Fort Frolic

* Connected From Arcadia
* Connected To Hephaestus
* See also Sander Cohen
* See also Entertainment In Rapture
* See also Gambling
* See also Amended_Game_Level_Maps
==BS1 Map Expansion - Fort Frolic (and Poseidon Plaza)==
 
THE DOMAIN OF THE GREAT SANDER COHEN 
Orientation is based on the incoming Bathysphere from Arcadia ( though the one to Hephaestus then has to go through the mass of Fort Frolic Buildings in that direction ). It really doesn't matter if the Bathyspheres use water tunnels to get to the appropriate side of the complex before fastening to the Cable Lines going in their proper direction. Better also if cables converge, forming a Hub to allow fast transfers between the different routes.
"Fortune and Frivolity"
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Fixes :
* Looking out a Window and seeing a Skybox when you should be seeing another part of the same immediate building. Example- view out Cohen's Collection where to the right-side there should be a wall part of the same building, or out Le Marquis D'Epoque here you should be able to see the broad side of the Fleet Hall Theater. There are similarly incorrect outside views looking out windows on the Atrium concourse.
* Big Light Columns outside Eve's Garden corridor window -- Won't fit to the adjacent section of the building (Discrepency). View out window just outside of Eve's Garden doesn't show where Sinclair Spirits interior exists on one side, and also for the immediately adjacent Eve's Garden interior.
* Nearby building seen out the windows are out-of-scale and the terrain models are closer than they really appear ( MMORPG would have correct placement and you would be seeing the actual exteriors of real buildings ). The "Demitasse" Building, which is little more than the width of half that hall row of windows (you are looking through) has now been enlarged and pushed significantly further out.
* Added 2nd level of Fleet Hall Theater, which is missing from the in-game map.
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Additions :
Added Trolley and AE Stations in Poseidon Plaza ( making it a more major transportation hub ). The Metro Transit Trolley is still the active passenger transportation, versus the shutdown AE passenger system, which had become a freight-only service by the time of BS1/BS2. ( Though Ryan made use of it to move his forces around during the %27civil war%27 ). The Trolley track viaduct was inserted in-between Poseidon Plaza and Fort Frolic, and runs North-SouthWest, interconnecting with the rest of Rapture's Trolley system grid. I slid Poseidon Plaza sideways ( about 120 feet, a longer walking viaduct ) to make space for the Trolley Viaduct/Station off of the Frozen Tunnel Viaduct junction, and the new MultiPlayer building addition.
A 'Transfer' Bathysphere Station is located off the South edge of Poseidon Plaza. This Secondary station is connected by a water tunnel at Rapture-Normal (surface sea level) Pressure to the large Primary cable station ( cableways/water tunnels, not shown, are below level 0 ) at Fort Frolic which is a hub of 5 Bathysphere lines. The secondary stations are for customer convenience to minimize walking to get to Poseidon Plaza and the adjacent buildings South of Fort Frolic.
Added a Bathysphere line to Green Belt, where many agricultural workers had employment. The farming there was actually quite high technology hydroponics, and hardly the equivalent of era 'farm/stoop labor'
Added a Passing siding for Trolley Route inside Fort Frolic Mall's basement ( within the added MP level content ). Single track Trolley lines need periodic passing tracks to allow trolley traveling in opposite directions to pass each other ( or Express 'trains' to pass slower 'Local' trains in the same direction ). There is also a freight station for the maintenance department ( heavy utility machinery/equipment has to be moved somehow ... )
The Trolley Viaducts have Emergency Bulkheads located periodically along their lengths (frequently near stations) which are normally open, but are ready to slam shut if a breach in water containment happens ( to prevent extended flooding from any breaks ). The double set (redundant for safety) of bulkhead doors use hydraulic rams and have blades able to cut thru even a Trolley car frame which might be blocking their closing.
