horses

[Fuqu]

i never got a chance to complain about the "bonding" for the horses early on because i didnt start playing until just recently... so here we go.... it shouldnt be a "bonding" level, it should be a "riding" level, the higher the level, the less likely you (the player) gets kicked off the horse because its toooooo "SCARED" of other animals..... way to many deaths because the horse is to stupid to keep moving while im in control of it.... this is IMO the DUMBEST design for the horse care system in RD2

[*Lola]

 

 

[AmyStone]

5 hours ago, Fuqu said:

i never got a chance to complain about the "bonding" for the horses early on because i didnt start playing until just recently... so here we go.... it shouldnt be a "bonding" level, it should be a "riding" level, the higher the level, the less likely you (the player) gets kicked off the horse because its toooooo "SCARED" of other animals..... way to many deaths because the horse is to stupid to keep moving while im in control of it.... this is IMO the DUMBEST design for the horse care system in RD2

 

How a horse reacts to things that spook it has nothing to do with riding ability. Your ability to stay on might be slightly improved if you are a good rider but I think a more appropriate thing would be to be able to pay for horse training. I'm sure a lot of players would pay good money for that.

[Direwrath]

6 hours ago, Fuqu said:

i never got a chance to complain about the "bonding" for the horses early on because i didnt start playing until just recently... so here we go.... it shouldnt be a "bonding" level, it should be a "riding" level, the higher the level, the less likely you (the player) gets kicked off the horse because its toooooo "SCARED" of other animals..... way to many deaths because the horse is to stupid to keep moving while im in control of it.... this is IMO the DUMBEST design for the horse care system in RD2

There are some tricks to it, depending on the horse and it's temperament. I've tested this on my husband's horses (a bunch of high strung, not so sure footed animals) as well as my own. How they are treated has some bearing on how they will do in stressful situations.

Although there are just some horses that won't deal with wolves, or will run to the hills once you leave the saddle and the gunfire erupts.

 

 R* has purposely made them this way to become a hinderance as much as they are needed, just keep in mind that they are merely an NPC that you have a slight control over. 

 

1 hour ago, AmyStone said:

How a horse reacts to things that spook it has nothing to do with riding ability. Your ability to stay on might be slightly improved if you are a good rider but I think a more appropriate thing would be to be able to pay for horse training. I'm sure a lot of players would pay good money for that.

I think having some ranching/horsemanship jobs that we can do that would actually help with training, like calf roping etc would be a good way for riders to get super accustomed to their horses all the while doing something challenging for both horse and rider. But I know many that would pay for some good training for their horses, my husband would be one of them.

[Larry228]

On 10/22/2021 at 2:40 PM, Fuqu said:

i never got a chance to complain about the "bonding" for the horses early on because i didnt start playing until just recently... so here we go.... it shouldnt be a "bonding" level, it should be a "riding" level, the higher the level, the less likely you (the player) gets kicked off the horse because its toooooo "SCARED" of other animals..... way to many deaths because the horse is to stupid to keep moving while im in control of it.... this is IMO the DUMBEST design for the horse care system in RD2

I think you should just ride the horse more.

 

[Wickahoney]

The bonding mechanic is a bit lacking imo. As it stands now, even if you're fully bonded with a horse it'll still toss you if you aren't babysitting it. I can understand getting bucked off if I go charging up to a bear, but I should not have to fight with my horse to keep it running from a cougar. A far more realistic response from the horse would be for it to bolt and smack straight into a tree. And I wish they'd kick out at wolves.

[roggek]

1 hour ago, Wickahoney said:

The bonding mechanic is a bit lacking imo. As it stands now, even if you're fully bonded with a horse it'll still toss you if you aren't babysitting it. I can understand getting bucked off if I go charging up to a bear, but I should not have to fight with my horse to keep it running from a cougar. A far more realistic response from the horse would be for it to bolt and smack straight into a tree. And I wish they'd kick out at wolves.

 

And you think the bonding lever stops at lvl 4???

Oh, no, you have to still feed it, brush it and ride calmly at a trot sometimes,  every single time you mount it.
 

The bonding after lvl 4 is "hidden".
Treat your horse well, and it wouldn't toss you off at the next cougar or wolf encounter.

This is a feature  R* didn't tell you about...

 

It's like cleaning your weapons when they get dirty.
But in your horses case, you don't "see" if it becomes agilitiated...

 

But I'm not surprised when you see all other players take off with their horses in full speed...

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by roggek

[Dark Spark]

In reality, the horse 'bonding' mechanic is more like horse 'exercise' instead: The longer you use the horse, the healthier it becomes.

[Wickahoney]

47 minutes ago, roggek said:

 

And you think the bonding lever stops at lvl 4???

Oh, no, you have to still feed it, brush it and ride calmly at a trot sometimes,  every single time you mount it.
 

The bonding after lvl 4 is "hidden".
Treat your horse well, and it wouldn't toss you off at the next cougar or wolf encounter.

This is a feature  R* didn't tell you about...

 

It's like cleaning your weapons when they get dirty.
But in your horses case, you don't "see" if it becomes agilitiated...

 

But I'm not surprised when you see all other players take off with their horses in full speed...

 

I'm aware, and I do take good care of my horses. I always feed them an oatcake once their health core drops to 80%, I brush them whenever their coat gets dirty, and I generally don't ride at a full gallop unless I'm doing something time-dependent. After all that tlc I would expect my horse look out for me in return, otherwise it doesn't really feel like I formed a strong bond with it.

