What I'm Building

Hey! I'm working on a game called StepHarvest, a farming MMO where your real-world steps are the main currency. I wanted to write a bit about what it is and why I'm building it.

The basic idea

I've always loved cozy farming games, but I also wanted something that'd get me walking more without feeling like a chore. Most "gamified fitness" apps feel like fitness apps with game elements bolted on. I wanted the opposite: a proper game that happens to be powered by walking.

So that's StepHarvest. You walk in real life, and those steps become energy you spend in the game. Plant crops, go mining, fish, explore. All using steps you've already taken just living your life.

How it works

Pretty simple:

1. Walk around. Your phone tracks steps in the background.
2. Open the app. Your steps sync automatically.
3. Spend them. Plant, water, mine, fish, forage.
4. Repeat. Harvest, sell, grow your farm.

You don't need the app open while walking. Just check in whenever you want to play.

The activities

There are four main things to do, and you can focus on whatever sounds fun to you. Each activity has its own mastery track. The more you do something, the better you get at it, unlocking new items, better quality results, and crafting recipes.

Farming

Plant crops, water them, harvest when they're ready. Growth happens in real time over days. Higher mastery means better crop quality and access to rarer seeds.

Mining

Go deeper into the mines to find ores and gems. Costs steps to descend, but you find better stuff the deeper you go. Level up to unlock new pickaxes and find higher quality ores.

Fishing

Hang out at the pier and catch fish. Different fish appear in different seasons and weather. Better rods and higher skill means rarer catches.

Foraging

Wander the woods and beach to find wild plants, shells, and other stuff. As you level up, you'll spot things others might miss.

Crafting and item quality

Raw materials are just the start. You can craft them into tools, furniture, food, and other useful stuff. Items have quality tiers based on the materials you use and your skill level. A basic copper pickaxe works fine, but a high-quality steel one lets you mine faster and find better ore.

I'm still working out all the recipes, but the idea is that crafting should feel rewarding, not like busywork.

No punishment for missing days

This is something I care about a lot: your crops never die. If you don't open the app for a week, everything is exactly where you left it. No wilted plants, no penalties.

I want playing to feel good, not like another thing you have to keep up with. Take breaks whenever. Come back whenever.

Player-driven economy

It's an MMO, so other players are in the same world. The economy is mostly player-driven. You can buy basics from NPCs, but the good stuff comes from other players.

Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand. If everyone's farming wheat, wheat gets cheap. If nobody's mining, ore gets expensive. I think this makes specializing in one activity actually meaningful. You can focus on being a great fisher and trade your catches for the crops and ores you need.

Other multiplayer stuff:

• Trade items at the marketplace
• Visit other players' farms
• Join guilds
• Just hang out and chat

Status

I'm aiming for iOS and Android early access sometime in Q2 2026. It'll be free to play, and I'm not doing any pay-to-win stuff.

Following along

I'll post updates here as I build. If you want to chat or follow along more closely, the Discord is the best place. You can also sign up for email updates on the home page.

Thanks for reading. Back to building.