Rapture

Rapture is the sub-aquatic dream city of Andrew Ryan, an industrialist who was upset with sociopolitical circumstances after World War II. Ryan believed the the poor and the "parasites" of the world dragged down the dreams and visions of brilliant men and women. Furthermore, he saw moral restrictions, religious objections, and government reform as meant to help the feeble and stupid in the world and not elevate the gifted. Ryan became so upset that he embraced Objectivist philosophy and set out to build his own better world, where brilliance could prosper, where great people could do great things with no limit or restrictions.

I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor; no, says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God; no, says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose Rapture. A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.
- Andrew Ryan

Rapture was the result of Ryan's labor, a self-contained city beneath the mid-Atlantic, located at 63'2" N 29'55" W. The city provided its own energy, food, water, and air supply. Rapture scientists soon discovered a sea slug dwelling on the ocean floor that produced a stem cell-like substance, which they named ADAM, that could engender incredible mutations and biological enhancements in its users. Citizens of Rapture found themselves in control of fire and ice, conjured from their very fingertips. They could move objects with a mere thought. An entire industry sprang up around the sale of ADAM and its related personal benefits. Many users became dependent on, even addicted to the gains of ADAM.

Fundamental problems arose when a lower class emerged in Rapture's social hierarchy. As they were turned away from many services in the city's purely capitalist system, tensions mount and were further exploited by a few opportunistic individuals. The strife eventually erupted in a riot that began on December 31, 1958, leading to a civil war that sundered Ryan's dream and put an end to Rapture.

Playable Areas of Rapture Include:

• The Crash Site
• Welcome to Rapture
• Medical Pavilion
• Fontaine Fisheries
• Smugglers' Hideout
• Arcadia
• Farmers Market
• Fort Frolic
• Hephaestus
• Rapture Central Control
• Olympus Heights
• Apollo Square
• Point Prometheus
• Proving Grounds
• Fontaine