Hooves of Fire Birthday and Holiday Celebrations.

First of all Hooves is celebrating its 7th Birthday today! A big thank you to everyone who has made this possible, especially our VIPs and supporters, both past and present.

Check the shop for a special birthday treat :)  The treat will only be in stock for a very limited time!

Also, have you been naughty or nice this year? If you've been nice, you might win a rare and special present for coming first in a Cup race before December 25. Every time you win a Cup, there is a chance you may also receive a present!* (*Open Cups excluded) 

Upcoming Events and Tournaments

Keep up to date on the latest in game events and tournaments by subscribing to Events on the Hooves of Fire Facebook page.  

We will post information about the upcoming sponsored tournaments and special events that players can participate in.

Happy Birthday Hooves of Fire!

Hooves of Fire celebrates its 6th Birthday today, so its party hats for horses and birthday treats in the shop to celebrate!

The birthday treat will give your horse maximum happiness, so stock up while you can (its also free!)

A big thanks to all of our Hooves of Fire players, past and present, for supporting us over the last 6 years.  It has been great fun and we hope the game has given people much enjoyment and entertainment.

Want to race in a tournament but don't have Pedigree 30 horses?

Do you have Pedigree 25 horses or lower in your stable? Looking to race with a fun and friendly bunch of people in a special tournament with prizes? Join the Oracle Ped 25 and Under Racing Group, taking registrations now! https://www.facebook.com/groups/378743048973893/?fref=ts

RJS/Rubber Duck Software 2 vs 2 Tournament

Thirty-four teams and counting! Teams are forming now for the RJS/Rubber Duck Software 2 vs 2 Tournament, starting the week of the 23rd of April. Who will take out the title of 2 vs 2 champion?

1. Wicked Sisters
2. Drakkar
3. Soul Maniacs 
4. Steel Panther
5. Dark Devil
6. Predators
7. Hurricanes
8. Terminators
9. Untouchables
10. Spartans Uno
11. North and South
12. Jokers
13. Spartan Dos
14. Double Trouble
15. Ace White Sharks
16. Highway Paradise
17. Caribbean Boys
18. Killer Whales
19. The Amazing Pepz
20. Thundercats
21. Apiots
22. Kamandag Boys
23. Ex.Cons
24. Great White Sharks
25. Ace Gemini
26. Smoked Out Ninjas
27. All In One
28. Peke Performers
29. Silip Boys
30. Onemeow
31. Party Dolls
32. Panthers
33. Speed Angels
34. Skull n Bones

Player Tutorials

YouTube blogger Jay Lew shares her hints and tips on Hooves Of Fire - Horse Racing Game - helpful for new players!  Her entertaining style and commentary are well worth the watch.

See more videos and how to's on Jay's channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfUGhiRmYEk

Thanks Jay!
smile emoticon

Hooves Reloaded: Public Beta

It has been a busy few months with the release of Hooves Reloaded for Android in public beta.  Just wanted to take the opportunity to again thank our beta testers for their assistance during closed beta.  They provided some great feedback that helped us refine and modify the game before broader beta release, helping us identify and fix some pesky bugs and get a better idea of how the game would operate 'in the wild'.  Being original Hooves of Fire players was a distinct advantage as well, they were already well versed in most aspects of gameplay.

There are still a few bugs to iron out in Hooves Reloaded and some interface changes to implement, so stay tuned. The race list, user profile and horse profile will be getting a facelift.  We are also pulling together a global leaderboard so players can see where their stable is ranked.

We have learned a lot through the planning and development of Hooves Reloaded and also through the development of the original Hooves of Fire.  Hooves Reloaded puts some of those learnings into practice.   We wanted to make a game that players will enjoy playing and that they will want to play against their friends. It had to be lightweight, yet detailed enough to be engaging on the mobile platform.  Developing for the mobile platform presented technical and design challenges for our developers but it has also broadened their experience and depth of knowledge. 

