In game pop culture influence.

[Omnires]

I made this thread while thinking about what types of books, movies, and shows the people of Em-8er would like. As story telling is a large part of human culture as a whole, be it fictional or nonfictional. And in what ways would pop culture influence the people of Em-8er? Just take a look at real life for example. How many lines from books, movies, and other stories do you know because of pop culture even though you yourself have need even seen or heard the work that phase came from? How many times in your life have you seen people use these cultural touch stones as a kind of shorthand to get across large ideas as quickly as passible? This is not even counting things like merchandising of all sorts, for example children's cloths and toys. Because this stuff doesn't exist in a vacuum and we have all seen those super fans of a work who'll take the time to try and build something from their favorite media in real life, even of such things don't exist... yet. So thinking about pop culture as being part of in the in-game lore could not only make the game world feel more alive, but could also give the devs and players more freedom in adding to the game that would feel out off place otherwise. For example, having mach parts and designs that doesn't seem the match the normal theme of the game being noted that they was made by a fan or group of fans of this famous iconic work of media. So besides being sharing ideas of in-game pop culture, we could also share ideas of how such things might effect NPCs, objects, and even players in the game.

For example. Let's say there is a really popular children's show that has been airing for decades. Long enough for the kids who grow up with the show to become adults and have kids of there own who might also like the show. And let's say there are mecha and robots as part of the casts of the show. Even of the designs of the mecha from the show would feel out of place in the normal day to day life of the people of Em-8er. And even more so in a time of war. There is a chance that someone would design and build a mech to look like a real life version of a character from the show. Not just because they personally love the character and/or show, but also because they want to give hope to people in a time of need.

The could also be hidden missions and quest in the game to build weapons and parts from some famous work of art for an NPC. And in the end they might give you a copy of the gear so you too can dress up as the character or pretend to have the same abilities of a fictional character.

A good example being. There is no real reason to make a flamethrower that looks like the head of a dragon that is attached to your arm when just normal flamethrower would do. But the psychological effects such a thing could have on both the person using it as well as the enemy is the real power behind such things. Not much different from things like nose art on fighter jets to look like things like sharks. And sure saying the famous line of the character before or after using the flamethrower doesn't do anything. It does help add to those psychological effects that such a weapon might have over the ones who are using and the ones who it is being used on.

 

[Pandagnome]

There are many influences from the retro to the modern times.

My personal influences most are from:

- High tech gizmos and vehicles e.g. thundertank from thundercats, kitt from knight rider, etc etc

- Animated creatures e.g. Duck tales, Thundercats, Bonkers, Earthworm Jim, pinky & the brain, Heathcliff, Eek the cat etc etc

- Sounds from synth-wave, 80s to industrial and epic orchestra etc etc, i like the idea of a opening intro to the character e.g. when someone tends to drop down or pop out of a teleport there usually have an effect visually or some kind of sound effect.

I like the idea of small sound clips used for those purposes or when reading a pilots profile / datapad this to me brings more immersion of being in there kind of world such as:

This music makes me think of an activated first mech unit of GCSF in the sky city when things weren't the greatest and tsihu were more sneakier in the earlier encounters. How the area was defended in the sky city from pirates and other scums etc

Years back this wowed me made me think i could be in the mech sadly not but certainly in Em8er hopefully there will be Mech kind of music that make us feel all hyped and wow by that. Sure it is outdated, though the feeling i get at the time to be stomping around and using lasers saving stuff was nerdy and very fun

The music could be played optionally so it doesn't auto play because it might not be for everyone's taste!

- I would like to have a pilot just like my account avatar because then i can put some fun stuff for my ingame profile and make it sound as if i had come out from a gate and took a wrong turn to my world or that the tsihu were experimenting and some of us made our escaped etc etc.

Also seeing things that are non-human makes it fun thinking of all the great characters in sci-fi / fantasy and even in music there are some interesting ones.

I have probably gone off topic :O

 

[Omnires]

Kind of. I was thinking more along the lines of what would the NPCs be into and those things would effect their culture. And how could that bleed into some of the things we might see in the game. Be it odd things the NPCs say or do. Or even odd objects, weapons, and parts we might get.

For example. Lots of people never seen the classic anime Akira. But yet that still know of a famous scene in the movie just because that see references to it everywhere, even if they don't know that is where it came from. The scene being the famous Akira slide.

I'm not going to lie. I use to do that slide a lot as kid when on my bike. Not just because I seen it in Akira, but also because often times it was the fastest way for me stop when going at high speeds downhill and/or on loose ground.

