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Worldbuilding

Launched Q&A site for writers/artists using science, geography and culture to construct imaginary worlds and settings.

4
votes
3
answers

How questions about an already created world should reference such world?

sep 7 '14 at 23:15 Community♦ 1
3
votes
3
answers

Would it be possible to create a language to describe worlds in?

sep 4 '14 at 16:02 lonstar 101
8
votes
1
answer

Would we support expanding existing (fictional) worlds?

aug 22 '14 at 22:01 Mourdos 241
3
votes
4
answers

Would support questions be on topic?

aug 22 '14 at 12:24 Mourdos 241
-3
votes
2
answers

Easier the context to define world laws and elements

jul 28 '14 at 9:01 Florian Pellet 199

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89 Example Questions

active newest votes
up vote 5 down vote
Between two evenly matched forces, would space combat degrade into MAD, stable, continuous aggressive activity, or something entirely different?
added by kikjezrous Apr 4 '14 at 4:24
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I really wanna answer this question. I feel like this kind of question is a little too vague though, because evenly matched would imply quite a lot. However, it depends on a lot more factors then 'evenly matched' forces anyway. – ranger10700 Apr 29 '14 at 5:04
up vote 4 down vote
How do I know when I've done enough planning to start implementing my <world-building project>?
added by Kevin Jan 1 '14 at 23:19
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up vote 4 down vote
What forms of communications aliens could use efficiently (e.g. chemical transfer instead of sound)?
added by dtldarek Apr 9 '14 at 15:27
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1  
I think this question is too broad to be a good fit. Questions like this are likely to produce list answers. A better question would be Would aliens be able to communicate via <x> effectively. – Styphon May 1 '14 at 22:20
up vote 3 down vote
How would the development of civilization be affected by living on a lonely planet orbiting lonely star in intergalactic space?
added by Donaudampfschifffreizeitfahrt Mar 19 '14 at 8:15
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This question is exactly why I want this place to exist! +1 – ranger10700 Apr 29 '14 at 5:02
up vote 2 down vote
What properties you need to summarize a community (planet, city, gang) ?
added by Neekobus Apr 4 '14 at 18:14
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If you are asking what I think you are asking I like this question. Essentially it sounds like you are asking: What defines a community, what common aspects do all communities share? ...no more votes! – James Apr 9 '14 at 13:14
Well I'm thinking about properties like : Technological level, Religion propagation, speech freedom, commercial fields, population repartition, ... – Neekobus Apr 10 '14 at 16:59
up vote 2 down vote
What would happen if a planet with tides didn't have a moon?
added by Young Guilo Apr 7 '14 at 13:29
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I think this could be a good question if it was a little more specific. I assume from "a planet with water," you're interested in tidal motion, but it's not totally clear. – Darrick Herwehe Apr 7 '14 at 19:21
@Darrick Herwehe is that better? – Young Guilo Apr 9 '14 at 13:21
1  
@Young Guilo Actually that's even more confusing. Perhaps you mean something like "Would an Earthlike planet without a large moon have tides in its oceans?" – smithkm Apr 15 '14 at 17:07
1  
Actually also the sun causes tides, just not as high as the moon. What we see is the superposition of lunar and solar tides, which is why we have spring tide and neap tide. – celtschk Apr 16 '14 at 5:47
up vote 1 down vote
Has anyone recently constructed two-dimensional worlds (at the level of A.K. Dewdney's "Planiverse")?
added by rem Jan 26 '14 at 11:20
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Terry Pratchett's Discworld? – kexx Feb 21 '14 at 1:44
4  
I think this means in terms of not having a 3rd dimension, not in terms of lacking curvature. Discworld is flat, but 3 dimensional. A 2D world might have a curved embedding in 3D space, but still be 2D, like the surface of a sphere (as opposed to standing on a sphere in 3D like we do) – smithkm Feb 21 '14 at 22:59
up vote 1 down vote
If an evolving society of human-like beings happens to have no fingers/toes, would they still develop written language?
added by ghorahn Mar 23 '14 at 7:17
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After I wrote that, I envisioned people with stumps for hands drawing huge characters on a rock face, using animal blood as their ink. (^ ^;) Kinda like calligraphy done with those mop-size brushes...but less elegant. – ghorahn Mar 23 '14 at 7:20
I don't think they'd be able to evolve (survival of the fittest). Opposable thumbs gave us a large edge early on in our evolution. – Styphon Apr 14 '14 at 13:31
up vote 1 down vote
What is the maximum size comet impact a planet could survive?
added by Liath Apr 25 '14 at 14:08
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up vote 1 down vote
How would a planet being tidally locked affect its ecosystems?
added by FracturedRetina May 5 '14 at 23:25
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up vote 1 down vote
