Add to your fun – Join a Residency

How to find the best one for you!

By Darcy “DUR” MacPhee

G’day readers, yes it’s your old cobber “Dingo” MacPhee but with another hat to wear. As I recently alluded to in one of my preview articles, I have accepted a new job offer, to become the staff writer for the newest Residency to open its doors in this great game.

Now the thing I have learned already is that a lot of people out there playing this game are not aware exactly what a residency is and what it offers you the player, or how to select one, so let me try and help you.

What is a Residency?

A Residency in this game is something you may have heard called other names in other games for instance other than this Simulation Horse Racing Game, I play World Golf Tour (WGT Golf) and a residency in that game goes under the title of a Country Club. I also play a Naval Battle Game called World of Warships (WOWS) where a residency is known as a CLAN.

So, you ask, what are these Clans, Country Clubs or Residencies exactly? Very simply it is a way where a group of people within a game can congregate virtually to obtain added enjoyment from the game they already enjoy. In WOWS a CLAN is mainly to enrich the battle experience by fighting alongside a team mate against individuals or other Clans. A Country Club in WGT is almost identical to our Residency, where a few dedicated individuals take it upon themselves to create a place that offers “extras” to it’s members mainly in the way of friendly competitions. In WGT it is various different contests based around the game of golf Here a Residency does the same offering added interest in this amazing game but with a much larger scope. We have options to base contests on racing, breeding and betting (handicapping), but, as the old TV commercial goes, there is MORE …..

There is also the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of team play, every 2 years a major event takes place here called the Equinics a play on words from Equine and Olympics. Where the major residencies go head to head in a friendly competition and have been doing so for over 20 years now.

Who Runs a Residency?

Residencies are usually born when a group of people sometimes even a single person decides they can give their time and effort to offer something to others within the game. However, no matter who starts a Residency, a good one must and will offer to those who support it the options and rewards they are looking for to continue to enjoy their gaming experience. To that end the answer to who “runs” a Residency it is ultimately the players. Without player support a residency will quickly wither and die. Just looking at the Residency List within the game you can clearly see from the statistics that way more Residencies have failed than continue to flourish. (I will revisit why this is so further on in this article).

Does The Game Support The Residency System?

The answer to this is a resounding YES! Mike Wallace the creator of this wonderful game has always been about the game creating its own Community of people who are interested in various aspects of the Horse Racing and Breeding Industries. To this end (and I don’t know if it is the the chicken or the egg that came first) Mike has supported anyone willing to give their time to promoting a community via running a Residency. Now Mike, derives income from this game and all income derives from players buying and spending credits for various in game purposes ie buying races, breeding horses etc. Yet a residency earns a credit “income” each week based purely on how many Breeding Points the players who support that residency earn by running their horses. This “income” is paid to the residency by the game (Mike) which enables them to buy races to run competitions for its members. It enables them to reward players in the way of prizes for winning competitions and so on. Bottom line Mike has taken the line that Community is more important than his Bottom Line. This is also why the Black Type Bugler was formed, so writers like myself have a medium to pass on our words to you the reader, and guess who encourages us to write with in game credits – Mike.

Are All Residencies The Same?

Quite simply the answer is an emphatic NO! It is like asking is every person in the room a clone of the one next to them. Residencies tend to take on the character of the people who run them.

Residencies in the main as stated earlier are created by people who wish to give something back to the game they get so much enjoyment from themselves, by offering various “add-ons” to the DerbyFever experience. These come in many variations and each Residency has its own unique offerings and options. They can be contest based theme based or advice based but mainly a combination of all three, it will be the subtle variations on offer to you the player that will decide which Residency is your best match.

Why Are There So Many Residencies Listed?

By clicking on the Connect link in the upper menu of the game you are directed to the Residencies Page, where you will find a few hundred Residencies Listed. Don’t worry it isn’t time to panic, let us see if we can lessen the stress.

The Top 14 to 15 Residencies that are highlighted in white are the current “Major” Residencies, ones that meet the criteria to receive the full support of Mike. These are also usually the most active but not always as you will notice that the lower ones can drop down a level or sometimes ones lower down can climb up. The positions are based on how you sort them, but the best way to ascertain a residency’s current activity is to sort by week (the default for the page).