An Atlantic Express Station - now Abandoned for Passenger Traffic ( closed connector to FF but connection to other buildings in the near-area building cluster for freight transport ... ). Station is Mk2 as Fort Frolic continued its importance thru the AE rebuilding (c. 1950). Note the size of the AE Station, though alot of length is really those long hollow airlocks, which are long enough to accommodate the 135-foot double car AE trains ( one of the improvements done in the 'rebuilding' ).
The Fleet Hall Theater was a bit cramped (small in audience space), So I enlarged it a little (especially after looking at the size of the MP level content). It also got extensive operational support spaces - backstage, dressing rooms, curtain and lighting systems, understage, and prop storage spaces, etc ...
It is still rather small, but Sander Cohen may have intended to use the new medium of Television to extend its audience, and made going to his theater something a bit more 'uptown'. The large space behind the balcony box seats looks well suited for catered events.
I have Incorporated the Multi-Player level map to expand the Fort Frolic Mall complex ( the area directly adjacent to the Theater is 'The Atrium' ). Some places have their names altered to eliminate duplication. The Viaduct to Poseidon Plaza was stretched quite a bit to allow it to fit, and now gives access to that 'Mall'. The Casinos there are substantially larger than on the original Solo map, but now are adequate for Rapture's affluent class, who escaped from the 'doomed world' and had money to burn in a Vegas-like setting. The MP Pharaoh's Fortune (now Pharaohs) does appear to have stage lighting, so probably had a stage floor 'Nightclub' Show, as well as the 'Lounge' to attract more than Gamblers. There were (as usual) several blocked doors in the MP game's map (ie- Sir Prize and The Seahorse) which have been expanded out into proper establishments.
Added the usual required Pumping Station, used to pump the hot water coming from Hephaestus that heats this levels buildings, and pushed the water further along the Heat pipe network. Individual Sump Systems also drain leakage from each building.
Added a quite large Fort Frolic/Fleet Hall sign outside ( 4 stories tall to match Cohen's ego ) visible from windows in the approaching Trolley tunnel. Additional signs added in other visible places.
Added a 'Sea Stage' out the windows on your right as you enter the level from that tiny Bathysphere Dock. ( Area is the exit of the main Bathysphere Station and the Viaduct to the other end of Fort Frolic, so would be a prime location for such ). All those lights shining onto that area would be there for a reason. Probably would be used for some aquatic displays (with advertisements) and such.
Added a Submarine Dock on the roof level (of Fort Frolic, adjacent to the Theater) with a fancy rotary parking system ( something like ). All the 'affluent' people could thus arrive without having to rub shoulders with the 'lessor folk' on public transportation. Sander Cohen likewise parks his private Limousine submarine there. ( He has a private garage in Olympus Heights ). You should notice the silhouette of the private submarines/submersibles, which are far larger than the 'Bathyspheres' ( which are more like 'People Mover pods, moved on cables ). They require a proper drive mechanism for independent self-movement, and have significantly more interior space ( and weight, thus heavier machinery to move them about in the dock ).
I have placed a turntable in the parking dock mechanism adjacent to the Fleet Hall. Private subs were somewhat exclusive, being even more expensive than private Bathyspheres, both in themselves and in the large facilities they required. A rotary park stacking mechanism reminiscent of devices for automobiles first employed in the 1920s, increases the parking capacity. That Parking system would be quite a substantial machine, as it lifts Submarines which weigh several times as much as the standard Metro Bathysphere ( that "Airshell 2" design - 12 foot diameter, weighs about 28+ tons -- equivalent to the water it displaces ). That gives you a clue about similar expensive facilities needed to 'park' lesser vehicles ( subs in Rapture really cannot be like our automobiles ... even when owned by rich people ). This VIP 'parking lot' was retrofitted to the Fort Frolic building (on its top) once Rapture started to build personal submarines ( and Fort Frolic was made one of the 'Uptown' venues, attracting the affluent class of Citizens ).