How would a society's technology advance if computerized technology was never developed or otherwise made unavailable?
added by Joshua Barron May 12 '14 at 20:59
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up vote 1 down vote
How would society be different if it had evolved from birds? Where flying is possible, food is scavenged, and reproduction is from eggs? (with hands?)
added by Inbar Rose May 18 '14 at 14:59
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up vote 0 down vote
Are there 'feasible criteria' under which a river might grow deeper over time, but without also becoming wider, by natural (erosive/etc.) processes?
added by ghorahn Mar 23 '14 at 6:25
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up vote 0 down vote
How many generations of genetic separation is required for human offspring to not exhibit any "noticeable" (visible or otherwise) genetic defects?
added by ghorahn Mar 23 '14 at 6:36
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By "otherwise," I suppose I mean things like medical problems often associated with inbreeding, stuff like that. – ghorahn Mar 23 '14 at 6:40
up vote 0 down vote
How could someone control the laws of physics and alter one object falling and another rising?
added by Young Guilo Apr 6 '14 at 15:36
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up vote 0 down vote
How long would it take for evolution to create or remove a trait in any living creature.
added by Young Guilo Apr 6 '14 at 15:39
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As far as I know, evolution never stops. – Neekobus Apr 7 '14 at 8:14
@Neekobus I know it never stops but how long would it take for a trait to be seen like, long beaks in a bird. – Young Guilo Apr 7 '14 at 13:27
Ok. Maybe you should reformulate your question. And now I think it's a good one. – Neekobus Apr 10 '14 at 17:03
up vote 0 down vote
How could islander support themselves if there is no viable fresh water source?
added by Young Guilo Apr 6 '14 at 15:39
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1  
It is possible to remove the salt and bacteria from sea water, but they would likely need the equipment and the knowledge to do that. If it rains often collecting rain water is an option. – john Apr 15 '14 at 5:39
This is almost a question for the outdoors Q+A site! – Liath May 6 '14 at 9:58
up vote 0 down vote
In a game based on exploiting resources (think of crafting from natural ingredients) how is the economy impacted from overpopulation?
added by guido Apr 7 '14 at 3:46
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up vote 0 down vote
What effect on the human body would be produced by a prolonged lack of sunlight (5-15 years)?
added by Darrick Herwehe Apr 7 '14 at 19:14
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I'm picturing the sun being blocked out by nuclear winter, or humans being driven underground by toxic air. – Darrick Herwehe Apr 7 '14 at 19:15
Pale skin, lack of vitamin D, less food, less oxygen. – john Apr 15 '14 at 5:41
up vote 0 down vote
Would different atmosphere density cause changes population/civilization dynamics?
added by dtldarek Apr 9 '14 at 15:30
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For example whales are able to communicate over 100 miles distances. – dtldarek Apr 9 '14 at 15:33
up vote 0 down vote
What would be a good source of information on the chemical composition of other stars and their systems?
added by Confutus Apr 10 '14 at 21:40
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up vote 0 down vote
What effects would it have on mineral formation and geology for an earthlike planet to have a lower proportion of magnesium than the earth does?
added by Confutus Apr 10 '14 at 21:44
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up vote 0 down vote
How much can a built world's laws of nature deviate from the real world without becoming incomprehensible for the average human?
added by celtschk Apr 14 '14 at 21:57
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Probably the best option is to write it all of the laws down and have someone who you think would be interested in your work read your description. If they can't understand it then your readers probably won't either. The more people you show it to the better idea you have. Also ask what they didn't understand and try to clear that area up. – john Apr 15 '14 at 5:49
up vote 0 down vote
How much granularity should be put into describing/explaining <world detail> before you move on?
added by Kohlbrr Apr 16 '14 at 21:06
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up vote 0 down vote
What infrastructure would a civilisation need to survive in an enclosed environment?
added by Styphon Apr 18 '14 at 8:59
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By civilisation in this instance I mean at least 100,000 people. They would be in a completely self-sustaining, closed environment that provides everything necessary for survival. Assume an infinite energy supply is available. – Styphon Apr 18 '14 at 9:02
up vote 0 down vote
What is a plausible method to build a metropolis over a large body of water?
added by Terri M. Apr 21 '14 at 12:58
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Details, like the society's technological level, the city's population and architectural style, would be included in the description. – Terri M. Apr 21 '14 at 13:01
