The Ranch of Rivershine News

Hi Ranchers! Here’s a quick patch to fix some of the issues that have come up in the Slice of Life update.

General Changes

• Fixed issues with the player controls not working correctly after being changed.
  
• Added a “Reset Controls to Default” button. If your controls were previously not working, make sure to reset them using this button.
• Fixed various issues related to the farm fields and harvesting straw.
  
• Balanced all competition times to be more challenging.
  
• Increased the range in front of an obstacle where you can successfully jump.
  
• Increased the possible skill range per tier for horses sold in the auction house.
  
• Deactivated the hitching posts during competitions.
  
• Moved the hitching posts to be outside of the wild horse pens.
  
• Moved the competition guide arrow further in front of the horse.
  
• Moved the “Go to Entrance” button up in the map interface for clarity.
  
• Changed the camera view to be higher when zooming out on horseback.
  
• Changed “Fraternal” to “Paternal” in the horse’s family tree.
  
• Added a “Pet” prompt instead of “Mount” when standing in front of the horse.
  
• Removed the collisions around the flower beds to prevent getting stuck.
  
• Changed the notification message when interacting with a store counter while a villager is visiting the town.
  
• Removed duplicate daily harvest notification.
  
• Removed daily harvest notification for apple and pear trees.
  
• Fixed how the “Plants Gathered" were counted at the end of the day.
  

Thank you for your patience while I fixed these issues! Éloïse

Fixed various issues with the jump mechanic and improved controls.

Since the game’s release last May, I’ve had a growing to-do list of small additions, quality of life improvements and bug fixes that I never found the time to do. To start the new year fresh, I decided to clear (most of) that to-do list! 🐴🍀

This update covers many different features and areas of the game to bring you a more polished, well-balanced result.


[h2]Horses & Care[/h2]

• Added hitching posts for horses around the town, the ranch and the trails.
  
• Added that horses wander off when left alone. Based on their trust level, they will stay closer to where they were left.
  
• Increased the horse’s speed while going over a jump.
  
• Improved the horse’s turning animation.
  
• Added animations when the horse and rider see an approaching jump.
  
• Added information for how many days a foal or young adult has left to grow up.
  
• Added information about the horse’s coat color, modifier, pattern and hair genetics.
  
• Improved the horse’s family tree interface.
  
• Added the option to move all of the horses in the stable or the pasture in the stable manager.
  
• Added an icon to better display which skill has improved training from grain.
  
• Added a water trough in each stall.
  
• Added new types of bedding that stay clean longer.
  
• Increased the chances that horses in the auction house and in the wild have no face markings.
  

[h2]Player Character[/h2]

• Added the ability to sprint.
  
• Added the ability to make your horse rear by pressing the jump action while idle.
  
• Added the ability to pet your horse’s head.
  
• Added the ability to jump on your horse from the rear.
  
• Added a first person mode. The first person mode is experimental and might be changed or removed based on feedback.

[h2]Town & Villagers[/h2]

• Added counters in each store to ring the shopkeeper and bring them to the counter.
  
• Added that villagers living outside of the town will sometimes visit the marketplace.
  
• Added more decorations and animals in town.
  
• Added wood shavings and sand available for sale in the grocer’s shop.
  

[h2]Farm & Orchard[/h2]

• Added seeds to plant cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, apple trees and pear trees. All seeds are available for purchase in the farmer’s shop.
  
• Added the treat models for cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons and pears.
  
• Added two orchard plots available from the start on the player’s ranch, and six more available for sale in the carpenter’s shop.
  
• Added a quest with the farmer to introduce the new orchard.
  
• Added a compost bin where manure can be turned into random fertilizer.
  
• Changed that crops growing out of season will now transform into hay.
  
• Fixed the crop and hay textures looking odd during fall and winter.
  

[h2]Daily Cycle[/h2]

• Added a confirmation box before going to sleep.
  
• Added a daily overview of your progress that day.
  