These Private Submarines had to be limited in size to fit the standard docks ( which were larger than the Bathysphere Station Docks )
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Added the "Frolic TV" Station (adjacent to the Theater). Cohen ran one of Raptures TV entertainment stations, which made use of many of the Fleet Hall's resources for their productions ( Good idea to spread expenses ). Radio broadcasts ( ie- "An Evening With Sander Cohen" ) probably were also done from this same facility.
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The Foundation/Basement levels were ( besides being the drainage area for the levels above ), were where the building was 'interfaced' to the solid seabed -- excavated down to 'bedrock' and with concrete pilings driven further down to properly anchor the structures above. Prefabricated building sections would be (floated) lowered to their prepared positions and then joined to the anchors, and concrete poured to securely fasten/seal them.
The base structure of the buildings (Black color) isn't all reinforced concrete. Around the windows there is alot of metal the 'glass' is precisely fitted into. This construction is more complicated and expensive, but is required for the sections where the window wall gets much thinner and large surface spans are harder to support. ( Note that they are broken into many panes with heavy framing, unlike the absurd windows seen in Buried at Sea ).
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Storefronts and the areas behind them have been inserted/detailed to fill out the interior spaces of the various buildings ( definitely all the places seen with blocked fronts, and a few additional ones in obvious places ).
Added a Security Station to Poseidon Plaza ( Flybots have to live somewhere, originally used for Security staff ), and another in Fort Frolic Mall.
Added public Restrooms on First floor next to Eves Garden ( conveniently connected also with the AE Station ). Other restrooms were added elsewhere, including in the Fleet Hall Theater, the Trolley Station, and several facility offices in the building complex.
Reason for that 'Frozen Tunnel' -- it was a miniature Ice Skating Rink : the 'Ice Frolic' in that section of the entertainment/shopping complex ( I had added it before the absurd thing in BaS was known to exist in that Lala-land Infinite BS Rapture-verse ). It might have been interesting (and imaginative) to have Martin Finnegan ice skating around the Player during that 'disciple' assassination situation. ( Will have to wait for a MMORPG Player created Flashback for that ).
Sander Cohen would probably have had some outside 'Water Art' on display visible thru many of Fort Frolics sea windows. He likes light effects and probably could have come up with some interesting ones complemented by the Ocean environment. Perhaps Mer-bunnies frolicking amongst other Sea Life, or a rabbit-faced Neptune on a seahorse-pulled-chariot or somesuch ( ?? or Cohen or Ryan AS Neptune pulled by bunny-seahorses ).
Odd building angle seen out the Cocktail Lounge window, is now turned into a 'Tower' for Sander Cohens TV station ( even if it is not really a broadcast tower because of how miserably radio waves travel thru water ). More ostentation along the lines of typical things he did.
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That flooded area below Poseidon Plaza - 'More Items, Downstairs' would make sense as one of those multi-stall Antique Stores (no storefront), where a number of individuals rent space and sell various antique items. With all the 'rich' people who came to Rapture bringing many unusual objects from the Surface, there logically would be those people who bought and sold Antique items. That location probably had some other use, but was repurposed ( as probably happened in the decade plus time of its existing in the City ). As leaks go, it is probably a backed up drain, as a REAL leak from the Ocean would have the entire complex filled up completely, if allowed to continue.
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You might notice floor 3 has alot of space which is reserved for utilities, like the air conditioning systems ( as well as extended ceiling space from the level below ). People often don't realize how much volume such things take up in ducting, fans, heaters and other such equipment and the maintenance access ways. ( Fort Frolic's Theater would also have substantial sound deadening to avoid the machinery disturbing performances ) Rapture, sitting in near freezing water, is constantly having heat bleed out of it through the walls (no matter how good the insulation is) and requires fairly large air heaters ( using hot water from Hephaestus ) to prevent it from becoming an icebox.
I added a large Cafe on the top level near the Trolley/Train stations. A proper venue for 'after show' clientele (for those less inclined to go on to the more risqué places like the Limbo Room or the Linen Club) or to 'The Lounge' bar.
