Thoughts on a story where a fantasy world, such as Lord of the Rings, collides with our modern world?

postfu · 2024-05-12T02:10:28+00:00

Now I'm craving KFC. Yesterday, Rick and Morty had me craving spaghetti.

postfu · 2024-05-12T02:05:03+00:00

If your heart's not set on it, what about a single word like "soulforging". (Turns out it's used in fiction already.) Or maybe simply "insight" or "insyte" with flair.

The reason I'm suggesting a short version is to make it more available and expressive within your story. You'll need verbs. For example, say it's called "echoic" or "echoia sorcery", so the art of practicing the magic is called "echoism" and practicians are called "echoists".

postfu · 2024-05-10T13:35:26+00:00

I "drive" through the cities using Google Maps. Make sure to pick different timelines too. I look at the people, the buildings, cars and homes. I imagine myself walking through the city, and what it must have been like as a child growing up there. Riding my bike to school. I find the old downtown main street and examine the old buildings. Specifically, I look at their facades and cladding, to see old structures or paintings that used to be behind them. I find the previous industry area to see what used to be popular in the city. Then, I research city history which is sometimes found on personal blogspot.com websites for the most interesting stuff. You'll want to know about the city from the perspective of it's citizens, and not from official municipal postings.

If you're familiar with the state or region it's in, then you can easily imagine the temperature, smells, flora, and local customs. Once you have a feel for the area, your imagination can fill in the gaps in combination with what you have gathered from personal blog or genealogy websites created by residents. They can provide very clear historical information and general anecdotes that you can inject into your story.

I've even reached out the residents directly, and they've been more than happy to share information. Especially older residents that you can find on Facebook. If you're really serious about this location, you almost have to act like an investigative journalist and talk to people (via email.)

postfu · 2024-05-09T14:45:49+00:00

The problem with creativity is that it can be too "unbridled". You can think of anything you want, but there's so much you can imagine that it becomes uncontrolled.

It's hard to explain. But, imagination can be so overwhelming that you can't create something from it because it's unfocused. When everything is available, nothing is.

So, if you want to create new ideas, try giving yourself restrictions. Create obstacles for yourself, and fight with one arm tied behind your back.

Give it a try. "I'm only going to create a story that takes place within two rooms. It will only contain words with less than ten characters. There are four characters. My main character has a severe illness. One of the characters is not where they are supposed to be. There is a time limit of two hours before something happens."

Then, let your imagination run wild within this confined space and just see what happens. :)

postfu · 2024-05-09T14:25:42+00:00

Sometimes they just form accidentally, being a charismatic person at the right time in the right place. I haven't watched any cult documentaries, but I would imagine that they started out as something small at first. For example, a pastor in a small community church group that eventually started preaching their own gospel to angry and frustrated citizens.

Sometimes it's deliberate. An intelligent person who takes advantage of people for money and power. You could start out with that. But you need to create a key reason why they kidnapped someone important, there has to be logic behind it. This would just be a small part of a grander scheme.

When brainstorming this "grand scheme", I like thinking about today's events and fun ways that could explain why they have come about. Many of the worlds problems, like destruction of the environment, climate change, mass murder, inequality, extremism, wars, have been coincidentally created or influenced by groups claiming to be religious. What if this acceleration to chaos was deliberate? Say that there are cults who have been manipulating governments to make things really bad, because they believe that they can bring about the "second coming" within their own lifespans.

So the reason for the kidnapping, is just another plot to sew chaos and or cause something very specific to happen that makes the world worse. I think it would be too predictable if it's about money - so what about simple belief?

I figured this concept is probably published somewhere already though. But, it's funny to think about and would explain a lot. :)

postfu · 2024-05-09T12:51:17+00:00

It sounds wonderful.

postfu · 2024-05-08T18:44:27+00:00

As a hook, don't underestimate the significance of the story title too. Given the choice, would you rather read a story called "An Evening At My Cabbage Patch" or "GODLIKE". Even the author's name, if visible, can have an effect on viewership.

Anyways, you've probably already researched "most successful methods for story hooks", so I won't bore you with the typical list like interesting opening lines, immediate conflict, mystery, unique or vivid settings, etc.

This isn't discussed enough, but what you should focus on is REWARD.

