This is my original idea:
Would it be possible to write code that allowed us to save/freeze portions of our own assets in game? Like a bank where we can have multiple accounts. Like the “Savings account for taxes,” the “Savings account for pony splurges,” and the “Savings account for upcoming stud fees,” etc. This way we could put away money for things in different places and our working budget would be X less savings? We could still pull money in and out of accounts, but it would be more like automated bill pay in real life where you can tell it to pay this bill out of this specific account. This could also work really well if taxes get paid every month.
These are random ideas that I just came up with as I typed the above:
Speaking of taxes. If we pay every month could we do an end of year type of thing where our budgets/profits/savings, etc are evaluated and we get tax breaks for certain things?
Would it be possible to “sell” our retired horses to “new homes” (not in game, but to the imaginary world of second careers) as OTTBs with future careers?
When there are stillborn foals there are mares that would be prime nurse mare candidates, or when mares die and foals do not and those foals that would like mothers, could there be a way to lease/offer for lease a nurse mare from another stable if you need one?
I like your idea of us being able to create “Savings A/Cs”, even if it is only a “Tax Savings A/C”. I am in the blessed position where I don’t have to worry about putting aside money to ensure that I have enough to pay end of year taxes, but I remember when I first started out, I was kind of nervous to see if I would be able to pay my Taxes (I think I ended up making donations to FF Server costs one year to ensure that I would have enough).
As for your other ideas:-
Are you talking about something like a monthly “Withholding Tax”, then potentially doing a Tax refund if more Taxes have been withheld than we actually owe? I suspect that that would make a lot more work for Shanthi, especially trying to code in “Tax Breaks”.
I don’t think we need to worry about our Retirees as I don’t think we get Taxed for them (unless they raced during the year or were a sire or broodmare who were bred during the year), nor do I think they count against the maximum limit of horses we’re allowed to have (Shanthi can confirm or correct this). Personally, I am quite happy to keep any of my Retirees on the Farm. If I want to imagine some “work” for them to do, I can just imagine one of them being my “Hack” and others doing things such as “baby-sitting” some of the new foals.
I think this is a great idea in theory, just not sure how it would work in practice or whether it is necessary. We don’t “see” our broodmares nursing their babies and any babies that lose their mothers shortly after birth don’t appear to “suffer” for their maternal deprivation. The code probably has “implied” built-in nurse mares.
I would love to have an in-game bank where I could sock a little cash away every now and again and earn interest on it! That would help a ton with taxes at the end of the year. Last year’s taxes completely wiped me out and I was stuck, unable to even enter races, for a couple of months. Having a little “mad money” would be so nice!