I really love the new coats that might come out. Hope Howrse does put them out, i see nothing wrong with them.

Does anyone know what divine will be after Pixiu?

I've went back and forth over how I feel about the new BM/coats and I have to say I don't care for them at all.
I don't think they fit in with the atmosphere of the game by any means and especially a game that kids play. I personally don't like what they stand for.
These are not some mythological creature that either doesn't exist any longer or never existed in the first place. These are horrible tragedies we're dealing with in society all over the world every day. Why should any of that be promoted?? It's one thing when a player submitted coat is a little on the dark side since that's their personal creation and preference but for it to be a Howrse promoted item really saddens me.

Shame on your Howrse for promoting these like it's something to look forward to!

I'm sure I'm like most players that come here to play as their escape to the real world but to have something like this included only reminds me of all the bad and it really depresses me honestly.
From day one on this game I fell in love with coat collecting and consider myself a huge coat collector. While I can appreciate the art and creativity that went into making the new coats, I just don't think I can support them because of what they stand for. I've read all of the arguments back and forth that it's just a game, you don't have to buy them, etc but why should something like this be included in a game at all?
I totally understand that it's optional and players don't want to buy them then they don't have to but for the ones that collect trophies and coats and such I would assume that this would be similar to the 5th Elements or Bewitched Pumpkins and count towards their trophies. It doesn't seem fair that players have to collect something they don't like or support only to keep up with their trophies/rankings. This I don't agree with at all.

I couldn't be more thrilled with the idea of a new BM especially one for coats but I sincerely hope Howrse reconsiders this idea and changes it to something that isn't so depressing.

Why couldn't there be something to support Christmas instead?
Or since Howrse has been going with the Chinese theme here lately what if there was a BM that revealed the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac?
I'm sure there's plenty other themes Howrse can go with that would be more well received then something so dark.


~Gypsy

I totally agree with you gypsyboots06!

Very well said sis! I also totally agree.
Please change this Howrse... These are nothing something to be promoted.

I like the possible new coats - The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a definite theme of mythology and religion as well as numerous fiction and literary works. I have a short story that I published several years ago titles The Second Horseman - so I definitely hope I get War when the BMI is released.

I also like Gypsy's idea of doing coats to represent the Chinese Zodiac.

Carol

I agree with gypsyboots, too. I also don't think translating the names to Latin makes it any better, as Latin is very similar to English.

Thank you for the support! It's nice to know that I'm not the only player that feels this way.

I agree with Zyzyva777 also in the fact that just because the names are translated into Latin doesn't make them mean any different. All that does is not so directly announce the fact that the game is promoting War, Famine, Death and Disease. It's still just horrible all the way around. Changing the names doesn't change what they stand for.

I would also like to point out that as a proud older sister of a brother that serves as a combat medic in our military, a brother that's been through two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq that's seen these things firsthand and fought against them, it seems like a slap in the face.
I realize that the game is international and that while not everyone will share the pride I feel for our men and women serving in uniform who fight and die to end these kinds of horrors, I would imagine anyone with family that fights against these things wouldn't support it regardless of nationality. I would also think that with even one server not supporting these that Howrse would reconsider releasing something that so strongly upsets the community.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to speak out against these and I hope that by speaking up Howrse will take our opinions into account as they did with reconsidering to release Gypsum in the sales. (Kudos for that by the way, I was very pleased to be able to finish my Gems!)

I will say too that for a game that so strongly pretends to be religious neutral I'm very sad that they've picked something with such strong ties to religion. I'm a Christian and don't mind saying so but I also agree that religion has no place in a game. Mythology is one thing (And yes I do know that most modern religions come from mythology) but something so blatantly religious is another.

Please reconsider Howrse. A great many players don't care for the ideas and symbolism behind these. Why not hold some kind of a contest to think of a way to replace them? We could all vote and prizes given, it could be tied into some sort of promotion even. However it's done I really hope I don't see these released.

This is how I see it...
1. If you don't like it don't buy it! Simple as that
2. I'm glad to see that howrse is having new ideas.
3. They aren't "promoting" it, they are making people aware of all of the things in our world.
4. War= Nothing we can do to stop it! It's always going on. Why hide from it?
Death = Nothing we can do. People are always dieing... and for 1 dead person there are 100 new people.
Famine = Do people have control of the weather that helps grow crops? No. They don't. For example there is a Hazelnut Famine... I seem to be getting along just fine. Is anyone affected?
Pestilence = One word. Ebola. What can we do? Run, hide, it doesn't matter it'll always be there.
5. Opinions aren't really spoilers...

6. I don't believe it is religious because, in every religion it mentions the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse... in SOME way.

I am going to very cautiously disagree with this statement, just to try and help others understand. Yes, all these concepts appear in most major religions, however they are DIRECTLY referenced in the Christian Bible in the book of Revelation, they are literally labeled as the Four Horsemen. And well yes, these problems have existed in the world since pretty much the earth began spinning (or select a timeframe based on your own personal believes). . . while I agree people need to be aware. . .as many have stated this is a children's game. . .children as in other the age of 10.

