Does anyone else agree that the old time of the game 4:1 (1 real week= 1FF month) should be brought back? I only think this because you have to wait 2-3 years to begin racing a weanling, 4 years to breed a filly (newborn), and at least a year to produce a foal, some people would probably lose interest in the game by the time they raise a weanling to race because of the amount of time it takes. 2-3 years is a very long time if you think about it. My suggestion is to bring back the old time it was originally set to in 2000 or whatever year it was. 
We’ve already been over this quite a while ago (not to be rude or anything, because I don’t mean it to sound that way), but in my opinion I’ve been here from the beginning when it was 4:1 and it went by WAY too fast… you barely bred a foal when it was already 3 years old in one years time. It was much too short of a timeframe to figure out a horse before it matured too fast or became a has-been way too fast and by then its lost its chance to be a good stallion or broodmare and we start the process all over again.
I know that this game may take patience because of the long timeframe until a weanling becomes a two year old and even a three year old… but there is much more of a timeframe to figure out a horse, train and campaign it properly, and much more of a chance for money-wise a stable to become more successfull (10 mil. in 1/4 of the year for example 
I know I’m a different case because I’ve been around since FF changed from VR, but still I’ve had my fair share to figure out my horses and cross my fingers hoping that they would win.
I personally wouldn’t want to go back to 4:1 now that we’ve changed because its WAY more realistic now, more chances for tons of different races/locations/surfaces so you can find what is best for your horse, and they won’t go from un-mature to a has-been in 6 months. Just my two cents anyways.
Lindsay
Keep the game real time please! I have only been a member while it has been in real time and I like it better than the games I play/have played in “fast” time. As well as having the time to sort out how your hoses will race and breed it is better for those of us who don’t have a lot of time to play because if you have to miss a few days you don’t also miss important races etc.
yes it is a long time to wait to race weanlings, foals you have bred (and of course if you’re still relatively new, foals that aren’t even going to be born till next year!) but this is a game for people with patience who like reality as far as it is practical and enjoyable. I intend to be a member for as long as I can so I feel no rush to do everything at once. All I hope is that Shanthi doesn’t get fed up with running it and wants to stop before I do
I have played games where the foals are “born” at 3 years old and start racing immediately. Not only does it make all the dates senseless, but it feels wrong and thoroughly unbelievable. One other game I play runs in double time so is not so bad, and there is no gestation period for the mares. They breed at the end of the racing season and the foals are born immediately. but you still have to wait 2 game years before they can be raced.
between the two games I like FF the best and the real time speed is a big part of it. The other is all the interaction with other players who are a great bunch.
Keep in mind that when the game ran in 4:1 time, things were much, much simpler. There was no equipment, no steeplechasing, no workouts, no jockeys, no locations (not even sure there were turf races initially). So while things went by much faster, there was much less to do in the game.
Most people seem to enjoy the added challenge of workouts, jockeys, equipment, etc. Sure, it’s slow to get started as a new stable, but with the auctions spaced out around the year it doesn’t take more than a couple of months for new stables to get 6-10 horses at reasonable prices.
Just a note, there was dirt/steeplechase, but no turf racing originally. 
On a more official note, now that I’ve spent years (literally) getting FF setup to be real-time, it’s staying that way for good. 
I do realize that it takes a good amount of patience to get started, but a lot of people have a dozen or so racehorses to manage (which usually keeps people busy) within a few months of starting the game.
And with real time, when your horse does well, a horse that you’ve bred and raised yourself, and waited for two real years to race, it is soooo much more rewarding. It is almost like having your own horse. And trust me, if you can have some patience it’s definitely worth it.
I couldn’t agree more. Real time is what makes FF what it is. Once you’ve hit your stride…and I’m not even close to being there, it just keeps coming. It’ll be worth it.
mmm…maybe, but I mean, the time it takes to breed a horse…hmmmmm, well… maybe not 4:1, but something to speed up the game just a little…hmmm
While waiting for your homebreds, you buy yearlings/2yos/weanlings from other folks. YAY new blood! When your homebreds finally enter the starting gate, it’s that much more exciting. Trust me. =)
I remember when the game was 4:1. I had alot of trouble staying in the game and getting stuff done on time because of how quickly things moved. When it finaly went to real time I was super excited. I agree that it tries one’s patience to wait so long for a mare to foal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. After spending 11+ months waiting for that one baby, seeing it finaly come is super awesome. Having my first homebred foals running after 2 years is great too!
And now, instead of having a good horse and forgetting to race it, I have good horses that are always racing. I’m able to do much better in the game with this current setup
I play this game which goes by real time, one thats double time and one thats faster. I like them all but this one i dont have to worry so much about when i get my horses in a race or if ill miss one, etc etc. Yes it takes longer to get a homebred from ground to track but think of how much sweeter the victory if you get a winner. I just had my first crop of homebreds hit the ground , the last one born this week. I have fun watching the height change from week to week(sometimes longer) and cant wait to see them run, but it will be awesome when they do knowing i have had a hand in their whole being.
