1. Zadocfish

    Zadocfish Member

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    Finally got my sci-fi setting down pat

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by Zadocfish, Mar 28, 2017.

    So, I've realized after finishing the draft during NaNo for my first book that I could never, ever publish it. The story itself can be fixed, I think, but the setting is a bit too... fiddly, if that makes sense. Too... self-referential. Like, it's a space opera setting tied to a more fantasy setting, and I don't think it really works. I figure if I want to write sci-fi, I should make an actual sci-fi setting.

    I have a more solid idea of what to write for March, now. The setting is your standard colonial space-exploration setting, but with deep-space animals in place of starships (the explanation being that like most things, nature figured out FTL long before human engineers could even imagine it). These critters have formed an informal alliance with humanity; humanity feeds them and directs their migration routes to be more efficient, and the space-monsters allow humans to use them for travel and other things.

    Because of this, humans have spread throughout the galaxy without the need to advance beyond late 20xx-level technology. It's very much an adventure setting; there are big civic centers and there are far-out frontier worlds. Also, I think it provides justification for the "planet of hats" trope; in a setting where travel is easy but terraforming is costly and difficult, it makes sense that planets would want to differentiate themselves from each other to draw more business and tourism. Thus, many less-fertile worlds form "gimmicks" around themselves.

    For example, the story starts out on a planet where gambling is the big thing. The place is a gambling bonanza as a result of having massive gold deposits but very little arable soil. They needed to figure out a way to pay for "groceries" (which are also important for attracting transportation) while not flooding the market and destroying their reserves' economic worth. So, instead of trading their massive gold wealth, they keep it for payouts. This allows them to slow the commodity's release while simultaneously becoming a popular tourist destination. The Gambling Planet relies on a steady stream of vacationers who have plenty of destinations to choose from; the citizens of the planet have to stay competitive, so they base their entire society around maintaining the perfect atmosphere for game parlors.

    So yeah, this sci-fi setting is as soft as microwaved ice cream. Still, I think it will be fun to write in, and hopefully fun to read as well. The story is a "tour" of sorts, focusing on a popular travelogue host and his shapeshifting octopus-like assistant riding a galactic "railroad" worm to various quirky planets, and unraveling the secrets of a long-lost alien race along the way.
     
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  2. Wolf Daemon

    Wolf Daemon Active Member

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    As far as Science Fiction goes that seems kind of far out there, with most of it being more fiction than science. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The universe seems crazy and fantastic enough for me to pick up the book and read it as you don't get many Sci Fi Authors focusing mostly on the 'fiction'.
     
  3. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Okay, I like your premise. Actually quite a lot.

    You'll need to be careful you're not re-creating Moya from Farscape, though, with your large beings that people use for travel. And while I go along with it, I do find it irritating when entire planets are devoid of differentiation. (Look at the fantastic diversity of our own planet Earth ...lifeforms, climate, land forms, etc.) The notion that a whole planet would be dedicated to gambling, or would have only one religion or ruler, or only a few different lifeforms seems too simplistic. HOWEVER that would be a natural planet I'm thinking about. If your planets are terraformed by humans for a particular purpose, then they will be limited (at least at first) and your idea can certainly work. Maybe you can make it clear that some planets are terraformed, while others have evolved naturally, and are as diverse as Earth. That contrast could make a story on its own.

    This sounds like exactly the kind of sci-fi I enjoy reading. Will there be a purpose to your overall story? A general theme you'll be developing? I'm thinking Farscape here. When humans are taken out of their comfort zone, do they adapt to the new circumstances, or do they attempt to destroy what they don't understand. Discuss....
     
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  4. Zadocfish

    Zadocfish Member

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    Well, in point of theme, I hear it's best to only have a general idea for one and only really push for it on the second draft once you know where the story's going. But, I want to want Ted to basically be Mr Rogers mixed with Steve Erwin, so I know I want it to have a positive, uplifting message overall. I have a thread about Christian themes in sci-fi over on that subforum, actually, and it was a pretty cool discussion.

    Anyway, I'm glad to know there's interest in soft sci-fi! That's very encouraging.
     
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  5. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I like that idea and think it could go far. A non technological way of faster than light travel and non traditional animals gives me a feeling like it'll be a mix between Star Trek and Homers Odyssey.

