24 October 2015 “Full speed ahead!” – an urban team game for smartphones
Are you ready to take a trip in the footsteps of Joseph Conrad, playing the characters created by him? Do you have the courage to experience the unforgettable sea adventure and visit ports in the most remote parts of the world? In that case, full speed ahead!
For the finale of the Conrad Festival, we have a special attraction for you: an innovative urban game, created especially for the 7th edition of the Festival. The game will premiere on the 23rd of October, but you can play it at any time until the end of November.
“Full speed ahead” is a mobile application, through which Krakow is transformed into exotic countries straight out of the novels of one of the greatest writers of all time. To participate in the game, you need to assemble a four-person team. Each of you must have headphones and a smartphone with a fully charged phone and at least Android 4.4. The game is played in 13 points located within the Old Town. During the game, you will visit such places connected with Conrad’s life as the Hotel Grand or Nowodworek, you will find out where the Holy Mother of Freedom picture is located and from where the muezzin called the faithful to prayer in Krakow.
The application “Cała naprzód” [“Full speed ahead”] can be downloaded from the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hiddencity.games
You should also bring your headphones and set aside two hours for traveling the world from Sydney to Carthage. After starting the game, you have to go to the starting point, located at the Pałac pod Baranami and turn on Bluetooth on your phone. After that, follow the instructions that appear on your screen. Fair winds!
“Full speed ahead” is a virtual urban game, created especially for the Conrad Festival – the most important literary event of Central Europe, which every year hosts the greatest stars of world literature. Its patron is Joseph Conrad, one of the greatest English-language writers, who spent his early your and school years in Krakow.
“Full speed ahead” is the first mobile application in Krakow using beacons – the hottest technological novelty in recent years. The game is based on equipment produced by Krakow company Kontakt.io – one of the leading producers of beacons in the world, whose solutions are recommended, among others, by Google and Apple. The game was created in close cooperation with the Krakow Festival Office – the co-organiser of the Conrad Festival and operator of the Krakow UNESCO City of Literature programme.
The “Full speed ahead” game functions based on technology developed by Hidden City, a team of Cracovians who devote every moment to making the city more interesting. Hidden City is made up of Adelina Jalil, Artur Skowroński, Piotr Podolski, Kasia Skoczylas, Michał Kalina and Alek Wojnarowicz. The application was created during the June BeaconValley Hackathon – the 24-hour programming competition, during which over 20 teams designed applications, thanks to which Krakow will become a smart city in the future – a resident-friendly intelligent city.
The authors of the substantive content and texts are Magdalena Ładosz and Agnieszka Pudełko. Recordings for the game were developed in collaboration with the Radiofonia Association.
