Baticul is a Safety Nightmare
Baticul is a city full of pride, fontech, nobles, and safety violations. Looking at the city it is easy to tell they prioritize fontech over safety. From the first step into the city, this is clear. I know much of this could be graphical limitations, prioritizing certain areas, and assets that were more important to go elsewhere. 3d and game design are super difficult but this was fun to go through and notice all these things. This is a long post.
First entering the city, you are met with an enormous concrete or stone dock likely mainly used for cargo and large ships. Aside from the potential slip hazard from the material, I likely wouldn't have paid much mind because Baticul needs the ease of transporting these freight boxes. That would have been my mindset if this also wasn't used for public transport and a general public meeting place. This entire front portion of the dock is completely unfenced except for the areas reserved for the cargo. That fence-looking structure in the first picture extends out to the side next to the guard and is not a fence along the edge to keep people from falling like I originally thought. This man next to Luke is one wrong gust of wind or shoulder bump from dropping 35 or so feet, during low tide, into the ocean (approximate dock height is assuming the guard is around 6 feet for reference). This is also the place where you meet the little kid cowboy, Misika, who has the same falling risks as the man. I am curious about how many people fall in when it is a busy time of year. However, looking at the line across the side of the dock, it is clear that this is at low tide. The difference between the top of the dock and the high tide line seems about 10 feet or so. Ocean tidal range difference for low and high could be 30+ feet, so a 25-foot difference checks out. The ramp shown in the right image may extend left far enough so that, if people happen to fall in, they can get rescued by the guard. Even if death risks aren’t as high here, open water can be dangerous. And even if people can get easily rescued, that does not mean the rest of Baticul is safe.
As we move on to the main portion of the city, we get dropped off by the gondolas. Directly to the South, we see a kid looking over the edge of a non-roped-off section of one of these drop-off points. He is also one wrong gust away from being a Baticul missing person statistic that was solved by looking at the bottom of wherever this leads. None of the gondola entrance points have it roped off when the gondola is not present. At least the fences surrounding this area look solid, unlike the rest of Baticul.
The next biggest point is the large fence gap at the base of this staircase to the East. This seems like an unfortunate series of events waiting to happen, let alone the safety risks of having a large gap leading to a long fall.
The third, more nitpicky, point is the simple railing found around Baticul. The gap in that could easily fit a small child through it and could pose some potential risks for parents not keeping a close eye on them. But at least those sections have a form of railing at all.
This level seems fairly okay even if the fences are simple railings. Plus this area seems more of a military section than a public place. I will give this one a pass.
The Third Level (The Palace):
Starting strong, The palace has many fence gaps next to stairwells. The first is the edge of the stairwell leading to some guards near the top of the first set of stairs. The second point is the lack of fences next to large fall areas. In the first picture above, you can see the gap in the fence from the top of the stairs and the remaining fence. There is also a large flower patch between this fence and the drop-off. I’m sure Baticul gardeners are capable of standing on their own two feet, but this seems like a blatant disregard for worker safety. I suppose Batical has no concept of OSHA yet. Or that Baticul cares more about people stepping on their flowers than the safety of their gardeners working on said flowers. The third fence gap is near the palace, as seen in the second picture. This is mirrored on the other side. This drop seems a little too much of a drop and could cause some damage, especially since people can break bones from simply falling down some stairs. The last point for safety is the open body of water for the monument with the tiniest, likely slippery walkway. I will give Batical some leeway because of the fences and guards surrounding it. If only they surrounded the drop-offs with the same care.
I know this is also part of the Third Level, but this deserves its own section for safety hazards just to give it the context needed. The main issues come from the open water shown all over the center courtyard space of the manor. It looks to be around two feet based on Luke’s 5’7” height. Two feet of water is very easy to get submerged. The open water is concerning because of Luke, and how he was a baby when he first arrived home, a baby that can’t swim. It is also slightly questionable if Luke knows how to swim at all since he was locked in the manor all his life. In the picture, the cube decoration goes all the way into the water. This is important because it shows that the walkways only sit on top of the water. With a baby replica running around that doesn’t know how to swim, getting trapped under the walkway seems like a surefire way to get to the Fon Belt early. Yes, there are guards and maids around, but drowning is largely silent and can take only a matter of seconds if someone were to not pay attention. One can only hope someone is around to hear the initial splash.
It is also odd that Luke's room is fenced with simple railing rather than ornate fencing like the rest of the courtyard. Yes, this is likely due to drawing more attention to Luke's room and the curved edges of his porch. In general, his room seems out of place, like it isn't supposed to be a bedroom at all. But that is a different discussion altogether. Right below his room is more open water and a sizable drop for a potentially curious replica toddler.
Baticul, only the strongest may survive this city!
Anyway, I hope you found some enjoyment from this long ramble! I simply think too much about random potential safety issues with fictional cities haha.
