Arcologies of Socionics

[Pa3s]

I was playing Sim City 2000 and pushed my city to finally reach 120'000 inhabitants, so I could build the arcologies.

In case you don't know:

Arcology, combining "architecture" and "ecology",[1] is a set of architectural design principles aimed toward the design of enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density. These largely hypothetical structures would contain a variety of residential, commercial, and agricultural facilities and minimize individual human environmental impact. They are often portrayed as self-contained or economically self-sufficient.

When I could choose among the four available types of arcologies, I realized that they make good examples for quadra habitats. This "analysis" should not be taken too seriously, as this is mostly a funny coincidence I'd like to share (also contains stereotypes). Here are the different buildings:



If you click "Info", you can read a description of each arcology and the expected side effects if you build it.

Plymoth Arco


The Plymoth Arco is the most business- and production-focused of all four arcologies. A nice place to life is good, but such a huge project should also yield a profit. Every piece of technology in this building is there for a reason. The life expectance/quality of its residents might not be the best, but the Plymoth Arco is extremely cost efficient and houses many people. In addition to this, you get a heavy-duty construction that can withstand natural disasters without any extra costs! Isn't that a good deal?
Quadra: Gamma

Forest Arco


Favouring a smaller population, the inhabitants of the Forest Arco don't want to live in a rat cage. This building is all about sustainability and quality of life. The people living in this arcology attach great importance to interpersonal relations and thus ban TV and radio (and internet???) in their homes. This can seem quite boring to some people, but in such an advanced age, some people are perfectly fine with a simpler, more natural life. If you consider a completely artificial forest on top of a high-tech building to be natural, that is.
Quadra: Delta

Darco


Dark, edgy, mysterious, and the work of a eccentric artist. The Darco is not like your regular Arcology! Its avant-garde design is favoured among the people who are not too much into mainstream. For the refreshing innovation in design, they gladly accept the weaker construction and lower efficiency. While the square, boring, and science-focused arcologies will quickly be forgotten and become obsolete, the Darco will be remembered forever as a unique piece of art and every inhabitant is a part of it.
Quadra: Beta

Launch Arco


The most advanced of the arcologies is also the fanciest. It is almost perfectly able to imitate a natural ecosystem and it can even be used to take off and explore the depths of space! With its highly developed life support systems, it can house the most people of the four arcologies. It really shows the way an arcology ought to be built, if there was not the price which also quite astronomical.
Quadra: Alpha

[Raver]

Cool stuff, I was really into Sim City Classic in grade school and Sim City 2K during high school. I'd say Forest Arco fits my ideal mindset so I have no problem seeing it as Delta.

[krieger]

the flashy neon lights on Darco make me think Beta > Gamma.

plymouth has a business-like, rugged practicality to it that suggests Gamma.

forest: very ecologically friendly, un-intimidating and not as keen on "proving itself" than the other arcos; Delta.

the prize, of course goes to alpha. a lofty aspiration of utopean design with little consideration for the costs involved.

[Radio]

i was too young when SC2k came out. i played the shit out of SC3k though.

[Absurd]

Okay.

[Pa3s]

Larger pictures with better resolution:

[InvisibleJim]

Never stop building.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Darco looks really cool I admit. I have always wanted to go where the demons are. God is awfully hypocritcal for casting them out of heaven while he gets to chill out in a peaceful state of bliss!

[Korpsy Knievel]

I would prefer a joint construct of the Forest and Launch, suited to terraforming and extra-terrestrial colonization. The other two forms will follow them anyhow.

[mu4]

Pretty cool.

[ArchonAlarion]

SC2k 4lyfe

I'd probably have switched Plymouth/Darco as Beta/Gamma. A lot of the historical 'captains of industry' have been Beta, and Darco sounds like something wrought from an ILI's mentations.

Playing Minecraft with my ILI friend and SLE friend regularly, I have seen these architectures play out just like that. My SLE buddy's buildings resemble Plymouth and my ILI friend's resemble Darco. The ILI always ends up with the most maze-like incomprehensible shit. It looks cool and artful, but awful to navigate and to find a sense of consistency/direction within the structure. The SLE tends towards giant, symmetrical designs that really impress scale upon the viewer. Both of them neglect internal furnishing and homeliness. My designs are completely different, although I share the tendency towards symmetry with the SLE. I can't help but furnish details and create a sense of familiarity (the appearance of use and history). My designs grow out of the Earth and theirs drop in from space. It's like they do everything in their power to go against the tide and I try to show how the design arose out of the tide.

[Galen]

I was playing Sim City 2000 and pushed my city to finally reach 120'000 inhabitants, so I could build the arcologies.

Oh shit, THAT'S how you build them.

I had this when I was a kid but was never very good at it. Roller Coaster Tycoon was always my numero uno.

[717495]

The examples sound kinda dumb. Anyhow I'd want a Darco/Launch hybrid if I had to chose.

Plymouth - Logic
Forest - Sensing/Beta? soap operas and trying to get a taste of everything with style reminds me of betas
Darco - Intuition
Launch - ?

Playing Minecraft with my ILI friend and SLE friend regularly, I have seen these architectures play out just like that. My SLE buddy's buildings resemble Plymouth and my ILI friend's resemble Darco. The ILI always ends up with the most maze-like incomprehensible shit. It looks cool and artful, but awful to navigate and to find a sense of consistency/direction within the structure. The SLE tends towards giant, symmetrical designs that really impress scale upon the viewer. Both of them neglect internal furnishing and homeliness. My designs are completely different, although I share the tendency towards symmetry with the SLE. I can't help but furnish details and create a sense of familiarity (the appearance of use and history). My designs grow out of the Earth and theirs drop in from space. It's like they do everything in their power to go against the tide and I try to show how the design arose out of the tide.

Must be an intuitive thing, or just an imaginative thing. I'm the same way.

[Pa3s]

The SLE tends towards giant, symmetrical designs that really impress scale upon the viewer. Both of them neglect internal furnishing and homeliness.

These are traits that can be observed in real-life beta architecture (or rather concepts, in this case).

 

Oh shit, THAT'S how you build them.

Yeah, it's 120'000 people + the right era (the arcos must have been developed).

[Creepy-male]

I used to build maps in hammer, I'm probably more into beta/alpha given this analysis. My maps usually aren't as futuristic and quirky as the typical alpha, they usually have a more impressive/dark/grandiose beta aspect to them -- then again they usually aren't entirely that but have an element of futuristic design or over the top impracticality about them.