• Added daily morning notifications for important events such as new pregnancies, foals growing up, villagers visiting the town and crops being ready to harvest.
  

[h2]Upgrades[/h2]

• Added the Flower Fence and Country Barrel expert arena courses.
  
• Added the Boxwood Hedge arena courses from beginner to expert.
  
• Added a training boost for all skills while in the indoor arena.
  

[h2]General Changes[/h2]

• Added icons on the map for retired horses.
  
• Saved and loaded the camera zoom distance.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused wild horses to never spawn on the first day of loading the game.
  
• Fixed a bug where the herbal remedy could only be purchased once.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused mares to stay pregnant one day longer after they gave birth.
  
• Fixed a bug where the statue tracker wouldn’t work while charging the statue for the first time.
  
• Fixed a bug where wild horses would be visible on the map, even if no horses were present.
  
• Fixed a bug where horses could wander into the other pastures before they’re unlocked.
  
• Fixed a bug where horses couldn’t be moved successfully into the stables from the stable manager.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused horses in the fertility pasture to not be displayed in the stable manager.
  
• Fixed a bug where you couldn't give a treat to a horse after they were in the fertility pasture.
  
• Fixed a bug where horses couldn’t reach 100% care after being switched stalls.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused multiple days to pass in one night.
  

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

• Balanced all competitions' win times.
  
• Changed the young adult stage to only last 7 days instead of 14 days.
  
• Changed the statue and retirement pasture quests to be available earlier.
  
• Reduced the cost of different upgrades, including:
  
  
  • The fertility pasture.
    
  • The farm fields.
    
  • The access to Pine Forest and Crystal Lake.
    
  • The Lupine Meadow wild horse pen.
    
  • The first and second level of the retirement pasture.
    
  • The first and second pasture upgrade.
    
  • All levels of arena obstacle courses.
    
  • All levels of trail obstacle courses.
    

With this done, I’ll get back to our original programming: As planned in the roadmap, the next content update will be focused on the new Rocky Mountain trail, and everything that comes with it… New wild horses, new competitions and new flexibility training arena!

Enjoy your time in Rivershine! Éloïse

As 2023 is coming to an end, I thought it would be fun to review everything that happened at The Ranch of Rivershine this year, and look ahead to what will be coming in the new year! 🐴✨
[h2]A Look Back[/h2]
[h3]Demo[/h3]
On January 20th, I released the demo that gave you all a first impression of The Ranch of Rivershine. After working on it for two years, I was really excited to finally put the game in your hands, and over 20,000 people played it!

The demo only contained the ranch, the town, a handful of villagers, and was limited to the first season. Still, some of you played the demo on repeat, and racked up dozens of hours of playtime! It motivated me to get the Early Access ready, and with a lot of notes and feedback, I got back to work…


[h3]Early Access[/h3]
On May 12th, the Early Access release went live on Steam! This version included the much awaited foals, in addition to new trails, new villagers, more quests and four seasons. Since then, we’ve had a very active community on Discord talking about their time in Rivershine and sharing cute pictures of their horses!


[h3]Content Updates[/h3]
After a summer of bug patches following the Early Access release, I started working on the content updates and released the Wild Horse update in September, followed by the recent Saddlery update in December. If you haven’t played the game since the initial release, you have a lot of new content to discover including the wild horses, new training arenas, new ranch upgrades, a new villager and the saddlery opening in town!


[h2]The Road to Full Release[/h2]
Back in November, I released a roadmap of the upcoming content updates that will lead up to the full release of The Ranch of Rivershine. As you can see, we still have quite a lot to go! While I initially planned on finishing the game in 2024, I now expect the full release to be in 2025.

While this is a delay for the finished game, it just means that I’ll spend more time working on it and adding more features to it. If you haven’t seen the roadmap yet, have a look at it here!