Now I have a love for mythology and pretty graphics, Howrse was and still is a game that greatly fits what I like in a game. However whether you like to admit, or can see it, or not. . . this BMI has some very modern religious undertones. . .and as a mod on Howrse who is asked to keep religion off the site (or at least keep it from being plastered everywhere in a fashion that is offending to others). . . I find it a slightly hypocritical message to bring out an item based on the mythos of a very modern day faith.

As just a regular player who happens to coat collect, and enjoys it very much .. . and truthfully very few images have ever bothered me, I think I have only ever reported a coat once in voting because I found it disturbing. . .I personally do not see the graphics as overly gruesome, I think we have coats on here that are less friendly for younger eyes. . . However I can completely see why a parent would disagree and would essentially ban their younger children from playing the game with these being introduced. Latin word or not. . . it is something needed to be considered because it is dark for a game that welcomes and promotes itself as being friendly for children as younger than 10. Personally I really like Famines graphic better than the rest, however when you really look at it objectively it IS a rather disturbing image even if it is not a 1 on the Body Index Scale that vets use to determine a horse's healthy body weight.

We are not all going to agree on this. So I would close this by asking, whatever your personally opinion is, to think carefully what you post as your opinion. We need to remember that everyone's opinion are the opinions of a real person who has very valid reasons for having those opinions and respect each other accordingly please.

The Golden Apple is war themed. If you ever read about it you know. It was the golden apple that caused the other goddess to fight which later ended up causing the trojan war later on.

Zeus' Lightning Bolt is after the god Zeus which was not a really good guy. He went around doing unthinable things to woman to get that he wanted from them. He also didn't like how the humans where acting and cast a huge storm on them trying to get rid of them.

Titan's Challenge is named after the Titans which if you read on them werent really nice and also killed.

Osiris the divine was named after the Egyptian god ruler of the dead.

I can point out alot of the bmis that has to do with pagan religion that might see bad to others. I think Howrse bringing in the different religons and different themes is cool.

Some of the items on here are already dark themed.

Also some people might not see the greek gods as mythology. I know a few people on here that worship them as their own gods. Same with the Chinese stuff they got on here. Almost all the items are religious themed on here to someone.

I read Greek and Egyptian all the time ( not worshippy though ) and I see how it all connects. And I read about Zeus and thought that, in some cases, he is WORSE than the Titans. I've never been in a Titans challenge with my horses before, but it seems GRUELING.

I did some research, and I found, like Hallaloth, the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse was directly mentioned in the Bible. I understand that most things, especially BMIs, are based off of mythology. I am still debating wether or not to buy these new coats, the dark theme and all... Well, I hope there will be fun Christmas stuff going on near the holidays!

Does anyone know the next Divine that will be released after this promo?

While I think the artwork is beautifully done (a strange word for such dark artwork, I know, but clearly a lot of effort went into their creation), I do think the themes are a little off.

Now, I play plenty of games and a lot of those are war-themed games. Obviously, because of their nature, they have battles, death and violence. However, these are games that only older teens or adults play because they have the understanding and emotional maturity to process the concepts. Personally, I find it a little inappropriate to bring such themes into a game that has so many young ones. This is a game that has unicorns, winged horses and other fantasy components - it attracts a lot of younger players who enjoy the more fantastical elements. The arguments that "you don't have to buy the item" or "you don't have to look at the item" falls flat for me. The item will be there, players will be showing off the coats, and while you may not stumble across the coats all that often, you will sometimes. Most of us won't care, but what about the young ones who do?

Shouldn't we be providing a method of escapism in the game? For those who can handle the harder and grittier concepts of death, there are other games to be played. I, personally, don't think Howrse should have such things. Changing the names of the coats does not change the symbolism.

Also a lot of adults and young adults play this game. If some one likes or doesn't like something then they have the choice not to participate in events and are not required to. Not buying this new item will not hinder your game play.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse seem a little darker than the rest of Howrse's stuff. I mean, they're symbolic of worlwide pain and suffering. They're not really mythological OR religious, to be frank, but are rather a literary device that most authors use and have continued to use for thousands of years.

Besides, "religion" is simply a broader, more overall term, while "mythology" is more specific and deals with certain aspects of religion (such as various stories that may or may not be true). They are inseperable. In other words, this whole game deals with religions in a vague, non-serious manner. The creators simply don't promote one over another, and they don't treat them seriously. It's just for fun!

My issue is the fact that the symbols are dark, a little too dark, perhaps, for this game. I mean, even Osiris was sort of odd for Howrse. Think about it: he's dead. But that was still fairly vague and easy to shrug off. This might not be.

Think about this, Howrse. Do you really want evil horses on the game?

