Often times, in sandbox style games (or even most games really) we can associate them to a genre or time period of sorts... sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic, mid-evil... you get the idea. Rising World has a combination of both modern and, well, non-modern elements. I understand (from something I just read) that the intention is to eventually have to work your way up from low to high tech, but I imagine even then the transition from one end to the other will not likely take very long. As such, I also imagine the elements will remain very mixed during final gameplay.
I have been playing the game for a few weeks now, and this disparity seems to be holding me back from becoming fully engrossed in the building aspect of the game - something I get really hooked into in most games.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it a lot and it won't stop me from playing - I just think about it more than is likely intended.
In another thread here on the forums, there was discussion about what kinds of threats (monsters vs realistic/natural threats) people wanted to see, and it is because of the things I mentioned above, I found myself not being able to answer the question. But that's when I had an idea (that may or may not be original around here)...
What if the game embraced this disparity and carried into every aspect of the game?
My (albeit very minor) hang up right now is that if you tell me "there will be monsters" I look at the office building I made and think... should I have built a castle instead? If you tell me it's only natural threats (wild boars, bears, etc) then I think... do I just need a fence? Why is my office building being threatened by bears?
But what if you said, "Rising World is a world that has suffered an unknown calamity. One that has brought things old and new together... it's merged fantasy and reality. In other words, what made sense no longer does.
If I think of the game this way, I can start to imagine creatures that might be interesting to see in the world - creatures that are well suited to the "theme" I have found myself experiencing.
Strange, but fun
In this scenario, I could imagine some strange creatures - after all, Minecraft had Creepers. Here's some quick off-the-top-of-my-head ideas...
- Rust Beavers (they invade your structures, eating anything made from metal)
- Middle-Management Ogres (they club you to death with rolled up status reports)
- Air Guitar Goblins (assaulting your ears with sonic waves from their invisible guitars, even through walls)
- Carl (just a mailman - seriously, he just shows up every once in a while and wanders around a bit before leaving)
Yea, I'm aware this is random
Anyway, this was more of a thought exercise for me - what would it take for me to look at the game (as it currently stands) and say, "Ahhh... I get it". I fully understand this will not (likely) be in-line with the goals of the devs, or even the desires of most people - again, it was more for fun, thinking out loud. If nothing else, maybe it got you thinking a little... or elicited a chuckle 
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Note @ZaCormyr - this (above) is the thread I mentioned I was about to make
