Dark Side of the Moon, a collaborative story project (original fiction version)

[Cherry Lover]

i see, yeah serious problem then.

Why?

You either use actual lasers, kinetic weapons (i.e. bullets or missiles) or some sort of energy weapon which is explicitly not a laser and doesn't travel at lightspeed (although it's not easy to define any such thing).

[Alice]

To be honest, despite the hard work that was put into past ideas, I think that starting out completely fresh and new is a good idea. New ideas for new beginnings, that sort of thing. So it's not so much a matter of disrespecting previous efforts so much as a desire for a clean slate.

I like urban fantasy or fantasy-ish stuff myself, but I'll let more input be put in in terms of genre before we start. Speaking of which, I think that more people should say stuff about the desired genre of this before we commit to anything.

Also, to lantz, do you mind if I clean up the thread title a bit so it stands out a bit better?

[Cherry Lover]

To be honest, despite the hard work that was put into past ideas, I think that starting out completely fresh and new is a good idea. New ideas for new beginnings, that sort of thing. So it's not so much a matter of disrespecting previous efforts so much as a desire for a clean slate.

Well, perhaps, but I really liked what we did before....

I like urban fantasy or fantasy-ish stuff myself, but I'll let more input be put in in terms of genre before we start. Speaking of which, I think that more people should say stuff about the desired genre of this before we commit to anything.

I'm much more fond of sci-fi, and it also allows me to get a lot more involved.

[lantzblades]

go ahead alice, clean up is good.

hmm, fantasy, urban, scifi, I think i can do something that combines the three

Why?

kinetic weapons (i.e. bullets or missiles) or some sort of energy weapon which is explicitly not a laser and doesn't travel at lightspeed (although it's not easy to define any such thing).

these aren't fun or terribly survivable without hand wavium and cartoon physics, plus scifi needs energy weapons and laser are sorta stock chemical or refracted

[Cherry Lover]

these aren't fun or terribly survivable without hand wavium and cartoon physics, plus scifi needs energy weapons and laser are sorta stock chemical or refracted

The problem is that what you're trying to evoke here is "hand-wavium and cartoon physics". It is simply not possible to move faster than the speed of light, full stop (FTL travel is essentially just taking a shortcut), and nor is it possible to dodge something you can't even see.

I did say you could just use an energy weapon that explicitly isn't a form of light, though. It just requires a certain amount of hand-waving or new physics....

[Alice]

There, title changed. I specified original fiction in the title in order to differentiate this project from anything we do later that creates a universe based around the forum and its users.

Well, perhaps, but I really liked what we did before....

I'm much more fond of sci-fi, and it also allows me to get a lot more involved.

I can understand that. However, if this is truly to be a collaborative project, we need more than the three of us saying what we want out of this story. So in the end the story could be in any of the genres previously mentioned, or even an entirely different genre altogether, like Adventure or something. I was just throwing in my two cents in terms of what genre I would personally prefer, naturally it doesn't have to go that way at all so long as the majority wants something different. So really what I want is more for people to pitch in their opinions on where they want the story to go before we set a genre in stone for sure.

[lantzblades]

you have a point Alice and i agree however commenting on the idea of adventure as a genre, fun to read but it's Indiana jones in practice and i don't think we have chops to hit the bar on that one.

The problem is that what you're trying to evoke here is "hand-wavium and cartoon physics".

actually more 80s in general

It is simply not possible to move faster than the speed of light, full stop (FTL travel is essentially just taking a shortcut), and nor is it possible to dodge something you can't even see.

I did say you could just use an energy weapon that explicitly isn't a form of light, though. It just requires a certain amount of hand-waving or new physics....

sounds like a lot of work and absolutism in regards to a weapon speed without considering other tech.

[Alice]

you have a point Alice and i agree however commenting on the idea of adventure as a genre, fun to read but it's Indiana jones in practice and i don't think we have chops to hit the bar on that one.

I was just using it as an example.  While an Adventure tale would be fun, probably the previous genres I mentioned a preference for (Urban Fantasy and/or Fantasy) would be easier to work with.  Again, it all comes down to what the people ask for in the end.

[lantzblades]

see I like fantasy and scifi and the urban element too. i can definitely do something with these elements to build a proto type concept

[Cherry Lover]

It is simply not possible to move faster than the speed of light, full stop (FTL travel is essentially just taking a shortcut), and nor is it possible to dodge something you can't even see.

I did say you could just use an energy weapon that explicitly isn't a form of light, though. It just requires a certain amount of hand-waving or new physics....

sounds like a lot of work and absolutism in regards to a weapon speed without considering other tech.

I'm being "absolutist" because it's an absolute fact.

You can create new technology, yes, but you can't change the laws of physics. Sure, we don't know the laws of physics in perfect detail, but the ones we do know work, and, aside from a few edge cases and more extreme conditions, they're not going to change substantially. Sure, we can add stuff that allows for new technology, but the basic principles of Relativity will still hold, and Relativity says that you cannot travel faster than light. It simply does not make sense to change that, at least substantially.

see I like fantasy and scifi and the urban element too. i can definitely do something with these elements to build a proto type concept

Well, whilst I can understand Alice's desire to get more input, I really do think we should get on with designing the story. The forum is hardly active, after all....

[lantzblades]

what about technology that alters physics?

Well, whilst I can understand Alice's desire to get more input, I really do think we should get on with designing the story. The forum is hardly active, after all....

waiting a bit would be a good idea.

[Cherry Lover]

what about technology that alters physics?

That is, by definition, not possible. Technology works by applying the laws of physics, it cannot alter them.

It is, however, possible that there could be some aspect of the laws of physics that allows such changes, that we have not previously noticed. However, I would find it highly unlikely that any such thing would allow something like dodging a laser or travelling faster than light locally (as opposed to by bending space such that you are essentially taking a shortcut).

Well, whilst I can understand Alice's desire to get more input, I really do think we should get on with designing the story. The forum is hardly active, after all....

waiting a bit would be a good idea.

Well, OK, I just want to get the forum going a bit more....

[lantzblades]

Well ok, after waiting a bit i thought i'd pitch this idea

the future is here, it is a technocratic society developed in a high fantasy style, with the kings of industry being transformed into the ruling class.

The richest of these men rules the world from a grand palace on the moon.

Men having created robot workers call dwarves and advanced human form computers called elves.

basically that's the set up for urban fantasy scifi.

it's got all the basic elements of the three, I avoided going further till you guys give feedback.

[Cherry Lover]

Well, it doesn't sound like a bad idea in concept, although I don't see how "technocracy" means "rule by the rich" or "rule by capitalists". What you're suggesting sounds more like a ultra-capitalist dystopia....

Also, the "dwarves" and "elves" thing is kind-of cheating.

[lantzblades]

I don't see how "technocracy" means "rule by the rich"

technology is the new currency so to speak, well commodity. he who has the tech has the power

 

Also, the "dwarves" and "elves" thing is kind-of cheating.

it's a blend of scifi urban and fantasy cheating implies there are rules.