Bora Bora

Inspiration

Our inspiration comes from the stunning beauty and tranquil atmosphere of Bora Bora, combined with the fun and playful nature of mini-games. We wanted to create a world where players can relax and explore a vibrant, beautiful island while also having a variety of exciting activities to jump into. The goal was to build a space that offers more than just one type of experience, allowing players to choose their own adventure, whether that's a competitive challenge or a peaceful exploration.

What it does

Bora Bora is a multi-game experience that lets you explore a gorgeous tropical island while enjoying various sub-games. The world features a lush environment with an inviting lagoon, a serene rose garden, and a cozy island bar.

Players can dive into several unique game modes:

Run Pineapple: A fast-paced racing game where you must navigate through obstacles and avoid the "Pineapple's" gaze to reach the finish line within three minutes.

Pearl & Fish: A challenging collection game set on the lagoon. Use a basket to collect rotating white pearls while dodging the yellow flying fish, which will cost you points.

Battle Now!: A casual player-versus-player game where players can use magic wands or water guns to tag each other. This is a great way to have some quick, competitive fun.

Beyond the games, players can also simply relax and explore the beautiful scenery. They can visit a stunning rose garden, find hidden surprises like funny seagulls, and hang out at a relaxing island bar or by the seaside vacation houses.

How we built it

Scene Building: The entire environment, from the lush vegetation to the atmospheric lighting, was built using Horizon's core creator tools. We used lighting and atmospheric gizmos to create a dynamic, beautiful atmosphere, including a serene daytime lagoon and a vibrant sunset.

Game Logic: Each mini-game was developed using Horizon's visual scripting system, which consists of interconnected logic blocks. For "Pearl & Fish," we used collision and variable logic to manage points and item collection. For "Battle Now," we set up collision logic between player avatars and the "weapons" to create the tagging effect.

Open-Source Structure: We intentionally designed the game with an open-source mindset, making the logic and objects easily accessible. Creators can easily take elements from our game to use in their own projects or build new gameplay on top of what we've already created.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was creating a seamless and bug-free experience for a multi-game world. We had to carefully manage the logic for each sub-game to ensure they didn't interfere with each other. Another hurdle was optimizing the world for smooth performance on the Meta Quest headset. As we added more models and logic, we had to continuously monitor the world's performance to keep it running smoothly.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are most proud of successfully creating a diverse, multi-game experience that offers players a choice of activities. We managed to combine competitive modes with a relaxing, exploratory atmosphere, all within a single world. We're also proud of the visual appeal of Bora Bora. The stunning lighting, atmospheric effects, and detailed environment were a huge focus, and seeing them come to life has been incredibly rewarding.

What we learned

Through this project, we learned a great deal about balancing different gameplay styles within one world. We also gained a deeper understanding of how to optimize world performance in Meta Horizon Worlds and how to use advanced lighting gizmos to create a truly immersive atmosphere. Most importantly, we learned the value of building with an open-source mindset, which not only helps the community but also encourages collaborative creativity.

What's next for Bora Bora

We have several exciting plans for future updates. We'll be adding a time-limited team battle feature to the "Battle Now!" game, allowing players to compete in teams for added fun. We also plan to introduce new hidden items and explore more creative mini-game ideas to make the island even more engaging. As an open-source project, the possibilities are endless, and we look forward to seeing what other creators will build in this world.