For me, the answer is yes. I'm designing a very science-fiction-y D&D setting, in fact. But I just see this as D&D, with a different emphasis, or more precisely, seen through a different lens. And I see this as something that's been there in D&D since the beginning.
Not really. I don't like technology in my fantasy games.
Neither do I. I don't even like Steampunk, for that reason.* I consider my setting "science fantasy" (among other things) because the setting
feels far more like a science-fiction setting than a traditional fantasy D&D setting. Sort of like Dark Sun (which is the most similar setting I can think of, though not all that similar). It's the sort of setting that some players would look at and say, "ppfft, that's not science-fantasy or sci-fi, that's just D&D," because they've been playing up the more sword-and-sorcery and sci-fi aspects of D&D all along, so that's how they see "vanilla" D&D already. And other players would look at it and say, "wow, that's really out there and different," because they've been playing very fantasy-oriented D&D in the Realms (or whatever, fill in your standard fantasy setting here) all along.
I do like some fantasy elements in my science fiction, though, e.g. 'The Force' in Star Wars.
Exactly, that's one of the sci-fi elements I'm mixing in.
D&D really covers a wide range (when taken to include previous editions, and Pathfinder, I mean), and I'm really starting to enjoy that for the first time, since I've always been the second type of player I describe above.
*actually, I lie. I don't want the setting to have widespread technology, but exceptions like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks can be fun, and I'm fine with that.
