Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
@malicedafirenze.bsky.social
Horse Game Consultant. Game Designer, Producer, Writer. Creator of @themanequest.com and doing marketing at @okomotive.ch and @thoglistudios.com
Based in Zurich, Switzerland http://aliceruppert.ch/ (she/her)
Based in Zurich, Switzerland http://aliceruppert.ch/ (she/her)
Pinned
✨NEW VIDEO ✨ Horse Games – History of a Neglected Genre and its Untapped Potential – Talk from Devcom 2024
Many thanks to @devcom.bsky.social 💕
www.themanequest.com/blog/2024/12...
Many thanks to @devcom.bsky.social 💕
www.themanequest.com/blog/2024/12...
Horse Games – History of a Neglected Genre and its Untapped Potential – Talk from Devcom 2024 — The Mane Quest
I was a speaker at Devcom 2024 in Cologne, giving a presentation on my horse game work. The recorded talk is now available on YouTube!
www.themanequest.com
HEY SO my horse game talk from devcom is now available to watch on YouTube and you should definitely watch it because several people told me it was their favorite talk of the whole conference and NOW IT CAN BE YOURS TOO 😇😇
I‘m visiting friends and family in Germany this weekend and that is actually bad because it means I can’t play Hades II, which I‘ve finally started this week and am already enjoying a great deal.
November 28, 2025 at 3:20 PM
I‘m visiting friends and family in Germany this weekend and that is actually bad because it means I can’t play Hades II, which I‘ve finally started this week and am already enjoying a great deal.
Huge appreciation for PMG to keep their eyes on this topic and report on updates ✊
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TvW...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TvW...
The Messages Rockstar Saw Before Firing 34 Union Members
YouTube video by People Make Games
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Huge appreciation for PMG to keep their eyes on this topic and report on updates ✊
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TvW...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TvW...
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
It's great when social media posting efforts visibly directly translate into wishlists I should probably do more of that
November 26, 2025 at 8:21 AM
It's great when social media posting efforts visibly directly translate into wishlists I should probably do more of that
It's great when social media posting efforts visibly directly translate into wishlists I should probably do more of that
November 26, 2025 at 8:21 AM
It's great when social media posting efforts visibly directly translate into wishlists I should probably do more of that
you see, this game was literal perfection except for the various issues I've conveniently completely forgotten about 😌
(I think this happened to me too on some occasion or the other)
(I think this happened to me too on some occasion or the other)
In My Horse Farm (Mein Pferdehof), moving the budget sliders (for advertising your farm) have little to no visual feedback programmed in.
This led to kid me bankrupting the farm withing minutes of starting the game because I unknowingly raised monthly fees to maximum. 💸🐎😮
This led to kid me bankrupting the farm withing minutes of starting the game because I unknowingly raised monthly fees to maximum. 💸🐎😮
November 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
you see, this game was literal perfection except for the various issues I've conveniently completely forgotten about 😌
(I think this happened to me too on some occasion or the other)
(I think this happened to me too on some occasion or the other)
Fellas we‘re having a good day on tiktok again and that‘s nice
November 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Fellas we‘re having a good day on tiktok again and that‘s nice
an addition to this that I've seen on reddit in particular: when you start a subreddit, you're likely gonna be the only person submitting content for weeks, months if not years. I built up /r/justgamedevthings for shits and giggles over years and I was legit the only poster until idk how long
Great question, but no I'm nowhere near as diligent and algorithmically optimized about it as that. What I mean by "consistent" is just that you don't stop entirely as soon as your initial posts don't get a ton of attention yet. I've definitely gone days and weeks without posting on some platforms.
Ok, question about the “consistent effort” part: there are so many people out there that say you need to post X times a day and at Y o’clock to best appeal to The Almighty Algorithm. Have you found that to be true, or by “consistent” do you just mean daily, or don’t leave any big gaps, or…?
November 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
an addition to this that I've seen on reddit in particular: when you start a subreddit, you're likely gonna be the only person submitting content for weeks, months if not years. I built up /r/justgamedevthings for shits and giggles over years and I was legit the only poster until idk how long
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
some of the responses in that thread are all "well, so didn't build this from scratch, you had existing community" rather than listening to my actual point that maybe you should also try to build community for things that interest you in games & that you might want to make games about in the future
good news I have done the thing! Please head over to reddit if you'd like to partake in my oversharing of gamedev insights!
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
November 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
some of the responses in that thread are all "well, so didn't build this from scratch, you had existing community" rather than listening to my actual point that maybe you should also try to build community for things that interest you in games & that you might want to make games about in the future
New gameplay clip with commentary pls enjoy
November 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
New gameplay clip with commentary pls enjoy
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
good news there's hand-drawn thingies in this game that you can pick up and click and I just think that's neat
Enjoy a new gameplay clip from Horses of Hoofprint Bay today 🥰
The video shows the player filling up hay and water troughs, mucking out the stable, grooming their two mares (one of them is visibly pregnant!) and starting a stable upgrade for more space. What would you like to see next? 👀
The video shows the player filling up hay and water troughs, mucking out the stable, grooming their two mares (one of them is visibly pregnant!) and starting a stable upgrade for more space. What would you like to see next? 👀
November 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
good news there's hand-drawn thingies in this game that you can pick up and click and I just think that's neat
Seeing a spider in my home used to be a "aw shit" moment but now it's an "oooh, entertainment for my cats!" moment. Except when I realize it's the one kind of venomous spider that we get here. Then it becomes "aww damn my cats can't eat this".