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The buildings may look to be one solid structure (black), but were constructed in segments near the surface ( where it was MUCH MUCH easier/cheaper ), and are joined at many spots by more flexible structure to compensate for potential shifting of the Seabed ( despite the building sites usually being the most geologically stable areas available on the seabed ). If I revise these maps again, I should start adding the dividing lines between Building Chunks to indicate this.
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Observations :
The (first, incoming) Bathysphere Station from Arcadia is pretty shabby when the one to/from Hephaestus (a workman venue) is so grandiose (' WE ACSEND RAPTURE '). Since both obviously have to connect via tunnels below Level 0 ( and burrow through buildings and terrain ) both Cable Routes would be better to use that big Fancy Station ( and for it to have more than one dock hole ), and to eliminate those destination specific signs. The small utilitarian Dock could then be for overflow or service use ( perhaps decorate it with something outrageous like in Etruscan Mausoleum Motif or somesuch ).
The BIG Bathysphere station is rather extravagant, and itself might be used (MMORPG Flashbacks) for some public show presentations ( including seasonal/holiday themed displays and such ). In the MMORPG, Fort Frolic would be one of the places many Players would wish to revisit and perhaps again face the madman (?).
If Metro Bathyspheres can freely go to multiple destinations, then WHY do we have to transfer to another one to get to Hephaestus ? ( And why don't we go there directly instead of this side trip to Fort Frolic ?? ) And conversely, if they are separated for individual routes ( They do have specific destination names on signs above their doorways and the schedule boards ... ), then shouldn't the Stations be located right next to each other to facilitate transfers to get across Rapture ?? It is also a bit odd that the Austen Bathysphere Company map does not show a direct route from Fort Frolic to Hephaestus ( the path which we take in the story ). It all was the usual game path limitation made to force the Player through content ( and thus we DO NOT have to declare it absolute Canon ).
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From the irregular shapes of much of Rapture's (the game's) buildings, their plans must've been pre-ordered and decided long in advance for the to be custom prefabricated ( for the primary pressure structure ) at the surface, and then fitted/joined/interlocked together below. Reinforcements and filler to strongly tie/seal sections together would then have to be done, but NOW in the few 'Joinings' - with much less work/risk/expense than attempting to build it all from scratch below ( clumsy pressure suits make all work difficult/slow/expensive ). Interiors are much more flexible to shape within the primary structure, and would be done in place AFTER the sealing/pumping out/cleaning.
A number of columns are broken, but the things they appeared to support are intact, which shows that those ( and probably many others ) were cosmetic/decorative rather than structural.
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For some reason there is a "Gardner Deluxe Modern" in both Fort Frolic and in Poseidon Plaza ( and a third dup in the MP level ) - It must've been a very popular store.
The Mall Directory in the Lower Atrium lists at least 50 named places/shops ( and does not even show a second level for Poseidon Plaza ) which are not all represented in what we see in the BS1 game's Fort Frolic level ( thus a good/valid excuse to append the MP level ).
There do seem to be a lot of tall buildings in the middle distance around Fort Frolic ( since the Skybox repeats, it is ONLY to be taken as a basic impression of surroundings ). The Bathysphere Map shows Fort Frolic as being halfway across Rapture from the Welcome Center, so that would indicate more tall building separate from the ones we saw in that nearby part of the City. You may have to figure that there are actually alot less (as) tall building than what the Solo games artistic license portrays, as the (Novel) published population of Rapture being around 20000 -- which is too low to justify as many big buildings as we seem to see out the windows in the different map level locations.
Interesting thing : Look how big the added Atlantic Express Train Station is on the extended map - big Airlocks and station platform big enough for double-car Mk2 trains ( more capacity to handle City-sized traffic ). All that machinery/facilities having to be maintained - no wonder the Trolley System emerged as the more versatile/viable transport system for passengers ( bus-like vs subway-like, with closer together, more frequent quicker stops ). That one AE Station served the whole cluster of buildings and 'plazas', not just Fort Frolic and Poseidon. The original AE traincars ( like the ridiculously tiny Trolley cars seen in Apollo Square) have NOW been enlarged to carry a more practical number of passengers - the original ones could barely fit a row of single seats on either side of a narrow very short aisle ).
