Modding Steampunk - A Modder's Guide

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2012/08/02/steampunk-a-modder-s-guide/1

 

I've long entertained the idea of not using a mouse for a steampunk mod.

Instead, I'd mod a Wacom tablet & stylus into a fountain pen & blotter.

 

This is truly awesome, but I want one for Cyberpunk, it doesn't get enough love.

 

I'm a bit of a fan of steampunk and mods such as 'steamplanet' really devalue the ethos as they follow the 'I've glued some cogs on so it must be steampunk - what do you want me to do? Wear goggles?' methodology.

Even "Frankenstein", as beautiful as it seems, appears to be nothing more than a piece of set dressing. With parts bolted together because they look "steampunk" rather than to create a demonstration of how neo-victorian pre-silicon technology would look like.

Look up "Telecalculograph Mk II", "Underwood No5 typewriter", "The Ironwork Laptop" for mods and creations that IMHO are more coherent examples of the steampunk ethos.

While steampunk is nothing but a bit of fun and fluff, some treat steampunk as many manufacturers treat the gamer community. With 'gamer' gear it's all hex mesh, dark colours, over-bright LEDs, horrid software UIs, sharp angles and 'gamer' phrases. With steampunk it's cheap brass plumbing from B&Q, clock parts, analogue dials and plastic painted to look like wood.

Don't make gamer gear unless it's well built, functional and comfortable.

Don't 'do steampunk' unless you're willing to move beyond the "I need to glue more cogs on" phase.

Disclaimer: At the end of the day it's all about glueing fake parts together to disguise our 20th/21st century tech, and who's to say that a steel PC case with half a dozen old clocks hot glued outside to the outside is less steampunk than anything else.

 

Well obviously Steampunk is a form over function idioom, but I don't like to see too many items that have no function and in particular that do not have the function that is their nature.

Hence gears at least turn rather than be glued on and preferable mesh with others and better still move or turn something else. Their function doesn't need to be essential but they should have one. It obviously doesn't and perhaps shouldn't need to be the most efficent way.

I'd love to see a system tht required a wheel to be cranked up to trigger the on button or an elaoate method of opening the case door of something pointless like allowing the reservoir to be raised up out of the case. Analogue dials are great but they need to display something, anything. In theory with a D/A card or module and soem custome software you could have a needle showing network activity....

 

I really love the steampunk style, I just wish I had the talent to do a mod justice, even something small like a usb key, but like other commenter's I think it has to be done properly, made to look like something created in that world and not something just made to look steampunk, sadly I have the talent to do neither, so i'll leave it well alone and admire those that can.

 

Completely agree with the others that the parts need to look like they are there for a reason, turning cogs leading to hardware, copper pipes that look like they are connected to components etc. No point just gluing stuff on. It's an awesome style and I wish I had the skills to create something steampunk

 

That keyboard is freakin amazing! I would kill to get that for my father.

 

You can order one from Datamancer. Expect to pay $800,-- to $1200,-- depending on model.

 

Cheaper than a hitman, i'd guess...

 

And no nuns get harmed during the manufacture of these keyboards.

 

touchscreens work too

 

While I do agree that in steampunk a lot of things are for show and don´t have an actual use (in terms of a steampunk pc mod) is that a bad thing? I mean if we get down to it, what use does the color of our chasis provide aside from being pleasing to the eye? It is just that, aesthetics.

Granted some are overloaded with it and others not so much but as with any form of modding it´s not meant to please every single person in the world, that´d be impossible.

On a sidenote, thank you to everyone who voted on the MOTM comp and thanks Antony for the article, I hope my answers on it will help people learn a bit more about steampunk : )

 

Practicality rocks way too much for me to like steampunk..