My Inspiration for PlanetVRium


I am basically a computer geek, and I have been for the past 40+ years.

And during that entire time, I have always wanted to create something exciting. I’ve had many ideas for “cool games” in my lifetime … who hasn’t? I’ve even started writing multiple games. For example, in 1978-ish I created a “Space War” game written in BASIC on an Apple II that my friend’s dad had. The display was pure text (there were no graphics back then). And oh, by the way, I wrote the entire program with paper and pencil, went to my friend’s house one Saturday morning, and started typing. I didn’t understand two-dimensional arrays back then; I’m not even sure BASIC supported them. But I needed a two-dimensional map of the “universe”, so I used multiple one-dimensional arrays. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. There were several other game attempts: a single player vs. AI version of Reversi written in LISP, a text-based dungeon adventure written in Prolog, and even an iPhone app back when iPhone3G was king. All were exciting, but none were ever completed. And I loved working on each of them.

PlanetVRium is very exciting to me as well. I am learning so much about everything: first and foremost, the stars and the universe, but also working with Unity/C#, 3D modelling and VR, and even re-learning spherical geometry and vector math that I learned so many years ago in high school and have since forgotten. And I was creating PlanetVRium at the same time. Now it’s time to share the results with everyone who’s interested.

I believe the content in PlanetVRium is unique compared to other planetarium apps in VR. It is an app based on education and the science of astronomy, not “bowling with planets” (not that there’s anything wrong with that, either). My point is that by spending more time with it, I am certain that you will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the night sky and the universe around us.

My goal has been to provide an interactive planetarium, with educational value. As a teenager I would go to the local planetarium and was amazed by the various shows that they provided on the ceiling above. And I remember getting a copy of the book The Stars, by H.A. Rey and a telescope one Christmas. I have tried to create an app where I could share that passion for astronomy with others, with the planetarium coming to you.

Some of my inspiration for this app came from Spheres, a collection of three VR documentaries about the formation of stars, black holes, and other topics. And it makes me proud to think that the Visual Experiences in PlanetVRium achieve even a tiny fraction of the educational and entertainment value of what they created.

I am currently working on porting PlanetVRium to other VR platforms, to be able to share this experience with even more people. I still have ideas for 5 or 6 additional Visual Experiences that I want to create, plus a few ideas for other features. I hope to have an updated version before end of summer. And then another after that. It’s an exciting time, so stay tuned!

And I am interested in hearing your feedback. So please consider providing a review and/or community content, or write me directly at support@peanutsoft.games.

Thanks,

Robert