Project Story

Inspiration

I love building escape rooms in Horizon Worlds, but I kept running into the same problem: every time I wanted to add a door, timer, or password system, I had to code everything from scratch. It was frustrating and time-consuming.

I noticed other creators had the same struggles. People would ask in Discord: "How do I make a door that opens with a password?" or "Can someone help me with a timer system?" The same questions came up over and over.

That's when I realized - what if I could create a toolkit that solves these problems once and for all? Something that any creator could just drop into their world and customize to fit their vision.

What it does

The Escape Room Toolkit provides 8 modular, fully-documented scripts that work together or independently:

CustomDoor.ts: Animated doors with sliding/hinged movement, realistic physics, and audio feedback
CustomKeyboard.ts: Professional on-screen keyboards with customizable layouts (numpad, keyboard..), colors, and security features
Key.ts: Physics-based grabbable keys with collision detection and tag-based matching systems
TimerUI.ts: Sophisticated timer displays with leaderboard integration and persistent storage
CollectibleCollector.ts: Real-time collection systems with progress tracking
TriggerStartTimer.ts/TriggerEndTimer.ts: Precise timing triggers for competitive challenges
TriggerOpenDoor.ts: Proximity-based automatic door systems

Each script is infinitely customizable. Creators can adjust colors, sizes, animations, sounds, and behaviors to match their unique vision.

How I built it

Architecture Philosophy: I designed each script as an independent, reusable module that communicates through Horizon's event system. This ensures maximum flexibility and prevents the "all-or-nothing" approach that makes many toolkits hard to use.

Documentation-First Approach: Before writing code, I planned comprehensive documentation. Each script includes:

Complete setup guides in header comments
Property explanations with examples
Integration instructions
Troubleshooting sections
Real-world use cases

User Experience Focus: I tested each component with actual creators, iterating based on feedback to ensure the APIs were intuitive and the documentation was clear.

Technical Implementation:

Event-driven architecture for easy integration and customization
TypeScript for a better developer experience
Horizon UI framework for professional interfaces

Challenges we ran into

Making it beginner-friendly: Many creators aren't comfortable with code. I had to write instructions that someone who's never scripted before could follow.

Getting the timing right: Timers seem simple, but making them accurate across different network conditions and keeping leaderboards synced was tricky.

Balancing simplicity and power: I wanted the scripts to be easy to use out of the box, but also give advanced users full control. Finding that balance took many iterations.

Documentation Balance: Finding the right level of detail, comprehensive enough for beginners, concise enough to not overwhelm experienced creators

Fully customizable: Making sure creators can customize as much and easy as possible!

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Professional Quality: Each script meets Horizon worlds api standards

Beginner Accessibility: Complete newcomers can successfully implement complex systems using our documentation.

Advanced Customization: Experienced creators have full control over every aspect of appearance and behavior.

Modular Design: Scripts work perfectly alone or in combination, giving creators ultimate flexibility.

Comprehensive Documentation: Over 1000 lines of comments and guides ensure creators understand not just "how" but "why."

Multi-platform integration: Mobile-friendly for more inclusivity

What we learned

Documentation is Everything: The difference between a good tool and a great tool is documentation. Comprehensive guides transform complex systems into accessible building blocks.

User Testing is Critical: Real creator feedback revealed assumptions and led to significant improvements in usability.

Performance Matters: Smooth animations and responsive interfaces are essential for professional-feeling experiences.

What's next for Escape Room Toolkit

Expanded Component Library: Additional scripts for elevators, moving platforms, particle effects, and advanced puzzle mechanics.

Advanced Integration: Deeper integration with Horizon's social features, achievements, and progression systems.

I want to keep expanding this based on what creators actually need.

The dream is to make escape room creation so easy that anyone with a good idea can bring it to life, regardless of their technical background. I want to see what amazing experiences people create when the technical barriers are removed.

I'm also excited to see how other creators might improve or extend these scripts. That's the beauty of open source, we can all build on each other's work :)