Sketchy Minerz

Inspiration

Sketchy Minerz was inspired by the gritty, bold aesthetics of cel-shaded games like Borderlands. I’ve always been drawn to the way those games blend comic book visuals with chaotic gameplay, and I wanted to bring that same energy to Horizon Worlds. The goal was to create a hand-drawn world that feels unpredictable, adventurous, and full of character—something that stood out visually and thematically in the metaverse.

What It Does

Sketchy Minerz is a Deep South, hillbilly-themed mining adventure that drops players into an over-the-top world of blasting rocks, collecting gems, dodging falling debris, and outsmarting environmental hazards. You’ll navigate crumbling mines, upgrade your equipment, explore with friends, and visit a dusty gas station to trade in your loot or admire limited-run merch.

Players interact with a live in-world economy, where gem and stone prices update hourly. You can even race trucks across the desert or team up to conquer deeper mine levels together. And yes—your new best friend Cletus is along for the ride.

How We Built It

We developed Sketchy Minerz using a combination of tools and platforms to bring every detail to life:

Horizon Worlds primitives were used for core object construction, interactive components, and spatial layout.
TypeScript was leveraged heavily for advanced scripting logic, including currency exchange mechanics, player upgrades, item use, and custom inventory systems.
Codeblocks were used alongside TypeScript for quick prototyping, visual logic branching, and per-player HUD events. In many cases, we had to creatively bridge TypeScript and Codeblocks to get certain multiplayer systems working correctly.
Blender was used to model custom props, trucks, and environmental details with optimized geometry for mobile and VR performance.
Procreate allowed us to create our cel-shaded textures and hand-painted UI icons, adding personality and stylization to the overall look.

We also developed a fully custom shop system that bypasses Horizon’s default gizmos, allowing for better player feedback, durability checks, and repeat purchases.

Challenges We Ran Into

We ran into plenty of roadblocks—both figurative and literal. Major issues included:

TypeScript and Codeblock integration problems, especially with shared data persistence across players
Delays and bugs in syncing object states like oxygen tanks and interactive lockers
Optimization bottlenecks due to complex environments and collision-heavy mine setups
Script references breaking in Horizon’s desktop editor and frequent rollback issues during testing

Despite that, we learned to iterate fast, compartmentalize systems, and isolate bugs before scaling features up.

Accomplishments We're Proud Of

We got the oxygen tanks working with per-player timers
Lockers now function with local inventory logic, keeping track of what each player owns and storing gear safely
Our custom economy exchange updates live every hour using randomized multipliers for stone and gem values
Players can seamlessly transition from mining to racing to shopping—without scene transitions or teleport gimmicks

What We Learned

Persistence and patience are crucial when building complex systems in Horizon
Mixing Codeblocks and TypeScript gives you massive flexibility—but also forces you to plan architecture early
Custom solutions are often better than default gizmos when it comes to durability, repeatability, and user experience
You need a great team, solid documentation, and a sense of humor when rocks start falling on your head every 5 seconds

What's Next for Sketchy Minerz

Expanding the mine system with new biomes, including lava caverns and crystal chambers
Introducing stronger bombs and digging tools, like the C4 X-Treme and the Thunder Drill
Adding a fleet of new trucks with stats, upgrades, and desert racing challenges
NPC dialogue trees for Cletus and his cousin Skeeter, who might just sell you black market gear
Daily and weekly contracts from the Gas Station bulletin board, giving players new ways to earn and explore

This is just the surface—we're building Sketchy Minerz to be a living world that grows, evolves, and surprises players with every update.