So, just recently a horse called Wu King was ‘reactivated’ after being ‘deactivated’ by Aer Stables, and there has been some discussion on the forums about this action.
It would seem that, rather than making a mistake, Aer Stables is using the reactivation to prove that HRP can be manipulated within the rules and in doing so is trying to use it to further his long campaign against multiple entries and race manipulation.
If nothing else, he has managed to highlight his complaints, and in some way, give them some credence. After all, for all the outrage, he has done nothing wrong and has merely done something endorsed by HRP and within the current rules. Other players that have admitted that they have used race tactics and multiple entries to give them a better chance of winning have, in fact, been exonerated as playing ‘hard’ and within the rules, so why is this being treated as different?
Two wrongs dont make a right though, and more disturbing for me, is the fact that Aer Stables has used this tactic several times to highlight his cause just as others continue to ‘manipulate’ races to their advantage. The opposite argument is that race manipulation through the use of pace makers, tactics and multiple entries happens in real life, so this is more acceptable than bringing a horse back from the dead. The fact that HRP has done nothing to stop this race manipulation and nothing to stop the reactivation of horses is worrying on many levels both from a RL perspective and from a gaming perspective.
The difference between real life and HRP is that there is a governing body that polices the integrity of racing and is independent from those that profit from racing. It may not always get it right, but generally there are rules put in place to ensure racing is as fair as possible. In real life a horse running crazy fast will be allowed to do so by other jockeys, the 2nd horse in fact becomes the real pacemaker, and the race will take shape once the rabbit weakens. On HRP however, the AI seems unable to cope with such an action and very often races take on a rather silly shape that makes the game look ridiculous. The fact that people know how the AI reacts and use that for the benefit of their runners seems to me like a loophole that should be closed in order to keep the game fair, and yet we have heard nothing from HRP or seen nothing to address the situation.
Aer Stables has highlighted this apathy by manipulating HRP into reactivating his horse, so in many ways, he has immorally, but rather cleverly, proved his point.
So should he be treated any differently from those who have also admitted using questionable tactics. The gut reaction is to call him a cheat, but when you really think about it, well, the only thing he has done is to reactivate a horse… and he didnt do that ….HRP did.
Do I agree with what Aer Stables has done, hell no. Do I congratulate him, certainly not, but when the dust settles, has he really done anything more wrong than a good few other players?
I would imagine that the whole thread will be deleted and in a week or so it will all be forgotten, just like so many other things.
Categories: EDITORIAL
