Editing New Cap City

{{disline|For information on the city from the [[re-imagined series]], see [[New Caprica City]].}}

[[File:New Cap City, 1x05.jpg|thumb|210px|A panoramic view of New Cap City.]]

'''New Cap City''' is a virtual recreation of [[Caprica City]] in the years prior to the [[First Cylon War]], circa [[YR42]]. A near identical reproduction of the [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] city, New Cap city features a darker atmosphere, and allows [[holoband]] users to engage in violent, gangster-style game play.

==Overview==

New Cap City grew out of the underground movement on Caprica before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Fall]] of teenagers hacking pay holoband sites to create free virtual environments like the "[[V-Club]]". New Cap is widely known for its violence and corrupted version of the real life Caprica City. It is periodically updated to reflect current events in the physical world, including the bombing of [[Metropolitan Levitation Mass Transit|MagLev]] 23. Unlike the genuine article, this version of Caprica City reflects a bygone era of propeller aircraft and is patrolled by an enormous, well armed [[Dreadnaught|dirigible]] that, at times, shoots indiscriminately at users on the streets below {{CAP|There is Another Sky|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

[[File:New Cap dirigible, 1x05.jpg|thumb|The dirigible unleashes retro-Vipers on New Cap City.]]

Despite being pure fantasy, New Cap City follows the rules of the physical world (e.g. users cannot not fly), but portrays none of the consequences of drug and alcohol use and promiscuous sex that are experienced in reality. Death, in New Cap, is also a painful sensation and results in the [[List of terms (RDM)#Other Colloquialisms|derezzing]] of users' [[avatar]]s and permanent exile from the game {{CAP|There is Another Sky|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

New Cap City is accessible through a series of virtual tunnels, like sewers. Real world locations including [[Little Tauron]] and [[Atlas Arena]] - serving as a venue for brutal hand-to-hand combat - are represented in the game, albeit distorted and, at times, severely rundown by its users {{CAP|There is Another Sky|The Imperfections of Memory|Ghosts in the Machine|End of Line|Things We Lock Away}}.

Television personality [[Baxter Sarno]] attributes the game with contributing to the moral decline of Caprica that led, in part, to the bombing of MagLev 23 by the [[Soldiers of the One]] {{CAP|Gravedancing}}.

===Deadwalkers===

[[File:Tamara in New Cap City, 1x05.jpg|thumb|Tamara alone in New Cap City.]]

Following the attack on the Caprica City MagLev train system, [[Daniel Graystone]] creates a virtual duplicate of his deceased daughter [[Zoe Graystone]] and another victim of the bombing, [[Tamara Adams]]. Hoping to bring the [[Tamara-A|avatar]]s into the real world by implanting them [[U-87|robot]] bodies, Graystone allows the simulation of Tamara to languish within a private virtual space, unaware of her own demise. Encountering Graystone inside the space, the Tamara avatar is released to wander the virtual world alone {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)|Reins of a Waterfall}}.

Finding her way to [[Vesta]], a powerful figure in V-World, Tamara pleads for help in escaping back to the real world. Believing she is simply asleep, in a coma, or unable to remove her holoband, Vesta shoots Tamara. Instead of derezzing, however, Tamara is injured, but quickly heals. Intrigued by the potential of having a user within her circle ostensibly invulnerable to injury, Vesta promises to help Tamara for a price. Sending her with [[Tad Thorean|Herecles]] into New Cap City, Vesta charges Tamara with sneaking into the vault of a wealthy user, [[Chiron]], and stealing his money {{CAP|There is Another Sky}}.

Successfully nabbing Chiron's money, Tamara and Herecles return to Vesta, who reveals that Tamara died in the real world some weeks ago. Faced with continued use by Vesta and her cronies, Tamara shoots and derezzes Vesta. Sparing Herecles, Tamara instructs him to find her father in the real Caprica City, before setting off in New Cap City alone {{CAP|There is Another Sky}}.

===The Search for Tamara===

[[File:Joseph and Heracles, 1x07.jpg|thumb|Joseph Adama and Tad "Heracles" Thorean in New Cap City.]]

Learning that the avatar of his daughter lives on in the virtual world, Tamara's father, [[Joseph Adama]], persuades Herecles to bring him to New Cap City. As Herecles introduces Adama to life in the game, the dirigible appears and fires on them, derezzing Herecles and leaving Adama to fend for himself {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

Adama wanders the streets of New Cap City alone in search of Tamara, encountering [[Emmanuelle]], a young user who claims Herecles has sent her. Helping Adama better acclimate to New Cap City and introducing him to [[amp]], the performance-enhancing hack, Emmanuelle aids in the search, visiting locations like the virtual version of Adama's own Little Tauron apartment and the ''[[Mysteries]]'' nightclub {{CAP|Ghosts in the Machine}}.