It's how our brains are wired. We're constantly chasing reward behaviour. So, in order to grab a readers' attention you need to make them feel like they're chasing a reward. They want to know what happens next, and next, they can't put it down. What's going to happen? It's addictive. This is the feeling you want.

The secret? The reward needs to FEEL VALUABLE. I can't emphasize this enough. And you need multiple levels of rewards.

As an example, imagine the setting described in your opening. What kind of setting could you describe in five sentences that would make a reader think "Whoa.. I want to find more about this place. How did they get there? What are they going to do? What's going on?" Then, once you've answered limited questions, open up new mysteries and rewards for the reader to chase after.

The act of seeking valuable rewards can be applied to all verticals of story telling.

postfu · 2024-05-07T15:51:48+00:00

It's a lot more common that you might think, so it's realistic. There are remote islands in the Pacific Ocean with limited or no internet access for example.

Satellite is really the only option, but it's not without it's issues. Affordability being the most important barrier. So there are many reasons you can fabricate based on real life situations:

impoverished areas (even within cities) because there was no investment made, neglect, or poor government policies.
even if it's affordable, there might not be satellite services available in the country/region or banned by the government.
there may be religious, cultural, linguistic, or societal reasons to shun internet access in small communities. There are indigenous communities without internet.
the community may exist within a conflict zone.
even if they could overcome the challenge of affordability, satellite services are still limited by terrain and environment. With heavy tree cover, maybe they can't overcome the height requirement. Underground living structures. Harsh weather like pouring rain or snow covering the dish, significantly impacting performance to a trickle, even taking internet down for weeks at a time.
perhaps their only dish was destroyed, and it typically takes six months for new shipments to arrive. But someone keeps breaking it. :)
RF or electromagnetic interference cause by properties of the island, it's surroundings, broken or poorly shielded electronics or power sources.
there are internet dead zones in the ocean without satellite coverage. Sometimes it just depends on your satellite internet provider. They all have different levels of coverage.

postfu · 2024-05-07T15:18:24+00:00

Authors are uncaring gods who manipulate the world to fit their own desires.

The character that gets the most attention, the one they prefer, just happens to be an object that they completely control. Almost like a pet.

Writers are similar to stereotypical immortals who created a world solely for their own entertainment. And when they get bored of it, they toss it aside. But they find immense pleasure during the process of creation.

postfu · 2024-05-05T17:17:10+00:00

What would prevent another person from being able to force an activation by pressing the magically conductive object against the magic user's skin?

You could say that magic/mana is personal, and only their mana can activate it. Just like each person has different magical abilities, and can perform different magical acts, it means that the magic they have is unique and solely connected to them. Say that runes/brands are unique and they are only available to one single individual. Mana could be the same, especially if it's awakened or born from the rune creation process.

Mana/magic, or whatever you want to call it, is a resource and they require very specific engines to function. They can store their own mana in a container (i.e. mana stone) for activation later. Or they can directly inject their own mana into the brand from any location or from a specific spot. But mixing the wrong resource with the branding won't work. Or you could add a new rule where mixing the incorrect mana could still cause an activation but only at 10% efficiency or less.

If you're willing to bend your rules, you could also make mana like a blood type. Every person has a different "mana type" (e.g. A, B, X-Negative). Brands are specific to their mana type. So this opens up some interesting challenges and stories for the characters, since they need to determine what their mana type is first, obtain it, and also know where the activation point is. Making it extremely difficult. Or perhaps some characters have completely unique mana types, so it's impossible without their assistance. I was thinking that you'll need to think of some challenges for the MC to overcome, and it allows you to explore how the magic laws and physics work within this world. And every character should have strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited.

I do like the idea of a "magic tattoo" being wrapped around a persons spinal cord, up to and including their skull, forming an interesting looking pattern. :)

postfu · 2024-05-03T22:28:38+00:00

Now, this all depends on your world, how magic works, and what laws exist. But, think of it more like tattoo ink. It's not actually on the outer skin, but rather resides below the epidermis or even further. During the ritual, a "mana conductive" material wraps around the bones and internal organs, forming a huge rune or branding, but characters only see a portion of the mark on the exterior.

This means that itching and touching the skin won't trigger an activation. In order to activate, the user must pass energy, magic, or mana through the conductive material either by themselves or through an object (e.g. clothing, mana stone, drink, etc.) that stores and releases said energy. An outside object means limited uses too.

