Slippy302

A brief intro to Bluefall:

THE VIRTUAL WORLD OF CIRCUS

In 2041, the planet has a new global superpower – the virtual Universe known as Circus. Accessible in seconds from anywhere on Earth, Circus is everything that modern VR wishes it could be – a fully immersive fantasy experience where everything looks, feels, and tastes completely real. The virtual landscape is composed of hundreds of disconnected “zones,” which can be as large as a dozen miles across or as tiny as a studio apartment. Each zone has been developed by users into a unique environment, from cyberpunk metropolises, to lavish casinos, to jungle tree-house hamlets, to idyllic island resorts.

But Circus is more than a game – it is an autonomous nation with its own economy, fashion, industry, politics, exchangeable currency, and law. The GDP of Circus has surpassed Finland’s, and its money – called “credits” – trades at better rates than the Japanese Yen. By 2041, the concept of a virtual world has evolved, so that it is no longer simply a place to live out fantasies; it is a gathering place, a home, a place to go to work, or fall in love, to become wealthy, or famous, to drink away the sorrows of the day, or build an empire.

THE BAZAAR, LAKESIDE, AND MUSI'S COTTAGE

Two of the important zones in the virtual world of Circus include a virtual metropolis called The Bazaar – which looks like a cyberpunk version of Tokyo and is the most densely populated section of the virtual Universe – as well as the luxury resort getaway of Lakeside, a paradise playground open exclusively to members of the virtual uberwealthy and elite. There are also "private" zones, like Musi's Cottage, accessible only with the permission of the zone's moderator or owner. These zones are only available to users who are willing to pay large sums of money to rent them. Customization costs extra.

EDIT: If you want to learn more after reading the AMA, you can check out www.bluefall.tv. Thanks!

I don't know if any other writers go about worldbuilding this way, but I don't feel as if you need to know every single detail of a Universe to create one. You start with the big blocks and fill in some little ones, and when you're confronted with making a choice you just decide what works or makes sense with what you already have. It's a strange kind of cause and effect process, i.e. you make X decision, so the next decision must be Y, and because you chose Y then the next decision must be Z. You can ask yourself any possible question about a Universe and answer it with some variation of that same process. There will always be inconsistencies but rarely a situation where they can't be resolved, so if you're paying attention and aren't afraid to make adjustments or rethink details whenever necessary, it doesn't all feel so overwhelming.

Hello! Thanks for your question.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on Ready Player One by any means, but I'll do my best to answer!

The future in Bluefall is not dystopian, and Circus (Bluefall's virtual world) functions rather as an extension of the real world than an escape from it. Avatars look just like real people (with some... enhancements... available to those who will pay, although some users, called "authentics" -- like Musi -- choose to look just like their real selves, wrinkles and all.) Everything about Circus is driven by a consumer culture and it has adult institutions of all kinds. In brothels like The Love Diamond, users shell out credits to have virtual liaisons with other real users who work full-time in Circus as prostitutes.

Story-wise -- and I think this gets to the heart of your question about what makes Bluefall stand out -- the focus of Bluefall revolves around a grounded financial conspiracy rather than a treasure hunt. There are certainly some similarities to RP1 in the scope of the virtual world and in the inciting incident of the story with the creator's murder, no use trying to dodge that, haha! But Bluefall -- and, by extension, Circus -- endeavors to say something very different about virtual worlds and how they are susceptible to being misused. The plot of Bluefall errs closer to something like The Big Short than it does to Ready Player One.

There are plenty of artists looking for commission work on places like DeviantArt and ArtStation. Look around and see what stands out to you as special! In my case, I hired the artist, and I'm investing my own money into this, but I don't think you should be too put off by the idea of needing to do a Kickstarter to get going. There's no shame in raising money to create something that you believe in.

For an entire book you're looking at ~$150-200 per page in most cases. Not a tasteless question at all!