How to Create Immersive Worlds? Science Fiction & Fantasy

• What makes Science Fiction?
• What makes Fantasy?
• What are the Differences?
• How do they overlap?
• How do we merge both?

Summary – How to Create a World through a Fantasy/SF frame?

1. Define the Common Traits.
2. Define the Differences.
3. Establish how you will make use of Commonalities through an Action-Adventure frame.
4. Create a Simple world in this order:
   1. Organizations
   2. Characters
   3. Environments
5. Choose a 2ndary Genre:
   1. Comedy
   2. Horror
   3. Drama
6. Implement the element of the 2ndary Genre in this World.

• Every Genre & every Frame has Peculiarities.
• These Peculiarities need to be emphasize to create Immersive worlds.
• How do you articulate these Peculiarities to create Immersive worlds?



Common Traits

Fantasy & Science Fiction share 3 main traits.

• Quests
• As we are in presence of Stories.
• And Stories which are often depicted as epic stories, the Characters will be in need of a quest.
• Starts rather easily in a fairly friendly place.
• Develops as the Story presents new Environments & Characters.
• And Climaxes with a bursting Final.

• Sagas
• Fantasies & Fictions are also stories of Many characters.
• Diversity is a crucial element.
  • Note that most stories cast almost exclusively humans or humanoids creatures.
• These stories present Large cast.
• Not necessarily complex Characters.
• Most 2ndary & 3rtiary Characters can be simple.
• And finally Organizations.
• These extended worlds revolve around Organizations.
• And these Organizations administrate them.

• Mankind
• Humans Win.
• Humans defeat the Alien threat.
• Or prevent the World’s end.
• In most cases humans need to end the menace.
  • If you’re doing Horror or Drama, it mayn’t end this way.
• Transhumanism is a central Theme in most of the best Science Fictions.
• Is it as true for Fantasy?
• Stories would gain from interrogating the Definition of Human.
• Defining what makes 1 Human.
• Questioning the Human Identity.
• And the limits of Humanity.
• …
• Should Humans win?



How to Emphasize the differences?

• The Essence of Science Fiction : Innovation
• The main difficulty in Writing is being Innovative while remaining consistent.
• This is particularly true for Science Fiction.
• In all Settings, you want to be as consistent as possible.
  • If only, for an optimal user experience.
• In any other Setting, you do not need to be Innovative & generally you won’t be.
• The 2nd difficulty is to explain the functioning of your new Tool.
  • Note that this applies to Alien species as well.
• The Public will need a frame of reference.
• The 3rd, and maybe foremost, difficulty will be to create enticement.
• Enticement is common to all forms of entertainment.
• However, in the case of Science-Fiction, you’re marketing an Invention.
• You are intended to deliver a disruptive Product.
• We already have Instant communication, the capacity to travel to most places & Ever accessible Entertainment.
• Most of the basic Human needs have been satisfied.
• What else can you bring to the Table?
  • Humans will always want more Convenience.
  • Deliver Convenience.

• The Essence of Fantasy : Fable
• Every Fable is a Fantasy.
• Fantasy is both the Deepest & the Simplest setting.
• For it is the setting which makes best use of Icons & Allegories.
• Fantasy taps into the collective unconscious.
• It solicits the collective visual library to create Fables.
• Seemingly new Fables.

• Why you’ll need to research?
• It will be quite difficult to create ground breaking Inventions if you have no basics in Engineering & Design.
• In the same manner, it will be difficult to deal with Living beings without basics of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or Ecology.
• On another touch, History, Economics, Geopolitics & Linguistics are 4 essential subjects to create States & other Organizations.
• Also, you’ll want to build interesting settlements you may want to learn about Urbanism & Architecture.
• Finally, diverse Characters mean diverse Profile.
  • So, Profiling & Social Psychology may help.
  • Especially if you’re interested in developing your own Archetypes.

If you want to know more about emphasizing Diversity.

