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Game Controls
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Game Weapons
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Map Selection
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Lobby2
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District one, map 1
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Lobby 1
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Inspiration
🎮 Inspiration
Hey, RJ_the_Creator here!
I previously built a world called Battle for Steel City: Zone One, part of a larger universe I’ve been developing across Horizon Worlds. The vision includes 4–5 interconnected worlds that span narrative arcs, shared assets, and evolving gameplay systems.
Zone Wars was always intended to be the centerpiece of the universe — the fast-paced, replayable, chaos-filled PvP game that funnels players into the calmer, more exploration-driven open-world zones (Zone 1–3). Everything is tied together with cross-world objectives, daily missions, and a branching narrative that evolves with the players.
Zone Wars' core gameplay was inspired by classic PS1-era shooters and Xbox 360’s Gears of War. The symmetry of Gears’ multiplayer maps really stuck with me — each team starts on opposite sides with identical layouts and meets in the middle where the chaos ensues.
🔫 How I Built It
We built the core experience with the following gameplay pillars in mind:
🎯 Symmetrical Map Design
Each match begins with both teams on equal footing, featuring three mid-lane paths for:
- Flanking
- Sniping
- Close-range brawls
🪖 Three-Weapon Loadouts (inspired by Gears of War)
We followed a loadout structure of:
- Pistol: Lightweight, fast reload
- Rifle: Mid-range all-purpose
- Shotgun: Devastating up close
Each weapon comes with:
- Damage Profiles
- Movement Speed Penalties
- Jump Height Modifiers
Mathematically, we balanced player speed based on weapon weight using a simple scale:
$$ v = v_0 - (w \cdot \alpha) $$
Where:
- ( v ) is current speed
- ( v_0 ) is base speed
- ( w ) is weapon weight factor
- ( \alpha ) is a constant (balance multiplier)
💥 Power Weapon Spawns
Game-changing heavy weapons include:
- Boom Launcher
- Mindshredder Sniper
- Storm Machine Gun
These have high:
- Damage Output
- Fire Rate
- Blast Radius
They spawn on timers to drive map control and team coordination.
🧠 Team Strategy Emphasis
Zone Wars is built around cooperative play, with success depending on:
- Positioning
- Timing
- Weapon awareness
- Map control
🎨 Progression System
"Season Pass" for players looking to level up faster and earn exclusive monthly rewards.
- 🎨 Unlock-able weapon skins
- 🎭 Cosmetic masks
- 🧠 XP-based leveling
- 🗓️ Planned seasonal content
A simple XP gain model used:
$$ XP = k \cdot (K + A + O) $$
Where:
- ( K ) = Kills
- ( A ) = Assists
- ( O ) = Objectives Completed
- ( k ) = scaling multiplier
🔧 Challenges We Faced
🐞 Projectile Bug After Launch
Shortly after launch in February, Horizon introduced a projectile bug:
- Shots would pass through players without registering damage
- 1–2 players per match became invincible
- Games felt broken and unfair
- Player retention dropped fast
This bug lasted weeks, and by the time it was resolved, our momentum had vanished. We lost visibility on menus and searches, making organic traffic near impossible.
📚 What We Learned
⏳ Timing is Everything
A great launch window can be ruined by bugs. First impressions matter.
⚖️ Balance is Critical
- Equal maps
- Tactical weapon design
- Defined team roles
These all contribute to fair, fun PvP.
🔁 Progression Drives Retention
Unlockables and leveling systems provide motivation to return.
🧱 Don’t Give Up
Even when traffic dies, if the game’s core is solid, it’s worth rebuilding.
🔄 What’s Next
We're relaunching Zone Wars as part of the Meta Horizon Creator Competition with:
- 🔧 Fixed bugs and improved weapon feedback
- 📱 Mobile-friendly UI
- ✨ Enhanced visual polish
- 💥 Rebalanced power weapons
- 🔓 New progression unlocks
- 🌍 Cross-world integration with Steel City universe
- 🕒 Planned seasonal and narrative events
We still believe Zone Wars can be one of Horizon’s best competitive shooters — and now, we’re back and pushing harder than ever to prove it.
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