Buildings and Building Blocks

* See also Construction
* See also Rapture_Cityscape
* See also Building_Block
* See also Game_Editing_Tools and Templates
* See also Tall_Buildings
* See also Modular_Game_Objects
The MMORPG Rapture would be built with far more Standardized Buildings. This fits because much of Rapture (in the story) WOULD have been built that way - with repetition of many standardized prefabricated units. ( Also, so to have the game to have 'modular' duplication to cut down on the 'hand-built' drain on the game-making effort ). This repetition would also be a plausible thing to cut down the in-story COST of many of the buildings/structures which the fictional Rapture was built with.
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Definition Of A "Building" in Rapture :
* Independently/Free standing structure
* May have one or more (or many) interior 'floors'
* Has a substantial Foundation on/embedded-in the rock seafloor which has to carry the weight of the building.
* Structure is built to withstand ocean currents, including greatly increased water currents/turbulence caused by incidental storms.
* All buildings are protected by automatic pressure seals ( doors like Securis or larger types ) including utility line protection.
* Outer walls usually made of reinforced concrete, capable of withstanding depth pressure ( often assisted by compression struts inside the structure ). Rebar/wires of lesser quality Ryanium was frequently used to reinforce concrete. The water pressure does decrease closer to the surface allowing less massive walls.
* Some buildings have a superstructure of Ryanium (no concrete) which have much thinner walls and internal girder structuring. Of course this also vastly increased the cost, so was generally used on special 'show' buildings.
* Most Buildings have windows of various sizes embedded in the Outer wall. Windows are set in strong metal frames that are inset and supported by the outer structural walls. Walls have a variety of external decoration/structural patterns.
* Buildings will have at least 2 'Street' level connection either directly to 'Street' structure or by a viaduct ( this level may be a substantial distance up the side of the building and not adjacent to the 'basement' ).
* Every Building WOULD HAVE at least one Seafloor level airlock.
* May have its own Metro station ( very large. buildings - often one on 'roof' )
* Tall building have elevator systems. Very tall buildings have 'stepped' elevator systems to meet the pressure division requirements.
* If large enough, a building is divided into separate pressure safe divisions ( pressure doors between them ) to prevent catastrophic failures ( if elevator shafts are involved on a tall building the stepped elevators have a pressure seal between them ).
* All multi-floor buildings have interior stairwells/staircases.
* All buildings have utilities that come from one or more adjacent City Mains Utility hub.
* Basement level that houses machinery used to maintain the buildings environment and systems like the elevators.
* Tall building have Fresh water reservoirs usually located at the roof levels ( and double as a fire water supply ).
* In inhabited sections Inner wall usually cover utility mechanisms mounted against outer structural walls and provide insulation. Inner wall modules match the standard window patterns.
* Dividing walls used to break space up into rooms, with doorways to give access - Interior 'standard' modules with variety of wall/hall/doorway patterns/options.
* All buildings have Sumps ( leak water collection basins ) and large buildings have their own pump stations.
* Large building can have their own Phone Local Office switching system.
* Tram and Trolley transport at 'Street' level used for Passengers and Cargo. A secondary Tram system can/would exist at basement level for garbage transport and access to utility facilities.
* Utility 'Building Mains' usually run within a water-sealed core up thru the floors of tall building.
* What goes on in the Tall Buildings.
** In a 'surface' city, there are alot of commercial office jobs for companies which manage holdings across a country or even the World ( 141 million US 1946 vs 20000 in Rapture - more than 7000 : 1 ). Rapture is isolated. SO There are no regional-extensive commercial jobs in Rapture. Such jobs are only for within-Rapture itself. So there is far less commercial office use per capita as you WOULD see in a commercial capital city like New York City.
** Apartments of varying sizes will fit in the typical floor plan of tall buildings
** Factories/Manufacturers usually take up irregular volumes and are not suitable to tall High-Rise buildings.
** Small manufacturing may have some place in tall buildings ( Workshops ... )
** Showy open volumes are frequently used in tall buildings to impress. Because of the nature of the water pressure pressing on the sides of the building, special construction is needed to allow the large voids to exist inside a building structure.
** Various shops and services are usually located near the Street level for easy/quick access by customers.
* Additional Viaducts connecting to adjacent building may exist at any level/height.
* Buildings which are a long distance from the City's primary heat source ( Hephaestus ) will have their own air heating units.
* For the PCA (Player Created Asset) system each floor would match a given Template Profile of the buildings configuration/pattern of elevator/stairwell/utility shafts ( so that they compatibly match up when stacked ) and details like Window inset patterns ( usually common up sides of the building ). Within those limitations interior dividing walls can have very different configurations depending on use or variations. Interior decoration themes usually also would be shared consistently.
* Street-level floors usually have 'Atriums', with building directories and waiting space for access to Elevators ( and extra high ceilings ).
* Many tall building have (had) Residential units on a range of floors which could have upto 8 apartments per floor ( or fewer for larger 'Deluxe' apartments - as well as configurations for full-floor Suites and Penthouses ).
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Flavors of Generic 'Building Blocks' for the City ( Major Structural 'Modules' ) :
* All structural modules have sub-modules to allow varying of detail and function and combinations of connecting adjacent structures.
* Plaza/square with Trolley 4 way intersection ( centered tracks 4 sides with 4 corner buildings ) Having a lower trolley level and an upper 'plaza' level would probably be a better design. 3-way Trolley intersection also. Prefer large open space in the center.
* NARROW Street block (linear) with buildings on ONE side, windows the other side, building 3 stories and basement/utility-level. Trolley tracks (dual/one/none) and central walkway. Modular sections allow continuous extensions ( running whatever required distance ).
