Oni2:Slaves of War/Settings: Difference between revisions
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Shoot-out in a greenhouse (juxtaposes beauty with danger) | Shoot-out in a greenhouse (juxtaposes beauty with danger) | ||
An artistically designed airport and parking garage (see CLT: [http://web.archive.org/web/20240223070630/https://twgarchitects.com/clt-airport-parking-garage/], [https://www.turnerconstruction.com/projects/charlotte-douglas-international-airport-concourse-a-expansion-phase-i]) | |||
Anywhere open, like the western U.S. states, where you can see the sun set all the way down to the ground | Anywhere open, like the western U.S. states, where you can see the sun set all the way down to the ground | ||
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Train tunnel | Train tunnel | ||
[ | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8ckbyvEIEE Incinerator] | ||
Cf. local wire cooling tower in fog under bright sun (need a pic) | Cf. local wire cooling tower in fog under bright sun (need a pic) | ||
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Open-pit mine | Open-pit mine | ||
A boat in the ocean; perhaps the [[wp: | A boat in the ocean; perhaps the [[wp:BOKA Vanguard|Dockwise Vanguard]]? | ||
Field with an inch of snow on the ground and tall grass poking through, with ground fog from the snow | Field with an inch of snow on the ground and tall grass poking through, with ground fog from the snow | ||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
Expensive hotel (e.g. the [https://www.peninsula.com/en/newsroom/hong-kong Peninsula Hong Kong]) | Expensive hotel (e.g. the [https://www.peninsula.com/en/newsroom/hong-kong Peninsula Hong Kong]) | ||
Artsy dance club (e.g. the [ | Artsy dance club (e.g. the [https://thenudge.com/london-restaurants/sketch-london-mayfair-restaurant-bar/ Sketch London], actually more of an art gallery/bar/restaurant complex) | ||
A [ | A [https://ethiopianorphanrelief.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/harar.jpg narrow street] in an old town (camera would be pulled in and constrained) | ||
A mostly cloudy day, and when the clouds get thin over the sun, the sun shines hazily through the clouds as a sort of golden glow, and the clouds move quickly across the sky | A mostly cloudy day, and when the clouds get thin over the sun, the sun shines hazily through the clouds as a sort of golden glow, and the clouds move quickly across the sky | ||
| Line 46: | Line 46: | ||
A forest that you are lost in until you stumble across someone’s backyard, with a banal house in front of you | A forest that you are lost in until you stumble across someone’s backyard, with a banal house in front of you | ||
Something abandoned (see [ | Something abandoned (see [https://zavodfoto.livejournal.com/1886869.html Abandoned mine], [https://www.reddit.com/r/AbandonedPorn/ r/AbandonedPorn]) | ||
Approaching a nuclear power plant in distress, with klaxons going off in the distance… | Approaching a nuclear power plant in distress, with klaxons going off in the distance… | ||
[ | [https://www.pinterest.com/elaine1150/winter-scenes/ Snowy places] | ||
A dark area where you know an enemy force might be lying in wait, ready to open fire on you from multiple directions; you could take cover but you don’t know when and from where they will fire, and you have to move in that direction | A dark area where you know an enemy force might be lying in wait, ready to open fire on you from multiple directions; you could take cover but you don’t know when and from where they will fire, and you have to move in that direction | ||
| Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
A hotel with a fight on the roof and a pool that you can jump into | A hotel with a fight on the roof and a pool that you can jump into | ||
The [ | The [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hong-kong-rooftopping-video-german-teenager_n_6931756?cps=gravity_2429_7699976840523977588 top of a city] | ||
For great contemporary Japanese city references, see cat2525jp's [ | For great contemporary Japanese city references, see cat2525jp's [https://www.youtube.com/user/cat2525jp YouTube channel] | ||
==Oni-specific== | ==Oni-specific== | ||
| Line 74: | Line 74: | ||
==Unusual existing== | ==Unusual existing== | ||
[ | [https://news.yahoo.com/photos/tokyo-s-gigantic-flood-prevention-system-1319761029-slideshow/ Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel] | ||
