# Loot Goblin: Touch Grass, Find Loot 👹🌿

> Source: <https://dev.to/gauthamkv14/loot-goblin-touch-grass-find-loot-16a8>
> Published: 2026-10-11 09:14:59+00:00

This is a submission for the [Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge - Week 1: Touch Grass](https://dev.to/challenges/hacktoberfest-week1-2026-10-05).

**Loot Goblin** turns ordinary things you find in the real world into fictional RPG loot. Snap a photo of something interesting, get an AI-generated relic with rarity, stats, lore, and a Goblin Coin value, then add it to your persistent Treasury.

The idea is simple: **the world is the game, and your camera is your loot detector.**

Loot Goblin also features quests, achievements, XP, levels, optional public leaderboards, and player-to-player trading. These features add progression, but the core loop starts outside: find something, photograph it, appraise it, and get back to exploring. Quests and collection goals can encourage real-world discoveries, while the app is designed around short interactions rather than endless scrolling.

The leaf didn't change. The way I looked at them did.

**Video Drive Link:** [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z5ygoBzX96jh0Souu3-A4Zilrn1B201q/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z5ygoBzX96jh0Souu3-A4Zilrn1B201q/view?usp=sharing)

**Try it live:** [https://loot-goblin.onrender.com/](https://loot-goblin.onrender.com/)

**GitHub repository:** [https://github.com/Gauthamkv14/irl-loot-goblin](https://github.com/Gauthamkv14/irl-loot-goblin)

The project uses React, Vite, and Tailwind CSS for the frontend, Node.js and Express for the backend, and Supabase for authentication and persistent data. AI image appraisal uses the Dots3-Note Preview model through OpenRouter.

The appraisal pipeline separates AI-generated creativity from the game's authoritative rules.

The model is configured through an environment variable, `MODEL_ID`, with OpenRouter's API base URL configured separately. This makes the integration designed to be swappable, although switching to a second model has not been verified end to end.

The project also includes server-side validation and security checks around important game actions. I am not claiming a tested model-output retry or fallback mechanism here.

Loot Goblin uses an open-weight model rather than making a proprietary model the only possible creative engine. The current implementation uses hosted inference through OpenRouter, so it is **not local or offline inference**.

Open weights and a documented license make experimentation and future replacement possible, while the application retains control over rarity, signatures, and progression.

There is a practical hardware trade-off, too. The model card describes a 280B-parameter mixture-of-experts model with 16B active parameters and recommends an eight-GPU node. Running it locally is unrealistic for most individual developers. A smaller model would be a more practical direction for future local inference.

There is also a privacy consideration: **photos submitted for appraisal are sent through OpenRouter to the selected model provider for inference.** Data retention and training practices can vary by provider and endpoint. Users should avoid uploading sensitive images and review the applicable data policies, especially when using a free endpoint.

Open innovation, for me, means keeping the creative component replaceable instead of hard-wiring the entire game to one model or provider.

LootGoblin is a playful experiment in making everyday outdoor discoveries feel a little more magical. The goal isn't to spend more time in an app. It's to notice more of the world around you.

I built Loot Goblin with AI-assisted development in Google Antigravity, iterating through implementation, debugging, security fixes, and deployment.

The goal was to go beyond a quick prototype. LootGoblin includes persistent inventory, server-side loot validation, progression systems, and trading.

I'm entering the overall challenge. I'm not claiming a partner-specific prize category without verifying that my implementation meets its eligibility requirements.

**Touch grass 🍃. Take a photo 📸. Find loot 💰.**

Made with 💚 by GKV🙃