BISHA STUDIOS

Prishtina | On the Way to the Sun

Awards & Nominations

BISHA STUDIOS has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Global Nominee

Parker's Adventure - Journey towards the Sun!

High-Level Project Summary

A gaming app called Parker's Adventure that will teach people of all ages about the journey that the probe will go through while simultaneously educating them about all the technological advancements in the probe. During the adventure the probe will encounter difficulties (ex. Temperature Management, Fuel Storage, Probe Durability, Image Processing) that can not be overcome without upgrades (ex. Bigger Fuel Tank, Stronger Structural Build, Better Telescope). With all the advancements the game offers, players will learn the function of each modification they add to the probe. The importance of Parkers Adventure lies in the genuine experience it offers to attract peoples curiosity.

Link to Final Project

https://youtube.com/shorts/vw9tnH1i7B4?feature=share

Link to Project "Demo"

https://youtube.com/shorts/vw9tnH1i7B4?feature=share

Detailed Project Description

What is Parker's Adventures goal? What makes the Parker Solar Probe so amazing?

After pressing play, the players get introduced to their starter spaceship that is very simple, and has little power. After this, the player will launch their first rocket which contains the probe.

During the first launch, because of insufficient resources within the ship, the player usually makes little to no progress but is still rewarded. Based on the progress (how close to the Sun the probe gets), the player is rewarded with in-game points that they can use to purchase upgrades for the ship, meaning they can reach higher on their next attempt.

On their attempts to reach the Sun, the player will encounter many difficulties. Naturally, they will try to dodge these so that the rocket keeps its balance and continues the journey towards the Sun. These will explain all the different threats that the ship encounters in the way, simultaneously teaching the player about them and their importance in Parker's journey.

Rocket Upgrades

After many attempts the players would have quite some in-game points saved up which they can use on upgrades to further extend their flight time and will close in on the distance to the sun. As for each upgrade the players will have information about how that component helps the rocket and how it is created.

Probe Upgrades

On the other side of the spectrum the players are also able to further develop their probe, which in return gives them access to gathering information which boosts their progress and unlocks new and attractive information of which the player can read about.

Necessary Details

Another really useful feature of the game is that it offers many facts about the rockets used and how the probe functions during the loading screen and after the flight is over, that is where the player will be greeted with Boe Jiden who will direct the user towards what they should upgrade and why they should do it. This will include facts about the sun, the probe and many other fun attributes of the rocket.

What benefit does it have?

Our application introduces an addictive game, which in return gives the players a lot of learning opportunities for all the work that is put into NASA's space adventures(In this case the Parker Solar Probe). In our example we hope to get more people interested in science for all ages.

What do you hope to achieve?

We hope to make an effect on the players, so that they gain from all the information in the game. Our style of game is also really addictive and fun so we hope to make an impact throughout that attribute.

What tools, coding languages, hardware, or software did you use to develop your project?

To create the concept of the idea we used the Adobe Package, which included Adobe Premier, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. But we game itself will soon be produced in Unity.

Space Agency Data

We have used the information gathered on different NASA blogs, websites, and resources listed in our challenge to demonstrate hardships the Parker Solar Probe faces on it's journey towards the Sun and the various ways NASA's engineers design their spacecrafts to overcome them. This information allowed us to understand space weather phenomena such as: Solar wind, Solar Dust, Solar Storms and how they affect spacecrafts' functionalities.

For example, the information acquired through NASA's web blogs on Solar Wind and High Temperatures allowed us to create mini-challenges for the players mid-flight. Solar Wind emissions can disrupt electronics and solar panel functionality on spacecrafts and as such the player is alerted when a solar wave is approaching and needs to make the positional adjustments necessary. Or when the solar probe gets too close to the sun without proper protection it would melt.

The data we've collected on the multiple Venus trips that the probe undergoes was further organized into a mini-challenge for the players. Since the probe uses the gravitational pull of Venus as a "slingshot" to get closer to the sun, players need to maneuver their spacecraft around the planet to get as much speed and distance as possible.

NASA resources also provided us with the technologies the Parker Solar Probe uses in order to overcome these difficulties. Technology such as FIELDS and SWEAP, provide information on solar winds and the sun's magnetic and electric fields. This way, the player will be alerted sooner on when solar wind comes so that they can make the proper adjustments. Moreover, the user will have to upgrade the heat shield for their solar probe in order to maintain the extreme temperatures near the sun. If, during one of the Venus "slingshots" the player gets too close or too far from the planet they might become pulled into Venus' gravitational pull, or not get the accelerating effects at all.

Overall, with each test-run the user will obtain nuggets of information scattered through upgrades, loading screen tips, and faulty technology that educates players on the difficult journey of the Parker Solar Probe. We have been careful not to include too much textual information because we do not want the game to be a reading simulator and we want it to be as fun as possible!

Hackathon Journey

The time we had at Space Apps Challenge held in Prishtina was both enjoyable and educational to the fullest. We gained information that we had never been open to before about how probes operate and how fun it is to study them. That is why we hoped to create a fun addictive game that will also teach people about such missions.

Our strategy was "learn by playing," and we designed a game that will be entertaining and, more importantly, educational for pupils. We worked together to overcome every obstacle we faced. We never completed a task alone since we could complete it more quickly and effectively by cooperating.