Mega Western Tycoon

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How to play

Start by following along to the Tutorial questline (Purchase Logging Camp, hire a worker, etc.)
Visit the Trader to sell your logs (or other resources) for coins
Unlock new buildings like the Coal Mine, Iron Mine, and Saw Mill (for processing planks)
Hire workers at the Saloon to speed up automated production
Expand your operation, optimize production, and grow your western empire

Inspiration

The inspiration for this update was to fundamentally evolve 'Mega Western Tycoon' from a classic resource management game into a rich, narrative-driven adventure. We wanted to move beyond simple profit motives, influenced by games with strong, humorous storytelling that cleverly integrates with gameplay, where the mechanics serve the story. This led us to ask a critical question: "What if the tycoon gameplay wasn't just about getting rich, but about 'fixing' a buggy, unfinished game world from the inside?"

This question became our core creative pillar: A meta-narrative where the player, a strangely smooth and well-rendered individual, arrives in a low-poly world that's clearly falling apart at the seams. They are tasked by a glitchy, permanently T-posing Quest Master to solve a series of increasingly bizarre, system-level problems. Producing planks isn't just for profit; it's a critical component needed to 're-compile the de-rezzed hands' of a piano player. This humorous story reframes the entire experience, providing a powerful motivation that transforms potential grind into hilarious, tangible goals, giving players a sense of purpose from their first cosmetic purchase to their ultimate decision to Rebirth

What it does

Simulates a full tycoon loop where players gather, refine, and sell resources to grow a self-sustaining frontier economy
Real-time and offline progression
Adaptive resource pricing & trader events

How we built it - The changes we've made

This update was a major undertaking centered on our unique Quest system. We built a robust framework that presents quests through a custom UI, working in concert with the Horizon Worlds gizmos. This system is the backbone of our new experience, delivering not only the 30-quest humorous story but also integrating evolving milestones that unlock Trophies, and a daily quest system with multiplying rewards. This was all built alongside the Homestead system, with its permit-based unlocks and dozens of cosmetics, and the Rebirth system, which provides our ultimate endgame loop

This was a highly collaborative team effort. Wes, our developer, built the entire backend system that powers the quests, the Homestead, Rebirth, and the economy. Slaying, our UI master, designed and implemented all the custom UI for these systems. Slater handled the level design, authored the quest content, and meticulously balanced the game economy and progression loops

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was twofold: Implementing our ambitious, custom quest system while simultaneously re-balancing the entire game economy to support it. The quest system was designed for maximum player immersion and driven by our own unique UI. This technical hurdle was significant.

Furthermore, every new feature - From Quests to the Homestead system and Cosmetic system - Injected rewards and new currency sinks (like Gold Bars) into the game. This required a strategic, top-to-bottom revision of our economy to ensure the progression felt rewarding without being broken. It was a delicate balancing act between technical implementation, economic design, and creating compelling long-term loops like the Rebirth system to ensure the final experience was seamless and compelling

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are most proud of how our multifaceted progression systems work together to create a cohesive and satisfying player journey. The quest system, with its mix of story, daily, and milestone rewards, provides constant motivation. This is perfectly complemented by the Western Homestead, our premier sharing feature. The system of purchasing four distinct Building Permits with valuable Gold Bars creates a fantastic mid-game progression goal. Unlocking each permit opens up new Cosmetics, allowing players to purchase over 30 unique items and build a truly personalized and shareable space that stands as a testament to their success

Finally, the Rebirth system provides a true endgame, giving veteran players a reason to engage with the core loop again, but with powerful permanent bonuses. Seeing a player complete the story, build out their dream homestead, and then willingly choose to Rebirth to do it all again, but faster - That is the culmination of our design philosophy and what makes us most proud

What we've learned

Far too much to put into words. This was a huge learning experience for all of us!

What's next for Mega Western Tycoon

For our next major update, the workers will be the cornerstone. We plan to move beyond the current generic workforce and build a much deeper, more strategic worker management system. This includes introducing different types of workers, each with unique skills or specializations, allowing players to make more tactical decisions about their assignments
Farm production line. This will allow players to grow food, creating a dedicated upkeep resource for their workers that will be managed through the Saloon. This adds a new and interesting economic loop to the game. To further expand this system, we plan to add premium, paid "Super Workers" who offer significant production boosts, providing a new monetization avenue while giving highly-invested players powerful new tools for their empire.