Space Apps Challenge 2018

Our main plan was to develop a way to engage more users into analysing Kepler's brightness data while also learning and enjoying a game made with Hubble's images.

Keeping that in mind, we studied what elements make a good game - since our challenge was to make a game using Hubble's images. And then the idea behind Beyond the Cluster (BTC) was born.

Focusing on the player's experience while explorating espace, we developed a soon-to-be multiplayer game that evolves around progressing through space stations, colecting parts to upgrade your ship and, most importantly, analysing Kepler's data in exchange of rewards.

On our first study on the matter, we stumbled uppon Planet Hunter, a NASA platform that analyses Kepler's data and - with the help of the community - can identify possible exoplanets.

At first, we intended on porting the Planet Hunter platform as a way to analyse Kepler's data inside Beyond the Cluster, but later on we realized that sometimes the platform gets really complicated and that might be a frustrating experience to the player wich would fail to be a pleasant game.

In an attempt to improve this point, we have contacted Fernando Ferreira da Cruz, Google's regional ambassador,

who orientated us into using Power BI and R (programming language for data analysis ) to develop an AI that simplifies the planet hunter's data for the player and also learns with it.

Our mission with the game:

• To develop a fun way to engage users into helping to find new exoplanets through data analysis.

Our vision for the game:

• Explore space while achieving new areas, getting tradable parts, completing missions and interacting with other players and non-playable characters;
• To encourage the player into analysing Kepler's data without it becoming dull;
• Create a competitive game that can immerse the player and, withal, help NASA to find possible exoplanets