In fact, in order to enrich the content of the "Horizon Worlds" platform, Facebook has developed a series of simple creation tools, with the purpose of encouraging developers to create playable and interesting multiplayer mini-games. Recently, the first round of the "Horizon Worlds" Creator Acceleration Project has ended, attracting a group of creators and developers. They have socialized and learned in "Horizon Worlds", and also contributed some mini-games to the platform.
So what experiences and gains did developers have from this acceleration project? Recently, in a Q&A interview sponsored by Oculus, they shared some of their experiences:
Developers: Alex (Laex05) and Jordan (MeRcOttE27). Game: "Shop Shop".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-games you have developed.
Alex and Jordan: This is a limited-time treasure hunt game that supports multiplayer mode. Several friends can compete with each other to find the most things within a limited time.
Oculus: Why apply for the Horizon Worlds Creator Acceleration Program?
A&J: We initially wanted to learn the latest technology in "Horizon Worlds" and then post videos on YouTube to share it with everyone. Later, working with Facebook experts, we started developing content for Horizon.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
A&J: I hope players will like the food in the game. These foods are not only unique, but also full of personality. Jordan invested a lot of time in the art of the game, and we are very pleased with the results. Compared to the game's script, we prefer its art style and hope that players will play this game over and over again.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
A&J: We recently developed a hide-and-seek game called "Murder Village". This VR game takes about 3 to 5 minutes per game, is fast-paced and addictive.
Oculus: Is there anything else you would like to share?
A&J: "Horizon Worlds" and its developer community and acceleration program have changed our careers. The content we have developed so far has only scratched the surface of future VR technology. There is still more to come. Will continue to explore.
Developer: Ashley Briley (Ashe2Ashes) & Matt Torres (Tellous); Game: "Creature Mixology 101".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-games you have developed.
Ashley Briley & Matt Torres: In "Creature Mixology 101", players will play the role of students participating in science classes. During the game, you need to remember the creature drawn on the blackboard, and then mix the potions in order to create the creature. Players compete based on the scores of mixed potions.
Oculus: What was the inspiration for developing apps in Horizon Worlds?
AB: I like to play the "Sims" series of games, as well as classic simulation games such as "Spore", so I hope to interpret simulation and creative games in a new form. On the "HHorizon Worlds" platform, we can create our own world in VR, and the tools are simple enough, so we joined this platform.
MT: After Oculus launched Rift, I have always wanted to develop VR games, but popular VR development applications are not easy to use. Until I came into contact with the "Horizon Worlds" platform, I found that its creation tools and scripting tools were more suitable for my needs, so I started using this platform to develop VR games.
Oculus: Why apply for the Horizon Worlds Creator Acceleration Program?
AB: I don’t have much experience in writing code. Although the creation tools of "Horizon Worlds" are easy to use, it is slow to learn scripting by myself. Therefore, I hope to quickly learn relevant knowledge through hands-on exercises in the creator acceleration project. Additionally, I would like to learn VR content development and creation.
MT: I enjoy helping other developers solve problems on Horizon Worlds and discussing technology in depth together. Through the acceleration program, I can work directly with the "Horizon Worlds" team to learn how to build high-quality virtual worlds, and further learn the "Horizon Worlds" scripting system.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
AB: We hope that our game will bring the joy of experimentation to players and see the potential of Horizon Worlds, encouraging more people to develop content for this platform.
MT: I hope players can play with their friends and have fun.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
AB: Yes, we will release more VR worlds/games on "Horizon Worlds" in the future, some of which are already under development, including personal projects, collaboratively developed projects, etc. In addition, I also hope to share the experiences I learned in the acceleration program and create some related content.
MT: I have a lot of inspiration, but time is limited. Currently, Ashely, Ruth Diaz, and Don Carson and I are working together to develop a series of virtual worlds composed of three themes. These worlds will help diverse creators display art, host events, and more in VR.
Oculus: Is there anything else you would like to share?
AB: Developers who are developing worlds for Horizon Worlds for the first time can use Facebook groups to find partners, support resources, teaching resources, and more. Even if you don't have permission to enter "Horizon Worlds" yet, you can get to know other developers in this group in advance and learn about the development of the "Horizon Worlds" world. In addition, you can also find experience videos posted by everyone on YouTube.
Developer: Paige Dansinger (betterworldmuseum) & John Daniel Burnap (burnbuns); Game: "Horizon Future Farms".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-games you have developed.
Paige Dansinger: As the name suggests, the main gameplay of this game is to dig, plant, water, and harvest vegetables. You can score points by putting vegetables into the vegetable basket.
Oculus: Why apply for the Horizon Worlds Creator Acceleration Program?
PD: Because I want to focus on developing games for Horizon Worlds, which I think is the best platform for VR games to have a positive social impact. At the same time, I hope that in addition to the "Horizon Worlds" platform, "Horizon Future Farms" can further encourage people to live a better life and promote social interaction between people.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
PD: I hope everyone will find the gameplay of "Horizon Future Farms" interesting, simple, natural, and positive. In the game, you only need to plant, cultivate and harvest, which is a healing feeling.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
PD: "Horizon Future Farms" will continue to be developed in the future, including adding new methods of planting, creating markets, and preserving vegetables. In the future, this game will become a sustainable community farm, and 10 rewards received from the accelerator program will be donated to local urban youth farms.
Developer: Scott Michael Harris (Ubiquitouz); Game: "Crane-gry Skies".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-game you developed.
