Dear Mark, and other players,

I have been hooked on the Starters Orders series for some time (am actually still deeply engrossed in SO5, but will likely make the transition to SO6 soon).

I have never taken part in any of the online leagues, as they seem quite daunting to a relative newbie, but I will definitely graduate at some point.

I have a couple of questions for Mark, really, but maybe other players may also have an idea if these hoped for the future may be possible (even logistically):

1) Could we ever have the option to play a multiplayer game? By this, I envisage hours of enjoyment by playing the same game with a friend, who is also a complete SO addict. I would think it would be amazing if we could both run our own stables within the same game, which would of course allow us to compete our horses against each other's, with game time moving at the same pace. One thing that puts me off the online leagues is that I feel my time would always prevent me from being in any way competitive (as my champion would likely be so far behind other people's, based largely on them having played for far more game hours to get their champion than I could ever hope to). If we could play a multiplayer game that progresses at the same pace, this would level the playing field I feel.

2) I wonder whether the idea to make the online leagues/races run for real prize money has ever been mooted? I used to play a game like this for real money (Reality Racing) but it dwindled due to the smallish pool of players and a complete dominance by a few. If there was a way to level the playing field between breeders (e.g. as in the multiplayer scenario discussed above, where game time moves at the same pace for everyone) then I could see this being of major appeal to lots of players.

Once again, I love this game, and am hugely grateful to Mark and the team for making it what it is. I can't wait to get to grips with SO6!