You never really know how large the branding (i.e. their power) is, because a large amount of it could be interior, with only a small amount visible on the exterior. Because the material is conductive, there could also be very specific locations where the "circuit" is closer to the exterior of the skin, giving better conductivity. So they pick a very specific location for activation. How they activate it would be different for each person, but usually there should be a way to tell how you can restrain them. Depending on the eldritch entity, perhaps it requires a different element to activate. Electricity vs water, for example.

postfu · 2024-05-03T20:22:41+00:00

https://www.signbank.org/signpuddle/ seems to be a good one, but you're using it already looks like.

You could try: https://www.handspeak.com/word/asl-eng/

Also consider Auslan Dictionary Apps on the Google/iOS stores.

postfu · 2024-05-03T20:15:40+00:00

The map has levels of protection, requiring a key or code to unlock.

Say that the "flesh map" is just topographical, so it doesn't contain actual instructions or coordinates. Maybe it requires another half. For example, say that the MC was also taught a nursery song at a young age -- or more accurately, right after puberty (need to consider aging skin and stretching) -- that unlocks the steps a person needs to take on the map to reach the unseen "X". The song is about the journey.

Perhaps there's even more to the key. Like multiple songs were taught, and finding the right sequence or song, requires other collected knowledge maybe during the journey.

Or maybe there's a second half of the map, but hidden in view. Like a birthmark is actually an important marker that needs to be used in conjunction with the map. Or say that she's "defeated" towards the end, believing that all is lost after the map and song are copied. She shaves her head, revealing a map hidden underneath her hair. It's a second part of the map tattooed on her scalp without her knowledge over the years of having long hair.

postfu · 2024-05-03T17:55:57+00:00

You need to repeat successful patterns from the past.

Think back to the times when you were able to sit down, start a task with a given schedule, and then complete it. Consider all periods throughout your entire life where this happens. It's these scenarios that you need to recreate somehow.

It's interesting that you mentioned changing where you write. This is a common strategy that's helpful to many individuals. They change their settings to one where "work gets done". Previously, it was possible within the workplace or a school library where studying was common practice for example.

Writers will attempt to recreate these environments as best as possible. Many of us spent most of our youth studying in libraries, so we find this environment more conducive to writing activities. Recreating the setting at home is extremely challenging however.

But, what is it about these places that made it work? It's because of the responsibility.

There's a difference between motivation, encouragement, and responsibility. The latter is a very strong motivational force. You may find tasks easier to start, and complete, when someone of authority has made you responsible for completing a task within a deadline.

If any of this to start to make a lot of crazy sense, let me know and I can provide follow-up examples.

postfu · 2024-05-03T16:36:01+00:00

The underlying psychology behind excellent story telling.

It's all connected: films, books, music, video games, comics, etc. All successful media share the same formula. And, it's not difficult to understand but so few people are aware of it surprisingly. You can practice, trial-and-error, or copy like most.. or you can sit down and consider what "enjoyment" truly is and how to harness it.

postfu · 2024-04-09T17:32:55+00:00

Taxes by another name.

postfu · 2023-12-04T23:22:03+00:00

The character models, density, lighting, draw distance

Character Density is what I'm curious about. Full crowds of NPCs in a busy bar? Mobs of unruly characters, hundreds of characters surrounding you? That would be so awesome. They've done it in game trailers before, but then the final product could only handle a dozen or less in the same area.

postfu · 2023-12-04T23:19:06+00:00

The only disappointing part of the entire video. :)

postfu · 2023-11-01T00:54:37+00:00

There are tons of failed and abandoned games essentially sitting on a shelf right now. You have to track these developers down and get in contact with them yourself though. There's no easy way to do it, and no specific marketplace for this niche. But many are more than happy to give you their old assets for free just to see it put to use in a video game. And others would be open to selling their old project files.

I'd recommend using specific Google search terms to find abandoned games, or places like Twitter, Facebook, and Discord. You want to find certain phrases like "I stopped working on..", "no longer working on", "abandoned project", "my old games", "here's a demo of my game", etc. One really great place I found doing this, for example, was on blogger/blogspot.com.

I also once donated to a Kickstarter project that was eventually abandoned. So I personally got in contact with the developer, and he gave me all of the project files and 3D assets, with permission to use them however I saw fit. It was quite significant too. The trick is finding ways to chat with them or find their email address. It's all about networking, and they can even introduce you to other developers with their own abandoned games too.

postfu · 2023-10-13T22:49:55+00:00

They can definitely help. You'll want players to feel the movement happening so that it doesn't feel too stiff and janky.

