Liftwell
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About Liftwell
Liftwell is a tower building simulation drawn in pixel art and played in the browser, in the spirit of the mid-90s skyscraper sims. The tower stands in cross-section in a 90s downtown, with the sky turning from dawn to night behind it, and you run it from a lift control panel: an LCD clock and funds display along the top, a row of round call buttons for the tools along the bottom.
You build floor by floor. A lobby on the ground floor is the way in, hallways carry people along each floor, and every room has to rest on something below it. Offices pay rent every day and fill with workers each morning. Condos are sold once to families who live there. Hotel rooms and suites earn money every night but need housekeeping to clean them for the next guest. Fast food, shops, restaurants and a cinema draw visitors from the street and earn from every customer.
The heart of the game is moving people. Everyone in the tower walks to a lift, waits, rides and walks on, and the lifts answer calls the way real ones do, sweeping up and down and stopping on the way. A standard lift spans up to 15 floors and can run up to six cars. Express lifts are faster and go any height but only stop at lobbies and basements, which is what sky lobbies on floors 15 and 30 are for. Stairs connect one floor to the next with no wait, but climbing them is tiring. People who wait too long turn pink, then red, and tenants who are stressed day after day move out.
The tower earns stars as it grows. The second star needs 100 people. The third needs 250 and a security office and a clinic. The fourth needs 450, a recycling center and a VIP who enjoys a stay in your best suite. The fifth needs 750 people and a metro station on the lowest basement floor. New rooms unlock with every star.
There are four lots, each with a star goal and a deadline: a small corner lot on Maple Street, a waterfront lot full of tourists at Harbor Point, a busy block at Midtown Exchange and the forty-floor Central Plaza. Clear a lot to unlock the next. Run out of money for three nights in a row, or reach the deadline without the goal, and the run is over.
The score counts each lot's stars, its peak population and the funds left at the end, plus a bonus for every lot cleared and for every day to spare. All of the art and music is made in code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Liftwell like SimTower?
It follows the same idea as the classic skyscraper simulation of the mid 90s: a tower in cross-section, offices, condos and hotels, people who walk to lifts and turn red when they wait too long, and a star rating that unlocks new rooms. The lots, rules, art and music are its own, the screen is a lift control panel instead of windows, and each lot has a goal and a deadline.
Why is nobody moving into my offices?
A room has to be reachable from the lobby. If no lift or stairs connect its floor to the ground floor, it stays empty, and the Inspect tool shows a warning. Rooms that take a long time to reach also let more slowly, so keep busy floors close to a lift.
Why are my people turning pink and red?
They are stressed, usually from waiting for a lift or climbing many stairs. Add cars to a busy lift, build another shaft, close stops on floors that rarely use the lift, or move tall towers onto express lifts and sky lobbies. Tenants whose trips stay stressful for three days running move out.
How do express lifts and sky lobbies work?
An express lift is fast and can run the full height of the tower, but it only stops at the ground lobby, sky lobbies and basements. Build a lobby on floor 15 or 30, run an express lift up to it, and let standard lifts carry people the last few floors from there.
How do I get a VIP to leave happy?
From the third star a VIP may book your best suite. Keep a clean suite free with housekeeping in the tower, and make sure the trip from the street to the suite and back is short and calm. If the VIP waits too long on the way, the visit counts against you and the next VIP comes later.
What happens when I run out of money?
You can still play while the funds are below zero, but the bank counts every night you end in the red. Three nights in a row and the tower is lost. Upkeep for shops and services is paid at midnight, so check that they earn their keep.
How is the score calculated?
Every lot you reach scores 1000 points per star, 2 points for each person at the tower's peak population and 1 point for every $1,000 left at the end. A cleared lot adds 3000 points times its number and 100 points for every day left before the deadline.
Can I play Liftwell on my phone?
Yes. In portrait mode the tower fills the screen with the tool buttons in two rows below. Tap a tool, tap the tower once to place the ghost and again to build, and drag to scroll.