 

And besides, my main gripe has to do with how the horse reacts to big cats. I'd rather have my character fall off her horse because she wasn't prepared for it to bolt than for her horse to *purposely* slow down to toss her off for the cougar.

[Direwrath]

On 10/24/2021 at 12:37 PM, Wickahoney said:

The bonding mechanic is a bit lacking imo. As it stands now, even if you're fully bonded with a horse it'll still toss you if you aren't babysitting it. I can understand getting bucked off if I go charging up to a bear, but I should not have to fight with my horse to keep it running from a cougar. A far more realistic response from the horse would be for it to bolt and smack straight into a tree. And I wish they'd kick out at wolves.

I have had the most luck with multiple horses when I turn them towards the big cat, of course their momentum is going to be to run forward, but once they lock on to that cat when they are force to confront them they seem to break free of the urge to buck.

I'll show you what I mean, these videos are with my bay Turkoman, my brindle/bay Fox Trotter, and my dark bay Andalusian.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

And another of my Fox Trotters when I was "training" him to deal with a charging Grizzly

 

 

This method seems to work well for me, although I will stress that dealing with gators is a whole other story.

 

On 10/24/2021 at 3:31 PM, Wickahoney said:

And besides, my main gripe has to do with how the horse reacts to big cats. I'd rather have my character fall off her horse because she wasn't prepared for it to bolt than for her horse to *purposely* slow down to toss her off for the cougar.

It is rather unrealistic behavior, that horse is not going to chance slowing or stopping for that cougar to latch onto it's back end. Once that cougar digs those claws in that horse is going to have a hell of a fight to deal with so they aren't going to chance that, they are meant to run from danger. As long as they are moving they know that they are safe, and the more distance they put between themselves and the threat the better.

[Wickahoney]

On 10/27/2021 at 8:33 PM, Direwrath said:

I have had the most luck with multiple horses when I turn them towards the big cat, of course their momentum is going to be to run forward, but once they lock on to that cat when they are force to confront them they seem to break free of the urge to buck.

I'll have to try that some time. My usual strategy is to hold L3 and spam X when I feel my horse is about to buck, and that tends to work provided I time it right.

 

I've had a couple instances where my character noticed a cougar following her and her horse seemed to be completely unaware. I'm not sure if that's because the horse's bond is maxed or it's simply a bug.

[Direwrath]

On 11/1/2021 at 9:45 PM, Wickahoney said:

I'll have to try that some time. My usual strategy is to hold L3 and spam X when I feel my horse is about to buck, and that tends to work provided I time it right.

 

I've had a couple instances where my character noticed a cougar following her and her horse seemed to be completely unaware. I'm not sure if that's because the horse's bond is maxed or it's simply a bug.

Some horses seem to be blissfully unaware of trouble it seems.  

 

You got the idea. When that horse feels like he/she wants to buck, you have to time it just right so that you aren't digging those spurs in too hard but you have got to push that horse to move as well. Personally I know that in this game and in any normal real life situation, forcing spurs into a horse's hide too hard and too much will eventually give you a cranky, unmanageable animal. And if they are already in "Flight" mode that action just might be what causes them to buck in game. My husband has a stable of cranky, high strung, horses because he tends to spur the heck out of them. Not that he means to do it cruelly or anything, it's just he wants to go fast and there's no gas pedal on these furry beasts.

I do the same thing with mine, along with pulling them towards the predator, somehow doing that does seem to break them from being able to start the bucking animation. It's kind of funny because some of my horses will try to stop but when I turn their head and they see that cougar coming up on them they shoot off like a bullet. 

 

As for noticing predators mine have all kinds of different reactions but there are a few things that they do that is pretty typical of their behavior. Like how they'll typically give a few small grunts followed by a shrill whinny if the threat is still a good distance away. This tells me that something is up and to keep an eye out.

Get too close and I notice that they will turn their heads and watch the area intensely, if I see their ears turn towards their gaze and they start to move their body sideways a bit I know that whatever predator it is has moved toward us and I get prepared.

I actually use my bay Turk for hunting panther and cougars because he will always see them and show me where they are before I can even catch them in Eagle Eye, after a few years he has never once let me down.

 

[Jasmyn]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:08 AM, Direwrath said:

[...]

 

I actually use my bay Turk for hunting panther and cougars because he will always see them and show me where they are before I can even catch them in Eagle Eye, after a few years he has never once let me down.

 

 

Yes, the Turkoman is also my favorite, named my mare Takamaran

[Direwrath]

16 hours ago, Jamyn said:

 

Yes, the Turkoman is also my favorite, named my mare Takamaran

I am quite fond of their body conformation in this game, and despite being so fired up they are honestly rather sure footed and brave.  I have had less problems with them than I have had with any other horse.

At the moment I have all of the available Turks in my stable except for the golden buckskin one whom I just sold, and the first shaded silver grey one. If I could just have more stalls I would probably have bought them all to be honest.

 

Named my two Turk mares Trinkets and Sweet Roll. Trinkets is named after a rotten little child goblin in a fantasy comic book that I love. And Sweet Roll is my way of adding Skyrim into RDRO, this way nobody can steal my sweet roll and the darn guards can leave me the heck alone.

[KiTTYReCkless]

Not an issue for me. I like the bonding mechanic. I absolutely love horses irl too so I maybe biased. I always wanted a horse when I was young, but my family was (and still is) poor. I always shower my horse with love, food and affection. Take care of them and they will do the same for you.