Our weekly events have been around for nearly as long as Highrise itself. While we’ve added new types of events over the years, the core weekly format has stayed pretty consistent for a long time…
Too long. 
But the era of bland weekly meals on repeat is coming to an end. We’re starting to add some spices to the event soup, and within the next few weeks, we hope you’ll walk away saying we ate. (apologies from your resident millennial)
Over the last two weeks, Tarnished Hearts and Love Potion tested a few new mechanics (and some genuinely spicy quality-of-life upgrades)… and there’s a lot more cooking behind the scenes.
In this Dev Diary, we’ll do a quick flyover of where weekly events started, what’s changing right now, and a peek at a few ideas we’d love to bring to the menu later on.
Our very first Prank Wars event promo. Does it bring you back?
A (Nearly) Decade of Eventing
From the first Prank Wars event in January 2017, we rotated through four main event types:
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Prank: tap to choose a ticket multiplier that gets more difficult as you progress through ten stages
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Style Challenge: enter outfits and vote on other players’ looks
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Collect: scavenger-hunt style collecting for NPCs
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Casino: “beat the dealer” using a simple dice mechanic
From the earliest days, Highrise weekly events have generally followed the same rhythm. We launch on Thursdays (so the whole team is online during the riskiest early hours - did you know this is the reason for our current event schedule?). Next, every event features new items that give you event boost. And, we host a leaderboard where higher ranks give you more rewards.
While we’ve expanded the broader event lineup with Flash Events and Season Pass quests, the classic weekly format has been… Let’s just say, exceedingly reliable.
So, just like our office home base in Austin, it’s time to get weird.
Love Potion: This Week’s Updates
Love Potion brings the spellbinding, drippy neon witch energy, and we used it to ship a couple QOL upgrades that make participating feel faster and smoother.
Energy Multiplier = More Tix Per Tap
Instead of tapping a million times at the same pace, you can now increase the increments of energy spent per vote, earning more tickets per tap. It’s the same action with the same ticket payouts per unit of energy spent, but made way more efficient!
Style Scout Bonus, Back From Last Week!
While voting, you can choose the model wearing the most of this week’s Love Potion items to earn a ticket boost.
It’s a small change that adds a fun new layer: voting isn’t just “which look wins,” it’s also “who’s actually wearing the drop?”
Tarnished Hearts: The first departure from our usual forms…
Tarnished Hearts was a deliberate departure from our usual prank flow, though it did use some of the same bones in its skeleton.
Instead of pranking, you sent Love Letters. The event action was to tap a player to whom you’d send a letter. If you receive one, you get a split-second decision to either accept or reject the incoming love note.
Savvy folks didn’t take long to figure out that the more you’d reject incoming paramours, the darker your own heart would become. Can you imagine - your actions having consequences? Be still, tarnished heart.
Where Style Scout Bonuses Began
This is where Style Scout bonus got its legs!
If you spotted someone wearing pieces from the week’s blind box set wandering around the event room, you could send them a letter to earn a +5% bonus per matching item they’re wearing.
Pay attention to the world around you, and the world rewards you.
Coming Later… Big Plans (SUPER Subject to Change)
Everything below is exploratory, and in very early stages… So keep in mind that everything described in this section comes straight outta the land of schemes and dreams. No promises, guarantees, or timelines!
But, these ideas have been simmering in our noggins for a while, and we’re excited about the direction they’re moving: bringing more variety and replayability to you, in new and exciting mini-games, every single week.
Lucky Token Grabs Expanded
There’s something endearing about the humble Lucky Token. They were introduced way back in the first Prank Wars as a flexible currency that you could spend in your choice of different boost-building mechanics. However, it wasn’t super clear where you should really be spending them to make the most bang for your lucky buck.
So we’re thinking of bringing back a blind box set that you can spin with Lucky Tokens. These little guys should feel exciting all week, not just in the first flush of the event as you dump them all into your boost, and then their value dwindles.
Runway Events Return: Highrise Star
Runway might be stepping back into the spotlight! First introduced last year, the runway event (AKA, Highrise Star) is a quick, energetic minigame with timing-based gameplay and an unlockable auto-play feature.
The original Highrise Star runway room
Styling Minigames, who?
Okay, so bear with me here, but… Highrise is a dress-up game. 
And while it may be scandalous, can you believe we don’t actually have STYLING mini-games in our weekly events?
Styling happens every single day in the closet, during pageants, and in OOTD quests, but what if we brought dress-up right to the core of the competition? We’re thinking a more hands-on event where you actually get to choose styles for NPCs.
Similar to OOTD, in that you might be able to access a pool of items outside of your own closet. What would the fun be in limiting your options? Creativity is the whole point 
Leagues make a comeback
Leagues have historically been a tidy way to amp up the competition without you needing to suddenly become a hardcore eventer. Instead of only competing against the entire planet, you’re placed into a mini leaderboard with ~100 players.
Regular leaderboards and rewards tracks for participating still apply; this is just a competitive little cherry on top. You earn rewards based on your rank within your league, not globally, so even if you’re not grinding wildly, you’ve still got a shot at placement rewards.
On the Horizon: Crew Wars
On the other side of the micro-climates of Leagues comes the massive storms called Crew Wars! Crew Wars have come and gone, and given crews massive rewards for stacking the most tickets across several weeks, or sometimes months, of events.
Crew Wars is been able to bring you a bigger social-competitive layer to make your crew feel like more than just a chat.
The custom background prize for the last Crew War winners, Trifecta
TLDR: Change is a-coming
Weekly events are a core part of Highrise, and we want them to feel more alive, more wild, and more FUN.
In the next few weeks, look out for more game mechanics in weekly events, the return of social-based features to meet new friends and spice up the competition, and more customized event rooms and UI handmade to match every new theme.
And we say this every time, but you should know: your feedback doesn’t just MATTER, it’s the core of our decision-making process! Chat with us on Discord to share your thoughts, ideas, and more:
https://discord.com/channels/890228388311228456/1100144034594435173