Does Anything Ever Happen In Highrise?

[Captain Zedo]

I've been flying through Highrise a lot and I almost never notice any activity. There's Jade Falcon and Rex Darkmane and no traders. I wipe out the Laz Patrols and they get replaced, but otherwise, nothing ever seems to happen.

I've had hangars offering repairs in ever crater and Highrise is the only one that's never been used in several games. Anyone else notice this? Is Highrise just out of the way?

[ouch]

What I like to do is set up a sprat store in highrise. This usually brings in pilots from all over and creates a whole bunch of activity there. Theres also a moth place and a weapons production place all in a relatively enclosed area which makes ideal for player trading if your trying to get the game to build something specific. (plus as noted AI traders overlook this place unless there is a good deal to be had so you can deliver specific quantities and get exactly what you want built.)

and there is a recycling place there that seems to never have enough scrap metal if your still early in your game. The sheetmetal it produces will eventually get low enough in price to attract traders there as well. For some reason the AI seems to think this crater is way out of their way and demand rock bottom prices before they go there. Maybe some path finding nodes are messed up and confusing them, or maybe it is in fact a longer distance to get there than other places, I don't know.

But basicly, if you forget about highrise the AI does too.

*Whispers* If you build it, they will come.... lol

[Captain Zedo]

I have taken advantage of Highrise's inactivity. I sell to their businesses when everyone else is out of cash. You're right that they never seem to be able to buy enough.

I remember the first place I bought exotic missiles was Specialty Arms in Highrise toward the Reservoir Tunnel. Loved the GroundBase. Still do, but I don't rely on missiles much.

I've never operated a business in Highrise, but have an experimental game running where I'll try it. I remember trying to get Highrise Motors to build a police Moth and it didn't go as smoothly as Downtown Moths. At first I didn't even think Highrise Motors built any exotic Moths. I'll have to give them another try. It's been a while.

[NightHawk]

I, too, have noticed the lack of activity. I'm wondering if, in the programming itself, there is a reason for this. In the same way that the DT to Res tunnel was never opened until the updates, could Highrise have been a last minute setup that never really got properly coded?

How about it modders, can you see something in there that would explain this better?

[rustiswordz]

Ive noticed this too. Highrise is very sparce on the action front. Ive seen the occational fight and the hangar I set up made peanuts from repairs. To be honest ever since the new tunnel was opened up connecting Resovoir from Downtown there is no longer any need to go via Highrise to get to the dam area.

I think the new tunnel is the reason HR is dead now. It removes the crater from a trade route.

[Captain Zedo]

Highrise doesn't even seem to have faction battles. I rarely see a Klamp ship there. I certainly see them in Alpha. When I get bored, I like to take on all the Laz ships and clear out Alpha. The Klamp ships come in right after I'm done to take up guard. They don't do this in Highrise.

What really makes me curious is that Highrise has all of the businesses that the other craters have except for a components shop: weapons, moths, trading post, junkyard... They always have money, but no one seems to want to trade there. Curious.

[hunterjwizzard]

There may be an answer in the background story of the game. If you recal, Laz used to basically own all of MisOp, and Klamp-G are the rebels. To that end, Highrise is sort of the upscale, uper-class neighborhood. There is less crime there, and less trading because everyone is rich and happy and the people always have enough.

You can think of it sort of like any distopic future: most of the people live in abject poverty around a ridiculously high crime-rate, but the privliged few get to live in a beautiful sactuary where nothing bad ever happens and everyone is upperclass.

Whether this was the plan of the game designers or just an accident of mechanics is a mystery.

[Pilot]

Mar 2, 2011 9:31:25 GMT -5 Captain Zedo said:

Highrise doesn't even seem to have faction battles. I rarely see a Klamp ship there. I certainly see them in Alpha. When I get bored, I like to take on all the Laz ships and clear out Alpha. The Klamp ships come in right after I'm done to take up guard. They don't do this in Highrise.

What really makes me curious is that Highrise has all of the businesses that the other craters have except for a components shop: weapons, moths, trading post, junkyard... They always have money, but no one seems to want to trade there. Curious.

If you downgrade to the original game, or maybe even the official patches you should see a difference in activity, it seems like Klamp's in Reservoir would take Highrise and try to skip to Downtown and usually it got them in one sided fights specially if they had low Cells.

Only Highrise and Downtown have public Moth factories. So I agree with rustiswordz that it is likely a oversight on the patches from when the tunnel was opened.