Note: This game is in Alpha Phase, so there is not going to be much meat for this review. I will probably do another review as more features get implemented into the game.
I've heard about this game, Riding Out through YouTube, when I was looking for an Equestrian themed MMO that had more of a mature feeling to it, in a way. There is Star Stable and Alicia, although Star Stable is more aimed at a younger audience, and I would consider Alicia more of a Racing Horse MMO. When I saw clips of this game called Riding Out, I decided to check its' Facebook Page, and then made the decision to buy it (this was back in December.)
I have played the game in December, when it was originally only a Single Player game. Back then, it had somewhat of a Quest System and Tutorial already implemented in the game. The Quest/Tutorial taught you how to control your character, get on a horse, mine iron, and cut wood. It was fairly easy to understand, and quick to get through.
Playing the game now, I have found that they have changed the game quite a bit. There is not a clear quest system in the game as of yet. You start out spawning in Woodhill, and kind of have to figure out what to do (press F1 for keybindings.) You talk to a guy at Woodhill called Stefan by left clicking with the mouse, who directs you to go into town to find a hotel. On the way to town, you meet a guy called Karl, and talk to him. He only complains about the increase of visitors to the town, and you continue on your way. When you reach the town, you talk to the Hotel Owner, only to find out that the hotel is currently closed and under construction. Now, you're stuck in a town with no place to stay, and a little money to start off with. What do you do?
Well, I went to Tool Trader to buy myself an axe, pickaxe, and a torch. From there, I went out into the world to gather wood, and iron ore. I use the iron ore to make iron ingots, and sell both the ingots and wood back to the Tool Trader to make some money. After that, I buy some carrots (carrots are 310 coins, so you better get a good amount of wood and ingots to sell) and start my adventure to look for a horse.
At first, it was pretty difficult to navigate around the map, since there is no marker on the map itself to tell me where I am in the world, so I have to rely on landmarks, and memorizing the roads. I manage to find three horses so far, all static at specific locations (since they don't move, they should be easy to find if you so happen to crash, net craps out, etc.) What I also did, was look into the screenshots to see if anyone has taken any pictures of the horses. I would look closely at the picture, the environment the horse is in, and the landmarks to get a feel for the general location of the horse. When I found the particular horse I wanted to tame, all I had to do was feed it a carrot... and that was that! The horse was mine to name and keep! To take my horse out, I had to press H, and then my horse's name.
Now, I have a horse, and know how to make money. Now what? Well... to be honest, there is not much else to do, other than to tame more horses and keep making money via gathering wood and iron ingots. I can see how that can be boring after a while, but hopefully the developers will add more things to do as the game progresses.
The only multiplayer functionality that is available at the moment is chatting, and watching people run around, though I am sure that will change at a later date.
There are plans for this game to have breeding, training, races, shows, etc. as the game develops further.
Take note that the game is $19.99. If you really want to support the development of this game, I would recommend that you purchase it. From what I have seen so far, the developers seem really good at responding quickly to player comments, questions, and concerns via facebook. Hopefully their responsivness will continue to be just as active on steam, as it is on Facebook. They are also not afraid at keeping you updated on the development of the game. They will let you know of any updates coming out, and if there are any delays or hold ups (again, via Facebook.) Again, I hope that they will continue to be just as responsive on Steam to new players.
If you are unsure about purchasing the game at its current state, then wait, and sit back and watch to see how the game will develop. I will give you my reason for purchasing this game back in December: I was looking for an Equestrian MMO that looked more mature in presentation, and offers the ability to train, breed, and do a lot more with horses. To me, this game shows a bit of promise in offering me what I am looking for. Maybe it's a risky chance, but I took it. Will you take that chance?
