Inspiration
Gem Pets was inspired by a love of creature collecting and cozy exploration games. I wanted to build a peaceful world where players could unwind, mine for resources, and form meaningful connections with magical crystal creatures. The idea came from wanting to blend creativity, humor, and discovery in a world that feels alive and welcoming.
What it does
In Gem Pets, players explore the world of Gemythia, mine ore and convert it into gems, or find gems scattered across the land. These gems can be used to summon pets or buy better gear. The goal is to collect all the pets, upgrade equipment, and enjoy the relaxing environments, chatting with friendly NPCs or taking a break in beautiful, colorful areas.
How we built it
The world was created in Meta Horizon, using GenAI throughout development. I leverage an existing template for the mining system and built on top of that. I also used a public asset (Simple Pet Asset) for the pet system. Meta AI generated NPC avatars, AI voices brought them to life, AI-assisted environment generation helped shape the biomes, and AI coding support streamlined systems like the pickup and summoning system.
Challenges we ran into
It was hard finding the right balance between AI-generated assets and custom design also required iteration. Some of the AI tools are still in their infancy like the NPC AI generator, but I am excited for what is to come. My biggest challenge was time. I started too late and am excited to get back to work on the game once the judging period is over.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Bringing Gemythia to life as a vibrant, functional world filled with character interactions and pets all built for both VR and mobile is something I’m really proud of. Being able to play this with my kids and have them actually walk around in the world is beyond cool.
What we learned
I learned how to leverage GenAI tools effectively while still keeping a personal, handcrafted feel. I also learned a lot about performance optimization and world design in Horizon.
What's next for Gem Pets
Next, I plan to polish the world, add more social events, expand to new islands, improve pet quality, and increase pet interactivity. I would love players to be able to create their own custom pets. This is my first Meta Horizon creation and my first time developing for mobile and I’m excited to keep growing Gem Pets after the review period.
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