[http://news.yahoo.com/colombian-city-gets-giant-outdoor-escalator-003300654.html Giant Escalator] | [https://web.archive.org/web/20120109023407/http://news.yahoo.com/colombian-city-gets-giant-outdoor-escalator-003300654.html Giant Escalator, Medellin, Colombia] | ||
[ | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8bl3gQN_J0 Underground automated garage, Japan] | ||
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150118174402/http://www.strangebuildings.com/solar-furnace-odeillo-france/ Solar Furnace] | [https://web.archive.org/web/20150118174402/http://www.strangebuildings.com/solar-furnace-odeillo-france/ Solar Furnace, Odeillo, France] | ||
[ | [https://www.cracked.com/article_19678_6-abandoned-places-that-will-make-awesome-supervillain-lairs.html 6 Abandoned Places That Will Make Awesome Supervillain Lairs] | ||
[[wp:File: | [[wp:File:Tokyo_Sky_tree.jpg|Tokyo Sky Tree]] | ||
[ | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGCln17yUn0 Metalmorphosis sculpture] | ||
[ | [https://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Aizhai_Bridge Aizhai Suspension Bridge, Hunan, China] | ||
Here's some [https://khsuites.wordpress.com/tag/things-to-see-at-mexico-city/ Mexico City] stuff that looks like it has to be from the future | |||
[http://willaustin.com/blog/ WillAustin.com] — A gold mine of architectural pics | [http://web.archive.org/web/20210118180059/https://willaustin.com/blog/ WillAustin.com] — A gold mine of architectural pics | ||
[http://abandoned-places.com abandoned-places.com] | |||
weburbanist.com | [https://weburbanist.com Web Urbanist] | ||
[https://www.atlasobscura.com Atlas Obscura] | |||
Renwick Hospital, Roosevelt Island (supposedly lit at night) | Renwick Hospital, Roosevelt Island (supposedly lit at night) | ||
| Line 106: | Line 106: | ||
Therme Vals | Therme Vals | ||
[[wp:Stockwell_Garage|Stockwell Garage]] — those beams are interesting | [[wp:Stockwell_Garage|Stockwell Garage, London, England]] — those beams are interesting | ||
Yaxchilán | Yaxchilán, Chiapas, Mexico | ||
Parador de Ronda | Parador de Ronda, Málaga, Spain | ||
Transfagarasan, Romania — a crazy twisting mountain road through beautiful scenery | Transfagarasan, Romania — a crazy twisting mountain road through beautiful scenery | ||
| Line 122: | Line 122: | ||
Karakoram Highway, China & Pakistan | Karakoram Highway, China & Pakistan | ||
Hotel Caesar Augustus | Hotel Caesar Augustus, Capri, Italy | ||
AquaDom, the aquarium elevator in | AquaDom, the aquarium elevator in Berlin's Radisson Blu | ||
Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland | Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland | ||
Falkirk Wheel | Falkirk Wheel, Scotland | ||
Asansor | Asansor Elevator, Izmir, Turkey | ||
New Century Global Center, the | New Century Global Center, Chengdu, China — the world's largest building by floor space | ||
Globen SkyView, Stockholm | Globen SkyView, Stockholm, Sweden | ||
Mercedes-Benz Museum | Elevators in Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany | ||
Bailong, Zhangjiajie, | Bailong, Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie, China cliffside elevator (world's tallest?) | ||
3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat | 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat, Zermatt, Switzerland | ||
Rifugio Torre Di Pisa | Rifugio Torre Di Pisa, Cavignon, Italy | ||
[http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/66/59/11/whitepod.jpg Whitepod Hotel] | [https://web.archive.org/web/20131222032350/http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/66/59/11/whitepod.jpg Whitepod Hotel, Valais, Switzerland] | ||
Roden Crater | Roden Crater, Arizona, USA | ||
Coral Castle, Homestead, | Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida, USA | ||
Ringing Rocks, Pennsylvania & Montana, USA | |||
Newport Tower | Newport Tower, Rhode Island, USA | ||
Columbus Lighthouse, Santo Domingo | Columbus Lighthouse, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | ||
Elbe Philharmonic, Hamburg | Elbe Philharmonic, Hamburg, Germany | ||
Bahrain World Trade Center | Bahrain World Trade Center | ||
Nanyang Technological University Art School | Nanyang Technological University Art School, Singapore | ||
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm Seville Solar Power Station] | [https://web.archive.org/web/20211230075933/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm Seville Solar Power Station, Spain] | ||
[ | [https://kclibrary.org/ Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, USA] | ||
