Can we make Cyberpunk good again?

[misterecho]

[kumakami]

for the most part up dating the tech will be a first step, whether you wish to keep it hard or soft Sci-Fi (or 3d interactive net reality vs REAL F*ing HACKING)

fashion up date as well

[misterecho]

Yeah the "cyber space" VR internet just hasn't dated well. Fasion was a huge part of cyberpunk so i agree on the update. In terms of "feel" 80's stuff has dated terribly when compared with other eras, seriously try to watch miami vice without cringeing, or Scarface the soundtrack just ruins it now.

Is it possible to recreate the elements we adore? Give CP an upgrade.

[Rob Lang]

Cyberpunk, in its very nature is 80s. If you changed it, it would not feel like Cyberpunk anymore. Instead, we need something new that takes much of the main facets we like from CP and move them into a more modern time frame, with more modern concerns.

Things to bring forward
Big Corporations replacing governments
Bionics
A VR internet
A broad gap between rich and poor

Modern things to add
Ecological concerns
Energy becoming expensive (in terms of oil)
Genetic modification (or choice)
Nanotechnology
Quantum Computing

With oil as expensive as it is, I imagine most of the flying vehicles (very energy hungry) of Cyberpunk will be more expensive or rarer.

[misterecho]

@rob: As a Doctor of Cybernetics, I would like to see your re-interpritation on "cyberwear"

@all:
I'm serioulsy considering turning this into a competition, with an amazon voucher as the prize. mmm...
would anyone be interested in entering? What catagories would you suggest? what kind of time frame for advertising then submissions?

[Rob Lang]

From those I've spoken to that have robotic prosthetics, the primary requirement for them is to have use of the missing limb back. Once that is satisfied, the biggest desire is to blend in and not have people stare.

In a Cyberpunk world, this translates to being fashionable, I imagine. Generally you don't want to advertise bionics but in a fashion way, the bionics might be desirable.

Thrilled that you want to make a competition but not sure what the aim would be here. What would you want from it?

[misterecho]

To make availible Free CP resources, Settings, mechanics, maybe even a complete game or two. It may be good to motivate all the monkeys under the banner of "revive Cyberpunk".

I've already read some great ideas expressed here on the subject of CP. I would dearly love to see them come to fruition. Perhaps a cash prize comp may help that and encourage others.

Am I being over optimistic that anyone will even enter it? perhaps, but it's worth a shot.

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Apparently I missed the memo, since I never stopped liking CyberPunk.

Of course, I'd argue its less 1980s and more 1930s. First of all, noir is a major influence. Change the title to "The Maltese USB Drive" and give Same Spade over-sized sunglasses and your over half way there. So is a Marxist class revolution, have vs have-nots attitude (1929 was the last time a 3rd party appeared on the ballots in all 50 us states, the Socialist Party) albeit often focused on a bit of corporate espionage data or some other intellectual property rather than more down to earth elements. Similarly, the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was just as bad if not worse from the pre-WWII decades (and into the 70s) as any mega corp is in fiction.

Through my dad, I'm rather painfully aware that modern prosthetic legs can cost far more than a sedan. I would like to know what makes these limbs cheap enough that they can be a fashion statement. Of course, we could keep the old route that they aren't [inexpensive], and players are in debt to the company/army/mob to have these sort of things.

Two recent cyberpunk games that I would highly recommend- "" from our archives, and "" - from the now defunct company Guardians of Order. The free RPG encapsulates "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" nigh perfectly, while the latter discusses the changes in the cyber-punk and move to post cyber-punk genres, as well as presenting some less traditional settings.

I would love see a revival of the genre, and second the idea of a contest.

[Thought]

[tadk]