8 replies to this topic

[Matty_poo]

How do you guys feel about the combining of these two elements? For example the force in star wars (we aren't counting episodes 1-3 thank god) it is an invisible, intangible force that can be felt but not measured in a major capacity. Meanwhile you have blasters and space ships and holograms which are amazingly advanced in the way of tech. Another good example is comics, take for instance comic Thor and comics Iron man, one is all magic and the other all tech, and both often bicker about which is better. How do you guys feel about it? Personally I love it.

[Wolf]

Dishonored did this well.

Steampunk dystopia... I was like 'bleh'

Meet an extraplanar... guy... who gives you crazy powers and "the heart of a living thing"

Hells yus

[Affray]

Dishonored did this well.

Steampunk dystopia... I was like 'bleh'

Meet an extraplanar... guy... who gives you crazy powers and "the heart of a living thing"

Hells yus

That was the first thing that jumped in to my mind as well.
Not a half bad game, it did feel pretty rushed in the way in which it gave you powers and set up the plot though.
Properly executed the combination of the two elements is fantastic though.

[Matty_poo]

Now is it actually magic in Dishonored or just vague tech? and would you guys be against mixing the two elements mroe often in various mediums?

[Affray]

Now is it actually magic in Dishonored or just vague tech? and would you guys be against mixing the two elements mroe often in various mediums?

The world is steam punk oriented, whale oil fueled and everything, and Corvo the main character you play as is granted dark magic powers that he uses to murder his way though the city guard to avange his betrayal.

As far as seeing this combination more often, I am not so sure.
An ideas originality is what makes it good, so if there a a bunch of similar themes it would remove from the quality of them all.

[Matty_poo]

The world is steam punk oriented, whale oil fueled and everything, and Corvo the main character you play as is granted dark magic powers that he uses to murder his way though the city guard to avange his betrayal.

As far as seeing this combination more often, I am not so sure.
An ideas originality is what makes it good, so if there a a bunch of similar themes it would remove from the quality of them all.

have to disagree on the originality part, if we're really getting into it then nothing is original really. Also avengers last summer was an amazing movie, but there have been tons of superhero films. I think it's more in the execution than the concept.

[No-Danico]

Any sufficiently awesome magic is indistinguishable from technology. Clarke's forgotten fourth law.

[Diabolical_Jazz]

Any sufficiently awesome magic is indistinguishable from technology. Clarke's forgotten fourth law.

I was about to quote it before I read your post.

Anyway, throwing mysticism into sci-fi is great, although it is *normally* exclusive to sci-fantasy, and almost totally prohibitive in hard science fiction. Although it would be interesting to see someone make an attempt at that. It could result in some really interesting themes.

I'm a fan of Warhammer 40k's setting and the magic in it. Also Shadowrun.

[SushiKitten]

I really like tech and magic mixing, especially when the magic involves the tech. It's an interesting concept, usually you only really see one without the other.

There are some days when I think about how far society's come in technology, and how it could easily be considered magic, especially to someone living in, like, the 17th century. I mean, we have moving pictures on the wall (projectors), 3D printers, even this device that I'm using to communicate with people all over the world. We can make explosions by splitting an atom. Sure, we can't summon fire at the snap of a finger but give me a little hydrogen and something to make a spark wth and you've got the next best thing.

Hard sci-fi and mysticism would be an interesting mix, I have to agree. I'm not entirely sure how one would go about it, though.