* WIDE Street block (linear structure) with buildings on BOTH sides, embedded buildings 2 levels and basement. Trolley tracks (dual/one/none) + walkway. Modular sections for continuous extensions.
* High-rise building ( Adjacent to Street, or possibly with Trolley line pass thru no intersection ). Public space at Street level, residence and commercial on floors above. Floors are modular and can have significantly different layouts. Modular sections allow continuous extensions. Vertical modularity (floors) allows variable height.
* Metro station adjacent to plaza. Single/multiple line variations.
* Metro switch stations ( where more than one Metro Way cable intersects ). Allows switching between cableways.
* Atlantic Express station (below Street level) linked to plaza
* Atlantic Express track sections - straight and curved - 'girdered' Piers in open Ocean, Tunnels thru 'hills' at other points.
* Connecting Street - with Trolley tracks and others 'Road' surface only ( may still have kiosks in the open walkway space ) 
** Straight sections ( some half size and variable length for length fitting ).
** Curved sections with 1/16 circle (22.5 degree) There may be more than one radius size
* Utility Conduit 'aqueducts' - Pier supported utility pipes, enclosed tunnels used to run independent from Street module Utilities. Many irregular block shape to both connect to buildings and to go around outside obstacles.
* Viaduct blocks - smaller pedestrian passages used to connect buildings. Often are largely windows. A whole variety of lengths/angles/intersections exist ( as we've seen in BS1/BS2 ). Templates would likely have adjustable sizing to fit correctly between other structures.
* Standard Doors/doorways, Securis and others that fit in standard external door slots
* Caverns - large underground hollowed areas in rock - may have pillars and ribbed reinforcement depending on size of the open space spanned.
* Tunnels - underground Rock or concrete lined passages
* Foundation - large ( usually trapezoidal ) blocks of concrete used to support buildings and other structures. Size and shape varies greatly - adaptable scripting. Would be perfect for a 'flexible' Object that has adjustable dimensions ( and self fitting scripted logic ). Foundations often have an interior network of tunnels and chambers that saved on concrete where it wasn't required for structural strength ( also useful to have script generate these automatically ).
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There are Many Reasons For Rapture's Buildings to be Constructed of Massive Concrete Structural Walls :
* Having to be strong enough to hold out the pressure at the ~600 ft depth ( ~280 psi ).
* For a material that was cheap enough so that a whole small city could be built.
* Resisting the ocean currents ( especially the leverage upon tall buildings ), as well as holding up the full massive structure of the building.
* Heavy enough to have neutral buoyancy to evenly distribute the water displacement of the building's volume ( It wants to float upwards in the water unless it weighs the same as the water it displaces ).
* Strong enough structurally to support the force transferred from all the inset windows ( which are gaps in the buildings primary structural integrity ).
* Strong enough to not fail structurally even when leaks go thru the walls.
* Able to support adjacent structure like the 'Street' and Viaducts.
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Those strange 'canted' top floors ( Atypical - especially when used over and over ).
Too much 'insetting' (stepping back) for the upper floors -- There's no need in Rapture ( usually done to have outdoors garden areas for 'Penthouses ) and extremely wasteful and disruptive to the building's structure ( a monolithic unified shape is far more important structurally at 600 feet down ).
Chunks of building structure done to show 'damage' - Not really compatible with the kind of structures ( THICK Rebar reinforced concrete ) which Rapture's buildings would have to be ( nor does it make much sense for a terrestrial setting ).
SO Damaged ... and yet with lights still on.
Irregularity as an In-game Artists Fancy ... Most buildings are rather plain in the Real World. ( They needed to do a little more Research -- If they actually cared for plausibility - THE CITYBUILDERS COULD NOT AFFORD TO CUSTOM BUILD EVERYTHING ).
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The MMORPG would represent things ( like building structures ) in far more detail - with details which would make sense for what was being represented (ie- details behind the interior walls which might be exposed).
This game would have massively deformable ( in-game interactive components ) terrain, allowing more detail and things the Player can do in relation to it. Effectively, the whole Game World would be Dynamically represented ( versus the "Static" data most games have ).
To limit the overhead of the computer simulation, only when in an activation state would most of this higher-detailed changeability be operational/interacted. The buildings would be made up of modular object sections within the game data system. The pristine (stable) form would be the most common default ( still with Surface details/attributes being modifiable ), but then thru actions ( like major damage ) it would be able to have those sections be broken down and mutated into more complex alternate (data) representation. The mutated/abnormal sections would be built up of multiple sub-objects to represent the greater variability. 
The Player would interact with those detail sub-objects ( like when affecting repairs ), as well as just viewing them.
The vast majority of the City would be of the standard modules (simpler data representation), with some special altered sections ( alternate/detailed data ) repreenting damage. Similarly, locations which have parts which do not fit the standard building modules would be built up of more customized sub-modules.
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This diagram represents breaking a normal section down into variable sub-modules, which would allow a flexible and variable number of possible states to be represented in the game. A normally uniform wall might have damage which then would have more specific differences. Dividing the uniform wall object into sub-objects then allows a great variability.
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This is an example of a the Concept where diverse MMORPG terrain might be created from a selection of standard pieces. The bulk of the assembly would use the 'Building Blocks', and then some fewer effort-eating customizations would then be added. The MMORPG system used for "Rapture Reborn" could do similarly for efficiency, as much of Ryan-built Rapture would be made from standard Construction. This MMORPG would extend the concept to local 'variations' being applied systematically to the standard blocks to have them appear more cohesive for the overall setting.
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Within the standard Structures there is plenty of working room for fitted within the concrete.
Some concrete itself could be retrofitted to add additional systems (like when pipes have to go thru walls).
We saw more than a few spots in-game where walls were damaged and we saw wood and steel as well as concrete behind the cosmetic walls.
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