Drones vs Turrets

Asset inside

Inspiration

We wanted to create a lightweight, reusable system to showcase and test basic combat mechanics. The idea was to strip our Outpost World down to its core: drones attacking and turrets defending.

What it does

Drones vs Turrets demonstrates a simple combat loop where drones actively target turrets or players, and turrets automatically detect and fire back at incoming threats. It’s designed as a module that can be reused, extended, or plugged into larger experiences.

How we built it

We used Meta’s Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor with TypeScript to implement AI behaviors, turret targeting, and projectile logic. The system is modular and can easily be configured for different use cases. Models for the Asset Demo are created with the Meta Horizon AI

Challenges we ran into

Balancing AI drone behavior with turret response timing was tricky, as was keeping performance smooth in multiplayer. Making the logic reusable and flexible also took extra planning.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a clean and reusable combat system that works across VR, web, and mobile. Drones feel responsive, turrets behave reliably, and the system is ready to integrate into bigger projects.

What we learned

We learned how to build modular AI behaviors, optimize combat interactions for performance, and design with reusability in mind.

What's next for Drones vs Turrets

We plan to add more drone types, turret variations, health and damage systems, and scoring mechanics. Long-term, this module can serve as the foundation for larger tower-defense or co-op combat experiences. For this demo we stripped a lot of different patterns we have for our drones in the main world.