That metal gate blocking access to the Hephaestus Bathysphere should have been something more convincing as a barrier, to stop us from leaving -- Not something a five year old could easily climb over ( something like the Sphere's door being closed and locked, or it not being there (submerged) since "Crazy" Cohen controls the Station machinery ) .
We would need some alternate names for the MP Mall's establishments, duplicated from those on the Solo game level. The smaller establishments are in the original BS1 Poseidon Plaza ... SO which ones get the new names ?? ( Suggestions : "Priam's Casino" and "Best's Pari-mutuel Betting", "The Barbary Coast", "Circe's Cave", "Midas' Place" for the old locations ).
It might have been funny ( and yet can be in a MMORPG Flashback ) for after Jack kills Sander Cohen for the Player to then see Jack now in whiteface paint wearing the bunny ears and muttering to himself "I want to take the Ears off, but I cant" ... "The Student has Replaced The Master" ... Whatever ( The redone BS1 game could have multitudes of different imaginative and strange 'endings' ).
The same green gas from a Hacked Health Station should, when spewed in an Injured Splicers face should have done damage to you if you were adjacent/inline with it. Convenient Hacking, but then possibly activating an Anti-Tampering booby traps which we could have all kinds/flavors of on different machines in the MMORPG.
Where do the Splicers keep coming from, after you think you have cleared an area out ? You notice lots of holes in the walls, and behind those is space and utility accessways that you don't usually see the extent of, and so through those other levels interconnect. I have added the whole basement areas with drainage passages and such, which you might not even realize are there.
 
Note the Pneumo kiosk ( near the Cocktail Lounge ) has a station number ("FF131"), which might indicate that you could have 'mail' delivered to you at that spot ( ordered and sent immediately, or in 'holding' in the Jet Postal system and sent on request ). Convenient 'added' value for a reasonable price if it could all be largely automated.
What must've Sander Cohen done to have his minions fear to even touch the various treats laying all over his realm ? The corpses of the ones you kill do seem to be well stocked, so maybe he had an adjacent warehouse full of sufficient supplies for all of his numerous lackeys. He also may have made use of the 'Pheromone Control' to manage things.
You might think that a Splicer corpse held up/waved in front of a Security Scanner would trigger it ... (It Doesn't) How exactly a Security Scanner determines who its 'Fiends' are, and Who are its 'Foes' will take some creativity to explain in the MMORPG. In the Novel the author had a more restrictive system of unauthorized areas ( the system opposing anyone it didn't recognize ), then with 'Friends' wearing coded Signaling Flashers ( lights ? ultrasonic ? both ? ) to indicate 'Authorization' and safe passage.
An alarmed display case - If you break the glass activates the Security Bots, but if you shoot that display case from a distance the Bots will come directly to you even though you are far away from the break-in. Easily fixed in MMORPG behavioral programming to handle all the unexpected/unusual/atypical situations.
Someone probably should have told the level designer that you don't make flat ceilings out of mortared stone blocks ( ie- basement of Sinclair Spirits ). Same kind of ignorance is seen on other Levels.
Pillar/Column floating outside in the Ocean ( out left window of "Downstairs" Sale flooded area ) - obvious a level developers mistake. Was missed in the visual inspection I guess. Handy thing about the MMORPG would be OTHER people looking for/reporting and fixing such defects.
If you shoot the neon sign in the Atrium, part of it ( Sign Arm holding cigarette ) swings down and dangles.
Cohen's Gallery with its bare concrete walls - a typical device to place 'Art' against for the Contrast - or some kind of implied crudity of everything else versus the 'art'.
THAT might've been twisted (!!) : Merchandising goods in the Fleet Hall - Sander Cohen dolls which look just like he does when we see him - Stranger would be to find one on the ground after we kill a Splicer ( with little ears on it - a totem object for his minions 'god' ), AND in his Apartment in Olympus_Heights there's a closet full of them that suddenly fall upon you when you open the closet door.