Meanwhile, Tamara herself continues to make her way through the labyrinthine New Cap City, leaving a graffiti "T" where she goes. Finding his daughter's mark outside the ''Mysteries'' club, Joseph is further compelled to find Tamara, devoting his life to searching New Cap City {{CAP|Ghosts in the Machine}}.

Watching Joseph's life spin out of control, Emmanuelle devises a plan to draw Tamara to her father's virtual apartment. Setting up a light bearing Tamara's mark, Emmanuelle finally confronts Tamara, asking her for assistance in putting Joseph's life right. Leading back into New Cap City, Emmanuelle finally reunites him with the avatar of his deceased daughter. The reunion, however, is brief, as Tamara shoots herself, then turns the gun on her father, derezzing his avatar and ejecting him from the game. Believing his daughter has killed herself, Joseph Adama gives up his search {{CAP|End of Line}}.

[[File:New Cap Arena 1x12.jpg|thumb|Zoe-A and Tamara battle in New Cap City's ruined Atlas Arena.]]

Now known within the game as a "Deadwalker," Tamara forges alliances with New Cap City users, tattooing her mark to their foreheads. As the Zoe Graystone avatar appears for the first time in New Cap City, Tamara's forces clash against her, marking the beginning of a rivalry {{CAP|Unvanquished}}.

Tracking Tamara to the ruined, New Cap City version of [[Atlas Arena]], Zoe battles Tamara in a brutal, but ultimately pointless fight. Tamara, blames the Zoe avatar for the bombing that killed her real life counterpart as well as her mother, and unleashes angry New Cap City users against her. Finally, Tamara and Zoe fight each other, both withstanding horrible injuries. Ultimately, however, Zoe is able to convince Tamara that she is not the ''original'' Zoe Graystone, nor the bomber, and that together they can fulfill a greater destiny in New Cap City {{CAP|There is Another Sky}}.

===Avenging Angels===

Acknowledging it as a breeding ground of moral decay and corruption, Zoe and Tamara take it upon themselves to "clean" New Cap City. Appearing nightly at the den of iniquity called "[[Sinny McNutt's Slash & Cut]]," Zoe and Tamara engage in combat with its patrons, opening fire on those who are unwilling to leave and derezzing them from the game. The notion of encountering the girls at the bar is a draw to users hoping to either kill them or be killed by them: either way becoming famous {{CAP|The Dirteaters}}.

[[File:New New Cap City 1x15.jpg|thumb|The new New Cap City.]]

The prevailing belief in the real world is that the Zoe and Tamara avatars are simply fakes and the notion of the "Avenging Angels" spreads into popular culture. As T-shirts spread throughout Caprica City bearing the likenesses of Zoe and Tamara, Daniel Graystone becomes aware of the phenomenon and suspects that it is in fact the real Zoe {{CAP|The Dirteaters}}.

Afraid of being captured by Daniel Graystone, Tamara suggests leaving New Cap City for other parts of V-World. Zoe, however, rejects this idea, saying that the two had become gods there. Vowing to "forsake these [[frak|motherfrakkers]]," Zoe and Tamara use their ability to control code to reconfigure the urban setting, destroying New Cap City and turning it into a fortress upon a mountain, surrounded by dense, [[Kobol]]-like forest {{CAP|The Dirteaters|Here Be Dragons}}.

===In-game Locales===

* [[Mysteries]] (''[[The Caprican]]'': "[[New Cap City: Get Thee to Mysteries]]"; {{CAP|Ghosts in the Machine|prose=Y}})
* [[Eleusinian Theatre]] (''[[The Caprican]]'': "[[The Top 5 Entertainment Options in New Cap City]]")
* [[Shooting Range]] (''[[The Caprican]]'': "[[The Top 5 Entertainment Options in New Cap City]]")
* Airfield
* Tattoo parlor
* [[McAnn Shoes]] {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}
* [[Quality Jewelers]] {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}
* [[Sinny McNutt's Slash & Cut]] {{CAP|The Dirteaters}}

