[VProductions]

I figured its best to ask you guys. I need to create a fictional universe as part of a project. How might I do that? Any help will be very appreciated.


Thanks, VP

[Ziggy455]

QUOTE (VProductions @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 17:20)

I figured its best to ask you guys. I need to create a fictional universe as part of a project. How might I do that? Any help will be very appreciated. Thanks, VP

Story bibles are very good ways of compiling information in your own universe. A story bible usually consists of locations, characters, your universe's physics and rules, and other notes.

[VProductions]

Thanks, it's basically my first time creating a world.
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=550330 It's for this, I want to create a fully imaginable and retro-futuristic world. The first thing I did was look to Fallout and Mass Effect but they didn't really help much.

[gtamad8]

Retro futuristic? Sounds alot like Fallout New Vegas to me, maybe you could do what they did and have an apocalypse happen and the only remainders of the past are things from the 50s

[VProductions]

QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:24)

Retro futuristic? Sounds alot like Fallout New Vegas to me, maybe you could do what they did and have an apocalypse happen and the only remainders of the past are things from the 50s

I am trying to create it as a city that is styled in the 50s another for the 80s and one that is a lot more futuristic. All cities will have better gadgets that we do now. Like: Teleporters, Advanced Grapnel Guns and a lot more; some gadgets new and not authorized by the universes government.

[Typhus]

I'm doing something similar. It's going well.

Start with the religion. The measure of a man is the God he creates - What are the ethics of this world? What do the people hold dear? What do they pray to?

Once you establish a religion, you can establish social rules.
Once you establish social rules - you create the worlds first criminal.
And with the criminal comes the cops and with the cops comes the government and with the government comes the leader.
And what do leaders bring? Civil war, chaos, plots, injustice - all the things that make a good story.

Religion was the fountainhead of all society at one stage, go from there and the rest shall follow.

[AceRay]

Well, figure out the location first. What's the name of this fictional world? What are the cities and what are the countries? What is the terrain like, how old is the planet, that sort of stuff. Get the geography and maps down first, doesn't need to be too detailed but just give us a good idea.

Then get to the political and social side. Who rules who, what kind of governments, are there governments, how rich are people, poverty etc that sort of thing. Then figure out the history of the world and you've got yourself some canon, although I think I've probably missed out a couple of steps there.

If you're into retro future, I'd suggest you try Final Fantasy VII sometime as that's sort of an 80s dystopia, if you will.
http://www.coolrom.com/roms/psx/38587/Fina...II_(Disc_1).php

--

I'm also creating my own universe, which will be called the AceRayverse where all the stories ever written on GTA forums are canon and in a shared continuity with each other, so figure that one out.

[VProductions]

Thanks for your help everyone

[gtamad8]

QUOTE (VProductions @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:34)

QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:24) Retro futuristic? Sounds alot like Fallout New Vegas to me, maybe you could do what they did and have an apocalypse happen and the only remainders of the past are things from the 50s I am trying to create it as a city that is styled in the 50s another for the 80s and one that is a lot more futuristic. All cities will have better gadgets that we do now. Like: Teleporters, Advanced Grapnel Guns and a lot more; some gadgets new and not authorized by the universes government.

Don't use such cliched things like teleporters man, make them sound more sci-fi, like "Advanced Mobile-Particle Transporter" AMPT for short. Instead of "cloning device" why not Solid Matter Duplicator

[AceRay]

QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Saturday, Apr 6 2013, 12:06)

QUOTE (VProductions @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:34) QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:24) Retro futuristic? Sounds alot like Fallout New Vegas to me, maybe you could do what they did and have an apocalypse happen and the only remainders of the past are things from the 50s I am trying to create it as a city that is styled in the 50s another for the 80s and one that is a lot more futuristic. All cities will have better gadgets that we do now. Like: Teleporters, Advanced Grapnel Guns and a lot more; some gadgets new and not authorized by the universes government. Don't use such cliched things like teleporters man, make them sound more sci-fi, like "Advanced Mobile-Particle Transporter" AMPT for short. Instead of "cloning device" why not Solid Matter Duplicator

Yeah, Seventh Sanctum the sh*t out of your world for all new words and phrases in your universe.

[gtamad8]

QUOTE (AceRay @ Saturday, Apr 6 2013, 00:05)

QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Saturday, Apr 6 2013, 12:06) QUOTE (VProductions @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:34) QUOTE (gtamad8 @ Friday, Apr 5 2013, 20:24) Retro futuristic? Sounds alot like Fallout New Vegas to me, maybe you could do what they did and have an apocalypse happen and the only remainders of the past are things from the 50s I am trying to create it as a city that is styled in the 50s another for the 80s and one that is a lot more futuristic. All cities will have better gadgets that we do now. Like: Teleporters, Advanced Grapnel Guns and a lot more; some gadgets new and not authorized by the universes government. Don't use such cliched things like teleporters man, make them sound more sci-fi, like "Advanced Mobile-Particle Transporter" AMPT for short. Instead of "cloning device" why not Solid Matter Duplicator Yeah, Seventh Sanctum the sh*t out of your world for all new words and phrases in your universe.

I just checked that website out and it looks like Skyrim could have been made with that hahaha

[VProductions]

Thanks, I will check that website out later

[Typhus]

QUOTE (VProductions @ Saturday, Apr 6 2013, 13:07)

Thanks, I will check that website out later

I wouldn't bother - half the fun is in creating new names yourself.
The website is for cheaters.

[VProductions]

You have a point there, I could just based it off one of their names

[TonyZimmzy]

I always start with location.

Sometimes if I'm just sitting here, my mind will wander, and I'll usually think of like... rivers, and meadows, and then what connects into a city.

Then I'll think of a character. His friends. His motives. Why he's wanting to do the things he does and how his friends can entwine with the story for sub-plots, dialogue, etc.

Most of all, though, is you have to be utterly passionate about it. You need to be so passionate about who you're thinking up, and the locations, imagine them so realistic, like you wanna see this become a movie in five years time and only you're allowed to direct it, pick the cast, etc.

Fuaaark.

[Tyler]

Okay, there's a lot of advice in here but the initial question you ask yourself is fairly simple: are you making a universe for the story or are you making a story within the universe? They're largely different in intent, you should decide which one you're going for before you get all the names, birthplaces, wars, pop singers and candy brands of the universe. Personally, I think the story takes precedence. It's all we will see of the universe and it's how we'll see whatever you've made up. If you're just cramming all of your cool new stuff into a story that doesn't need it, you risk making the exposition a bloated moat of periphery and information overload.

You have to course the story through a consistent place and time, sure, but you don't need to actually create an entire world for that to work. No, most of the time worldbuilding is self-centered and that's fine, but if you're trying to make a story, then stop worrying about every single person having a fledged out family tree dating back 500 years (unless that will be a big part of your story later). Focus on the characters or focus on an interesting plot. Don't spend fifty hours creating a brand new planet only to give up on the idea of the story. Simply put, don't make an entirely new plane of existence until you're ready to make a serial in this new setting, or you want to spend a lot of time thinking and not a lot of time writing.

[VProductions]

Thanks for all everyones, your advice really helps. I am making the universe and making the story inside the universe if you know what I mean, the universe is big time, the story is less big time .

Edit: The universes name is Justakoe, I chose that name because of the word 'Justice' and how the universe needs justice to be brought forward.