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 Not much fun compared to Starters Orders 
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Selling plater

Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:24 pm
Posts: 3
Post Not much fun compared to Starters Orders
Okay, let me start out by saying that I've played Starters Orders 3 quite a bit at a friend's house, and I loved it, so it's not that I'm not into this type of game, but Greyhound Manager 2 was no fun for me. I'm regretting having spent the money on it. I should have just bought SO3, but I'm more of a dog person and I assumed it would be a very similar game.

The main issue is that the game, as it is, really isn't playable (particularly if you're like me and you enjoy the breeding/raising/competing aspects of it, and couldn't care less about betting).

Even if you have no "extras" and have all of the options on your finance window (feed quality, staff wages, etc.) set at "low", you still lose money much faster than it is possible to earn it. To manage a whole year without your finances going into the red you either have to be obscenely lucky or psychic about bets. I don't know if it is a glitch or how it was intentionally coded, but the in-game tipsters are right maybe 1 in 20 races.

SO3 was a solid game whether you were interested in the whole thing (betting, breeding, training, etc.) or just one aspect of it. If you were careful about training your horses, selecting races, etc. it is possible to play it without having to get into the betting interface at all. GM2 completely lacks this.

The parts of the game that work work very well, and I really like the overall layout and setup. It's just the finances part of it that makes it unplayable, especially if you're just a casual player (on that note, what happened to the difficulty settings?). It might be "realistic", but any game that puts "realism" above "playability" is missing the point. (Especially since it's not realistic for a dog to only have one pup per litter, as occurs in the game)

Another big issue is the lack of explanation for many things, like the game's "Grading" system. That I had to figure out on my own by trial and error. Saying it works "just like in real life" really isn't of any help to us over on this side of the pond, where grades range from "AA" to "D" and don't involve numbers at all. The form cards at the end of races are also so loaded with abbreviations and acronyms as to be nearly indecipherable.

A mode that would allow you to keep yourself afloat without having to rely on hit-or-miss betting, and a better help file, would make this an excellent game. As it is, I'm sorely disappointed in it, and I wish I hadn't wasted my money.


Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:43 pm
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Handicapper

Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:42 pm
Posts: 232
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While everybody is welcomed their opinion, I believe this game is fantastic and very addictive.

If you are having problem with your finances, a tip I have is to bet like mad on some of the early races and build up a pot of cash to about £100K.

I do this by looking at the results of the first 4 races, close the game via Start Task Manager, e.g. not by saving the game, log back in and check the first 4 race results again. There will be 2 or 3 which win twice out of these 4 races. Log out again the same way. Then log back into the game and bet crazy of these repeat winners.

You will then have a pool of money to get you started and you can invest in some classier dogs.

Enjoy!

Kind regards,

Lee


Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:28 pm
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Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:35 pm
Posts: 2117
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Wouldn't Art Money be a easier way to solve the finances problem?

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Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:54 am
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Handicapper

Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 3:00 am
Posts: 493
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takes time and patience but get a dog 2 yr old grade 10 run at a distance unsuitable every 2-3 days if races available and then run in handicap over right distance off front and have remaining cash on works for me every time usually get 15/2 so get around £30,000 then get it off the front again and do same by june time you can have around £200,000.


Sat Nov 13, 2010 1:51 pm
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Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:26 am
Posts: 339
Location: Los Angeles California
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I have had every Starters Orders game for the past 9 years, but fell in love with Greyhound Manager. I am sure that I have played GM and now GM2 more hours than all of the SO games combined. I really have enjoyed this series.

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Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:50 pm
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