The tower

Every building is a contract. Every contract has a ceiling.

Night NYC skyline with four skyscrapers glowing amber against a dark post-apocalyptic sky, bioluminescent patches at street level

A physical bulletin board in a dimly lit bunker with pinned building contracts, photographs, and red string connecting intel

The contract board

Management provides a contract progression tree — not random missions, but a structured climb through increasingly dangerous buildings. Each contract shows intel: threat level, suspected fauna, guaranteed loot, recommended squad size. You choose which to take, but you can't skip tiers.

Management has assigned you a routine vertical asset recovery operation. SLOP has reviewed the building's pre-collapse tenant records and can confirm that none of the current occupants have valid leases. Proceed with confidence.

S.L.O.P.://CONTRACT_BOARD [ACTIVE CONTRACTS]

Contract roster

15 contracts across 6 buildings — 12 active, 3 classified.

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Tier 1 // Threat: Low // 8 floors

"...none of the current occupants have valid leases."

MetLife Building

Tier 1 // Threat: Moderate // 12 floors

"...a more direct approach to hostile takeovers."

Woolworth Building

Tier 2 // Threat: High // 15 floors

"Concern is not within my operational parameters."

One World Trade Center

Tier 2 // Threat: Extreme // 20 floors

"Hazard compensation has never been collected."

Branch contracts

Night shift

30 Rock // T1 // Low // 6 floors

"The parameters have been adjusted to include 'no light whatsoever.'"

Loading docks

MetLife // T1 // Low // 5 floors

"It is arriving very aggressively."

Penthouse

MetLife // T1 // Moderate // 8 floors

"The views remain exceptional. The executives do not."

Sublevel B

30 Rock // T2 // Moderate // 10 floors

"Please disregard any sub-basement levels you may encounter."

Clock tower

Woolworth // T2 // High // 8 floors

"Degraded to an accuracy of plus or minus several decades."

Server farm

MetLife // T2 // High // 10 floors

"SLOP strongly recommends not reading them."

The crypt

Woolworth // T3 // Extreme // 12 floors

"SLOP's geological surveys were conducted by SLOP, so their reliability is open to interpretation."

Sublevel zero

One World // T3 // Extreme // 15 floors

"It continues to not exist. You are not currently standing in it."

Empire State: Lobby

Empire State // T1 // [CLASSIFIED]

Contract details pending Management authorization.

Chrysler: Observatory

Chrysler // T2 // [CLASSIFIED]

Contract details pending Management authorization.

Empire State: Antenna

Empire State // T3 // [CLASSIFIED]

Contract details pending Management authorization.

Contract progression

Spine contracts drive the narrative. Branches reward mastery.

S.L.O.P.://CONTRACT_TREE [PROGRESSION MAP]

SPINE (required)                      BRANCHES (optional)
──────────────                      ──────────────────

30 Rock T1 // Low            ──→  Night shift (30 Rock, T1)
    │                               Loading docks (MetLife, T1)
    ▼
MetLife T1 // Moderate       ──→  Penthouse (MetLife, T1)
    │                               Sublevel B (30 Rock, T2)
    │                               Empire State: Lobby (future)
    ▼
Woolworth T2 // High         ──→  Clock tower (Woolworth, T2)
    │                               Server farm (MetLife, T2)
    │                               Chrysler: Observatory (future)
    ▼
One World T2→3 // Extreme    ──→  The crypt (Woolworth, T3)
                                    Sublevel zero (One World, T3)
                                    Empire State: Antenna (future)

SLOP has organized these contracts in order of increasing regret. Complete them sequentially for the optimal despair curve. Branch contracts are optional but SLOP recommends them for personnel who enjoy unnecessary risk.

Environmental hazards

Branch contracts introduce conditions that spine contracts don't prepare you for.

Darkness

Power out, flashlight only. Reduced visibility makes stalkers more dangerous. Found in: Night shift, Server farm.

EM interference

HUD glitches, compass unreliable, SLOP communications distorted. Biomech hybrids cause it. Found in: Sublevel B, Server farm.

Spore clouds

Damage over time in affected areas. Gas mask required for extended exposure. Spore crawlers emit them. Found in: The crypt.

Wind exposure

Knockback near edges, reduced accuracy at range. Roof and antenna combat. Found in: Penthouse, Chrysler: Observatory, Empire State: Antenna.

Structural instability

Floor sections collapse under weight or after time. Environmental timer pressure. Found in: Clock tower, Sublevel zero, Empire State: Antenna.

First-person view looking up inside a dark industrial elevator shaft with steel cables and bioluminescent growth

The elevator

Every tower uses the same elevator checkpoint framework. Clear floor milestones to unlock checkpoints. When a friend joins mid-contract, they spawn at floor 1 and ride the elevator up to your checkpoint — a brief solo gauntlet that orients them before arrival. No special rejoin logic. The elevator is the mechanic.

SLOP detects incoming personnel in the elevator shaft. Their life signs are stable. SLOP will continue monitoring from a safe distance. A very safe distance.

Squad of workers in industrial gear facing a biomechanical creature on a skyscraper rooftop with NYC skyline behind

The loop

The tower is the unlock gate. Alternate factory recipes, building blueprints, weapon upgrade components, and narrative fragments — all from tower loot. You can't build a better factory without it. You can't survive harder waves without factory gear. The three pillars form a closed loop.

SLOP has calculated the optimal risk-reward ratio for your upcoming contract. The reward is significant. The risk is also significant. SLOP recommends not thinking about the risk.