Horizon Worlds

Core Loop Design for Retention

Horizon Creator Academy

Hands-On Challenge: Grab Interactions in Mobile

Adding Core Loops for Retention

Five Flavors of Sticky Core Loops

Video Library | Learn with Video Tutorials

Meta Horizon Creator Program

Category: Creator Forum | Meta Community Forums⁠

Hands-On Challenge Overview

This challenge introduces you to the motivating the player. Every world has a core gameplay loop and the player must be motivated to repeat that loop over and over again. Keeping the player motivated during the play session and motivated enough to return is the goal of every world.

You’ll learn how to:

Motivate players to repeat the core gameplay loop.

Estimated Time: 1 hour

What You'll Need:

A world is a complete gameplay loop.

Access to the desktop editor.

One or more players that have never experienced your world's core gameplay loop.

Challenge Steps:

While this challenge may seem daunting and highly detailed the tasks are quite simple. Follow along at your own pace and you will be conversing with your NPC in no time.

1. Create a cosmetic item

This task requires you to create a cosmetic item that will be used as a motivational tool to get players to perform the loop several times to earn it. This item can be a skin of a tool used in the loop or an avatar item they can use in the world.

Set a price requirement for the item.

Make it equipable, so that once the player has it they can use it as intended.

Once the item is set up to be purchased/unlocked and equipped by a player you can move on to the next step.

2. Create a UI display for the cosmetic item

In order for players to want something they need to know about it. This task requires you to build a display to inform the player of the item.

In the area where players join the world, create a UI display for the item.

The UI should have the image of the item and the price of the item.

The UI should also have a button that allows the player to unlock/purchase it if they have enough currency.

Once there is a display in the world that conveys what the item is, how much it costs and can be purchased, you can move on to the next step.

Level Up:

Test and Iterate: Now that you have a motivational cosmetic item and a display to inform players of it, bring in a few players to test it. Not everyone is motivated by the same things. Iterate with different cosmetic items, leaderboards and other unlockables that would pertain to your world.

Need Help?

Forum Support: Reach out to the MHCP community in the creators forums in the Questions & Discussions ⁠category.