Dieselpunk movies, Series, Anime, etc.
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bintananth
behind a desk
What exactly is the difference between Dieselpunk and Steampunk?
About the only thing I can think of is that Diesels are compression-ignition internal combustion and Steam Engines are external combustion engines.*
What gives?
* for the era we're talking about, but not necessarily today. See: Nuclear Reactors" &c.
Dieselpunk is more world war 1 and world War 2/noir stuff. Where as Steampunk is pre ww1
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
Neither really has anything to do with the actual engine type in question, but rather the aesthetics involved.
Steampunk clothes involve long coats, tweeds, corsets, and top hats. Goggles are extremely common. The world is usually portrayed in shades of brown with a lot of copper, sepia, and brass, you'll find it even extends to the people with a surprising percentage of blondes and redheads. Everything has exposed gears and piping, clockwork abounds, Planes may not exist but Airships do. There's often a magical element of some sort, either straight up as in Soulless or magic-esque powers like the Sparks of Girl Genius or the Impossible Cube from the series of the same name.
Dieselpunk clothes are gangster-style pinstripe suits, military-esque uniforms, flapper outfits, and fedoras. Dieselpunk colors include a muted palette as well but it has a lot more grey, black, and green, the common brass and copper of steampunk are replaced with steel and camo paint, and the blondes and redheads become pale-skinned brunette femme-fatales. Everything is brutalist with heavy armor and big weapons on the machines. Planes are very common and Airships may not exist. Dieselpunk is much, much less likely to include supernatural elements than Steampunk. Oddly enough the tech level in Steampunk is often noticeably higher than Dieselpunk, f'rex you're far more likely to find rayguns and fully sentient robots hanging out in Steampunk than Dieselpunk, where gunpowder holds sway.
and era.
Steampunk is Victorian-era sci-fi and sometimes urban fantasy. It can maintain the 'punk' aspect, but rather than Cyberpunk's anti-corporate themes, you're likely to see colonialism, racism and suffrage as the drivers.
Dieselpunk is Roaring 20's / Interwar Years, Art Deco & Steamline Moderne. If any 'punk' elements remain you're likely to see fascism around, but the 'punk' aspects are often less pronounced.
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
I mean, kinda but so many of them take place in alternate universes this isn't as common anymore. You don't see much colonialism, racism, or suffrage showing up in Boneshaker, Books & Braun, or Girl Genius. It's pretty rare in Steampunk, more often whatever issues it has are going to be the author's pet ones.
I can't speak for the first two, but GG isn't exactly 'punk'. I was speaking specifically to the punk themes, which many works that share the aesthetic doesn't actually have (all punk genres suffer from this - the aesthetic is way more popular than the themes).
Dieselpunk is often up to the end of the second world War. Woth nuclear not existing yet. Basically if the atom bomb was never made, it would be that still.
Highfleet is a new strategy game that fits the idea i think, as sort of late dieselpunk.
Mostly 70's level tech, with very limited nuclear technology.
The unique point is giant airships. Except those aren't your ordinary steampunk airships, those are fucking flying bunkers not just kept afloat but in fact maneuvering at several G's by the grace of ridiculously powerful jet engines...
The setting is also an interesting fusion of Roman, Russian, and ME/Central Asian motiffs - you're a heir of NOT!Roman Empire sent with a fleet of those airships to retake a rebel province, fun ensues.
And that's the main strategic gameplay screen in game:
Mostly 70's level tech, with very limited nuclear technology.
The unique point is giant airships. Except those aren't your ordinary steampunk airships, those are fucking flying bunkers not just kept afloat but in fact maneuvering at several G's by the grace of ridiculously powerful jet engines...
The setting is also an interesting fusion of Roman, Russian, and ME/Central Asian motiffs - you're a heir of NOT!Roman Empire sent with a fleet of those airships to retake a rebel province, fun ensues.
And that's the main strategic gameplay screen in game:
Definitely Dieselpunk styleHighfleet is a new strategy game that fits the idea i think, as sort of late dieselpunk.
Mostly 70's level tech, with very limited nuclear technology.
The unique point is giant airships. Except those aren't your ordinary steampunk airships, those are fucking flying bunkers not just kept afloat but in fact maneuvering at several G's by the grace of ridiculously powerful jet engines...
The setting is also an interesting fusion of Roman, Russian, and ME/Central Asian motiffs - you're a heir of NOT!Roman Empire sent with a fleet of those airships to retake a rebel province, fun ensues.
And that's the main strategic gameplay screen in game:
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
Very nice looking, but I'm inexplicably annoyed that the guy with a sword and no gun has a belt of ammo around his chest, while the guy with a gun and no sword doesn't seem to carry ammo.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Accountant
Crimson Skies was a tabletop game and computer game, dealing with aerial combat of small fighters based on carrier airship, during the alternate 30s. Sadly the franchise died after FASA closed down.
It had two games.
Crimson Skies and Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge.
The game rights were also renewed by MGS in 13
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
It's in the OP. It was a nice movie though.
gral
Well-known member
... huh. Don't know how I missed it.
Strictly speaking, the Foglios who write and draw Girl Genius call it a "Gaslamp Fantasy", and they were unaware of the Steampunk genre until they started publishing the comic online.
"Gaslamp fantasy" works a lot better because it's definitely a fantasy about daring heroes and dastardly villains, and the only crossover with steampunk is the aesthetic.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Accountant
I also don't like how they append punk to everything, originally it was for the cyberpunk genre, but that is because early authors drew strong influence for their aesthetics from punk, but authors of gaslamp fantasy and petrolswing did not.
Bear Ribs
Well-known member
I'll agree with that. Punk at this point has become merely a reference to appearance, there are no actual "punk" elements in things like Crystalpunk, Atompunk, Dieselpunk, or Steampunk anymore, they're just the era/aesthetic trappings.
Gaslamp fantasy is a subgenre of Steampunk that has the same aesthetics but includes a heavier emphasis on supernatural elements, Gaslamp Fantasy tends to include werewolves, vampires, and magic rather than mad science. Essentially it's Space Opera to Steampunk's Sci-Fi. Personally, I don't tend to worry about keeping them separate as they're heavily intermixed at this point.
Quite ironically, despite the Foglios' protestations Girl Genius is the poster child for Steampunk rather than Gaslamp Fantasy due to the Mad Science element being so heavily emphasized.
Gaslamp fantasy is a subgenre of Steampunk that has the same aesthetics but includes a heavier emphasis on supernatural elements, Gaslamp Fantasy tends to include werewolves, vampires, and magic rather than mad science. Essentially it's Space Opera to Steampunk's Sci-Fi. Personally, I don't tend to worry about keeping them separate as they're heavily intermixed at this point.
Quite ironically, despite the Foglios' protestations Girl Genius is the poster child for Steampunk rather than Gaslamp Fantasy due to the Mad Science element being so heavily emphasized.