12-28-2015, 12:25 AM
(12-27-2015, 11:59 PM)SilverOtter Wrote:(12-27-2015, 11:55 PM)Segolia Wrote: I find harder sci-fi more interesting because a lot of light sci-fi really just ends up being "magic except with a cool tech aesthetic"
I don't mean for it to very straight sci-fi, because then the entire thing (superluminal speeds, anyone?) would be impossible, but I would like to avoid "explaining" eldrich beings that created a do-anything particle. Just think "slightly harder Star Trek".
Example: Instead of being armed with a Phazer, with the settings "stun", "shoot", and "kill", you have a gun, with the settings "no bullet", "bullet", and "more bullet".
I don't mean like straight hard sci-fi but something a little more bounded by reality like what you describe.
In a lot of sci-fi settings I ususally just see like "let me summon my teleporting flying AI companion with flamethrower arms" which may as well be "let me summon my magical fire elemental" because it's basically the same thing at that point. Like you're literally just using "science" to explain away fantastical effects which are tantamount to magic anyway