[ | [https://web.archive.org/web/20070729203122/http://www.containercity.com/container-city-two.html Container City II, London, England] | ||
[https://www.viator.com/tours/Rio-de-Janeiro/Niteroi-City-Tour-and-Contemporary-Art-Museum-Admission/d712-8753P7 Museum of Contemporary Art], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | [https://www.viator.com/tours/Rio-de-Janeiro/Niteroi-City-Tour-and-Contemporary-Art-Museum-Admission/d712-8753P7 Museum of Contemporary Art], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Line 182: | Line 182: | ||
Bhangarh, India | Bhangarh, India | ||
Tugboat Graveyard, New York | Tugboat Graveyard, New York, USA | ||
Lier Sykehus, Norway | Lier Sykehus, Norway | ||
| Line 190: | Line 190: | ||
Skellig Michael, Ireland | Skellig Michael, Ireland | ||
Hundseck Hotel, Black Forest | Hundseck Hotel, Black Forest, Germany | ||
Lehigh Acres, Florida | Lehigh Acres, Florida, USA | ||
[https://geology.com/articles/racetrack-playa-sliding-rocks.shtml Racetrack Playa], Death Valley National Park, | [https://geology.com/articles/racetrack-playa-sliding-rocks.shtml Racetrack Playa], Death Valley National Park, California, USA | ||
[https://thatoregonlife.com/2016/06/oregon-vortex-one-strangest-places-earth/ Oregon Vortex], Gold Hill, | [https://thatoregonlife.com/2016/06/oregon-vortex-one-strangest-places-earth/ Oregon Vortex], Gold Hill, Oregon, USA | ||
[ | [https://uzbek-travel.com/about-uzbekistan/monuments/ship-cemetery/ Muynak the Ship Graveyard, Uzbekistan] | ||
Selfridges Birmingham | Selfridges Birmingham, England | ||
Melbourne City Link Gateway | Melbourne City Link Gateway, Australia | ||
Takakonuma Greenland Park | Takakonuma Greenland Park, Fukushima, Japan | ||
Travertine Pools, Pamukkale, Turkey | Travertine Pools, Pamukkale, Turkey | ||
| Line 212: | Line 212: | ||
Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand | Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand | ||
Burj Khalifa | Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — the tallest building in the world | ||
Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania | Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania | ||
| Line 218: | Line 218: | ||
Asbyrgi Canyon, Iceland | Asbyrgi Canyon, Iceland | ||
Matsuo Ghost Mine | Matsuo Ghost Mine, Iwate, Japan | ||
[https:// | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOYRHt2cqM Osaka Station Water Display, Japan] | ||
Bird Suicide Grounds, Assam, Jatinga | Bird Suicide Grounds, Assam, Jatinga, India | ||
[ | [https://web.archive.org/web/20171024184828/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081110-maya-road-to-hell.html Mayan Hell] / Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize | ||
Gunkanjima | Gunkanjima, Nagasaki, Japan | ||
San Zhi Resort | San Zhi Resort, New Taipei, Taiwan | ||
[[wp: | [[wp:The_Black_Tusk|The Black Tusk, British Columbia, Canada]] | ||
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078058/Worth-wait-Breath-taking-snaps-deep-blue-cave-created-centuries-old-ice-slopes-Icelands-tallest-volcano.html Ice caves] | [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078058/Worth-wait-Breath-taking-snaps-deep-blue-cave-created-centuries-old-ice-slopes-Icelands-tallest-volcano.html Ice caves, Skaftafell National Park, Iceland] | ||
[http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-7.shtml Tanezrouft Basin] | [http://web.archive.org/web/20160703015915/http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-7.shtml Tanezrouft Basin, Sahara Desert] | ||
Extraterrestrial stuff: [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Solar/sataur.html Saturn's aurora], [http:// | Extraterrestrial stuff that hopefully we'll never see on Earth: [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Solar/sataur.html Saturn's aurora], [http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/martian_landscapes.html Martian landscapes] | ||
Mammatus and other weird clouds | Mammatus and other weird clouds | ||
| Line 244: | Line 244: | ||
Lake Retba, Senegal | Lake Retba, Senegal | ||
[ | [https://www.odditycentral.com/pics/viganella-the-italian-village-that-built-its-own-sun.html The Viganella Mirror, Italy] | ||
[[wp: | [[wp:Lava_lake|Lava lakes]] | ||
[https://www.charismaticplanet.com/magical-spotted-lake-canada/ Spotted Lake] | [http://web.archive.org/web/20160529151558/https://www.charismaticplanet.com/magical-spotted-lake-canada/ Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada] | ||