I saw Hector Rodriguez get killed by a Big Daddy ( lobbed a bomb as I was chasing him ).
Some kind of ancient/classical age 'ruins' display out in water near Le Marquis D'Epocqe ( maybe something to look at while the customers of the nearby vending machines consumed their goodies ... ). The vending machine may have been disparaged by shop owners, but then it is up to THEM to deliver a 'Better Product' or Service than that competition.
I don't recall seeing any public phones anywhere. Some probably would be in those alcoves in Poseidon Plaza and near the Lounge. Even if the Empire Builder Bigwigs go out once in a while for entertainment, they still want to keep a handle on their businesses.
The Fort Frolic Mall ( the Multiplayer level I've added to this complex ) is rather flat and sprawling. Typical of most of the game levels.
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If Fontaine was trying to get Jack to Ryan, he either picked the wrong route ( letting Jack get close to Sander Cohen, who he should have known would be up to his old tricks ), or didn't have much of a choice.
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The Big Daddy often can't get up on the stage in the Eve's Garden -- Test if it is the Flashback doing it ...
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Continuation as Ryan's Forces Neutralize Atlas's Anarchists :
"Attention : This business will be closed until the curfew is lifted. We apologized for the inconvenience."
"Approaching a Little Sister is a criminal offense. Do not approach the Little Sister."
"Rumor is the tool of the Parasite. Fontaine is Dead. Rapture Lives."
These messages are from after the chaos starts, implying that in many places in Rapture things are still somewhat normal or the mayhem controlled. I've theorized that many of the areas we go through in the game are the chaotic ones that Fontaine/Atlas guides Jack through so that Ryan doesn't just snuff him or capture him by locking doors.
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Ideas From Fort Frolic :
* Those Spotlights that track you - automatic is good - maybe were remote-controlled by Sander Cohen at that point, but units like that being usable from 'Security Station' Checkpoints and in Free-Fire-Zones. Better cover the lens with Window 'super-glass' to keep Splicers from just shooting/zapping them out ( maybe that explain all those lights in BS1/BS2 you couldn't shoot out ... )
* Come to think of it, the 'super-glass' is largely bulletproof ( since we don't seem to be able to break them with our guns ). Maybe Tech can be developed to, if not make new 'super-glass', to at least be able to work it for other uses. Spares for the city and/or city expansion Ryan had planned have to be somewhere.
* Those Casinos with Jackpot machines - I mentioned modifying them to use the New Money, but for 'Fun' a number can be left using the Old Money ( which seems to be laying around Rapture like confetti ). Gimmick of using Old Money to play the slots like you have money to burn -- Which actually was what Splicers did use it for when there was nothing left in any of the machines ( though some others hoarded it, delusionally hoping one day Ryan would return and they could CASH in ).
* The Deep Freeze with Splicer statues - probably many other frozen Splicers laying around that might still be resuscitated ( good Bounty offered for them ... ), but you would want to make sure you got them to a working Vita-Chamber or the Medical facility before they went bad on you.
* Rapture's Museum of Insanity :
** With exhibits about Cohen and others who ADAM drove mad (or further).
** Diorama of Sofia Lamb's destruction of that section of Persephone (with flash bulb explosion effects) and her bugging out for the surface ...
** Atlas's End (an important lesson for us all)
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Eve's Garden ( a 'strip joint' in Poseidon Plaza adjacent to Fort Frolic ) was allegedly the site of an incident between Andrew Ryan and Jasmine_Jolene (and Fontaine) with tragic consequencesDeath of Jasmine_Jolene - Quite mysterious as the circumstances are missing a 'smoking gun', with the usual VAGUENESS of many other of the details the game supplies (or rather DOESN'T supply concisely)..
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The MultiPlayer Map ( I created from being within the MP Game ) which has been incorporated into my Fort Frolic Level map.
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