Frequenty Asked Questions:
Where did the name 'Broken Crown' come from?
A common question we get is, where did your name come from? Well, actually, this too is based in the science that surrounds our series. So let’s start with the science, and go from there!
The Sun has a plasma-based ‘outer shell’ which is known as a corona (Latin for crown). As a result of magnetic flux from the Sun, the plasma particles of the corona often twist into elegant loops that dance along the solar surface. A solar flare, also known as a coronal mass ejection, is a result of a sudden discharge from the Sun’s surface as a result of magnetic field interactions.
From all that, as with our series storyline, an enormous coronal loop when broken due to changes in the magnetic field, will release a solar flare. And thus, ‘Broken Crown’!
What is Astrobiology?
Great question, but unfortunately, the answer is not as simple.
Generally speaking, one could look at astrobiology as the study of life in the universe, where it comes from, how it adapts to survive in different environments, as well as the study of the future of life in the universe. Sounds cool, but that’s a little vague, right? Well, let me try to explain it better through an example. Imagine a planet that we may live on someday. For this example let’s choose, umm, Mars for example? If asked to analyze a realistic scenario of future human life on Mars, an astrobiologist will have to consider:
Under what conditions did humans arrive on Mars?
- What resources have we brought with us?- Do we have continued access to resources from our host planet, Earth?
What adaptations will humans need to make to their environment in order to survive?
- How will we breathe?- What will we eat to survive?
- What shelter will we need to survive on a planet with dangers such as no atmosphere to hold in heat or break up incoming cosmic debris?
What effect will the environment have on the human form?
- Will living further from the Sun mean less energy due to vitamin D deficiency?- Or will the lack of an atmosphere mean more Sun exposure, thus radiation poisoning, and skin cancer?
- Will the smaller density of the planet, which yields a lower gravity, result in bone loss, or will humans adapt by becoming taller and lankier?
These are just some the questions that we had to address when developing each title for the Broken Crown series!
We hope to soon add science-fiction vs. science-fact pages for each title, which review some of the relation between our fictional game world, and the reality that we derived it from!
We also hope to soon open up our ‘spit-ball forums’ page, which will allow players and scientists alike, to participate in discussions on the reality of terraforming (turning other planets into ‘Earth-like’ worlds) and many of the other science topics related to our games!
What is Astronomy?
One major aspect to the field of astronomy is the study of celestial objects, such as planets, stars, and asteroids. This work of those in this field is incredibly important to astrobiologists, as astronomer’s studies describe the possible environments in which life would have to survive on planetary bodies across the universe.
Astronomers give astrobiologists details such as:
What is the density of a planet?
- Is the planet a gas giant, or is it something rock based, like Earth, that humans could live on?- Based on the density and general planet size, will it have a similar gravity to Earth?
What is the planets distance from its Sun, or Suns?
- Is it in the habitable zone (not too far that it would be cold, and not too close that we’d burn up)?- Does the distance vary? Indicating an oblong orbit, which would play a major factor in the length of days, as well as the seasonal calendar, for life on the planet.
What type of atmosphere does the planet have?
- Is it similar to Earth’s already, or would humans have to live in bio-domes?- Can the atmosphere be shifted over time toward stable, Earth-like conditions? And if so, what effect would that have on the planet – such as global warming.
Again, these are just a few of the questions that our development team had to research in order to create a realistic storyline for the Broken Crown series. We hope to open the forums so players and scientists, alike, can participate in our goal of creating a realistic platform!
