Offsets
Offset 0
Name: Level 155
Offset 1
Name: M.E.G. ARCHIVES — ASSET 155
Offset 2
Name: The Quartz Composition
Info
STOP!!!
DID YOU RECEIVE CLEARANCE?
YOU ARE ABOUT TO VIEW CLASSIFIED MATERIAL CURRENTLY LISTED UNDER THE B.N.T.G.'s PRIVATE ARCHIVES. OFFENDERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
Author's Note: I apologize. I've tried to remove this notice, but the page's status has been designated as "classified". This notice is just permanently attached here.
There isn't much reason to lock this page behind a clearance requirement, though. I'm confident this warning is just here for formality's sake. I doubt anyone will actually enforce this rule.
So. We tried. We tried to build the cities of the future out of quartz. And it failed spectacularly. Why is that something that we need to hide? It is just one of millions of small failures for the B.N.T.G. Why does this one need a scary notice and all? I'm not sure.
After you're done reading this, I highly recommend checking the BackNET forum for Level 155. It's filled with links to some better level articles that won't be a waste of your time.
LEVEL
155
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY
CLASS 0
Exit: 0/5
Guaranteed Exit
Environment: 0/5
No Environmental Risks
Entities: 0/5
No Hostile Entities
Level Background
A tunnel leading to a mine.
Level 155 was a newly discovered level that was first brought to the B.N.T.G.'s attention in early February, 2014. The level is an infinitely winding complex built out of refined quartz slabs.
Architecturally, the rooms themselves are monolithic in size, with ceilings that ascend for hundreds of kilometers. Stairs and large ramps connect the various floors of the level creating a labyrinthine system of chambers, corridors, and colosseum-like rooms. Level 155 is pristine, with few imperfections or signs of structural damage.
An expansive, deep ceiling, common in Level 155.
The quartz— which most of the level is made of— has been graded to be fit for architectural use. The composition has been determined to be approximately 89-92% quartz crystals, and 7-10% resin.
This composition is evaluated as durable and high-quality, with potential usage in structures, buildings, and furniture. However, its viability in industrial and manufacturing sectors (semiconductors, electrical insulating) is less exact.
Access points to Level 155 have been properly demarcated in Levels 1, 2, and 11, identified as large doors made of quartz. Conveniently, an entrance from Level 1 has been located only 23 kilometers away from the epicenter of the Trader's Keep. For further information on how to access Level 155, please consult staff at one of our bases or outposts.
As the level's only obstacle, food is rather inconsistent within Level 155. To address potential food insecurities, any base or outpost residing in the level for extended periods of time should seek to find reliable means to obtain food and drink from outside of the level.
Establishment of Asset 155
One of the large rooms which have been settled by Asset 155.
Asset 155 was originally a small group of wanderers who resided in Level 155 prior to discovery. In early February 2014, this small community reached out to the B.N.T.G., requesting aid. Recognizing the potential of the resources in Level 155, after a long, arduous process of negotiations and disputes, the B.N.T.G. leadership had acquired the community— now known as Asset 155— in mid-March.
With the help of several investors and financial backers, the B.N.T.G. pooled together a significant sum of funds and resources which would go towards Asset 155. In less than a week, a small community blossomed into a company of over 80 miners.
At its peak, Asset 155 had five large dormitories: large rooms with rows of tents with ample space and small community centers, as well as sixteen vertical mines that extracted quartz from the expansive ceilings within most rooms.
The Vertical Mining Strategy
The principal concern of the early settlers was considering where to establish a settlement. The second concern was exactly where and how to mine. The vertical mining approach, developed by the B.N.T.G. upon acquisition of the asset, sought to create a system of extracting quartz which minimized damage to structural integrity of the level, and maximized quartz yield.
Instead of mining into the floors of the level or the walls, which could potentially lead to regions of the level collapsing in on itself, the vertical mining strategy made use of the expansive and dense ceilings of the level. By using steel ramps (donated by the B.N.T.G.), miners could access the deep ceiling, carving tunnels into it. Although at first seemingly unconventional, this strategy has effectively left Level 155 fully pristine, easy to traverse, and unlikely to collapse. In turn, productivity and quartz output skyrocketed, with there being few incidents and workers being able to navigate the level safely.
Protocols of Asset 155
- The community within Level 155 will now henceforth be known as "Asset 155", abbreviated as A155.
- Members of Asset 155 will receive weekly premium aid in the form of food, supplies, and other essentials. Per person, two crates of supplies will be sent.
- The members of the original community will immediately become members of the B.N.T.G. and receive monthly pay for their work.
- The B.N.T.G. will provide materials and equipment necessary to mine the resources produced by the level.
- Members of Asset 155 agree to mine the resources within Level 155 and meet monthly quotas. Monthly quotas may be negotiated before the start of each new month.
- The B.N.T.G. reserves the right to terminate these protocols at any time and nullify any rules therein.
Profits and Results
With more than 400,000 presses invested into Asset 155, and thousands more invested into advertising and branding, the revenue earned by Asset 155 in its first month was significantly less than expected. It was predicted that the markets of New Times Square and the Traders Keep would each rake in at least 85,000 presses within the first month. However, combined the two largest markets as well as several other smaller markets only brought in approximately 22,000 presses. Adjusting for operation costs, only about 14,000 presses were actually earned.
Despite initial market failure, there was still hope— largely pushed by the marketers and advertisers— that quartz would find its place in the market eventually. By late May, Asset 155 was provided another loan of 20,000 presses in order to begin a campaign of mass advertising and marketing, with ads on BackNET, posters distributed to bases, and pitches to other groups to purchase large quantities of quartz. While these campaigns brought some success as evident by growth in July, the markets eventually stagnated.
In early August, investors of the project issued a demand to the B.N.T.G. to explain the disparity in alleged claims of what would be earned by Asset 155 versus what was being earned.
With rising pressure, the B.N.T.G. spent the last of its resources attempting to look for other valuable resources in Level 155 in hopes of finding something else profitable within the level. As could be expected, nothing but quartz was found.
Dissolution of Asset 155
In the first week of September, profits from Asset 155 fell more than thirty percent, a result of the failed mining expedition and an exhaustion of every last solution. With more than 400,000 presses still owed to investors, the B.N.T.G. officially terminated its contract with the mining company in Level 155. After several days of notice, the B.N.T.G. officially withdrew all assets back to official bases.
The withdrawal from Level 155 was peaceful, with little disruption. Official higher-ups, such as managers and executives, left Level 155 on B.N.T.G. orders, and the remaining miners— counted as 75— were left within the level.
Addendum
Although Asset 155 will be considered a failure due to the amount invested for a product that ultimately lacked demand, it can also be seen as a case study. Asset 155 was an attempt to take what the Backrooms has given us and turn it into the next sold commodity. It was an attempt to engineer the next hot seller that would break through established markets and innovate. The results of this attempt conclude that not everything can be engineered to make success.
Any remaining assets of the project (leftover quartz, power tools, and utilities) are currently being auctioned off at discounted prices to large groups in order to scrap any remaining money which can be made from the remnants of Asset 155.
For now, the B.N.T.G. will no longer affiliate with Level 155, nor the mining company that resides within the level. The B.N.T.G. will not restrict other groups from entering and conducting their own business within the level, either.