Is anyone else old enough to remember those little horse racing games where you just watch ASCII or pixel horses race and try to guess who would win, or the horse race games at the carnival with the water guns? I wanted to create something simple like that but I figured someone else already had. Lo and behold, I ran across a BBS cart that was just that kind of basic game. I loved the simple, colorful animated horse sprites in the cart and since it was CC4-BY-NC-SA licensed, I started thinking about how to turn it into a fully fleshed out horse racing game, and that's how Horseplay was born!
In Horseplay, you are a naive, fresh-faced kid heading to the track with $100 and a dream of hitting it big. Place your bets at the gambling window and see if you can take home some big winnings! Keep an eye out for a shifty looking guy at the track. Rumor has it he has some hot tips about the horses, but he seems more than a little unsavory . . .
The game goes on forever until you quit (and yes, if you somehow play long enough to get more than $32767, your account will go negative - the track bosses probably think you're cheating and work their connections to overdraw your account) or lose everything or get down to your last dollar (since the minimum bet is two bucks).
Controls
The betting window
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Use the up and down arrows to change your bet. The betting starts with a minimum of $2 and a maximum of $5 per race, but as your bankroll grows, so do those minimums and maximums! Use the left and right arrows to change your bet type. There are 3 types of bets you can place:
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Win/Place/Show: Pick a horse to win, one to place and one to show. You can also pick one horse for all three or split the 3 across two horses. Picking a horse to win (obviously) means you think they're going to win. Picking a horse to place means you think the horse will come in first OR second. Picking a horse to show means you think the horse will finish in the top 3.
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Trifecta: Pick 3 separate horses in the exact order of finish. This bet is harder to win, but pays out bigger when you do!
- Exacta: Pick 2 separate horses in the exact order of finish. Easier than the trifecta, but harder than the win/place/show bet.
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- Once you have selected your bet type and amount, press X to see the betting sheet.
The betting sheet
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Use the up and down arrows to select a horse. The numbers on the right are the odds on the horse, which are an indicator of how likely they are to win and tell you how much your payout will be.
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In a win/place/show bet, if you select a horse to win and it does, you win the odds x your bet (plus you get your bet back). So, for example, betting $5 on a horse with 5-1 odds returns $30 if the horse wins ($5 x 5/1 + $5). If you choose a horse to place and the horse finishes first or second, you win the odds/2 x your bet + your bet. If you choose a horse to show and it finishes in the top 3, you win the odds/4 x your bet + your bet.
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In a trifecta bet, you must select all three horses in exact 1-2-3 finish order to win anything. If you win a trifecta bet, you win the combined odds of all three horses x your bet + your bet. For example, if you bet $5 on a winning trifecta of horses with 5-1, 4-1, 7-1 odds, you win $85 ($5 * 16/1 + $5)
- The exacta bet works like the trifecta bet, but with only two horses.
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- To bet on a horse, press the right arrow. Your bets are placed in order, so the first horse you pick is to win, second to place/finish second and third (if applicable) to show/finish third. Win/place/show bets are indicated by a W, P, or S near the odds. Exacta/Trifecta bets are indicated by a 1, 2 or 3 near the odds. If you need to clear your betting sheet, press the circle (Z) button. Once you have picked all your horses, press the X button to start the race!
The race!
The race will begin and run on its own. Sit back and cheer on your horses! Once the first three horses have finished, the race ends. Press the X button to see the results
Results
You'll see the first, second and (for win/place/show and trifecta bets) third place horses. If you won any money, you'll see the amount won for each horse. Press X to collect your winnings and head back to the window to continue gambling!
Other
From time to time, you may be approached by a shifty man who has taken an interest in your gambling. He may offer to assist you with picking the horses . . . for a price. Use the left and right arrow keys to accept or decline his offer and press X to confirm your choice. Remember, just because he's expensive doesn't mean he's always helpful!
Tips
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The horses' odds are calculated from their speed, acceleration, preferred track surface (grass or dirt), and other factors. They are accurate to a degree, so a reasonable way to decide which horses to bet on, but they're no guarantee of success or failure. Sometimes that 50-1 long shot has the race of its life, and sometimes the 2-1 favorite runs a lackluster race. The shifty man will sometimes tell you about each horse's preferred track, which can be a useful tiebreaker if deciding on two horses with the same odds.
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The shifty man's not always helpful, but he often is. He gets more expensive as your bankroll grows and his prices may not be worth it if you've had a lot of success.
- Remember that you can bet on a single horse to win, place AND show. If you have a good tip on a long shot, this can be a good strategy to really amp up your winnings!
Credits
The horse sprites and at least some part of the animation and horse coloring code comes from Horse_Race 0.2 by @Stal. I don't know if they're still around or not, but if so, thanks for the horses and the inspiration!
Any code/art/music/sound effects not by Stal are by me. The music on the title screen is a kinda janky version (sorry, actual musicians of the community!) of Tennessee Stud by Johnny Cash, which would probably be the best horse song if Willie Nelson's Red-Headed Stranger didn't exist :).
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