Curse

x64600 · Nov 21, 2006, 07:57 AM // 07:57

It can get overdone. Full Metal Alchemist for instance is more 1920s
While Last Exile was also very 1930s ish SciFi.
Something like Sakura wars would also be post indiustrial era.

Escaflowne sets a nice setting for a Guild Wars Steam Punk.
So Does Warmachine, & Iron Kingdoms. Though they push the industry a bit on a larger scale.

That is why I was thinking the society would be colonial. New to the area with potential drawn from their homeland. But without the extensive industry of something like trains. If they where from Orr, or a society that fell then you would never have to push the industry to far.

Muskets but no six shooters. Nothing so advanced. Something more like the three musketeers.

Iron Kingdoms for instance uses an Alchemical process for their guns. Breach loaded pistols similar to flint lock.

Gonnes, the earliest form of guns. Where basically small poles with cannons attached at the end. You lit a fuse in the side of the pole. Flint Lock where slow to reload More of a shoot then switch to a blade kind of setting.

If you think of guns up to the era where they actually become more efficient then swords then you have gone to far from classic Steam Punk. Early flint locks where slow, Gonnes where shoot, & drop weapons. Some where even built into lances, & spears. Musketeers would shoot, then switch over to their blades. Which is why the gunfighter class would be very slow, but hit very hard.

Maybe even a secondary skill called reload which is needed to synergistically work with fire skills. Like the Assassins skill set. Load fire, load fire.

This would drastically change the Gunfighter Musketeer from the ranger. While the ranger is quicker, the Musketeer would be slower, but hit harder. Also like the assassin the Musketeer would use fencing arts for close in range fighting when reloading is not an option. It would fit a more romantic Steam Punk setting much more eloquently. It would also change offhand weapons.

Off hand a flintlock pistol. Main weapon a fencing blade. Off hand a dagger for parrying, Main weapon a long gun.

I could just see it, firing lines drawn. Fire, then close in. Its classic.

x64600 · Dec 07, 2006, 07:47 AM // 07:47

I was considering another balance mechanism for the Mechanists summons. Power degeneration. They have so much power to fuel them. Once this power degenerates to a certain point they shut down. Skills could be used to recharge this power degeneration at the cost of the mechanists energy, or health.

The same could work for the Elementalists elemental summons.

Also the summons could use up their power faster through the use of skills which activate special attacks. Creating a more dynamic, synergistic feel to the builds.

Gorebrex · Dec 08, 2006, 03:02 PM // 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by x64600

...Some Steam punk authers of note: Jules Verne, Edward S Ellis, H.G. Wells, K.W Jeters Morlock Night, Luis Senarens, Mary Shelley, Mark Twain, Mervyn Peakes Titus Alone trilogy, Michael Moorcock. Terry Pratchetts Discworld, Etc.
Some more Victorian steam punk settings.
Neal Stephensons The Diamond Age
Ronald Clarks Queen Victorias Bomb
S.M. Sitrlings The Peshawar Lancers
Diane Duane To Visit the Queen

Some movies/shows that incorporated Steam Punk into them.

Jim Hensons Labrynth- The Goblins where so Steam Punk.
Howls Moving Castle.
Castle in the sky
Sleepy Hollow
The Brothers Grimm
Sakura Wars
Wild Wild West. The new one with Will Smith.
Full Metal Alchemist, (Though it was more pulp 1920s sci-fi.)
Steam Boy, (Victorian feel with extensive industry.)
Disneys Atlantis the lost empire.
Frankenstein
Avatar the Last Airbender
Twenty thousand lieges under the sea
The Wizard of Oz
Journey to the center of the earth
Young Sherlock Holmes
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Last Exile
The Vision of Escaflowne- A great example of high fantasy Steampunk.
Steam Detectives

Know Shelly, Twain, Verne, and Wells, never heard of others, only seen 8 of the movies you listed, havent heard of most, so I guess you can tell Im not real big on the "steampunk" idea.

Karmaniac · Dec 08, 2006, 09:46 PM // 21:46

I love the idea!

I mean there are MILLIONS of fantasy games (because its easy) with kings and knights and elves (*sigh*) and dwarves and orcs and fireballs and magic swords and dragons and evil gods and scantily clad ladies. But how many games have taken place in steampunk setting? While Arcanum's combat system was unbalanced and got boring quick the storyline (and the sidequests, oh my) was rock solid. And in my merory it has outlived quite a few mediocre run-off-the-mill fantasy games.

Back to the topic: it has been speculated that Rome at its peak had the technical knowledge to start industrial revolution so how come GW coulnd accommodate such scenario? And to be honest GW could use a fresh breeze: how about something completely original instead of elementalist/warrior/monk/ranger hybrids? I know I will choose mechanist over elf any day.

Sniper Corps · Dec 09, 2006, 04:33 AM // 04:33

This seems interesting. But the first thought in my mind was FFVII lol.
I SAY WE DO IT!!!

This may never be added, but i want to see a Sephiroth Uber Boss.

x64600 · Dec 15, 2006, 01:08 PM // 13:08

I have fond memories of FFVII.

I know this diverges greatly from the trend to follow geographical inspiration. But soon we are going to run out of terrestrial regions to base settings on. We have the far Goth/east. African, & the mixed classic European feel. What is next? The Americas, perhaps Vikings, maybe Roman, Celtic, etc… Not much more to draw from.

If Viking is the near vector Guild Wars is going to run into Tolkein territory. There is so much competition drawn from Viking myth out there that it will be hard to keep the Kraken from sinking Anets boat.

Imagine bulky yet sleek skyships kept aloft on the winds by mystic forces generated from taping the power of strange minerals with steam craft engines. We already have seen a castle floating in the sky anchored ominously out of reach of our characters curiosity. Even pre searing held a mysterious tower which defied gravity.

Now picture entire islands, continents. The comic book Meridian comes to mind. A high fantasy setting many have dreamed of but few have dared to touch. Great stone mountains with properties that cause them to hover above the landscape.

Another ideal is why give us entirely new lands to explore? Why not expand on the lands we have. An industrial revolution of Prophecies perhaps? Excavating Orr may yield mystic steam craft that could provide a plethora of new ground to base a chapter on.

We are losing the player base by thinning it out. Some say the community is growing. They are correct. But I just ran through Factions yesterday with a Rit & it was almost devoid of other players. Most of the quests, especially the more difficult end game quests where lacking of other people to play with.

Expanding upon the prophecies setting by opening up new instances, & territories. Allowing new players to interact with the Prophecies campaign before moving on to the next chapter that takes place parallel, & directly after that campaign. Creating a more solid player base in PVE. While giving them access to new initial classes, new story archs, & new areas to explore. Rather then using an island to start characters off the prophecies setting would provide the initial character advancement. Then the next chapter would kick in providing expanded content to Prophecies itself. The same could be done for the other chapters seeing as they leave allot of territory left to the imagination. Chapters to revitalize older chapters which would otherwise be all but abandoned by the bulk of the community as it moves on to otherwise distanced chapters.