We have introduced several improvements to Sierra Madre: The Wild West's horse mechanics. Along with bug fixes, we have introduced an important new mechanic: horse ownership. Previously, the player owned the last horse they rode, but this is no longer the case. Now, the player starts the game owning a horse and this horse goes with the player throughout the world.
The player's horse follows them around the map maintaining a following distance of 30 to 50 meters. The player can call their horse and it will run to the player's side.
The player can ride other horses or wagons and their loyal horse will continue following them. This was designed so that the player would have their horse nearby even as the player does long journeys for missions.
When the player loads their game, their horse will spawn with them near their tent. This is the case no matter where the player left their horse unless their horse was killed.
In the event that the player's horse is killed, the player can buy a new horse at the trading post. Eventually we hope to add a horse taming mechanic to the game. If the player already owns a living horse and they buy another one, the new horse will become their owned horse and the old horse will cease to follow the player.
If the player's horse is killed and the player has not purchased a new horse, then they will not spawn with a horse when loading their game.
In addition to horse ownership, horses now move slower as they become tired. If the player runs their horse over a great distance they will have to let their horse rest or walk for the horse to regain its energy.
What do you guys think of the new horse mechanics?
Please post any suggestions or questions in the comments below.