The Gamer's Quarter

[dhex]

ok well that's what it calls to mind for me at least. i realize it was born in the heady days when "cyber-" as a prefix was not yet the shameful marker of uninspiration but rather just something we could blame on bruce sterling.

thanks to our brother in oceania cycle, i have a shiny old copy of arcanum sitting on my desk. i messed with it a bit when taking breaks last week and outside of being blown away by the character creation process (quite nifty - dozens of special backgrounds like "raised by charlatan" or "ran away to the circus") and the insane difficulty (i have not really read up on the process and will probably just plod away for a while until i get a feel for things) the setting reminds me most of ultima: martian dreams.

in other words, making a game out of a world that jules verne could have written. so you have morning coats and stiff upper lips and guns that shoot greek fire and some kind of magic system. it's not particularly a victorian setting, at least as implemented by games (one has to wonder what kind of romanticism and libertine ethos is being rebelled against in these settings)

the question at the end of rainbow tunnel here is whether or not i'm missing out on other games in this kind of setting, and well...it's a unique setting. it's not used often. part of the reason being that it's probably a bit hard to relate to, or perhaps artists don't know how to draw formal evening wear?

PRODUCER: Ok Harry, we need those dress models STAT!
HARRY: But boss...boss...where does the cleavage go?
PRODUCER: Ain't no cleavage, Harry. This is a steampunk game.
HARRY: (lies dead on floor from disbelief)

etc.

not being versed in written science fiction, the only work i've read near this genre would be the diamond age (which i liked quite a bit), so i am probably missing out on dozens of aspects to this particular setting that fans no doubt have committed to memory.


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[Dracko]

haha meatspunk
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

[Joe]

final fantasy six is kinda steampunk-y. there seem to be a few examples of it in anime, but the nice settings are usually marred with the typical anime baggage.
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[Intentionally Wrong]

STEAMBOT CHRONICLES may not be very punk, but they put the steam part right in its name--which is funny, since the bots in question run on oil.

Actually, though, one of my roommates and I were just debating this the other day. There are tons of examples of cyberpunk in fiction--Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman--but I can't really think of any comparable works for steampunk. I was always kind of interested in Arcanum, though. I never really considered tracking down a copy before now, though.

[Scratchmonkey]

Difference Engine is kind of the canonical steampunk, in terms of fiction.

And The Chaos Engine was pretty much based on it, although it may be too console-y for Mr. Hexler. I guess the Thief games could be considered steampunk, especially the second one.

[dessgeega]

boogie wings aka the great ragtime show is steampunk city.
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[dhex]

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[Cycle]

I was about to make a post before I noticed stratchmonkey already said both things I was gonna say.
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[Dracko]