Next you will see a heading “Up and Coming (need more active and unique members)” which is pretty self explanatory, but it means they haven’t quite met the requirements fully that Mike has set down to receive full support. Residencies found in this section can be there because they are a “niche” Residency with limited appeal as they have narrow interest field. If you are interested in that field then do not discard them as they certainly offer great insights in what they were created for. A prime example is “Florida Racing Club (FRC)” This Residency was created by player “craterus” to promote Florida Racing and even more so Florida sires. If your interest lies in those aspects you would go a long way to find anyone more passionate about those topics. ( I personally have 3 stables supporting the FRC, purely because I find the topics “craterus” creates in the forum are worth the price of admission alone).

In this same Up and Coming section you will also find a lot of down and dropping Residencies these are Residencies that still have a working website but really aren’t operating. Check the link to their website, if the information is out of date then the Residency probably no longer runs. An example would be Global Sim Racing Club – their website looks great, but when you visit their message board the last entry was 2014. A lack of data next to a residency is a good sign it is no longer running, but seeing data there can just mean some players haven’t bothered to cancel supporting a defunct Residency.

The next section “Invalid Website” with one exception these are all defunct Residencies, as a main stipulation from Mike is that a Residency needs to have a valid website to be considered viable. The one exception is Latinos Del Mundo run by player “haack”, the link is valid to his website but it is all in Spanish, and has been down in this section for quite a while, even though the Residency and “haack” appear to be active.

The last section is “Retired Residencies” here are some of the iconic residencies of the Game that for various reasons no longer operate. Residencies like Pastures of Green who successfully ran the Equinics for many years under the guidance of players “ldyssecret” and “pastures1” who both still play and still support the old Residency with their stables – loyalty of the best kind, and is why these Residencies still post good stats week in week out.

How Do You Choose A Residency?

Start by looking at the Residency list,

and ensure that there are statistics appearing alongside their name, then click their name and ensure that they have a valid website that is up to date and also is informative about that Residency and what they offer you the player. (Do remember that their website is their public face and cannot show all details like race passwords etc. which need to be held for members only).

Decide what you want from a Residency?

Do you want to be able to converse and interact with other players. Do you want their help or opinions on the game or breeding etc (look for a residency with a lively chat room).

Do you want the fun of weekly competitions? (look for a residency that provides regular handicapping style events) Do you want to test your skill against others in actual racing or breeding (look for a residency that offers these type of events)

Most Important ASK QUESTIONS!

Once you have settled on a possible Residency and your needs, then don’t be afraid to ask if they can provide you with what you are looking for. Remember this important fact – A residency needs you more than you need them. It is you the player and your success in the game that drives a residencies success, your horses earn the residencies “blood” Credits!

Some Questions to ask:

• Do you keep your members aware of income and expenditure?
• Do you provide a player with (insert your needs here be it type of contest advice etc)?
• How do you communicate with your members?
• What are the usual rewards for your contests (can be credits or prize horses)?
• Ask for recommendations from others, Ask them if their opinions are valued and listened to within the residency?
• Ask if there is any theme to their Residency (for instance at DUR we have an emphasis on Australian and Turf racing – however, with dirt events for balance)?
• Ask anything that is relevant to making a decision that is right for you?

REMEMBER THERE IS NO CONTRACT WHEN YOU JOIN A RESIDENCY LEAVING IS EVEN EASIER THAN JOINING – JUST A MOUSE CLICK AWAY.

I can assure you though once you find the Residency that fits your needs you will be surprised how loyal you become and how quick it happens.

I hope I have given you my readers an unbiased insight into the residency system, because trust me I am a very loyal and parochial member of the Originating Team at Down Under Racing (unpaid and shameless plug)!

We would of course love to hear from anyone looking to join a residency, and if we don’t meet your needs would happily suggest another you could contact that might!

Darcy “Down Under Dingo” MacPhee

My PA Melissa just said “hey Dingo you do know you just called yourself a DUD!”

(all I can hear now are giggles coming from the tea room)