We are keenly interested to hear from players of Hooves Reloaded about what they think of the gameplay as some elements are quite a departure from the original Hooves of Fire game.  While it may appear to be a less complex game, some aspects of the game have actually become more complex behind the scenes e.g. breeding.  This may not be immediately apparent to players, but as they progress in the game the differences will be more marked.

Some 'loopholes' have been tightened up.  No more 'cheap' wins in Open rooms to get your horse to Group 1.  A Group 1 horse actually has to win races at the correct level to progress.

Hooves Reloaded is still a work in progress and we will continue to refine elements to reach our goal of enjoyable, engaging gameplay.

You can download Hooves Reloaded from the Google Play store here:   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.rubberducksoftware.HoovesOfFireReloaded

 

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3...

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have written here. The Rubber Duck Software team have been busy developing and doing a lot of behind the scenes work, which is why it has been so quiet. We are in-house testing at the moment and hope to have a 'closed beta' version available in the next few weeks or so.

The Closed Beta will be tested by some selected Hooves players (as well as our in-house testers). We are looking forward to the opportunity to show you what we have been working on (including some great artwork from the talented Erin Hunting) and get some feedback from some experienced Hooves Players. 

There has been quite a bit of interest from players in becoming beta testers and without giving too much away, there are specific requirements we are looking for from our testers, at least initially. As the beta progresses, we aim to roll out to more testers.

We hope that our beta testers will bear in mind that what they will be testing is essentially unfinished. There is still much polishing and refinement to do. Closed Beta Testers will also need to agree to strict confidentiality terms while the Closed Beta is in progress. Although that means no discussing the testing with other people or players, a special area on the forum will be set up so that the testers can give feedback and discuss the game.

For those of you that are interested in becoming a Closed Beta tester and have not already applied, please send an email to sales@rubberduck.com.au requesting more information about the Closed Beta.

Hang onto your saddle...

The main addition in the latest Hooves of Fire update is an often requested feature from our players; permanent item storage.

Item storage means that players will now be able to stock up on items in the Shop and store them in their own Item storage container.

Treats, saddles and shoes can be stored.  However, there is some upkeep required to keep the items. Items in storage or on your horse will degrade on a daily basis, so they will need regular repairs to stop them from breaking and becoming useless (and even more costly to repair!).  Items now also have "levels"  which increase their effectiveness when applied to your horses.

- Item Storage Box - 

Players will be able to swap items around on their horses, so it means your favourite saddle can be worn by any horse in your stable, and it won't disappear when your horse dies or is sold.  

The only limiting factor to swapping items around is a player's level of "Racer Achievement" which determines how many items can be equipped per hour.

Get those race wins up to level your "Racer Achievement" and you will be able to equip up to 4 items per hour at the highest level.

For more details on the new item storage feature, see the Hooves of Fire Wiki.

Halloween Hooves is here!

Barricade your stables, undead horses are on the loose!

Halloween is here and to celebrate, you can turn your favourite horse into a creature of the night to race in Halloween countries... 

To enter the races, select a Jack-O-Lantern treat from the Shop to put a zombie, ghost or vampire curse on your horse. 

Qualify for the Halloween Cup by winning a zombie, ghost or vampire race in the previous hour, and enter the Cup race for a chance to win the stylish and exclusive Jack-O-Lantern saddle (adds +2 strength and +2 endurance to your horse's stats) and remove the curse from your horse.

Free candy treats are also available in the shop - these will cure any curse on your horse and boost its happiness! BUT be aware that you will not be able to turn your horse undead while the treat is active (10 training sessions).  

May the best ghoul win!

Elite Cups

Since the update we have been monitoring player activity in the Elite, Champion and Open rooms, specifically regarding race qualifying for Elite Cups. 

The idea behind Elite Cups is that they are challenging, yet achievable for both casual and hardcore players.   They should also encourage players to race in Elite Countries to get a better indication of their horses’racing performance against similar pedigree horses.

As a result of this analysis, we have concluded that the current qualifying prize money requirement for entry into Elite Cups is not sufficient.  To resolve this issue we have raised the qualifying prize money requirement from $5 million to $60 million.  This change to qualifying will provide the scaling level of challenge that was intended in the Elite Countries and represent an appropriate reward for racing effort.

