Oni2:Slaves of War/Settings: Difference between revisions

From OniGalore
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (changing link from http->https)
m (link fix)
 
(40 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
Shoot-out in a greenhouse (juxtaposes beauty with danger)
Shoot-out in a greenhouse (juxtaposes beauty with danger)


Parking garage, done right (see [https://www.turnerconstruction.com/experience/project/12AC/charlotte-douglas-international-airport-daily-parking-deck CLT])
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
Line 20: Line 20:
Open-pit mine
Open-pit mine


A boat in the ocean; perhaps the [[wp:Dockwise_Vanguard|Dockwise Vanguard]]?
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 30: Line 30:
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)
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 [https://ethiopianorphanrelief.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/harar.jpg narrow street] in an old town (camera would be pulled in and constrained)
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 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 [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/24/hong-kong-rooftopping-video-german-teenager_n_6931756.html?cps=gravity_2429_7699976840523977588 top of a city]
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 [http://www.youtube.com/user/cat2525jp YouTube channel]
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==
[http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fphotos%2Ftokyo-s-gigantic-flood-prevention-system-1319761029-slideshow%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHrEgCCJi2h-l_QHP6zmxft2Lb0FA Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel]
[https://news.yahoo.com/photos/tokyo-s-gigantic-flood-prevention-system-1319761029-slideshow/ Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel]


[https://web.archive.org/web/20120109023407/http://news.yahoo.com/colombian-city-gets-giant-outdoor-escalator-003300654.html Giant Escalator, Medellin, Colombia]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20120109023407/http://news.yahoo.com/colombian-city-gets-giant-outdoor-escalator-003300654.html Giant Escalator, Medellin, Colombia]
Line 84: Line 84:
[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]
[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:Tokyo_sky_tree.jpg|Tokyo Sky Tree]]
[[wp:File:Tokyo_Sky_tree.jpg|Tokyo Sky Tree]]


[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGCln17yUn0 Metalmorphosis sculpture]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGCln17yUn0 Metalmorphosis sculpture]


[http://news.yahoo.com/photos/the-bridge-that-suspends-belief-slideshow/ Aizhai Suspension Bridge, Hunan, China]
[https://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Aizhai_Bridge Aizhai Suspension Bridge, Hunan, China]


Here's some [http://khsuites.wordpress.com/tag/things-to-see-at-mexico-city/ Mexico City] stuff that looks like it has to be from the future
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]
[http://abandoned-places.com abandoned-places.com]
Line 144: Line 144:
Rifugio Torre Di Pisa, Cavignon, Italy
Rifugio Torre Di Pisa, Cavignon, Italy


[http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/66/59/11/whitepod.jpg Whitepod Hotel, Valais, Switzerland]
[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, Arizona, USA
Roden Crater, Arizona, USA
Line 162: Line 162:
Nanyang Technological University Art School, Singapore
Nanyang Technological University Art School, Singapore


[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm Seville Solar Power Station, Spain]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20211230075933/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm Seville Solar Power Station, Spain]


[http://www.kclibrary.org/ Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, USA]
[https://kclibrary.org/ Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, USA]


[http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.containercity.com%2Fcontainer-city-two.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE8SNwTNT8KJRKruh1WM2keyFKHEA Container City II, London, England]
[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 198: Line 198:
[https://thatoregonlife.com/2016/06/oregon-vortex-one-strangest-places-earth/ Oregon Vortex], Gold Hill, Oregon, USA
[https://thatoregonlife.com/2016/06/oregon-vortex-one-strangest-places-earth/ Oregon Vortex], Gold Hill, Oregon, USA


[http://uzbek-travel.com/about-uzbekistan/monuments/ship-cemetery/ Muynak the Ship Graveyard, Uzbekistan]
[https://uzbek-travel.com/about-uzbekistan/monuments/ship-cemetery/ Muynak the Ship Graveyard, Uzbekistan]


Selfridges Birmingham, England
Selfridges Birmingham, England
Line 220: Line 220:
Matsuo Ghost Mine, Iwate, Japan
Matsuo Ghost Mine, Iwate, Japan


[https://youtu.be/dhOYRHt2cqM Osaka Station Water Display, Japan]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOYRHt2cqM Osaka Station Water Display, Japan]


Bird Suicide Grounds, Assam, Jatinga, India
Bird Suicide Grounds, Assam, Jatinga, India


[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081110-maya-road-to-hell.html Mayan Hell] / Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize
[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, Nagasaki, Japan
Gunkanjima, Nagasaki, Japan
Line 234: Line 234:
[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://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, Sahara Desert]
[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://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/martian_landscapes.html Martian landscapes]
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


[http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/viganella-the-italian-village-that-built-its-own-sun.html The Viganella Mirror, Italy]
[https://www.odditycentral.com/pics/viganella-the-italian-village-that-built-its-own-sun.html The Viganella Mirror, Italy]


[[wp:Lava_lakes|Lava lakes]]
[[wp:Lava_lake|Lava lakes]]


[http://web.archive.org/web/20160529151558/https://www.charismaticplanet.com/magical-spotted-lake-canada/ Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada]
[http://web.archive.org/web/20160529151558/https://www.charismaticplanet.com/magical-spotted-lake-canada/ Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada]


[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3042 Lake Natron, Tanzania]
[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: [http://www.reddit.com/r/earthporn r/EarthPorn]
Great general resource: [https://www.reddit.com/r/EarthPorn/ r/EarthPorn]


Architecture site: [http://afasiaarq.blogspot.com/2014/01/john-pawson_4.html afasia]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150323093926/http://afasiaarq.blogspot.com/2014/01/john-pawson_4.html Cool hotel lobby]


[[wp:Door_to_Hell|Door to Hell]], Turkmenistan
[[wp:Darvaza gas crater|Door to Hell]], Turkmenistan


The Pantheon's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rdTbomG5Y oculus in the rain]
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==
[http://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://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]


[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEmtWLwMOM Outer Space]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDEmtWLwMOM Outer Space]


[[wp:Sky_City_1000|Sky City 1000]]
[[wp:Sky_City_1000|Sky City 1000]]


[[wp:Immersive_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.
[[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:Shelf_cloud#Shelf_cloud|Shelf cloud]] — it only ''looks'' like the end of the world!
[[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.francisconegroni.com/index/G00005m_dw9N9j9A Amazing volcano photo gallery from Chile]
[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


[http://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)
[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:Shutdown_of_thermohaline_circulation|Shutdown of thermohaline circulation]] — one of the scarier potential effects of global warming
[[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


[http://vimeo.com/31305629 This exploding dam] is pretty cool
[https://vimeo.com/31305629 This exploding dam] is pretty cool


You know it must be the end of the world when you get [http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/firenado-caught-video-australian-filmmaker-143434451--abc-news-topstories.html firenadoes]
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


[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcUnE0tHcaI Dust devil] with fire and tumbleweeds
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcUnE0tHcaI Dust devil] with fire and tumbleweeds


[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGVap5ogDgs Reverse-flowing waterfall], Kinder Downfall, Hayfield, England
[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

Incinerator

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…

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 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

Tokyo Sky Tree

Metalmorphosis sculpture

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

abandoned-places.com

Web Urbanist

Atlas Obscura

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

The Viganella Mirror, Italy

Lava lakes

Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Lake Natron, Tanzania

Tessellated Pavement

Salt caves

L'Oceanografic

Great general resource: r/EarthPorn

Cool hotel lobby

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

Earthscraper/Geofront

Solar City

Outer Space

Sky City 1000

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!

Sarychev eruption

Active volcano in Chile

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