Scott Michael Harris: In this game, you will drive 4 virtual giant cranes, operating 400 meters above the ground. You'll score points by destroying objects while avoiding construction equipment and portable toilets.
Oculus: What was the inspiration for developing apps in Horizon Worlds?
SMH: I have been interested in space design since I was a child, and I have tried to create 3D spaces, 3D environments and interactive content. I've been looking for a collaborative VR development tool, and Horizon Worlds fits my needs.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
SMH: The selling points of this game are the exploration of scale, dynamics, procedurally generated levels, and vertical gameplay.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
SMH: Next, I will continue to develop another game "Ubi’z GAMEGRID". This game is a collection of mini-competition games that support one VR player and 12 other people watching the game.
I also want to add a multiplayer cyberpunk RPG exploration and puzzle-solving gameplay to the previously developed test application "Powerhats 5000".
Oculus: Is there anything else you would like to share?
SMH: I believe that just as cloud collaboration software such as Sketch and Figma will replace traditional creative applications such as AI, collaborative creation tools in VR are also expected to surpass traditional 3D development software. VR will change 3D creation, and creation in VR will be more intuitive and faster than on a 2D screen.
Developer: Ruth (uptoolate) & Marc-Julien; Game: "Waffle O'Clock".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-games you have developed.
Ruthamp; Marc-Julien: The game is set during the night shift at Waffle O’Clock, where animals escape from the local zoo and come here to eat waffles. The gameplay of this game is similar to a cooking simulation, where players need to complete the orders of animals within a limited time.
The inspiration for this work came from Ruth, and the game script was responsible for Marc-Julien. At the same time, they completed the development of the game with the collaboration of the Horizon team. In the future, based on the existing gameplay, we will also launch independent competitive games or multi-player collaborative experiences.
Oculus: What was the inspiration for developing apps in Horizon Worlds?
MJ: I like to develop VR spaces, and I find that the development tools of "Horizon Worlds" are more lightweight than Unity or Unreal, making it easier and faster to develop low-threshold VR casual games.
After joining the "Horizon Worlds" development community, I met another developer Laex05, who helped me build my interest and enthusiasm for developing spaces for Horizon Worlds, and he also turned my inspiration into A mini-game called "Last to Burn" was created. In this game, players will walk on falling blocks and escape from the lava beneath them.
I then joined the Horizon Worlds Creator Accelerator, which further heightened my interest in developing content for the platform, and I met more and more developers who I look forward to working with in the future. .
R: I like VR and the social aspect of Horizon Worlds. On this platform, I can develop applications with other developers, share ideas, and communicate together, so I like Horizon Worlds.
Oculus: Why apply for the Horizon Worlds Creator Acceleration Program?
MJ: First of all, I hope to learn more from the Horizon team, and I hope to use my scripting experience to help Ruth realize her game inspiration.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
MJ: Ruth hopes that through the "Waffle O'Clock" game, players will discover that making waffles is easy. For me, I pay more attention to the game experience, so I hope that players will feel comfortable, satisfied with the interaction in the game, and find it interesting.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
MJ: We will continue to develop “Waffle O’Clock” with the help of the Horizon team. In addition, I will continue to develop my first VR space: "Space Patio", combining the experience learned in the accelerated project to improve the interaction in the space.
"Space Patio" is not a game space, but a space for social interaction, chatting, and enjoying the scenery.
I will also continue to develop another application "Flight Rockets test demo", in this space you can fly with the help of two rocket launchers. I will not only further improve the interaction of the game, but also develop some tools for others to create on this basis.
Oculus: Is there anything else you would like to share?
MJ: I think the best VR social experience is to give people a sense of presence. Therefore, developers can maximize immersion through gameplay such as large space exploration, try to avoid using joysticks to turn, and encourage players to stand and experience. In addition, developers can also experience the immersive world in "Horizon Worlds" themselves, explore and enjoy the virtual scenery in VR.
Developer: Samantha Nunoo (SammyX09) & Malcolm Langille (Soloo); Game: "Ice-Cream Frenzy".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-games you have developed.
Samantha Nunooamp; Malcolm Langille: "Ice-Cream Frenzy" is set in an ice cream shop. Players, as customers, need to use cones to pick up ice cream within a limited time. The waiter Scoopy is responsible for launching ice cream. She will also throw some garbage in the sky, so you need to avoid the garbage. The player who scores points in the game will be the winner.
Oculus: What was the inspiration for developing apps in Horizon Worlds?
SN&ML: The first world I developed in Horizon Worlds was based on a 2D game I designed in high school. I hope to re-present this 2D game in 3D in VR, and add multiplayer gameplay and multiple levels. So, with the help and encouragement of the "Horizon Worlds" development community, I completed the development of this world.
Oculus: What experience do you hope this mini-game brings to others, and why?
SN&ML: I hope players will find this game simple and interesting to play.
Developer: Reuben Hoper (5andw1ch); Game: "Money Madness".
Oculus: Please introduce the mini-game you developed.
Reuben Hopper: In Money Madness, you enter a game show and your goal is to get money out of a money vortex and put it in your bag.
Oculus: What was the inspiration for developing apps in Horizon Worlds?
RH: Horizon Worlds' creative tools are very easy to use.
Oculus: What’s next? Will there be new content developed for Horizon Worlds?
RH: Next, I will develop a new VR world: "Magic Mania", which will be a PvP type magic battle game. Reference: Oculus