Breeding horses - what is going on?

We have heard a lot of discussion about the difficulties of breeding presented in the higher pedigrees of the game.  I don't think I will be able to change player's minds on this issue through this blog, but I thought it would be helpful to provide our point of view on the subject.

We are aware that some players are unhappy and frustrated with the difficulties presented in higher breeding and that you preferred it the way it was before the update.  We appreciate your feedback and are not ignoring you. We read the posts, emails and forums.

The bottom line is that Hooves of Fire is an evolving creation.  We want (and had designed) the higher levels of the game to be more challenging for players.  We want players to celebrate breeding a better horse instead of breeding up every time being a foregone and expected conclusion. We want players to race against each other, race their horses till they enter Hooves Heaven and enjoy the game as a racing game instead of just pressing a button to receive a better horse every 48 hours.

The game is designed primarily to be a racing game.  We want players to race and enjoy the thrill of racing and winning against your friends. Find your best horses by actually racing them on the track instead of checking their price, waiting till they are two days old and selling them. Future updates of the game will attempt to move the focus back to racing, as the game was originally intended. We want the game to be challenging and fun at the same time and welcome suggestions from players as to how to achieve this end, whilst keeping the focus on racing.

Keeping your Hooves of Fire account safe

One of the topics of discussion on the Hooves of Fire forum has been account theft and hacking of Facebook accounts.  To try and combat this problem we have compiled a list of tips to help players keep their accounts secure and hopefully avoid account theft.

1. Always use a strong password
Don’t make your password and obvious one (e.g. your pets name, your birthday etc).  Make sure your password has more than 6 characters and includes both capital and lowercase letters, number(s) and/or symbols. 

2. Don't let your browser "remember" your password
Selecting “remember me” will store your login information after you log out.

3. Don’t tick the “Keep me logged in” button on Facebook
This will store your login information on your computer meaning you will automatically login to Facebook without entering your login information.

 4. Always log out when you leave Facebook or the Hooves of Fire website
Don’t close the browser to log out of Facebook or the Hooves of Fire website, make sure you log out first. Then close the browser!

5. Change your password every few months
If you change your password regularly, there is less chance of someone guessing your password. Also, if you have logged in from someone else’s computer and changed your password, there is no chance for that ‘old’ password to be retrieved from that machine later and used to access your account.

6. Don't save your password on your computer
Don’t save your password anywhere on your computer, in a file or email.  If your machine is compromised, it is possible that your password can be retrieved and used to access your account.

7. Don't sign in to your Facebook Account or Hooves of Fire website from any other computer except "trusted" machines
There may be malicious software installed that can ‘harvest’ your account details.

8. Don't login in to your Facebook Account from any other link except www.facebook.com
Don’t login to Facebook from unfamiliar sites or from links in emails.  Hackers can develop login sites that mimic the Facebook login pages and if you enter your details into these sites, your account details can be stolen.

9. Add two emails to your Facebook Account and use the security question feature
Adding the secondary email address, security questions and your mobile phone number will help retrieve your account if it is compromised.

10.  Only add people you know as friends
If you don’t know someone, don’t add them.  If one of your Facebook “friends” starts harassing you or becomes threatening or abusive, block them and then remove them from your friends list.  Beware of accounts that may mimic someone already on your friends list.

11.  Set your security settings in Facebook to “only my friends” or “only me”
This prevents your information being shared with people outside of your friends list and the rest of the world

12. Do not download unknown or unsolicited files to your computer
You may be inadvertently downloading and installing malicious software on your computer that can harvest your account details and other important information.

13. Make sure your antivirus/antispyware software is up to date
Prevention is better than a cure!

14.  Sign up for Hooves Passport and set a secret question for your Hooves of Fire account
Setting a secret question will help us identify you as the account owner in case your account is compromised. See: http://wiki.hoovesoffire.com/hooves-passport  Never enter an email address that you do not own into Hooves Passport.