Horse self-adjusting striding on jumps 👀 (Patreon)

The striding mechanic ("realistic jumping") we experimented with in the demo is going to be a core part of gameplay in the main game, both in showjumping and cross country. Unlike in the demo, the feature is no longer optional. No worries though - riding instructors at different barns in Rein Ravine will make sure you learn to count your strides.

To help beginner players to get familiar with the concept without constant rage quit, some of the more experienced horses have learned to estimate distances automatically! In this video you can see the stride length meter on the left changing rapidly, and it's not me changing the speed. In fact I didn't even touch the speed keys once during the filming, so everything you're seeing is done by the horse!😯

The auto-striding isn't 100% failproof, so the rider will still need to keep their eyes open. It has the highest accuracy when jumping an obstacle on flat ground that the horse can see from further away, and the lowest accuracy when jumping on elevated or uneven ground or making tight turns. The stride length is re-estimated on every stride after the horse has detected a jump, so having more strides facing directly towards the jump makes it more accurate.

This addition should make it easier for beginner players as well as non-equestrians to get used to the feature, which has always been a small concern. As the rider progresses they will need to learn to support the horse's striding more and more, especially if they wish to ride younger horses. Besides this I also feel like it adds some realistic character to the horse.