[ | [https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/3042/lake-natron-tanzania Lake Natron, Tanzania] | ||
[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/eaglehawk-neck-tessellated-pavement Tessellated Pavement] | [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/eaglehawk-neck-tessellated-pavement Tessellated Pavement] | ||
| Line 258: | Line 258: | ||
[[wp:L%27Oceanogr%C3%A0fic|L'Oceanografic]] | [[wp:L%27Oceanogr%C3%A0fic|L'Oceanografic]] | ||
Great general resource: [ | Great general resource: [https://www.reddit.com/r/EarthPorn/ r/EarthPorn] | ||
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150323093926/http://afasiaarq.blogspot.com/2014/01/john-pawson_4.html Cool hotel lobby] | |||
[[wp: | [[wp:Darvaza gas crater|Door to Hell]], Turkmenistan | ||
The | The Pantheon's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rdTbomG5Y oculus in the rain] | ||
The floating circular island of [[wp:El Ojo|El Ojo]] | |||
More weird stuff: [https://strangebuildings.com Strange Buildings] | More weird stuff: [https://strangebuildings.com Strange Buildings] | ||
| Line 271: | Line 273: | ||
==Unusual future== | ==Unusual future== | ||
[ | [https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/27/tech/innovation/earthscraper-mexico-fantasy-reality/index.html Earthscraper]/[http://web.archive.org/web/20120207122635/http://www.uee.kyoto-u.ac.jp/english/laboratory/geofront/geofront.htm Geofront] | ||
[https://inhabitat.com/worlds-largest-solar-energy-office-building-opens-in-china/ Solar City] | [https://inhabitat.com/worlds-largest-solar-energy-office-building-opens-in-china/ Solar City] | ||
[ | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEmtWLwMOM Outer Space] | ||
[[wp:Sky_City_1000|Sky City 1000]] | [[wp:Sky_City_1000|Sky City 1000]] | ||
[[wp: | [[wp:Immersion (virtual reality)|Immersive virtual reality]] — This is an opportunity to put an unusual twist or meta-commentary on top of the normal gameplay. Also, VR levels can be used for training. A truly immersive VR headset will probably engage the muscle atonia that is used in REM sleep to avoid dreamers physically acting out the movements they are making in their dreams. This means that if someone forcibly places a person in a VR space without providing a soft exit within the space, they will be trapped. Perhaps at some point Konoko must escape a VR space by figuring out how to crash the level so that the headset shuts down and frees her from the physical restraint. | ||
==Weird weather== | ==Weird weather== | ||
[[wp: | [[wp:Arcus cloud#Shelf cloud|Shelf cloud]] — it only ''looks'' like the end of the world! | ||
[[wp:File:Sarychev_Volcano_edit.jpg|Sarychev eruption]] | [[wp:File:Sarychev_Volcano_edit.jpg|Sarychev eruption]] | ||
[ | [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chile-volcano-erupts-9-images-that-show-the-raw-power-of-mother-nature-10082527.html Active volcano in Chile]<!--As a backup, since this URL keeps dying, here's a Wayback snapshot of the current link which actually has working pictures: https://web.archive.org/web/20150815230841/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chile-volcano-erupts-9-images-that-show-the-raw-power-of-mother-nature-10082527.html--> | ||
Fire rainbow clouds | Fire rainbow clouds | ||
[ | [https://www.cracked.com/article_17562_5-horrifying-apocalyptic-scenarios-that-have-already-happened.html Cracked article] on apocalypses that have already happened (more in comments) | ||
[[wp: | [[wp:Atlantic meridional overturning circulation|Shutdown of thermohaline circulation]] — one of the scarier potential effects of global warming | ||
Exploding lakes like [[wp:Lake_Nyos|Lake Nyos]] are scary stuff, and Lake Kivu will cause a major disaster if it outgasses too | Exploding lakes like [[wp:Lake_Nyos|Lake Nyos]] are scary stuff, and Lake Kivu will cause a major disaster if it outgasses too | ||
[ | [https://vimeo.com/31305629 This exploding dam] is pretty cool | ||
You know it must be the end of the world when you get [ | You know it must be the end of the world when you get [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Yte03B3Lo firenadoes] | ||
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUdSXxjLlkw Expanding sinkhole] in China | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUdSXxjLlkw Expanding sinkhole] in China | ||
| Line 306: | Line 308: | ||
[[wp:Eutrophication|Eutrophication]] in response to pollution | [[wp:Eutrophication|Eutrophication]] in response to pollution | ||
[ | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcUnE0tHcaI Dust devil] with fire and tumbleweeds | ||
