Game Links

Play on Horizon Worlds: https://horizon.meta.com/world/600266283177390/
YouTube Trailer: https://youtu.be/KVKuyNpPJtc
Vimeo Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1082733246/a18f047b1c
Game guides: https://slaythegame.dev/GoldRushTycoon/

How to Play

Start by unlocking your Logging Camp and gathering logs
Visit the Trader at the train station to sell logs for coins
Unlock new slots like the Coal Mine, Iron Mine, and Saw Mill (for processing planks)
Hire workers at the Saloon to speed up automated production
Unlock higher-tier slots using prerequisite slot chains
Expand your operation, optimize production, and grow your empire - even while you're away!

Inspiration

Gold Fever Tycoon draws inspiration from classic idle and incremental games, reimagined through the lens of the gold rush era. It captures the satisfaction of steady progression, resource automation, and strategic management - all set in a gritty Old West world where every camp, mine, and mill feeds your rise to riches. From humble beginnings to a booming empire, every upgrade tells part of your frontier story!

What it does

Simulates a tycoon loop where players gather, refine, and trade resources to expand a frontier empire
Creates an immersive world with atmospheric sound, stylized lighting, and authentic frontier-era structures
Uses Horizon Worlds’ Local Mode to show each player their own persistent UI and progress
Supports real-time and offline progression, with dynamic selling prices and unlockable areas

How we built it

Designed a scalable backend architecture to manage game state, slot progression, worker logic, and resource flow
Leveraged persistent save data, event dispatching, and ownership transfer patterns to manage complex player-specific states
Implemented a unified UI architecture where every screen (trader, saloon, slot) reacts to networked data through a shared handler
Built a rich world environment with western-inspired terrain, structures, and staging to ground the player in the setting

Challenges we ran into

Entity count and maintaining performance with an abundance of models
Creating a clean architecture for modular slots, trader logic, and worker hiring while handling persistent save data
Designing an intuitive UI system that scales with player progression and remains legible across devices
Managing player-specific UI updates in a multiplayer world using Horizon Worlds’ networked events and Local Mode scripting
Balancing the game economy across progression tiers to ensure meaningful offline and active gameplay

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Developed a fully modular slot system with unlock conditions, production stats, and storage limits
Built a functional trading system with dynamic pricing and a responsive sell interface
Designed custom UIs for resources, slot info, trader menus, and saloon hiring - all localized per player and optimized for performance

What we learned

Designing scalable systems for slot logic and progression unlocks demanded clear structuring of prerequisites and dependencies
Managing state per player in Horizon Worlds requires careful synchronization and event handling, especially with UI visibility and interactivity
Designing for idle gameplay means rethinking the pacing, making sure that progress feels rewarding even when players are offline
Testing UI across multiple resolutions and devices is essential to prevent layout issues, especially with scroll views and world-space panels

What's next for Gold Rush Tycoon

Introduce prestige mechanics where players reset progress for permanent upgrades
Add seasonal events (gold rushes, natural disasters) to challenge and reward players
Create worker specialization and training, letting players upgrade their workforce
Implement transport chains (wagons, trains) to manage and optimize logistics
Expand visual customization - Let players personalize their frontier with cosmetics
Polish art, sound design, and animations for full thematic immersion

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