Inspiration: What inspired you to create this world? What other worlds or media influenced your creative direction?

Our team was inspired to create a world that blends engaging gameplay with an environmental mission, highlighting the importance of protecting our planet.

Key inspirations:

The concept of rescuing animals affected by an oil spill, emphasizing environmental awareness in a fun, satisfying way.
Transforming animals as players clean and restore them, reinforcing the idea that small actions can spark big change.
Collaboration within the Women in Horizon team, where 14 initial concepts were refined into a cohesive vision of a whimsical and impactful environment.

Influences from other Horizon Worlds:

Plants, which showcased the magic of collective progress.
Puzzle Paradise, which highlighted collaborative problem-solving.
Artistic influences, including Paige's Better World Museum and the diverse creators in Horizon Worlds, inspired a joyful, playful design.

This project embodies our goal to inspire environmental awareness while celebrating the achievements of a purpose-driven, all-female team.

How We Built It: What were the key tools and processes you used to create the world? Who contributed and how?

Spill 2 Sparkle was a collaborative effort combining structured planning and in-world creativity to build an immersive experience.

Tools Used:

Communication: Horizon Workrooms, Facebook Messenger.
Design: Procreate, Blender, Gravity Sketch, Adobe Substance Modeler.
World Building: Horizon Worlds in-world tools.

Key Contributions:

WillowmoonArt: A VR artist since 2018, her vibrant creations are featured in VR Chat, Mozilla Hubs, and AR exhibitions.
- Designed six low-polygon animals with three variations each (clean, oily, wet).
- Optimized performance using tools like Blender and Substance Painter.
IamtheEvidence: A graphic designer and motivational speaker since 2005, she brings creative ideas to life in AR/VR.
- Created dynamic graphics and logos to enhance visual storytelling.
UtterlyOtter: A retired USAF veteran and former Meta AR engineer, she's a long time builder in Horizon Worlds and an advocate for underrepresented groups in tech.
- Developed intuitive scripting mechanics to balance player freedom and guidance.
- Solved complex scripting challenges to optimize performance across platforms.
Metaverse Paige: Founder of Women in Horizon and a Global Ambassador for the VR/AR Association.
- Provided leadership, set timelines, and ensured inclusivity in decision-making.
- Contributed hand-drawn assets, dynamic water systems, music, and leaderboards.
TinksPlayground: founder of ARTOPIA.
- Added layered skydomes, octopuses, realistic oil spill effects, and whimsical selfie frames.
- Documented the build process and championed creative collaboration
Dr. Ronda Taylor (BlackSandz): A serial entrepreneur and founder of Startup Sprint, she bridges VR and real-world communities.
- Managed the project with detailed agendas, music curation, and storyline integration.

Together, we created a space that reflects our collective strengths and shared purpose.

Challenges: What were the biggest difficulties you encountered and how did you overcome them?

Building Spill 2 Sparkle came with challenges that required adaptability and innovation:

Mobile Optimization:
- Balancing immersive gameplay with the limitations of smaller screens.
- Solution: Rigorous experimentation and testing to ensure accessibility for mobile users.
File Size Reduction:
- Using tools like Blender and Adobe Substance Modeler to create optimized, low-poly assets.
- Workflow: Decimating models and refining topology to meet performance constraints.
Overwhelming Ideas and Tasks:
- Many elements didnâ€™t make it into the final project but served as valuable learning experiences.
Platform Capacity Limits:
- Constraints restricted animation of detailed assets, pushing us to innovate within boundaries.
Learning Curve:
- Team members learned new tools (e.g., Typescript, AI generators, Blender) under tight deadlines.
Diverse Visions:
- Alignment required open communication and trust to merge creative strengths into a cohesive vision.

Despite these challenges, the team's patience, support, and determination turned obstacles into opportunities for growth and innovation.

Accomplishments: Which parts of your world, or your building process, are you most proud of?

Our team is proud of both the technical achievements and the collaborative process behind Spill 2 Sparkle.

Technical Achievements:
- Created visually stunning, low-polygon animal models (< 2,000 polygons) with advanced textures like shiny and metallic finishes.
- Developed intuitive game mechanics that balance guidance and freedom.
- Designed a shared scoring system to foster teamwork and celebrate collective progress.
Collaborative Process:
- Vibrant environments featuring custom skyboxes, colorful shells, and octopuses.
- A logo and subtle environmental messaging to reinforce the game's purpose.
- A creative process that highlighted each team member's unique contributions, making the experience deeply fulfilling.

What You Learned: What new skills or knowledge did you gain? What lessons did you learn?

This project allowed us to grow technically, creatively, and personally:

Technical Growth:
- Mastered tools like Blender, optimizing low-poly assets and ensuring smooth gameplay across platforms.
- Learned model decimation, UV unwrapping, and AI-generated audio design to enhance gameplay.
Creative Insights:
- Balanced artistic quality with technical constraints.
- Enhanced storytelling through emotional and social audio cues.
Personal Growth:
- Tackled unfamiliar challenges like scripting and asset importation.
- Strengthened collaboration skills by valuing feedback and iteration.

Above all, we discovered the power of shared creativity, proving that a united vision can achieve limitless possibilities.

Next Steps: How are you going to keep improving the world?

Our team is eager to expand Spill 2 Sparkle with new features and opportunities for player engagement:

Gameplay Enhancements:
- Introduce adventure elements, allowing players to explore and discover rare animals.
- Add collaborative challenges like rescuing and cleaning massive animals (e.g., whales).
- Incorporate hidden treasures, mini-games, and quests to keep players engaged.
New Environments:
- Expand to coral reefs or riverbanks with unique challenges and environmental messages.
- Real-World Connections:
- Add in-world merchandise (e.g., t-shirts) with options to purchase in real life.
- Partner with animal rescue organizations to align with real-world impact.
Future Goals:
- Present at events like the Games for Change Summit and AWE in 2025 to showcase our mission.
- Continue exploring meaningful, impactful experiences in the metaverse.

Spill 2 Sparkle was brought to life through the remarkable collaboration and diverse expertise of our all-female team from Women in Horizon. This project marks the beginning of our team’s journey to create innovative, purpose-driven worlds that inspire players to make a difference. Keep your eye on us! We're changing the world one game at time.

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Built With

blender
canva
chatgpt
discord
emptyeventhelpjosephbranecik
facebookmessenger
garrettskyassetpack
google-drive
gravitysketchvr
horizonworkrooms
horizonworlds
midjourneyai
movavi
nomadsculpt
pages
photoshop
postermywall
powerpoint
premierepro
procreate
rodinai
seeingblueiteratinglist
substancemodeler
substancepainter
suno
sunoai
tinypng
udio
youtube

Try it out

horizon.meta.com