It's also unclear just how much of the game is affected by random number generator, or what is determined by some algorithm. For example, Chirp, the shopkeeping peddler, sometimes appears in Mature Mode with outrageous prices on power-up items. Sometimes she doesn't. What determines whether she does or doesn't? No one knows.

I'm now trained to recognise that you start with 3, then 2, then A, then K.

A lesser person might've started with A, then 2, then 3, and would miss K.

Chains and opportunities can be much more elaborate and longer than these.

What determines when a horse will retire in Mature Mode if you haven't lost three races? I've had very successful, big-league horses that don't even reach their sixth year, and I have no idea what the game has against them.There are also many other things that were once mysteries that I've now solved, such as your horse's Peak Time ratings affecting which cups will appear on your calendar. When you start the game, there are so many things hidden from you that will eventually just click. Then you'll understand them.That is such afeeling to have.Another thing incredibly satisfying aboutis that competency improvements over time aren't defined by your player character having levels or statistics that go up like an RPG. You're better at the game as you play because you are improving. I definitely recognise that I am getting much better with very quickly evaluating my options for the most optimal moves and combinations in the Solitaire phases. Keep in mind that you are under two forms of time pressure in the Solitaire parts of the game: They're timed in that if you take too long, it'll end automatically and you'll be penalised; and you're also timed on how long it takes to complete all of the Solitaire phases of a race if you want to try to beat your own score/Jagger's records/StreetPass records.There's no in-game statistic that quantifies my own development as a player. I like that, because it makes it feel likeleveled up. I can't attribute me getting better at the game to non-me excuses like, “Oh, I grinded my stats to be ten levels higher than the enemies.” or “I'm using the most overpowered equipment.” It's my accomplishment. My own decision-making that I've been refining over a ton of time.Not many games do that anymore.Another point of decision-making in: Purposefully losing races. In Growth Mode, there are a limited number of races before your horse becomes mature and stops leveling up. You want to max out your level (10 + 1) before that happens so your horse is the best it can be, and then you can breed that horse for future generations of horses to choose from. There is a lot of path dependence in the game, and it raises the stakes of your decisions.So, why would you lose a race? You don't need to actually win every race to proceed in the game. In fact, if you lose some races, you can actually participate in more races than if you just won everything. More racing opportunities means more level up opportunities, because there is a low margin of error on the experience cards you need to pick up to level up. If you just totally screw up a race and its experience card gain, you might have screwed your horse's chances of maxing its levels forever. That is, unless you lose a race and take a different calendar path.Just a note: Breeding three-star horses makes Growth Mode easier and more comfortable, but by no means guarantees success. Also, you're not going to be getting anywhere near consistent leveling/breeding success until you successfully complete all of the in-game puzzle pieces from the shop, which will take many hours of doing because they're expensive.I wanted to incorporate a lot of the aspects ofI've discussed above into The Wonderful 1237, KoopaTV's videogame released at the end of 2016 . (Therefore, you can surmise that development ofdid not begin until after I've playedenough to become mesmorised by it.)Part of's design philosophies, which I'll get to in future articles during Wonderful Wednesdays, is that I wanted to hide information from the player, and leave it to them to figure out how things systematically connect. ...‘cause they do, and hopefully more clear than inin that you can figure everything out instead of playing the game for over 100 hours and still being confused.also borrows's pacing and activity flowcharts, along with music and character archetypes. It's quite a homage, and, I promise I'll get into more as to why and how in future articles.For all of the hundreds of hours RawkHawk2010 has put in the game, he's also been creatively stimulated and inspired by. For his part, he's also thinking about new game ideas:(“Pocket Card Jockey 2” NOT coming as a Flash game to a KoopaTV near you.)