information may seem a little monotonous to some players, there's definitely something of value for everyone.

I have mentioned several times that there was some major news on the horizon. The good news is that we have our signed contract in place, but because there are multiple entities involved, I cannot announce what is about to happen until the joint press releases are made and the major news publications can publish their stories, as well. This has been our biggest accomplishment to date and definitely puts us in the exact position we want, especially coming into the spring racing meet.

There is a lot of development going on in the backend. In fact, we have just started testing the next game upgrade. This upgrade deals with seven issues we discovered from the current version 10.94 that everyone is playing with. This new version also opens up the door to international players in non-English speaking countries. Every day, 30 to 40 individuals try to download our game from countries like France, Germany, parts of Spain, etc., and because they are using a non-English operating system, they haven't been able to play our game. That has cost us thousands of potential members. Well, that issue is resolved.

I get emails and private messages with suggestions and ideas from players all the time. Personally, I love all the feedback. As it stands right now, we have a very defined plan and need to continue on the current path for full execution. Though I take every idea, comment and suggestion very seriously, I have been a little discouraged lately because there are some players who feel certain things could be better. Personally, not only do I feel the same way, I'm doing things about it. We're implementing new programs, new features and changes. Our trainer game has only been out 11 months, and during those 11 months, we have become the largest trainer horse racing game on the Internet. We have more active horses now than ever before. We have implemented new types of tournaments, which allow multiple strategies when deciding how to play our game. The bottom line is, we are probably only 35-40% of where we want to be. This less-than-one-year-old feature has come a long way and will continue to develop to appeal to both the hard-core racing enthusiast and the novice fan wanting to interact in our fun, virtual gaming environment.

The next quarter will probably be our biggest quarter from the standpoint of not just exposure, but implementing some really cool programs that will take us one big giant step forward.

This is my favorite time of year with the Derby prep races now in full swing and with the two great champions Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra both prepping next week, I can (and hopefully everyone can) really enjoy this wonderful sport. By the way, personally, I'm rooting for Zenyatta. After watching that Breeders' Cup Championship race live, I have become an absolute believer.

- Puddles