when is this game set?

[Sandwich-Anomaly]

im curious... im gonna say... mid to late 80s

[Skirlasvoud]

The game actively defies time on purpose, same way you can't accuratly date Bioshock, Red Alert, the Jetsons or when the machines drawn up by Jules Verne or Da Vinchi existed. It might never have existed at all.

The game is both a presentation of what people in the past (the 60's) thought the future to be, and what people in the present feel the past (60's) was:
http://www.somasim.com/blog/2016/07/project-highrise-architects-notes-for-july-15-2016/

So it's actually set in an alternate reality.

Some scenarios refer to an economic depression, but there's no evidence to which one and it might well as be an event in an alternate universe.


If you look at Fallout 4, you'd say that game is set in the 1970's too with a rough first glance at the artstyle and atmosphere, but the game itself actually reveals it is 2287 in that universe. As long as Project Highrise doesn't date itself, we might never now. The best guess is that its universe diverged from ours roughly around the 1960's if it was ever part of our timeline to begin with. It could be any date past that one. Could be set in the 31st century for all we know.

[Sandwich-Anomaly]

Originally posted by skirlasvoud:

The game actively defies time on purpose, same way you can't accuratly date Bioshock, Red Alert, the Jetsons or when the machines drawn up by Jules Verne or Da Vinchi existed. It might never have existed at all.

The game is both a presentation of what people in the past (the 60's) thought the future to be, and what people in the present feel the past (60's) was:
http://www.somasim.com/blog/2016/07/project-highrise-architects-notes-for-july-15-2016/

So it's actually set in an alternate reality.

Some scenarios refer to an economic depression, but there's no evidence to which one and it might well as be an event in an alternate universe.


If you look at Fallout 4, you'd say that game is set in the 1970's too with a rough first glance at the artstyle and atmosphere, but the game itself actually reveals it is 2287 in that universe. As long as Project Highrise doesn't date itself, we might never now. The best guess is that its universe diverged from ours roughly around the 1960's if it was ever part of our timeline to begin with. It could be any date past that one. Could be set in the 31st century for all we know.

i was more curious with what other people would guess to when this game was set in... now this sort of just takes the fun away from it... thanks anyways

[Skirlasvoud]

Ahhwww, sorry for ruining the fun...

[therealjohnconnor]

'Project Highrise' references heroic tower-building era of 1930s, adopts the early-1960s aesthetic of 'Mad Men's opening credits (itself referencing Roy Litchenstein's pop art), and tips a nod to the technology of the yuppie 1980s. Devs have obviously lovingly researched their subject in detail - so why not use all of it? Result is anomalous as hell, of course, 'alternative reality' or not. But it is what it is.

[soldyne]

nah, its still fun to guess. I would say 1980's because it needs to be a time when cable TV was around and there were enough kinds of portable electronics to have a dedicated store for.

The Sony Walkman was introduced in the late 70's and Cable was introduced to the US market in the early 80's.

One can always adopt an aesthetic from an earlier time period, but, the technology is what dates it.

My biggest stumbling point is why so many businesses don't require a phone. but that is more for game balance reasons than it is for realism.

[therealjohnconnor]

Scenarios reference 1929-33 Great Depression and iconic buuildings of the period (e.g Empire State Building, 1930) particularly. Obviously no mobes/cable then. Issue is not whether there are historical anomalies in 'Project Highrise'--there clearly are--but whether we could care less. It certainly has no effect on gameplay.

[[57th] AngryHatter]

Didn't Somasim say it was a hypothetical 1960 Chicago?