Show HN: Garden Horizons Calculator – Built by a Beginner via "Vibe Coding"
gardenhorizonscalculator.pro
I’m a programming beginner, and lately, I’ve been hopelessly addicted to a farming simulation on Roblox called Garden Horizons.
The core loop is simple: plant, grow, and harvest. However, the game uses a complex, non-linear economic system where crop value scales with the square of its weight.
Sell Price = Base Price × (Weight / Base Weight)² × Ripening × Color × Mutation × ...
Calculating the optimal time to harvest became a total ROI nightmare.
So, I built this tool to solve that: https://gardenhorizonscalculator.pro/
Data-Driven ROI: I collected raw data from the game and used Regression Fitting to verify the underlying math. The resulting model is highly consistent with in-game values.
Integrated Wiki: I aggregated scattered info from Discord and community forums into a structured, mobile-friendly guide for plants and mutations.
The Struggle: "Vibe Coding" and its Limits I built this using Next.js through "Vibe Coding" (heavy AI assistance). While the AI was incredible for getting me from 0 to 1, I hit a massive wall during deployment.
I fell into "Deployment Hell"—failed over a dozen times. At one point, both the AI and I were just staring at the terminal, completely stuck. I realized then that while AI can write code, technical fundamentals are the ultimate safety net. It was only after diving into the documentation and developer forums that I understood the "why" behind the failure and finally got it live.
The Tool: It’s live, free, no sign-up required, and designed specifically for mobile-first use (since most players have it open on their phones while gaming).
I’d love to hear your feedback, especially from anyone interested in non-linear game economies or those who have thoughts on how a beginner can better navigate the "Vibe Coding" workflow.