Research - The Industrial Age

Here are some of the key notes from my research on the Industrial Age:

• The period from the 18^th to the 19^th century
• Major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation and technology
• Had major effects on socioeconomic and cultural conditions
• Began in the UK and spread through the rest of the world
• The introduction of steam power fuelled primary by coal, powered machinery, railways, engines, eventually electrical power generation etc
• 3 leading sectors in terms of key innovations: Textiles – cotton spinning using Richard Arkwright’s water frame, Steam power and Iron making – coke replaces charcoal
• Rediscovery in 1756 of concrete which had been lost for 1300 years
• Gas lighting, glass making, paper machines were also invented
• Led to population increase and increased child labour

Key Inventions:

• First reliable steam engine: 1775
• Cotton gin: 1793
• Interchangeable parts for muskets: 1798
• Telegraph: 1836
• Sewing machine: 1844
• Telephone: 1876
• Phonograph: 1877
• Incandescent Light Bulb: 1879
• Induction Electric Motor: 1888
• Diesel Engine: 1892
• First Airplane: 1903

I may change this a bit though to suit my design/story. Maybe there won’t be any advanced ways to communicate (telegraphs/telephones etc) and perhaps there won’t be electricity, but I will tackle this when it comes to the design of my game.

Research - The American Civil War

Here are some of the relevant notes I took during my research on the American Civil War:

• The war lasted from 1861 to 1965 and led to over 618,000 casualties.
• Causes can be traced back to tensions that formed early in the nation’s history
• 1. Economic and social differences between the North and the South
• There was a greater need for slaves, especially in the South
• 2. States versus federal rights
• Since the time of the Revolution, two camps emerged: those arguing for greater states rights and those arguing that the federal government needed to have more control.
• 3. The fight between slave and non-slave state proponents
• 4. Growth of the Abolition movement
• 5. The election of Abraham Lincoln
• Federalists believed that the federal government and the executive needed to maintain their power in order to ensure the survival of the union. On the other hand anti-federalists held that states should retain much of their sovereignty within the new nation. Basically they believed that each state should have the right to determine the laws within its own borders and should not be forced to follow the mandates of the federal government unless absolutely necessary.
• Arguments arose of taxation, tariffs, internal improvements, the military and of course slavery
• The north and south were squared off against each other. The south was largely comprised of small and large plantations that grew crops such as cotton which were labor intensive. The north, on the other hand, was more of a manufacturing center, using raw materials to create finished goods. Slavery had been abolished in the North but continued in the South due to the need for inexpensive labor and the ingrained culture of the plantation era.
• Technology: The first railroad in America was made in 1830, there were hospitals, rifled musket weapons, the submarine, flame thrower, land mines, grenades, observation balloons, iron hulled warships, repeating guns.

I could perhaps use the American Civil war in my concept - perhaps the Vikings could be the North or South sides, or a third party

Or perhaps I could set the game during this time period but could have a war between the vikings and their enemies which could have aspects of the Civil war in it, but could have other causes and effects. I could re-write history!

Research - The Vikings "Discover" America

Here are some notes from my research on the Viking's discovery of North America:

• First European race to discover America – about 500 years before Columbus (years 1000-1)
• They named America “Newfoundland”
• They found the land so inviting that they stayed through the winter before returning to Greenland.
• The leader of the expedition was Leif Eriksson. He named it Vinland after the wild grapes he found there. His success enticed others to conduct their own expeditions, including his brother Thorvald (who was later killed there in a skirmish with the native Americans)
• Leif’s camp (of 8 houses arranged in 3 complexes in L’Anse aux Meadows) was used for about 15 years but never became a colony.
• The houses were wooden frameworks overlain with sod walls and roofs, fireplaces in the center of each house.
• Leif named the surrounding areas “Helluland” (Rocky land/land of flat stones), “Markland” (land of forests) and “Vinland” (land of grapes/wine/meadows)
• While voyages, for example to fetch timber, were likely to have occurred for some time, there is no evidence of enduring Norse settlements on mainland North America
• Leif sailed some 1800 miles to America with a crew of 35
• He had to return to Greenland to take over his father’s estate after his death and was never to return
• Settlements were aimed to exploit natural resources such as furs and lumber
• It appears that sporadic voyages for resources and trade with the natives could have lasted as long as 400 years but it is unclear why the short-term settlements did not become permanent
• The Kensington Runestone found in Alexandria, Minnesota
• The Smithy was under a mound of hill, similar to hobbit’s houses in LOTR

Imagine if the Vikings had set up a permanent colony in North America during this time. America would be so different now - there'd be hints of Viking design everywhere and perhaps the country would have been more advanced (Scandinavia today is still considered to be comprised of some of the world's leading countries in terms of development/design/education/politics/currency/happiness etc).

I'd probably want to set my game after the 1000's, well after the "colony" was set up. Maybe I'd set my story in the Civil War and Industrial era so that the Viking influence in America can be very apparent.

