Boomer

Boomer is a Doom-inspired, procedurally generated FPS built in Horizon that blends retro combat, focused interaction, and satirical generational NPC encounters.

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Boomer Story

Inspiration

A major inspiration for this game comes from one of the most infamous first-person shooters of the 1990s — Doom.

The team behind Doom set the standard for the first-person shooter (FPS) genre and primarily used procedural programming, which was the dominant paradigm for game development in that era.

The vision for Boomer was to create a comedic spoof of the original Doom — a first-person shooter focused on over-the-top weapons and generational stereotypes as NPC protagonists.

What it does

Boomer transports the player back to the 1990s to relive the glory of the early FPS era inspired by Doom.

Gameplay features:

  • The player begins in a 90’s-style bedroom, then is transported into a maze-like office space viewed in first-person (focused interaction).
  • A Doom-inspired HUD built with Noesis is displayed, starting with the first weapon: Coffee Hands.
  • As the Boomer, the mission is to explore the maze, survive encounters with different generational stereotypes, and find the exit to escape further social interactions.

The result is a nostalgic, humorous twist on a retro shooter.

How we built it

The game was developed using the Horizon Desktop Editor, following an art direction heavily influenced by 1990s aesthetics and Doom’s visual style.

  • Designed for mobile portrait mode.
  • Implemented procedural programming to generate mazes and spawn in-game assets such as NPCs, health, and armor.
  • Utilized Horizon’s custom NPC feature to create unique generational protagonists.
  • Emphasized innovation through procedural systems that mimic 90s development workflows.

Challenges we ran into

Development wasn’t without its hurdles — several challenges arose due to frequent updates to the Horizon Desktop Editor and Noesis framework:

  • Major updates required rework and code refactoring.
  • Late Noesis updates introduced new bugs and compatibility issues.
  • The Standalone Desktop Editor would frequently crash or lose avatar control, forcing repeated restarts.
  • Debug screens sometimes required a dozen or more resets to regain access to the world.

These issues significantly impacted iteration time during the competition.

Accomplishments we’re proud of

Despite the challenges, the team is proud of:

  • The procedural programming used to generate dynamic maze environments.
  • The distinctive art direction that pays homage to classic Doom while delivering comedic originality.

What we learned

  • Adopting new technologies like Noesis requires patience and flexibility.
  • Frequent updates to the Standalone Desktop Editor often introduce breaking changes, requiring extensive refactoring.
  • Building resilient systems and planning for instability are essential when working with evolving tools.

What’s next for Boomer

The team plans to continue developing Boomer with several key goals:

  • Enhance NPC development and interaction systems.
  • Improve combat mechanics and navigation controls.
  • Expand the artwork with more 90s-inspired assets.
  • Use procedural programming to build richer, more dynamic maze environments.

Boomer will continue to evolve as a tongue-in-cheek celebration of FPS nostalgia with a modern creative twist.

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