A Mind Forever Voyaging

Rockvil

Properties3
tagslocation, rockvil, decline, bsf, church
sourcesraw/src/rockvil.zil, raw/src/prism.zil, raw/src/apartment.zil
confidencehigh

5 min read

Rockvil

A mid-sized city in South Dakota, Rockvil is the primary setting of the simulation that PRISM inhabits as “Perry Simm.” Over the five decades of the simulation (2041–2081), Rockvil transforms from a prosperous midwestern city into a post-apocalyptic theocratic wasteland — the warning that the PRISM Project was designed to document.

Geography and Layout

Rockvil sits on a river and features a downtown core organized around Rockvil Centre, a central plaza. Several key arteries radiate from the center: Park Street (north-south), Main Street (east-west), Kennedy Street, Centre Street, and Elm Street. The city is served by a skybus transit system, an underground Tube (subway), and a network of bridges spanning the river.

Rockvil’s notable institutions include Rockvil University, the Rockvil Mall, Symphony Hall, the Wells Theatre, Halley Museum, the Aquarium, the Zoo, a Railroad Museum, the Skycar Factory, the Spaceport, multiple hospitals (including a Health Center), and the Mortimer Dental School. Outdoor spaces include Halley Park, Kennedy Park, and Riverside Park.

Transportation

  • Skybus: An elevated transit system; shut down by 2071 after an “unprofitable experiment to sell the skybus system to a private company” (score event 12, 2 points).
  • Tube: A subway system; shut down by 2071 (score event 32, 2 points).
  • Skycar Factory: Operates at “just over half capacity” in 2051, “less than half capacity” in 2061, and “a fraction of capacity” by 2071 (score events 109–111).
  • Spaceport: Closed by 2061 or 2071 (score event 99, 3 points).
  • Train Station: The former North Central Station — in 2041 it is restored as a national landmark with tourist train rides. By 2051 it has been demolished and replaced by the regional headquarters of the Church of God’s Word (score event 53, 2 points).

Decline Across the Decades

2041 — A Thriving City

Rockvil in 2041 is a healthy, functional city. The portico of City Hall is “well-maintained.”^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] The Coachman is a large, well-known restaurant. Dunbar’s is an upscale department store “crowded despite its rather steep prices.”^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] The skybus runs, the Tube operates, and the Train Station draws tourists. The apartment window at Parkview Apartments shows “wealthy western suburbs, surrounded by the woods and conservation lands of the State Park System.”

2051 — Early Signs of Decay

The portico of City Hall is now “aging.” Joybooths have been banned (score event 30). The skycopter announces prayer meetings (score event 64). A BSF raid on the Simm apartment becomes possible (score event 8). The Train Station has been demolished and replaced by a Church building. The newspaper contains “ominous news” (score event 87). The river shows pollution (score event 132). Coal-burners supplement fusion reactors (score event 105).

The apartment window view now shows forests “thinner and browner each year” from acidic rain (score event 5, 3 points).

2061 — Accelerating Collapse

The portico is “aging” but not yet crumbling. Kennedy Park is a construction site (score event 13, 2 points). The skybus terminal is “run-down and needs repairs” (score event 123). The only two banks in Rockvil were forced to merge (score event 84). Heiman World burns (score event 26). The public school system shuts down (score event 82). Capital punishment now applies to most crimes, and public executions begin (score events 76, 78).

Dunbar’s now caters “exclusively to the wealthy elite.”^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] The Coachman is “a favorite of wealthy Churchmen” (score event 43).^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] The Catholic church (St. Michael’s) is “closed and defaced” (score event 49).

The apartment window view now shows strip mining — “a forest of thriving mining towers, which trundle across the landscape leaving ugly brown scars” (score event 6, 5 points). The western suburbs “now look nearly deserted, a sign of the vanishing middle class.”

2071 — Theocratic Dystopia

This is the decade of maximum observable decline. City Hall’s interior is “decrepit; it looks as though no maintenance has been performed here for years.”^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] The portico is “crumbling.” The skybus is shut down. The Tube is shut down. Rockvil U is closed (score event 63). Halley Park has been converted to “estates for wealthy” (score event 61). The Church owns “the only bank in Rockvil” (score event 83). The skycar factory operates at “a fraction of capacity.”

State violence is omnipresent: police “shoot an old woman in an alley” (score event 27), “club screaming women senseless” (score event 35), and drunken cops shoot curfew violators (score event 117). The jail practices capital punishment for all crimes (score event 77). Enthusiastic crowds attend televised Execution Matches (score events 79–80).

The apartment window now overlooks “an ugly industrial slum, where thousands upon thousands of serfs live in substandard shacks, running the factories and mines that support Rockvil’s urban nobility” (score event 7, 7 points).

2081 — Post-Apocalyptic Ruin

The final decade: The Coachman is a “burned-out shell” of a building (score event 41). ^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] Main & Wicker lies in ruins (score event 36). A Foodville is looted (score event 39). The Main Street Bridge is in ruins (score event 44). Wild dogs roam (score event 45). The cemetery is “abandoned and a hiding place for thieves” (score event 47). Cannibalism occurs (score event 112). Perry can be jumped by a gang (score event 38).

Environmental Devastation

The environment follows a parallel arc of destruction:

DecadeRiver ConditionAir QualityPower Generation
2041CleanClearFusion
2051Polluted—Coal-burners supplement fusion
2061Very pollutedSmoggy skiesCoal-burners provide half power
2071Incredibly polluted; “river is on fire as usual”Heavy smogCoal-burners belching black ash

Raw waste is dumped into the river without processing from 2051 through 2071 (score event 104). The water tower corrodes (2061) and becomes decrepit (2071).

Graph View

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