The Line

Welcome to: The Line.

**The Line** is a location in *After the Fall* and the main hub of the game. Home to survivors and the runners that help supply it, it is arguably the safest place currently in the ruins of downtown Los Angeles.

## Description

The Line is a survivor settlement founded and run by Luna Gonzales. It was created in what used to be a platform for the Red and Purple Line subway routes under downtown LA before the fall and provides easy access to a number of prime harvest farming locations, as well as utilizing a skyscraper and relay tower just above it to easily communicate with forward bases affiliated with The Line. An armory and private firing range is provided to runners via a repurposed ticket booth and barricaded exit, and the numerous Harvest-O-Matics placed on the old subway platform allow runners to easily enlist for duty, and four recovered Arizona Sunshine arcade machines provide entertainment for runners awaiting deployment or otherwise idle. Luna herself can be found near the armory entrance checking the comms or tinkering with devices and will offer the player direction or advice if they hit the bell on her counter.

## Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, The Line serves as the game's "main menu" and social hub. Players that have completed the tutorial and launch the game are placed into a small room with a single door that opens to the subway platform, and from there they can do activities to prepare for and begin proper gameplay.

Upon loading in, the player is placed into a conceptual "lobby" with other players in their region, and these players populate any areas of The Line that aren't instanced, such as in front of Luna's counter or beyond the armory door. Players can point at other players to see their name, the platform they're playing from, and bring up a menu with options to interact with them. As of version 0.0.34250, players cannot engage in voice chat with others in their lobby unless they are in a party together.

Unless in the armory, players cannot use weapons or items.

### Enlisting

The three groups of arcade cabinets placed in the middle of the subway platform are the player's point of entry into the rest of the game. Picking up the zapper out of its holster will reveal a map and a multi-tiered menu, which allows them to select the game mode they wish to play, what maps to play on, and any other applicable options such as difficulty level.

### Armory

Main article: Crafting
Going through the door to the right of Luna's workspace leads to the armory, where players can purchase and modify weapons they have access to and store up to seven unused weapons for easy changing. Weapons, parts, and equipment can be purchased from the Harvest-O-Matic to the right of the workbench, and any undesired weapons or attachments can be placed into the recycler to the left of the workbench - closing the lid will destroy what is put in it and the player will have the Harvest value of the items refunded to them. Six weapon racks are to the right of the arcade cabinet. Weapons placed here, on the weapon arm, or in the player's hands or inventory will persist between visits to The Line and the armory, allowing players to store up to 11 weapons between missions. Any weapons not on a rack, the weapon arm, or on the player will be lost if the player leaves The Line via quitting or beginning a new game mode.

### Other Activities

* As of v1.4.36404, there are four Arizona Sunshine arcade cabinets on the opposite end of The Line to the armory. The game plays similarly to Robotron 2084, and high scores for the player are tracked locally. There are currently no global or friend leaderboards.
* Two floppy disks can be found in the armory which, when inserted into the armory's Harvest-O-Matic, will either replay the intro level or display the credits for the game.

## Trivia

* The coordinates listed on the Harvest-O-Matics' maps (34.0426808 N, 118.253092 W) point to a building on the corner of S Main St and E 8th St of downtown Los Angeles, CA. The map displayed on the screen in-game appears to be an accurate street map of downtown LA.
* There are signs at the back of the armory and next to the Union Tower doorway that suggest that this is a metro station on "Miranar St." However, there is no real world Miranar St - the closest thing is a Miramar St in downtown LA which is a side road nowhere near a metro station.
* There is a bagged corpse placed on an overhang in the armory.

## References

1. ↑ Split-flap displays in the exits to Skid Row and Quarantine Zone say "PERSHING SQUARE READY TO DEPART". Pershing Square is on the Red and Purple Lines.