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= | [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sud_NY_nrNg Reverse-flowing waterfall], Kinder Downfall, Hayfield, England | ||
[[Category:Oni 2]] | [[Category:Oni 2]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:02, 27 October 2024
This is a list consisting mostly of possible settings for Oni 2 or even Oni 3. Some of these items are not settings at all, but rather sculptures or installations of some function or another, which could serve as inspiration. Some day this can get turned into a gallery of images and video to properly illustrate what I have in mind.
Commonplace
Shoot-out in a greenhouse (juxtaposes beauty with danger)
An artistically designed airport and parking garage (see CLT: [1], [2])
Anywhere open, like the western U.S. states, where you can see the sun set all the way down to the ground
Abandoned outdoor area/parking lot at night with dry blowing leaves
Night-time level with Daodan-powered night vision
Train tunnel
Cf. local wire cooling tower in fog under bright sun (need a pic)
Open-pit mine
A boat in the ocean; perhaps the Dockwise Vanguard?
Field with an inch of snow on the ground and tall grass poking through, with ground fog from the snow
Courtyard of building at night, with well-lit exterior
Expensive hotel (e.g. the Peninsula Hong Kong)
Artsy dance club (e.g. the Sketch London, actually more of an art gallery/bar/restaurant complex)
A narrow street in an old town (camera would be pulled in and constrained)
A mostly cloudy day, and when the clouds get thin over the sun, the sun shines hazily through the clouds as a sort of golden glow, and the clouds move quickly across the sky
A bunker
A suspension bridge (see Aveyron, France)
Any area laid out below you, wreathed in fog (see Golden Gate bridge, or Dubai fog pic used as Windows 10 backdrop, or jungle mountainside) which you are going to descend into
A cloud forest
Subway construction, e.g. the new NYC projects (East Side Access, No. 7 extension, new Second Avenue)
A forest that you are lost in until you stumble across someone’s backyard, with a banal house in front of you
Something abandoned (see Abandoned mine, r/AbandonedPorn)
Approaching a nuclear power plant in distress, with klaxons going off in the distance…
A dark area where you know an enemy force might be lying in wait, ready to open fire on you from multiple directions; you could take cover but you don’t know when and from where they will fire, and you have to move in that direction
A hotel with a fight on the roof and a pool that you can jump into
The top of a city
For great contemporary Japanese city references, see cat2525jp's YouTube channel
Oni-specific
Abandoned Daodan lab
Navarre’s current lab
Iron Demon factory
The Wilderness (break down into types)
Outdoors under an enormous, expanding mushroom that is filling the sky as it prepares to burst
Mai rides an elevator that runs up the side of a building by holding onto the car from the outside, with the wind whipping her hair as the player can look around with the camera at the city falling below her
Unusual existing
Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel
Giant Escalator, Medellin, Colombia
Underground automated garage, Japan
Solar Furnace, Odeillo, France
6 Abandoned Places That Will Make Awesome Supervillain Lairs
Aizhai Suspension Bridge, Hunan, China
Here's some Mexico City stuff that looks like it has to be from the future
WillAustin.com — A gold mine of architectural pics
Renwick Hospital, Roosevelt Island (supposedly lit at night)
Skara Brae, Orkney Islands
Therme Vals
Stockwell Garage, London, England — those beams are interesting
Yaxchilán, Chiapas, Mexico
Parador de Ronda, Málaga, Spain
Transfagarasan, Romania — a crazy twisting mountain road through beautiful scenery
Stelvio Pass, Italy — anything crazy the Romanians can do, the Italians can do crazier
Trollstigen, Norway
Khardung La Pass, China
Karakoram Highway, China & Pakistan
Hotel Caesar Augustus, Capri, Italy
AquaDom, the aquarium elevator in Berlin's Radisson Blu
Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland
Falkirk Wheel, Scotland
Asansor Elevator, Izmir, Turkey
New Century Global Center, Chengdu, China — the world's largest building by floor space
Globen SkyView, Stockholm, Sweden
Elevators in Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
Bailong, Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie, China cliffside elevator (world's tallest?)