    I'd try my best to reign it in as much as possible to reality. Good science fiction in my opinion tweaks the known laws of physics only enough to suit a story need if there is no other way around it.

    One thing I don't understand. In an exploding economy and population, why has no human decided to study the creatures mechanism and replicate it? Humans don't like mysteries, I feel like we'd study it. A single war would necessitate understanding the mechanism.
     
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  6. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    There are a lot of people who find that that's the strategy that works best for them.

    I myself do not: I need to know as much as possible about what I'm going for before I get started. (Granted, I generally change my plan later on, but I still always start with a first plan)

    Sounds like hard SciFi to me.

    Personally, I tend to go for what I call "chunky peanut butter:" fundamentally soft, but with a lot of really hard bits and pieces here and there.

    Humanity used horses for thousands of years before developing the automobile ;) Maybe they're trying to figure out how FTL works, but haven't managed it yet?
     
  7. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    @Simpson17866 well based on science, you can travel using a flashlight as propulsion in space.
    The down side is it may take a few years before you reach any real velocity though. :p
     
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  8. Robert Musil

    Robert Musil Comparativist Contributor

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    Eh, the whole "living ship" thing has been done quite a lot--I"m pretty sure there were at least 2 or 3 Star Trek episodes over the years featuring similar ideas, and if it's in Star Trek I assume it's pretty widespread (although I can't think of any other examples off the top of my head). And @Zadocfish sounds like they've put enough thought into the details/backstory that I don't think there's much risk of being accused of stealing.

    I agree that this premise sounds intriguiging. I especially like the fact that the ship-creatures have some agency of their own--they aren't controlled the same way a mechanical ship is, but are just helping out humans because of a deal they struck. Are there ever instances where the deal breaks down? You say they are migratory--is there ever a time they want or need to go somewhere against the wishes of their human passengers? Seems like there could be a lot of interesting plot dynamics in that relationship.
     
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  9. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    And the acceleration just keeps getting worse and worse :D

    The further you are away, the more scattered the light from the launch pad has become and the less of it is hitting you
    The faster you're going, the more massive your ship is and the more redshifted the light is

    Plus the ship needs to be really small.
     
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  10. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    Man, as long as you know that, and it's the standard you're writing to, I would love to read it. Keep going!
     
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  11. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Moya did that.
     
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  12. Robert Musil

    Robert Musil Comparativist Contributor

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    @jannert I really do need to actually watch that show sometime...
     
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  13. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Oh, it's a cracker. One of my favourite shows of all time, and definitely my favourite sci-fi show.

    The opening episode, Premiere, sets the tone and launches the story as well as any starter episode I've ever seen. And the series conclusion in the abbreviated 4-episode Peacekeeper Wars brings it all home in a most satisfying way, although the episodes themselves feel rushed ...as they were.

    Farscape fans were damn lucky to get any conclusion, though. The series was cancelled unexpectedly, just after cast and crew finished filming the penultimate Season 4. It was a horrific blow because this is a story-arc-based show, NOT an episodic one. Enough protest got generated that the makers were given a 4-episode chance to conclude the series (instead of the 22 episodes they'd planned on, and had been contracted to produce.) It was a classic case of half a loaf being better than no bread, for sure. But damn. I wish they'd been able to make the whole thing.

    There are a few episodes during the 4-season regular run that aren't as good as the others. But overall, this show is one of the best out there. Acting, conception and execution all work beautifully. You know the writers knew where they wanted to end up. It's all there, at the beginning, really.
     
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  14. Zadocfish

    Zadocfish Member

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    Yeah, I've already figured out quite a few ways to use that angle for fun detours. The train having to head off-course to mate, a predatory worm tracking it down en-route, molting if it's especially young, and the "conductors" being the worm's natural parasites... lots to do with that idea.
     
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  15. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I would suggest that instead of human snot having any FTL capabilities, we simply can't scale it high enough to make big ships.

    A contemporary example: Humans need a lot of energy. Plants turn light into stored energy better than any material we can produce. We understand the entire process of photosynthesis and can even recreate it in a lab. If you could do that on a large scale, you'd end the fossil fuel problem. We just can't scale it and probably won't be able to for fifty years.
     
  16. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    You, sir, know how to typo to maximum effect. I salute you!:D
     
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  17. Zadocfish

    Zadocfish Member

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    Oh, we CAN. It's just that research into doing so is killed in its infancy by people who would lose money on it.
     

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