I think Order Of The Stick struck a good balance. They explicitly referred to game mechanics (such as one guy loudly exclaiming how he rolled a 4 for stealth) but it's explicitly not a game, just a world with gamelike mechanics. And the plot is still taken seriously despite the unrealistic world mechanics and frequent lampshading of tropes.
If I'm asking for advice on a story idea, don't tell me it can't be done.
Fuzzy Orange Doomsayer
It could be interesting to explore why the setting functions the way it does—that is to say, what causes the Video Game Physics. (Granted, that could be a little more serious than you're planning, but webcomics tend to go that direction anyways.)
That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful
I want to try and avert Cerberus Syndrome as hard as I can... might not manage though, seeing as a'la Dragon Ball Z, genocides due to spontaneous planet explosion are going to be pretty regular which will probably swell the body count above optimum funny levels.Think I’ll combat it by making many species Too Dumb to Live, or Too F**ked Up To Be Allowed To.
As for explanations though, I do plan to do that seeing as I enjoy screwing with phentoboluim. Thus far I have Selective Gravity and Baby Planet Handwaved through things called “Gravabits” that increase the effective mass and therefore gravity when they condense within an object, although I have no idea how money and platforms float. Maybe they’re caught in a really-low geosycnois orbit?
Also, the laws of Chromatic Superiority and Power Glows is in full effect, as the brighter and higher in wavelength (i.e, the redder) the light from an object gets, the faster it goes. As such, I Love Nuclear Power also applies due to Gamma-rays having the lowest wavelengths possible, but it has a nasty side effect of killing the users…
So yeah, I have a few explanations. The Narrator box just IS though. He’s one of the characters.
edit: and I just realaised that the light wavelength scale DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
...well, time for plan B.
edited 26th Jun '11 9:19:42 PM by doorhandle
Alright, I have come across a problem with my soon-to-be web comic:
I plan it to be a fantasy version of the Wagon Train to the Stars, set in a universe filled with a cruel and unusual laws based on Video Game Physics, which will be Lampshaded to hell and back, as is the fashion for web comics at this time. Think of it as Spell Jammer meets Super Mario Galaxy, with the Super Weight around that of the namek-saga of Dragon Ball Z.
The problems with the above concept are “Video Game Physics” “Lampshaded to hell and back,” and “as is the fashion for web comics at this time.”
On one hand I would do well to distance myself from these tropes, which will make my comic stand out more, will likely be far more original, and will avoid some heat for being “another f***ing gamer comic.”
On the other hand, I am bound to get trolled anyway no matter what I do, and some of my best material is based around blatant fourth-wall breaking, or mocking healthbars/scoring systems. Also, the setting itself relies on a lot of the aftermentioned video game physics.
So, which route should I take? To the point of showing the stats on-screen? Avoiding the issue entirely? Somewhere in between, were it’s recognizably a video-game setting even if the characters don’t break the fourth wall?
edited 20th Jun '11 5:22:33 AM by doorhandle