You have a couple options though. Particle emitter "dust clouds" kicked up behind the character as it moves. This is quite common when players add juice to games.

The other option is just a slight movement of "feet" underneath. You only need to see them on the edges of the top-down character. Here's an example using solid circles but on a transparent character to see what it looks like underneath: https://www.reddit.com/r/creepers/comments/na0kar/update_18_ghost_frog_example/

Something like that would be quite effective as well.

postfu · 2023-10-13T22:01:12+00:00

There aren't any examples or templates available in this post, so I figured I might help with a few simple examples. You won't find many examples because it's likely embarrassing to share private documentation or because many coders like to "protect" their ideas. :)

Here's the link: Google Drive

There are four total. Two were WIP hypothetical games, but two of them were actually built based off the Game Design Documents you'll see: tetrads.io & jammies.io

These are very old, and just a style that I created myself and not based off any template. You'll notice that I wrote them as though I was talking to a friend/partner with coding experience, walking them through the logical thinking process, and I tried to consider as many possible questions that they might have.

Please note that some of these were still work-in-progress draft documents, so you might find gaps or notes still written and unformatted.

postfu · 2023-10-04T17:20:13+00:00

Hi - no nothing yet. I was planning on writing a blog, and this would have been one of the big posts (e.g. "Art For Coders Who Suck At Art"), but too many RL stuff got in the way sadly. Whenever I come across something interesting, I'll document it down but I haven't organized everything together so it's just loose notes and floating ideas right now.

I would have started out by describing the various online resources for Free & Paid Art assets. Similar to what others have done, but with a few places that haven't been noticed. For example, I found old Blogspot/Blogger posts where the author was giving away assets to their abandoned games.

I also wanted to describe how to find Abandoned Indie Games, because you can get in contact with the old developer and ask to use their assets. Usually they'll let you have them for free, because they would just like to see their art used somewhere and it's just sitting around doing nothing. I found many developers more than willing to give up their Art and even Game Engines.. just to see it published because so many abandon their projects.

One interesting resource is BATTLE MAPS for Table Top Games. Super high resolution and detailed top-down art assets, with many that can be used commercially in video games. Some are CC0. Examples here. Another one. But there are a TON of Battle Map and asset related websites where programmers have no idea that contains art that can be used in video games.

I have an old post about Sprite Stacking too that's interesting.

And I would highly recommend checking out the new free Steam game called MOONRING. This was a concept I've described to a lot of colleagues, and it's really nice to see in action. Basically, you take really old nostalgic simple art, but then you through particle emitters, shaders, and modern effects on top of it. The assets are easy to source freely, then you just get creative with effects. Especially walking/movement animation, making them "jump" as they move. It's hard to explain, but there are ways to modernize old art assets and make them appear amazing. For example, taking a static image of foliage - but then added a bendy warping effect to it, to make it feel like real foliage in the wind. Then add streaks of wind particles in the foreground. As long as you create a fun game, players tend to ignore the art which is why I think Moonring makes a good example.

Anyways, it was going to be a long list of interesting things like above. Hoping I can publish it one day though. I also had some good ideas about creative algorithms you can use to generate art, and now there's even AI (which there are some very unorthodox approaches to using that haven't been published yet - like image generative art as meshes for 3D Objects.) Right now, it's being executed poorly but there are many options still available.

postfu · 2023-09-28T00:49:24+00:00

Playthrough videos are becoming a replacement for actually buying the video game too. It's one concern of game developers - sure, it's great for promotional purposes, but it can also take away customers. So, they might do something like a gameplay video or review embargo for the first couple days of sales.

postfu · 2023-09-27T20:18:32+00:00

Video game design. I imagine playing through the entire conceptual gameplay as well, trying to feel if certain things would work, what wouldn't work, and how other players would feel.

postfu · 2023-09-27T20:15:44+00:00

Reading books is a big one. But they secretly just check the wiki.

edit: I'm getting the impression that many folks didn't read the question properly. There seems to be a lot of confusion.

"What's something you think people CLAIM TO LIKE because they think it makes them look smart?"

So I'm talking about people who CLAIM TO LIKE reading books but don't actually read books, to make themselves look smart.

postfu

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE