Ryder's quick-thinking save will put Noa in her home neighborhood, in the cheerier, less-killy parts of Bright Town. There are guards to the north that are bad news, so you should steer Noa into her apartment, which just happens to be up the stairs from where you land. Check the item box two alleyways over from Noa's apartment for 200 credits before you head inside.
Pop into the apartment and head to bed. When Noa wakes up she'll check her computer and realize that it's the 'death day' of Ming, an old associate. She needs to make an offering in his honor. Head back outside and you'll see a few new faces on the streets. Head north then east, down the street next to the blonde and pink-haired kids.
The east side of Bright Town has two exits, to the north and to the south, that are currently blocked off. Check beside the long ramp in the north to find a box containing 200 credits, then head to The Strix, a bar down the alley on the right. Noa's uncle Guin is the proprietor, and he'll give Noa some nice booze to mark the somber occasion. Have a look around the bar, if you like - there's an interesting manifesto on a data pad on the second floor - then leave.
Return to the streets of Bright Town. There are people outside, waiting for The Strix to open, if you want to gab. Head north and you'll find the path has opened, allowing you to enter the area around a shop called Deck Lord. This section comprises the bulk of Bright Town, and most of the action will take place here. There are a few things to see around this area of Bright Town:
- North of the eastern entrance to this part of Bright Town you'll see an item box beside a set of stairs. It contains a System Cycle Packet.
- In the northeast of northern Bright Town you'll see a path to Bright Town River. You can technically go here now, but the enemies beyond will absolutely kick your butt at this point in Jack Move. Continuing your game after a death reduces your experience, so you shouldn't flirt with defeat too often. In short, don't go this way yet.
- South of the entrance to Bright Town River is a cash loan agency, and beside it is a chest containing 500 credits. West of the entrance to Bright Town River are a few boxes, one of which conceals an item box containing a Health Packet.
- There's an old man carrying an umbrella in the north who's complaining about the cold. Speak to him and you'll need to Help the cold gent in Bright Town get warm.
- In the northwest of Bright Town is a green-haired Mafia Runner named Dash who will get under Noa's skin a little. You want to keep speaking to him every time you make a return to Bright Town, as he'll eventually have a Secondary Objective for you to complete. Come talk to him whenever there's a major game event that reshuffles the NPCs in Bright Town, just to be safe.
- To the west of Deck Lord's entrance is Crust Mob Pizza, a pizzeria. On its roof is a Data Packet.
- Out front of Deck Lord is a Heartbroken Girl who has lost her dolly. You need to Find the little Bright Town girl's doll. Go back to Noa's apartment and her landlord, Withers, will give her A Child's Doll. Return it to the Heartbroken Girl and she will give you A Dangerous Gun.
In addition to this area of Bright Town you can backtrack to Noa's Neighbourhood. There's a group of kids in the northwest, and the kid in the middle is in a pickle. Speak to him and you'll learn that The kid in Bright Town is dying to play the newest gaming hit. You won't resolve this quest line for quite a while.
Ryder's apartment is on the street just north of Deck Lord. Before we go in, however, we should have a quick look inside Deck Lord.
Deck Lord
The shop of Bright Town, Deck Lord is filled to the brim with useful items, Software, and Hardware. You likely have north of $10,000 by now, so you can afford a few things, though the sheer number of items on sale can prove a bit daunting to newcomers. Here are some suggestions:
- One or two Data Packets can't hurt. They're pretty inexpensive, and will restore your precious DP between battles. Software attacks make fights much easier.
- There are buffs for every type of Software attack, and you'll wind up using all of them in the near future. If you plan on strengthening one in particular - Glitch is probably your strongest attack at the moment - then go with that Software type. Buffing your own attacks will generally prove more useful than debuffing enemy defenses, unless you're facing a boss, so if you're pressed for cash go with a buff.
- Status ailments will start showing up in battle soon. If you don't want to spend cash on System Cycles Packets then the System Cycle Software is a handy - if expensive - purchase.
- Port Scan is a great, inexpensive piece of Software for picking out enemy weaknesses. (Though we'll do it for you if you're using this guide.)
- A RAM expansion and a Hardware System Slot will make your life a heck of a lot easier. Equipping RAM will allow you to set up your other two Software attacks (Short Circuit and Memory Leak) without needing to switch mid-battle, and the Hardware System Slot will give you an extra place to equip the RAM.
As you proceed through Jack Move you'll come back to Deck Lord to further outfit Noa with cool stuff. Be sure to make a return visit once you hit level 10.
Head to Ryder's little apartment building after you're done looking around. He'll grumble over letting Noa in, but eventually relents. Shortly after the partners bury the hatchet Noa gets a phone call from an unexpected person... and she couldn't be less interested. Ah well. Use the elevator in the northwest of Ryder's apartment to reach his bedroom, where you'll find an item box containing 2,000 credits. That done, steer Noa back outside.
South of Ryder's home you'll see a new NPC named Zut, staring at a nearby advertising hub. With Ryder cheered up you can Hack Monomind's intrusive TransSpires. Check the computer at the base of the TransSpire to give it a bit of, uh, color. There are two more TransSpires to defile elsewhere in Jack Move, though you can't reach them just yet.
Finish looking around Bright Town, then head back to Noa's apartment. She has a bit of a rest... and it's promptly disturbed by baddies, specifically two members of Monomind Security and an M-Man. Blow away the Monomind Security with whatever you like. The M-Man has no weaknesses, so you'll just need to wear him down. His Spray-and-Pray attack is physical, if you care to buff Noa. You'll beat them... and then get obliterated by a familiar-looking woman named Krall.
The Monomind goons trash Noa's apartment and take off. (Alas, poor Spike.) Your next destination is the Slums, to the south of Bright Town, to check on Noa's father. First, though, have a quick look in the eastern section of Bright Town. There are a group of three guys in the middle of the street, including Wheelah, the bartender of The Strix. Speak to them to learn about a lost item for Noa's uncle. You'll need to Search east of town for Teff's lost goods. (Though the Bright Town River is that direction, and you'll get your butt kicked going there, so... maybe save this for later.)