[h2]Next Update[/h2]
Before I start creating the next content update, which will be Rocky Mountain, I’ll be working on a smaller update in January that will include bug fixes, balance changes, and smaller additions I’ve wanted to make for some time. For example, this will include the ability to sprint, to pet your horses, and to jump in the saddle from the back!



Happy New Year everyone, and I hope to see you at The Ranch of Rivershine in 2024!

Éloïse

Hi Ranchers! 🐴❄️ The second content update for The Ranch of Rivershine is ready just in time for the holidays! It's time to visit the saddlery in town, tack up your horse with new equipment, and wrap them up in a blanket for the cold season! We also have some additional improvements to the game with wild horse pen upgrades, a statue tracker and more bug fixes!

[h2]New Tack[/h2]
Your horses are ready for a new style! You’ll now be able to equip your horse with a much wider variety of bridles, saddles and saddles pads. In addition to that, I’ve also added new types of tack such as leg wraps, breast collars, halters, accessories and blankets.

Feel free to mix and match the equipment to your liking, as it won’t have an impact on your horse’s performance or abilities. Just choose what looks best to you!


To fit in all the new types of tack, the horse interface is now separated into two sections. The first one contains all of the horse care actions, while the second one contains the horse tack options. I’ve also added a new medicine action, which will be expanded on later during the veterinary content update.


[h2]Old Saddlery[/h2]
A new store is open in town! The saddlery works a bit differently than other stores as it features a rotating inventory, so make sure to visit it daily to see all the new tack. You’ll be able to view the tack available for sale that day before purchasing it!


[h2]New Villager[/h2]
And to run the saddlery, a new villager moved into town! Shin Dae lives in town and crafts all kinds of horse tack. He’ll help you get started with equipping your horse by gifting you some pieces, and then sending you on a treasure hunt!


[h2]Tack Treasure Hunt[/h2]
Make sure to look in the best hiding spots and find hidden chests all over the town, ranch and trails to gain unique tack! There are currently 3 hidden chests per area, each containing a new piece of tack you can’t find anywhere else.


Keep track of how many chests you’ve found with a new addition on your map!


[h2]Horse Statue Tracker[/h2]
You’ll now be able to save yourself some time by keeping track of the horse statues in the quest interface. Each statue has its own progress bar that will start updating once you complete the quest for it, so you can easily keep track of your progress with each of them!


[h2]Wild Horse Upgrades[/h2]
I’ve received feedback after the last update that it would be more fun to improve the wild horse’s skills as the game progresses. In this update, you’ll be able to purchase upgrades for the wild horse pens. This will allow you to improve the maximum skills wild horses can have, from beginner to expert!

Once the corrals are fully upgraded, you’ll find all sorts of horses, but you can get lucky with a horse that has all expert skills!


[h2]What's Next?[/h2]
For the next content update, I’ll be working on the Rocky Mountain update! This will include a whole new area to explore, four new cross country competitions, a flexibility training arena and new wild horses with a unique coat color to catch.

This will be quite a big update, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress in the Cozy Bee Game’s Discord server. Make sure to join if you’d like to follow along with the development of The Ranch of Rivershine!

[h3]General Changes[/h3]

• Added multiple entrances around the wild horse pens to make it easier to corral horses.
  
• Reviewed the breeding system so that the coat colors and coat types of both parents are mixed correctly.
  
• Changed the horse’s statue so that they only glow when the quest to use them is complete.
  
• Changed the order of some quests to improve the early game’s pace.
  
• Translated all new content to French.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Removed all rocks from Pine Forest to prevent wild horses from getting stuck on them.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused wild horses to get stuck around the maze in Lupine Meadow.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed inspecting wild horses before bringing them in the round pen, which could get the game stuck.
  
• Fixed a bug where foals would run around the pasture while the horse interface is open.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed taking out a horse of retirement even if no stall were available, which caused the horse to disappear from the game.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused horses taken out of the retirement pasture to always have a short mane and tail.
  

Thank you all for reading my devlog and I hope you’ll enjoy this new saddlery update!

Happy holidays! Éloïse