LZR[X] - ARES

Inspiration - Rocket League, Pinball, Air-Hockey, Ice-Hockey, Horizon Worlds tutorials, and Tron

What it does - A high octane pinball like battle arena that also plays well in single player. Players have 3 minutes to build a score stack through collecting orbs by shooting an air-hockey puck at them, and poach the stack through scoring goals. The winner is the player who has collected the most points. This promotes engagement through strategy and can also encourage sneaky tactics from stealing the score stack before a competitor does.

How we built it - It was built with the limitations of Horizon Worlds in mind. The emissive materials inspired the Tron-like aesthetic meaning I could build a visually interesting game with limited geometry. Some models in the game used GenAI to create Hero Assets that attract the player to relevant points in the lobby, such as Game Start, Objectives, and Save World.

Challenges we ran into - Prior to the update, players would only spend 1 or 2 minutes in the game. From discussing experiences with players I understood that sometimes it wasn't obvious what to do, even to the extent that placing a laser in front of a player didn't automatically mean they would pick it up and start a match. I overcame this with implementing ForceHold on grabbable objects. Adding clear directions on how to start a match. And spawning players straight into a match on entering. This has helped give players a more intuitive FTUE. I also improved the aim of the laser, although I do need to work on the aim automatically tracking the puck when it is in sight. Aim Assist in this instance only seems to work on Projectile Gizmos which isn't the main mechanic for the laser. I also need to work on an object tracker UI so the puck is easier to find, however I did implement a Trail which helps when it is in motion.

Accomplishments that we're proud of - Several hundred players joined this month which was great, and I am working on improving retention. A lot of these users probably fell foul to the poor FTUE of the original incarnation. A new themed arena looks cleaner and the single player experience is a lot of fun with more challenge. New challenges and power-ups make the experience more engaging and meaningful. I put more focus on the pinball elements including adding multipliers and "puck madness" (additional pucks in play)

What we learned - FTUE is essential and creating fun within 20 seconds will make or break the time spent within the experience. I've managed to implement supplementary mods to the laser using the projectile Gizmo including shrink grenades, and growth serum as well as improving the laser to attack other players with a force push.

What's next for LZR[X] - ARES - Further mods can be developed including gravity effects and slow down. New arena themes to keep it fresh. Collectibles / Orbs with different values, including negative. I am researching pinball to make it even more exciting. Improved player progression and tracking. Better discoverability

Built With

• typescript