But a great example of what I mean would be things like the fact that book titled "The Lusty Argonian Maid" is a book in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. As well as other books. Or like how the Pokedex in Pokemon often times has a lot of creepypasta about pokemon in it rather than facts about them.

Like what games do the kids of Em-ber play? What characters do they like to roleplay as and say they want to be like when they grow up? What myths and legends do the adults keep in mind as a guiding force in their lives? Who are the characters and actors that normal everyday people try to mimic every now and again?

 

[Omnires]

If you was born and lived in the world of Em-8er what would the things you would for fun? What would be the stories and histories you was told? Who would be famous names of people, animals, and magically beings that everyone would know? What are the names of the places that everyone wants to see and go to some day as well as the places why want to avoid at all costs, be they real places or ones that exist in their myths and religions? If you was a child who and/or what would had to do book reposts on? And in the arts who are names of the people and works of art that everyone points to as being a key turning point or a source of pride for their people?

These might seem like pointless questions to some, but that are good questions to ask in terms of world building. Things and people don't exist in a vacuum so many things link to each other and influence each other in a number of ways. Even of the real reasons behind such things are lost to time and the only thing left is the feelings that people are told they should have about it something. And those feelings can change over time from generation to generation.

And given the level of technology in the world of Em-8er what are some of the things that highly driven and creative might do with it? Even if the things they do only really makes sense to them and them alone. Think of yourself for a moment would be some of the things you would try to make in real live if you had 3D printer that make anything you wanted out of any material you wanted and cost was not a problem? And given the nature of people in our real life world, how many objects from myths and other stories would people make? How many people who try to make life sized working versions of toys they had as kids? How many people would try to make the robots and mecha the seen in books, tv shows, and movies? How many people would make ships and/or homes that would walk around or fly?

My train of thought in this thread is that the people of Em-8er would be no different. That most people in the world of Em-8er would use their technology and resources for normal everyday things and work. But there will always be that small part of the population would try and turn dreams in reality. Even if it means spending 10+ years of their life trying to make a weapon mimic some of the magical and supernatural abilities from an old story that captured heart since early childhood. Because as the famous writer Arthur C. Clarke once said “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.

 

[Pandagnome]

If you was born and lived in the world of Em-8er what would the things you would for fun?

Many of the things we have today is my guess such as playing on the beaches, theme parks, to race events and so on.

Maybe the differences could be, there are simulated with high tech projectors/printers.

While other areas are unspoiled and kept the way it was since the old times in homage to ancestors or the traditional ways.

We could discover hidden areas with such things to find such as in parts of a forest is where a hidden tribe of plant organism live to protect their paradise those who worship Elvis the king in the heart of Strana.....a mix of organic and A.I to create a strange utopia

What would be the stories and histories you was told?

Perhaps stories would be mish mashed some made up and others from historical artifacts and old books preserved in protective layer. Then there are those hackers who manipulate the stories to change view points of a majority that are streamed in real time.

With our A.I's to help us to cross-reference the multiple stories and information, surely there are some truths in each but how much of it is hmm

Even kids stories could have something fascinating that gives a clue to a crash site of the very first smuggler, to spooky sites with remnants of the ghostly pirates lost soul who aimlessly move where their treasure was last seen etc

What are the names of the places that everyone wants to see and go to some day as well as the places why want to avoid at all costs, be they real places or ones that exist in their myths and religions?

My guess is most people like to go to japan because of the great gizmos, art and in the right season to experience a unique environment compared to their norm.

Perhaps a place to avoid at all cost would be an area in conflict such as from rival gangs to those with harsh environments or decay. Something that no living creature could stay too long or that pure evil above tsihu live beyond the gates!

If you was a child who and/or what would had to do book reposts on?

Calvin & hobbs, hello kitty, wheres wally

who are names of the people and works of art that everyone points to as being a key turning point or a source of pride for their people?

Tough one depends on the people for me it was Ted Wolf creator of Thundercats..... yes one of my fave for sure!

given the level of technology in the world of Em-8er what are some of the things that highly driven and creative might do with it?

Creating Super nuggets from resource 567.47 + Random leaves + gold and deploying the nuggetizer for the magic to happen.

Changing your avatar appearance on the fly using Adaptive Dna Revision (ADR) where your appearance changes transition in real time until the changes have set e.g.

if you had 3D printer that make anything you wanted out of any material you wanted and cost was not a problem?

Retro space for much retro things dedicated to that which holds value to me.
Also a quiet room to think with small gnomes on platforms in thinking animation who also acts as surveillance!

A nice collection of motorbikes with also additional one's with a side cart for pets etc

Floating slab of dark chocolate infused with energy 8 formula a food from old Earth with special properties that can be eaten for emergency or given as a gift for increased serotonin and focus.