So I realize a lot of people are not fond of history, but what I feel a lot of writers tend to struggle with is making a realistic world. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not amazing at it either, but it seems that people focus too much on a character and a "fun" or "sexy" or "scary" (etc) story and don't think about what MAKES the world that way.
The world is in itself another character, and strangely can have its own wants and needs as well as its own faults, but like a good character the world needs to fallow a set of unbreakable rules. Limitations make the world more grounded and real. Doing this from the top of your head, building a far out world can be very difficult.
So what to do? look back to the past! Want to write a fantasy? reference armor and folklore, weapons and creatures from a specific ethnic group or groups from a certain time period. for instance, look at Skyrim. While it is not Norse, it is inspired by 9th century norse styles and mythology. Or the Witcher, which has a heavy base in 13-14th century Polish history. (It is also made by a Polish company so no surprise there.)
Long story short, do some research before writing a story, even if it is fantasy or sci-fi. History tends to repeat itself, and has the most human stories. So the easiest for us to comprehend.
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