3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat, Zermatt, Switzerland
Rifugio Torre Di Pisa, Cavignon, Italy
Whitepod Hotel, Valais, Switzerland
Roden Crater, Arizona, USA
Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida, USA
Ringing Rocks, Pennsylvania & Montana, USA
Newport Tower, Rhode Island, USA
Columbus Lighthouse, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Elbe Philharmonic, Hamburg, Germany
Bahrain World Trade Center
Nanyang Technological University Art School, Singapore
Seville Solar Power Station, Spain
Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, USA
Container City II, London, England
Museum of Contemporary Art, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Druzhba Holiday Center, Yalta, Ukraine
Blur Building, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
Cybertecture Egg, Mumbai, India
The Church of Hallgrimur, Reykjavik, Iceland
Montreal Biosphere, Montreal, Canada
Bhangarh, India
Tugboat Graveyard, New York, USA
Lier Sykehus, Norway
San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico
Skellig Michael, Ireland
Hundseck Hotel, Black Forest, Germany
Lehigh Acres, Florida, USA
Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Oregon Vortex, Gold Hill, Oregon, USA
Muynak the Ship Graveyard, Uzbekistan
Selfridges Birmingham, England
Melbourne City Link Gateway, Australia
Takakonuma Greenland Park, Fukushima, Japan
Travertine Pools, Pamukkale, Turkey
White Desert, Egypt
Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — the tallest building in the world
Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania
Asbyrgi Canyon, Iceland
Matsuo Ghost Mine, Iwate, Japan
Osaka Station Water Display, Japan
Bird Suicide Grounds, Assam, Jatinga, India
Mayan Hell / Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize
Gunkanjima, Nagasaki, Japan
San Zhi Resort, New Taipei, Taiwan
The Black Tusk, British Columbia, Canada
Ice caves, Skaftafell National Park, Iceland
Tanezrouft Basin, Sahara Desert
Extraterrestrial stuff that hopefully we'll never see on Earth: Saturn's aurora, Martian landscapes
Mammatus and other weird clouds
Marble Caves, Chile
Lake Retba, Senegal
Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Great general resource: r/EarthPorn
Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
The Pantheon's oculus in the rain
The floating circular island of El Ojo
More weird stuff: Strange Buildings
Lastly, a reminder that I need to post some of my own architecture pics at some point
Unusual future
Immersive virtual reality — This is an opportunity to put an unusual twist or meta-commentary on top of the normal gameplay. Also, VR levels can be used for training. A truly immersive VR headset will probably engage the muscle atonia that is used in REM sleep to avoid dreamers physically acting out the movements they are making in their dreams. This means that if someone forcibly places a person in a VR space without providing a soft exit within the space, they will be trapped. Perhaps at some point Konoko must escape a VR space by figuring out how to crash the level so that the headset shuts down and frees her from the physical restraint.
Weird weather
Shelf cloud — it only looks like the end of the world!
Fire rainbow clouds
Cracked article on apocalypses that have already happened (more in comments)
Shutdown of thermohaline circulation — one of the scarier potential effects of global warming
Exploding lakes like Lake Nyos are scary stuff, and Lake Kivu will cause a major disaster if it outgasses too
This exploding dam is pretty cool
You know it must be the end of the world when you get firenadoes
Expanding sinkhole in China
Waterspouts
Eutrophication in response to pollution
Dust devil with fire and tumbleweeds
Reverse-flowing waterfall, Kinder Downfall, Hayfield, England