==Behind the Scenes==

===Design and Concept===

According to the podcast commentary of "There is Another Sky," the concept of New Cap City has been compared to the real-world video game ''[[wikipedia:Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]'', while its title resembles that of the 1991 crime film ''[[wikipedia:New Jack City|New Jack City]]''. The design of New Cap City was based heavily on the look and feel of [[Wikipedia:Film noir|film noir]], being shot at low angles and featuring 1930s and 40s styles as well as a nearly black and white color scheme.<ref group="commentary" name="syfy_podcast_there_is_another_sky_design_concept">{{cite web|url=http://www.syfy.com/caprica/includes/podcasts/mp3/105/caprica_episode105_commentary.mp3|title="There is Another Sky" Commentary|publisher=Syfy|accessdate=2025-08-09|archive=Y}}</ref>

===Visual Effects Production===

According to materials provided to the 2010 [[Wikipedia: Creative Arts Emmy Award|Emmy Awards]] voters, the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' visual effects team were given great latitude in the creation of New Cap City, with numerous test renders in various lighting conditions to "evaluate and explore the city's canyons, textures and vistas."<ref group="development" name="drexfiles_emmy_presentation_visual_effects">{{cite web|url=http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/caprica-2010-emmy-presentation-book/|title=Caprica 2010 Emmy Presentation Book|publisher=Drexfiles|date=2010-09-12|accessdate=2025-08-09|archive=Y}}</ref>

The virtual environment's period aesthetic was achieved through detailed set extensions and digital environments created by visual effects artist [[Farrah Welch]]. For the [[Mysteries]] Theater location, Welch enhanced an "uninteresting set" by creating a comprehensive early 1900s theater extension while maintaining the lower portion where actors performed. The adjacent building was entirely replaced with a period-appropriate pawn shop, both designed to capture the historical atmosphere of the virtual world.<ref group="production" name="welch_portfolio_gallery_mysteries_theater">{{cite_web|url=https://farrahwelch.com/gallery/mysteries.php#:~:text=New%20Cap%20City%20Mysteries%20Theater%20-%20Spring%2010|title=Digital Artist: Gallery - New Cap City Mysteries Theater|author=Farrah Welch|publisher=Farrah Welch Digital Portfolio|accessdate=August 8, 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Caprica - Mysteries Theater - VFX Comparison.jpg|center|thumb|900x900px|VFX comparison of New Cap City's [[Mysteries]] theater from {{CAP|Ghosts in the Machine|prose=y}} by [[Farrah Welch]].]]
Additional environmental work included hotel signage reconstruction for the fire escape sequence, featuring [[Heracles]] and [[Tamara-A]] as they look over the city in "[[There is Another Sky]]," where missing letters from practical hotel signs were digitally recreated with accurate lighting to maintain visual continuity.<ref group="production" name="welch_portfolio_gallery_hotel_fire_escape">{{cite_web|url=https://farrahwelch.com/gallery/hotel.php#:~:text=Caprica%20Hotel%20Fire%20Escape%20-%20DEC%2009|title=Digital Artist: Gallery - Caprica Hotel Fire Escape|author=Farrah Welch|publisher=Farrah Welch Digital Portfolio|accessdate=August 8, 2025}}</ref> These set extensions utilized modified stock building assets to meet television production schedules while maintaining the authentic period atmosphere essential to New Cap City's film noir aesthetic.
[[File:Caprica - New Cap City Hotel - VFX Comparison.jpg|center|thumb|772x772px|VFX comparison of the exterior of a New Cap City hotel from {{CAP|There is Another Sky|prose=y}} by [[Farrah Welch]].]]

===Sound Design===

The sound of the dirigible seen floating above New Cap City in "[[There is Another Sky]]," "[[The Imperfections of Memory]]" and "[[Know Thy Enemy]]" was created through the use of [[Wikipedia: Gregorian chant|Gregorian chant]] recordings.<ref group="commentary" name="syfy_podcast_imperfections_memory_dirigible_sound">{{cite web|url=http://www.syfy.com/caprica/includes/podcasts/mp3/107/caprica_episode107_commentary.mp3|title="The Imperfections of Memory" Commentary|publisher=Syfy|accessdate=2025-08-09|archive=Y}}</ref>

===Opening Credits Appearance===

New Cap City appears under the title card in the opening credits of ''Caprica'', dating back to "[[Rebirth]]," two episodes before it was even introduced.<ref group="footnotes" name="opening_credits_early_appearance">Visual continuity note regarding New Cap City's appearance in opening sequence prior to narrative introduction.</ref>

==References==

=== Production History ===
{{reflist|group=production}}

===Footnotes===
{{reflist|group=footnotes}}

===Development and Creative Process===
{{reflist|group=development}}

===Commentary and Interviews===
{{reflist|group=commentary}}

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