Refining an Idea

I now have 2 broad concepts.

1. Base a game off Viking mythology - either a broad story like Ragnarök (the final battle in Norse mythology between good and evil) or a more specific myth (such as Beowolf, but something that hasn't been done before). This could be similar to "God of War", but I am reluctant to just do a game based solely off mythology due to the heavy influence of God of War's character designs in terms of Gods. Mythology has been designed and illustrated for centuries, so it'd be hard to do something completely original here.

2. Put the vikings into another age/context so you have viking design mixed with another theme.

For concept number 2 there are a few separate snippets of ideas:

• Vikings in space - futuristic
• Vikings in North America - the Vikings were the first European race to discover north america - it wasn't Columbus! Imagine how different America would be today if the Vikings had colonised the country rather than Columbus and his people.

I really like the idea of Vikings in America - it would just be a matter of figuring out which time period to put them in. Considering:

• The year 1000, near the end of the Viking age when North America was discovered by Vikings
• The explorers era - when Columbus comes to America (1492)
• The Colonial period (1587 - 1739)
• The American Revolution (1772 - 1786)
• The American Civil War (1861 - 1865)
• The Industrial Era (1865 - 1897)
• The Depression (1929 - 1938)
• World War 1 (1914 - 1918)
• World War 2 (1939 - 1945)
• Postwar America - current day America
• America in the future (Space travel etc)

The eras that really jump out to me are the Revolution period, the Civil War period and the Industrial period.

The Revolution would be fun to play around with - how would the Revolution have been different had the Vikings colonised America rather than Columbus? Would be interesting in terms of history - The English could invade America and want to take it over from the Vikings. The Vikings and the English have a very rich and interesting history and didn't have the best relationships during most of the Viking Era. This would be a Vikings vs English war in North America.

On the other hand, I really wanted to create a longboat steam train since the start of this project and to play around with a lot of the technology that wasn't available in America until the Civil War and Industrial Era. I think I might stick to these two periods and eliminate the Revolution idea.

I think I will need to do more research into the Viking discovery of America as well as on the Civil War and the Industrial Age.

Brief Relevant Viking History + Inspiration

I have been interested in the Vikings and have been researching them for many many years, but since I have already hit a wall with the concept of my game, I think it's a good idea to brush up on my basic history knowledge.

There is a blog on the tumblr website that constantly posts up interesting articles and images about all things Viking. It is really inspirational and I follow this blog quite religiously.

The link is :

http://fuckyeahnorsemen.tumblr.com/

Here are some general and points on Viking history that I deem relevant to this project:

• The Viking Age began in about 700 AD and ended in about 1100 AD when the Vikings became christianised and integrated into other countries such as England.
• Putting aside the image of murdering barbarians, we know that they were skilled farmers, traders, navigators, explorers and settlers
• They were amazing storytellers too and if it wasn’t for the Icelandic writer and historian Snorri Sturluson, many of these wouldn’t be around today
• In 921 the Arab chronicler Ibn Fadlan met Vikings and was impressed by their appearance, describing them as “perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blonde and ruddy.
• Interesting and important to note that Viking women had an equally important role in society compared to other cultures at the time. They were able to own their own land, lead their own expeditions and were considered by many to be the best fighters – they always found ways to be creative. Women even had right to demand divorce if she was sick of her husband.
• Viking life revolved around farming and trade, yet every single man and woman was proficient in the use of weapons.
• The basic battle gear of a Viking was a long sword, an axe and a small knife. The wealthier could also have a pike and a bow and arrows. They carried round shields, coats of chain mail as well as a metal helmet – NOT with horns!
• There was a small group of elite warriors though, known as the Berserks, whose only purpose in life was to fight
• Their lives in Scandinavia and on their ships proves to us their amazing ability to withstand less than comfortable living conditions.
• Viking ships had an identical bow and stern which meant that they could row in any direction
• Vikings ice skated – tied cow or horse bones to their feet with leather cords
• The Viking parliament is where 360 degrees comes from
• The image of wild-haired, dirty savages sometimes associated with Vikings in popular culture is a distorted picture of reality. Non-Scandinavian Christians are responsible for most surviving accounts of the Vikings and, consequently, a strong possibility for bias exists. This attitude is likely attributed to Christian misunderstandings regarding paganism.
• The Vikings didn't die out as many other civilisations from those times did - they simply accepted Christianity (by force or otherwise) and integrated into society. They founded many cities that today remain capitals (e.g. Dublin) and have had a large part to play in the leadership and politics of other countries (many English Kings were of Viking descent) Therefore they have long had influence in our world.
• Even most of the days of the week are named after Viking Gods - Monday (moon day after the viking Moon God), Tuesday (Tyr's day), Wednesday (Odin's day), Thursday (Thor's day), Friday (Freyja's day), Saturday (Saturn's day - not norse), Sunday (sun day after the viking Sun God)

American Nature Inspiration