I think I'll restate my opinion, throwing in some video game references that have spanned the years that I've played.

Trust me, sending out little monochromatic monsters to fight each other (Silver seemed monochromatic to me, and I did have both Red and Blue) without bloodshed, and searching for items on the ground to pick up, and dismantling an evil army through *love* and *justice* is a whole lot different then killing Draugr (and yes, I probably botched that spelling) while looking for a how-to book for a magician, or (and sorry for this being sort of graphic, but considering the context) driving a sword across an archer's torso, or slashing a traitorous spy in the back before he could take three steps... And both of those are so different from the time management and platformer games I enjoyed as a small child... and those are different from this game...

There are a lot of games out there for different types of gamers. For those who don't know, the "monsters" references Pokemon and all the more graphic touches from the Draugr come from Skyrim... Both games I enjoy... And I listen to Metal music, what at least one of my friends (and I'm sure my mother secretly calls it) calls "death music" or "death metal." And while Zelda comes at the advantage of not much (if any at all) blood, it's still violent... You kill monsters up until you get to the end, where you try to kill a human that's been violently transformed into an animal (at least the games I've finished). I come to this game to escape the violence of the other games I play, to unwind while I get my mind out of the "bloodlust" mindset of some games.

Just to point out, I doubt Howrse would come out with a "Seven Deadly Sins" item. Why the Four Horsemen? And I love languages as much as the next person... I'm even writing a book where the main language the citizens of the country my characters are in speak is Latin (and they go against a country whose citizens speak Greek, but that's beside the point). Translating into Latin really doesn't help, especially when the last two look very similar and Mors looks the same as muerto and mort (I posted a translation of those a couple of pages back). And it almost makes me ashamed to use "Quam es vos?" (How are you?) as a simple greeting.

I can actually see both sides of the argument. And frankly, I don't care any more. It's going to come; let it. But I'm not wasting my precious resources going after something that's not worth it to me.

Howrse listened when we said we wanted Gypsum... How about now?

Agreed Gypsy boots!

dang this thread sure is telling me about spoilers..

If everyone is going to get upset about something that's nowhere near "scary" then lets not forget about how the vampire bewitched pumpkin drips blood, and the pumpkin one looks super evil.

Those 4 horses of the "apocalypse" shows REALITY. You can try to avoid it or ignore it, but it's all around you and im super glad Howrse is being realistic, considering you can make your favorite horse immortal, and have pegasus and unicorns and divine horses.

You can still enjoy this game without getting those 4 pixel filled horses.

Also, bringing up "metal" music, Wolfheart has absolutely nothing to do with this.
If you actually listen to most of the lyrics, you will not find something "gorey" or "demonic" but there's always some that does.
And video games also has nothing to do with Howrse. Video games are on a different dimension. You are heavily warned if a game is graphic and then you choose to play it. There are so many games out there that doesn't have anything graphic... and Howrse is like a church compared to the games you've mentioned.

People need to stop avoiding the hard cold truth. Plus those horses are nothing more graphic than the bewitched pumpkin ones.

as i have stated above regarding all these complaints,
You are not forced to get it, or look at it!

I also agree with gypsy boots well said!!

I think they look creepy and I agree with gypsy boots.
Maybe if they looked less creepy people would like them better but it would still be dark.

Right... Still completely lost as to what's so bad about these coats !

Let's start with Howrse is in no way promoting these things. I don't think anybody is going to like the war coat so much they they will automatically decide to do these things.

True Death , War , Famine , Ilness - They happen everywhere . And I do agree they are in no way funny issues. But the matter of fact is weather howrse puts these coats out or not they will still happen.

As I said on another server I bet many of you watch programmes like the Simpsons , Family guy , American dad . When they make a programme about Death War Famine of Illness it's comedy but when howrse makes coats *FOR HALOWEEN* all of a sudden it's crossing the line ?

I'm not sure what shops you have in America but these shops will be promoting costumes of theses things for little children - properly toddlers and smaller too. Too small to play this game. When the mother or father buys a Reaper costume or a Costume of someone with boils are you going to kick up a fuss about it ? I would imagen not.

These coats are for Haloween people ! A fun time of year where people dress up and have a good time ! If they bother you so much just imagen that they are just dressed up for Haloween.

Just remember howrse is doing these coats for fun and for us to enjoy the game more! It's not saying war is a good thing or death . They are just for FUN.

I for one shall be welcoming theses coats with open arms as I find their look absoloutly delightful myself . If you don't want them don't buy them but howrse is not going to loose any sleep over the fact that you don't like them I'm afraid.

Very well said, Svengali. I think everyone is being rather melodramatic over the coming of these coats. It's just a fun new item for Halloween. (:

(Sarcastic tone)
Would it help if they changed the name to this
War = fight
Death = very hurt( sorry I couldn't think of a better one)
Famine = hungry
Pestilence = sick
Well said Svengali and Renda!