up vote 0 down vote
What environmental factors could prevent a society from developing electricity?
added by Liath Apr 25 '14 at 14:06
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This question is rather subjective and open to forming lists. A better version would be Would <X> stop electricity from being developed. as it's more specific. – Styphon Apr 27 '14 at 0:03
2  
I think this question is actually ok. Sharing and asking for ideas is absolutely proper here. I guess you have a vision about a world like this, like something very steampunky, and you need a good reason why electricity is missing. One reason could be a superstitious/religious fear of electricity. Or the other reason could be the sophisticated knowledge level of mechanical sciences, which makes electricity not so necessary. – kexx Apr 27 '14 at 13:31
@kexx well you've just given two possible answers right there. This question is far too broad for the SO format. There could be dozens of reasons, if not more. – Styphon Apr 29 '14 at 6:16
@styphon I agree this question could be quite open ended and it would be very difficult to judge the "right answer". I want this how could it happen type questions are a major part of World Building. I think we'd limit the usefulness of the site if we didn't accept them – Liath Apr 29 '14 at 7:14
1  
@Liath there is now - discuss.area51.stackexchange.com/questions/14298/… – Styphon Apr 29 '14 at 11:36
show 3 more improvement suggestions
up vote 0 down vote
What environmental factors could cause a planet's northern lights to extend further down to the equator?
added by Liath Apr 25 '14 at 14:10
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This is a good question, do you actually want to know the answer or this is just an example? – kexx Apr 27 '14 at 13:16
up vote 0 down vote
How can I make my language sound more aggressive to character hearing it?
added by Liath Apr 29 '14 at 10:17
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I'd obviously include a sample of the language in the question – Liath Apr 29 '14 at 10:20
I like this question, though I'm not sure if it belongs here. Would this be better on Roleplaying stack exchange? – Styphon Apr 29 '14 at 11:35
I can see it fitting in either, personally I'd consider language/society/flora/fauna creation to be party of the "world". – Liath May 6 '14 at 10:00
up vote 0 down vote
What impact would having two moons have on a planet's tides?
added by Liath Apr 29 '14 at 10:22
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up vote 0 down vote
What is the minimum size a planet would need to be to support human civilisation?
added by Asraelite May 4 '14 at 22:30
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up vote 0 down vote
How can I organize my world building project?
added by crownjewel82 May 6 '14 at 14:45
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up vote 0 down vote
How do I make a bestiary for my world?
added by crownjewel82 May 6 '14 at 14:50
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up vote 0 down vote
Is it possible to have two human races on a planet with significantly different intelligence levels? Could such a world be stable?
added by rem May 10 '14 at 14:13
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up vote 0 down vote
What kind of features must a society to have for it to become fully dystopian, as opposed to low-quality or dysfunctional?
added by Xenophase May 11 '14 at 6:15
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This is the sort of thing dystopian authors will want to ask - think Hunger Games, Divergent... – Xenophase May 11 '14 at 6:22
up vote 0 down vote
How feasible (time and effort-wise) is building an entirely new language for my world?
added by Xenophase May 11 '14 at 6:23
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up vote 0 down vote
How could a generational ship maintain a source of drinkable water?
added by Terri M. May 14 '14 at 22:55
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up vote 0 down vote
How would a human-like society be different if the people were as varied as different dog breeds, sizes, traits, colors, but still able to interbreed?
added by Inbar Rose May 18 '14 at 14:55
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up vote 0 down vote
How do you determine where mountains form on a continent?
added by MC_Hambone May 18 '14 at 19:12
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up vote 0 down vote
In a world where instant brain-2-brain communication exists, what are the social / technological and geopolitical implications of such technology?
added by Florian Pellet May 20 '14 at 10:51
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The existence of this technology would imply that other ones were developed, but many ways could lead to such technology, each implying different things for the world. When participant P1 might answer that techno T1 is necessary, then leading other users to add other probable implications based on T1, user P2 might go with T2 in which case everything that falls under T1 is invalid. When worldbuilding, there is exponential branching out of implications and consequences, each of which being very specific points of expertise (different users needed). How can we cope with that? – Florian Pellet May 20 '14 at 10:59
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