Synergy & Conversion

• Species
• Species from Fantasy & Science-Fiction are seldomly different.
• Monsters & Aliens don’t display much differences.
• They are often aggressive, often hideous or at least inappropriately cartooned.
• Some of them are often only Hybrids & Chimeras.
• And it’s not an issue.
• The Appearance is only half of a Species.
• Defining the Species Behavior makes it just as memorable.
• How do they Behave?
• Are they feral?
• Are they offensive?
• Do they grow in the Wilds?
• How do they Survive?
• How do they Sleep?
• How do they ensure their Sustenance?
• Their Safety?
• Their Reproduction?
• Do they regroup?
• Are there Clans or Tribes?
• Do they make Use of tools?
• Do they Use of Heat & Electricity?
• Do they Use of other Energies?
• Do they Craft their tools?
• Do they produce Arts?

If you want to know more about Species.

• Cities, Settlements & other Locations
• Whichever Genre & Frame you choose some Locations are Crucial.
• These Locations, often Landmarks, make for a Clear Map.
• Wherever it is Megalopolises or Extra-planetary stations, populations needs to be grouped to be administrated.
• These Settlements need Different Blocks & sub-Cities.
• They need Diverse layout & Architecture.
• They need to be different From each other & on the Inside.
• The conversion from Metropolis to City-State is simple to make.
  • Scale up & down.
• Organizations & Federations will administrate your Worlds.
  • Display the Relationships between Organizations.
• Guilds & Professional associations are essential if you have Classes & Professions.
  • Therefore if you don’t have a Specialized labor system they may not be necessary.

If you want to know more about Settlements.

• Planes & Planets
• Worlds as well need to be diverse.
• Even if there are no Sentient Species to organize them.
• You could create self-organizing worlds.
• Or make use of Sentient Planets.
• Diversity is displayed in the Atmosphere & the Landscape.
• Make use of Elevation.
• Display Traces of ancient Civilizations.
• Or Traces of actual Civilizations.
• Or no Traces of Civilizations at all.
• Create Situations.
• Create Events.
• Environments are filled with elements which are occasions to create Action.

If you want to know more about creating Worlds.



Magic & Technology

• Magic as a Technology
• Many Magic Systems have procedure.
• Wherever they are called Rituals or Spells.
• This knowledge is preserved on a support.
• It’s only Information.
• As any other type of Information it can be processed, treated & corrupted.
• Magic Systems need to be Systematic.
• In most fiction they lack consistency or a difficult to navigate through.
• Because they are not systems.
• Systems allow little exceptions.
• Limit them.
• There may be erratic consequences, as it is the case in most Experimental context.
• Even these consequences must present a part of Predictability.

• Science will always have Unknown domains
• What makes Magic, magic is the Incomprehension.
• The incapability to Explain fully the domain of a spell or a school.
• Science, if you want to consider that Magic isn’t Science, suffers from the same issue.
• Procedure needs to be updated.
• Innovation have to appear.
• And Disruption is inevitable.
• Therefore, Science will never be fixed or fully understood.
  • If you ever create Planets, think about new, unknown or undetectable Elements.

• Combining Technology & Magic to create Original Tools
• Your Species will have peculiar Anatomies.
• Theses Anatomic features can be reproduced, enhanced or merged.
• Wherever it is through Transgenesis or Hybridization features can be combined.
• It a feature is not innately present on a Species a Prothesis can be created.
• Here are some domains where Magic & Technology can be merged:
  • Security & Weapons
  • Utilities
  • Accommodations & Housing
  • Vehicles & Transportation
  • Sleep & Sex
  • Metabolism & Prolongated Life

• Some Aliens have Powers
• When we think about Magic we really think about skills a regular human wouldn’t have.
• Alien species have superhuman capabilities.
• Just like Animals have superhuman capabilities.
• And when you consider it this way, The Human Brain is a superior artefact in its own right.
  • Allowing us to create all these Ideas & process all this Information.
• Most Alien will have powers akin to Magic.
• And it will be quite difficult to explain them.
• Except if the Species anatomy is already known & transcribed in a codex.
• Otherwise, something will need to be done to transcribe this Anatomy.

If you want to know more about Items & Tech.