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Seeing a spider in my home used to be a "aw shit" moment but now it's an "oooh, entertainment for my cats!" moment. Except when I realize it's the one kind of venomous spider that we get here. Then it becomes "aww damn my cats can't eat this".
good news there's hand-drawn thingies in this game that you can pick up and click and I just think that's neat
Enjoy a new gameplay clip from Horses of Hoofprint Bay today 🥰
The video shows the player filling up hay and water troughs, mucking out the stable, grooming their two mares (one of them is visibly pregnant!) and starting a stable upgrade for more space. What would you like to see next? 👀
The video shows the player filling up hay and water troughs, mucking out the stable, grooming their two mares (one of them is visibly pregnant!) and starting a stable upgrade for more space. What would you like to see next? 👀
November 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
good news there's hand-drawn thingies in this game that you can pick up and click and I just think that's neat
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
Seeing how much of the right-wing on Twitter is just bot farms, kinda lays bare how much hate and hatred is a project that needs to be constantly maintained, a fire that needs to be fed all the time lest it go out for a moment, so much time, effort, and resources to keep people angry and hateful.
November 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Seeing how much of the right-wing on Twitter is just bot farms, kinda lays bare how much hate and hatred is a project that needs to be constantly maintained, a fire that needs to be fed all the time lest it go out for a moment, so much time, effort, and resources to keep people angry and hateful.
I'll be at the Swiss Game Hub Testing Night with Horses of Hoofprint Bay this Wednesday, in case anyone's nearby and wants to give it a try already :)
store.steampowered.com/app/3727090/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3727090/...
Horses of Hoofprint Bay on Steam
Horses of Hoofprint Bay is a lovingly hand-drawn 2D point and click barn buildup game. Take care of your horses, train them to build up their strength and confidence, and compete for prize money! Bree...
store.steampowered.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I'll be at the Swiss Game Hub Testing Night with Horses of Hoofprint Bay this Wednesday, in case anyone's nearby and wants to give it a try already :)
store.steampowered.com/app/3727090/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3727090/...
Great question, but no I'm nowhere near as diligent and algorithmically optimized about it as that. What I mean by "consistent" is just that you don't stop entirely as soon as your initial posts don't get a ton of attention yet. I've definitely gone days and weeks without posting on some platforms.
Ok, question about the “consistent effort” part: there are so many people out there that say you need to post X times a day and at Y o’clock to best appeal to The Almighty Algorithm. Have you found that to be true, or by “consistent” do you just mean daily, or don’t leave any big gaps, or…?
November 24, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Great question, but no I'm nowhere near as diligent and algorithmically optimized about it as that. What I mean by "consistent" is just that you don't stop entirely as soon as your initial posts don't get a ton of attention yet. I've definitely gone days and weeks without posting on some platforms.
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
I still remember playing My Horse Farm (aka Mein Pferdehof) way back when. Lovely to see that same childhood magic in Horses of Hoofprint Bay's trailer. 🐴💕 #indiegames
sometimes the creators of your childhood favorite games refuse to re-release or remaster their 20yo game despite it being a massive success at the time and you just have to take matters into your own hand 😌
November 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I still remember playing My Horse Farm (aka Mein Pferdehof) way back when. Lovely to see that same childhood magic in Horses of Hoofprint Bay's trailer. 🐴💕 #indiegames
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
BTW you don't need to already be an expert in something to start building community for it. I've been exposed to SO MUCH more horse knowledge since starting TMQ and its communities than ever before.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
I'm literally giving y'all the blueprints for how to build community around ANYTHING you are interested in, all it takes is a consistent bit of effort, and I get dismissed with this implication that I somehow got lucky or like "hah, I wish I was as passionate about anything" dude that's YOUR choice
November 20, 2025 at 4:08 PM
BTW you don't need to already be an expert in something to start building community for it. I've been exposed to SO MUCH more horse knowledge since starting TMQ and its communities than ever before.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
just sayin I can REALLY recommend doing a re-imagining of a classic horse game as your next project too:
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
good news I have done the thing! Please head over to reddit if you'd like to partake in my oversharing of gamedev insights!
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
November 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM
just sayin I can REALLY recommend doing a re-imagining of a classic horse game as your next project too:
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
Guys. GUYS.
It's a *Shakespeare RPG*.
What the heck is wrong with you!? This should be selling a bajillion copies!!
Genuinely stunned to hear it sold poorly!
It's a *Shakespeare RPG*.
What the heck is wrong with you!? This should be selling a bajillion copies!!
Genuinely stunned to hear it sold poorly!