And like someone else said , there are auction, other players who sell , etc, to get other horses to race, i have had some good luck with the annual yrlg/foal auctions.
I think this game is great just as it is!!!
I’m gonna throw in my two cents worth.
I would be very upset if the game was sped up, even if it was a little bit. I love how it’s in real time. I haven’t run into any other game like that. It’s almost like I own real horses and have a real stable. Plus, I have the adrenaline in the races like I’m participating in a real one! It’s much more engaging in real time, I think. Which may be the opposite of what one might assume.
Gladly, Shanthi said that FF time will never switch out of real time.
Though I have worried that when the babies I bred and raised become old enough to race, I might be heading to college or something and completely not have time for the game anymore. But then, you have to realize that someone else would love your horses if you have to leave or lose interest. (and if you lose interest, it’s not like you’re gonna be sad when you leave that the game wasn’t in fast time so that you could raise your other foals) Though, it’ll probably break my heart when I have to go to college and drop the internet games. I sorta hope I lose interest then, so I don’t go through gaming withdrawls.
And sort of what was stated before, if we switched to a quick pace, then most of the awesome new features would have to be dropped, because we would have no time to deal with everything at once.
I think the game is perfect as it is, and getting better!
Just a head’s up. I made it through 4(?, maybe 3 1/2) years at an upper-tier college playing through various science major-phases, playing two sports (my freshman year and one the other 3). It’s quite doable, thanks to the real time. So don’t give up hope, just take a break for orientation as you get settled. Management usually takes maybe 30 minutes a week. =)
Yep. I had the same theory as you, Freedom - that online time would decrease once I got to college (unless I was going to be a complete dork with no social life). I actually found that I had MORE time online, despite a busy social & campus life. I played games throughout my entire college career (3 1/2 years) and still kept my grades up & was active in various clubs. Have no fear!
Oh, really? That’s great! I wanted to make sure that I got good grades, but didn’t want to ditch my friends, so I thought I would have to let go of everything on here.
But if you two say it’s possible, then that’s great news! 
Either you lied about your age, or you’re going to college really early XD Even I’m not worried about college and I’m almost done with high school.
It’s possible to manage a lot of things and still play FF. Like Cat said, it only requires half an hour a week to keep the basic things running. I can’t say I’ve battled college, sports, friends, AND FF, but life gets hectic and I’ve told a lot of people who I’ve got to consider joining “Don’t worry about needing time to get everything together. 20 - 30 minutes a week is all FF takes.”
FF is just amazing like that
Not to contribute to the delinquency of a recent minor or anything, but college takes SO much less time than high school it’s amazing. There’s a lot of stuff to do and places to go, but not being in class from 8am or whatever until 3pm frees up massive amounts of your time. Even taking a fairly heavy class load I don’t think I never felt like I didn’t have enough time to juggle friends/class/homework and that was with driving 30 minutes home 3-4 times a week to ride my horse and occasionally show her.
Man, undergrad was awesome…
Heh heh. No, I didn’t lie about my age. I’m 14. But I think a lot about my future. More than normal, I suppose.
I’m just going in to high school, and it’s already eaten a bunch of my summer, so I know how much time high school will demand. 
It’s great that college would take less time. I will also have to have a job when I go to college. Did any of you manage to juggle school, homework, friends, and a job? I hadn’t heard one mentioned. I don’t know how anyone could not have a job in college and still eat, but I’m just making sure. 
If it makes you feel better, I juggled school, homework (of which there is very little in college, but studying is required), friends, a job, and working on FF (which takes/took way more time than playing it ).
It always good to be looking to the future. No matter what stage of life you’re in, the most important thing is to find a balance. I always have something going on, but I don’t normally feel stressed, because I’ve learned to manage my time.
I’m just going through college now… I got through my freshman year at a private college with a really good GPA (especially considering that I am REALLY bad at Math and Spanish and had to take both), playing on the golf team (which means a 4-5 hour practice every day fall and spring), juggling time between homework and friends (I’m a political science major, so it wasn’t uncommon to have to read a few hundred pages or a whole book between classes), and I still kept up with FF pretty well. I had a lot of fun, and it was nice to have FF to go to when I needed a little down or alone time away from the constant motion of the college environment. I’ve actually found this summer that it’s A LOT harder to to balance working 50 hours a week and keeping a Quarter Horse competitive than it is to go to college! Next year, I’m adding student government on to my schedule, and I know I’ll appreciate being in FF, because having that little bit of down time to myself every day or two really helps to keep everything in balance.
I also love how FF is in real time… I’ve had the opportunity to see my horses mature and develop in a way that is totally unique to this game, and I wouldn’t trade that.