ProtoHORIZON

Proto HORIZON — Why This Project Exists

HORIZON is an ambitious vision: a massively multiplayer racing game on PC, rooted in a French identity, aiming for accessible realism — the mechanical depth of a Gran Turismo or an Assetto Corsa, but with the accessibility of a Forza HORIZON (hence the name, heavily inspired by it). You don't need to be a pro driver to have fun, but every parameter matters: fuel management, tire wear, mechanical constraints, faithful physics. All within a smooth open world, with as few loading screens as possible — in the spirit of what Star Citizen offers, but for racing.

But a project of this scale isn't built overnight. That's why Proto HORIZON exists.

Proto, because that's exactly what it is: an evolving prototype. My public learning ground. Each version documents my progress in mastering Unreal Engine 5, while offering a playable experience that grows and becomes more complex over time.

Proto HORIZON deliberately starts out arcade-style — simple physics, few mechanical constraints, streamlined gameplay. But with every update, the needle moves toward realism: refined physics, more believable vehicle behavior, simulation elements added progressively, gradually approaching HORIZON's final vision. It's a journey, not a shortcut.

🤖 Full transparency about AI

I currently use AI as a learning and debugging tool (I also use the internet and YouTube, don't worry) — it helps me understand Unreal Engine's systems faster, not to generate the game for me. As of today (about 2 months into development), the only AI-generated content in the project is a custom tachometer plugin (RPM gauge) that only appears in the driving HUD. I plan to replace it in the future with hand-built work once I've acquired the necessary skills, or if people join the project, to get a professional result and fully understand the content I'm offering you rather than blindly using a tool without understanding how it works. The current game logo was also AI-generated, but it's currently being reworked by a real artist.

📅 Update pace

• Major updates monthly at first, to show concrete progress.

• Then quarterly as features require more work.

• Minor updates in between if bugs or physics fixes seem like a priority.

💬 Help me build this project!

To help guide development, I've put together a short form — your answers will help me better understand what you're looking for:
👉 Fill out the French Form

👉 Fill out the English Form

Another form will come with the concept's release to gather your feedback on what you liked (even though I admit there won't be much to like yet), your expectations for this project going forward, and possibly fixes to make. Hoping I've convinced you with my explanations (turned into readable text largely with the help of AI, I'll admit).

See you in early July for the first release.

Best regards,

Le Dev

#arcade #openworld #car #racing #multiplayer