This Way Madness Lies is a great game and barely anybody bought it. It should be played by more people. If everybody here on @bsky.app banded together and bought a Steam copy and played it, well, that'd be a miracle and I would be forever grateful.
store.steampowered.com/app/1318970/...
store.steampowered.com/app/1318970/...
November 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Guys. GUYS.
It's a *Shakespeare RPG*.
What the heck is wrong with you!? This should be selling a bajillion copies!!
Genuinely stunned to hear it sold poorly!
It's a *Shakespeare RPG*.
What the heck is wrong with you!? This should be selling a bajillion copies!!
Genuinely stunned to hear it sold poorly!
just sayin I can REALLY recommend doing a re-imagining of a classic horse game as your next project too:
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
good news I have done the thing! Please head over to reddit if you'd like to partake in my oversharing of gamedev insights!
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/co...
November 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM
just sayin I can REALLY recommend doing a re-imagining of a classic horse game as your next project too:
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
- you can use my communities to reach your exact audience
- you'll probably find a horse enthusiast artist through TMQ
- probably scope-friendly bc the original was made with duct tape and vibes
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
Jennifer English realizing she's a lesbian and falling in love with one of her mocap directors (Aliona Baranova) over the course of making BG3 and seeing all the queer folks embracing Shadowheart and the impact the game had is genuinely one of the best stories in game production in a long time
Congrats to Jennifer English for winning the Best Lead Performer award at the 2025 #GoldenJoystickAwards!
And her acceptance speech about queer joy was a love letter to @aliona.bsky.social 🥹🌈
And her acceptance speech about queer joy was a love letter to @aliona.bsky.social 🥹🌈
November 21, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Jennifer English realizing she's a lesbian and falling in love with one of her mocap directors (Aliona Baranova) over the course of making BG3 and seeing all the queer folks embracing Shadowheart and the impact the game had is genuinely one of the best stories in game production in a long time
Reposted by Alice Ruppert 🐴🎮
I have had people say this to me re:ttrpgs. “Of course your stuff funds/gets awards/etc! You have a big community that supports you!”
THOSE THINGS ARE CONNECTED! Building community is the hardest part of making stuff. It takes constant effort, communication, and emotional capital. It’s not luck.
THOSE THINGS ARE CONNECTED! Building community is the hardest part of making stuff. It takes constant effort, communication, and emotional capital. It’s not luck.
I'm literally giving y'all the blueprints for how to build community around ANYTHING you are interested in, all it takes is a consistent bit of effort, and I get dismissed with this implication that I somehow got lucky or like "hah, I wish I was as passionate about anything" dude that's YOUR choice
November 20, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I have had people say this to me re:ttrpgs. “Of course your stuff funds/gets awards/etc! You have a big community that supports you!”
THOSE THINGS ARE CONNECTED! Building community is the hardest part of making stuff. It takes constant effort, communication, and emotional capital. It’s not luck.
THOSE THINGS ARE CONNECTED! Building community is the hardest part of making stuff. It takes constant effort, communication, and emotional capital. It’s not luck.
BTW you don't need to already be an expert in something to start building community for it. I've been exposed to SO MUCH more horse knowledge since starting TMQ and its communities than ever before.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
I'm literally giving y'all the blueprints for how to build community around ANYTHING you are interested in, all it takes is a consistent bit of effort, and I get dismissed with this implication that I somehow got lucky or like "hah, I wish I was as passionate about anything" dude that's YOUR choice
November 20, 2025 at 4:08 PM
BTW you don't need to already be an expert in something to start building community for it. I've been exposed to SO MUCH more horse knowledge since starting TMQ and its communities than ever before.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
It really only takes an interest and a small but consistent effort.
side note there have been a small handful of people over the years within the horse game community that have complained about why I/TMQ is the one "dominant" voice in the genre and how that's annoying, and that pisses me off for the exact same reason: go put in your own goddamn work then
I think that response annoys me because it's never "oh wow you have really been preparing for this" but "well of course this works for you, you already have all these people listening to you" like do you people think I just popped into the world someday with horse game fans swarming around me??
November 20, 2025 at 3:42 PM
side note there have been a small handful of people over the years within the horse game community that have complained about why I/TMQ is the one "dominant" voice in the genre and how that's annoying, and that pisses me off for the exact same reason: go put in your own goddamn work then
Hey uuuuuh @fishingminigames.bsky.social does this count?
You can now WISHLIST my game HEART DRIVE on Steam, a driving 'n' fishing game!
Every wishlist helps 🙏 looking forward to share more about this project over the next year :)
store.steampowered.com/app/4026760/...
Every wishlist helps 🙏 looking forward to share more about this project over the next year :)
store.steampowered.com/app/4026760/...
Heart Drive on Steam
Catch giant fish from the top of your car, upgrade your equipment and uncover the mystery behind the legendary „Heart Drive“. Embark on a journey of action, friendship and letting go, in this fast-pac...
store.steampowered.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Hey uuuuuh @fishingminigames.bsky.social does this count?