Is Prison Architect going to have multiplayer?

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Jackdapantyrip
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Is Prison Architect going to have multiplayer?

Postby Jackdapantyrip » Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:33 pm

Because if it isn't I'm not going to play it..

I can barely play the demo it's incredibly boring.. just an opinion..

/sigh
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ronanc
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Postby ronanc » Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:36 pm

How do you envisage multiplayer working?
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Hessen
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Postby Hessen » Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:58 pm

Alpha != demo
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Re: Is Prison Architect going to have multiplayer?

Postby xander » Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:17 pm

Jackdapantyrip wrote:Because if it isn't I'm not going to play it..

I can barely play the demo it's incredibly boring.. just an opinion..

/sigh

Have you played any other single player tycoon-style games? SimCity? Theme Hospital? &c.? Did you enjoy those games? If not, then Prison Architect is probably not for you. As to multiplayer, (1) I don't see how it would work and (2) how does that address the boredom that you feel regarding the alpha version that exists now?

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Postby Kat » Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:13 am

Actually, I believe multiplayer could work quite well. Perhaps limit it to simply 2 person co-op, or even do it the way OTTD does it, with a huge map, and multiple companies/prisons fighting for prisoners. I think it would work pretty nicely.
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Postby tomy90 » Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:08 pm

the only way multiplayer could work on prison architect is if you can transfer prisoners from your prison to your friends prison so that you can reduce how over filled you are with prisoners, so that it enables you to built cell blocks and holding cells for them until then.

but apart from that i cannot see any need for multiplayer on this game.
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Postby Hessen » Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:19 pm

Prisoner deathmatch, a mini FPS gamer where your created prison is represented in a 3D "Doom" style environment and you have to run around as either a guard or a prisoner and kill opposing players with weapons you can find!
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Postby ronanc » Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:58 pm

Prisoner deathmatch, a mini FPS gamer where your created prison is represented in a 3D "Doom" style environment and you have to run around as either a guard or a prisoner and kill opposing players with weapons you can find!


They already have that. It's called Subversion :lol:
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Re: Is Prison Architect going to have multiplayer?

Postby Rkiver » Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:34 pm

Jackdapantyrip wrote:Because if it isn't I'm not going to play it..

I can barely play the demo it's incredibly boring.. just an opinion..

/sigh


...No. 1) Not a demo. Alpha.
2) It wouldn't work. Seriously you want multiplayer. Suggest how it would work.
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Postby Ste881 » Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:50 pm

To be honest if multiplayer was a feature I would be less interested in the game, it only ever seems to weaken the singleplayer side of things and that is what Prison Architect already does well.

It's a bit early to be saying it's boring when we're only on the first alpha. There are plenty of people, myself included that would say it has plenty of replayability as is.
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Postby kattle87 » Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:24 am

I just had an idea for multiplayer but I already know it won't make into the game, but you know, I will speak my mind loud.
What if one could start a multiplayer prison on a server, and other players are allowed to join it and help building, with the prison running continously (no pause allowed) so you and your friend have to come back at times to check how things are doing? Ofc speed would be a bit less high (or 1 night could be enough to destroy your prison) and you need much better planning strategies, but it would be really interesting. Your prison acquarium ;)
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Postby brainfood » Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:06 pm

as for multiplayer, how about players directly taking control of prisoners and having to fulfil needs such as food sleep etc whilst trying to either escape or successfuly complete their sentance. they can move with the directional keys and attack and use things, such as pickup objects and hit things. 1 player takes command of a prebuilt prison either 1 they constructed or 1 of the premade prison layouts and attempts to keep order within his prison.

the rest of the players are prisoners gneerally doing what prisoners do best. cause trouble for the overseeing player.
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Postby kattle87 » Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:14 pm

brainfood wrote:as for multiplayer, how about players directly taking control of prisoners and having to fulfil needs such as food sleep etc whilst trying to either escape

That would be quite boring I think. If you plan on having players getting in controls of units, then just get all the dumped subversion code and add the possibility of assaulting one player-overseen prison with the objective of freeing key prisoners.
Actually, I already like this idea alot :) A commando able to cut CCTVs, drill locks, getting your guards down, lighting up fires, demolishing walls by explosives.... This would basically bring subversion back as a minigame inside the bigger picture. After all, IV said that subversion was fun to create stuff with, but boring to play because it was too easy (just shoot that ward, cut the wires, you are done). But agains a human designing a prison and fighting back your assault, things might get challenging if they balance the tools you can use properly.
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Postby phees » Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:55 pm

A multiplayer game could include the following modes:

- Prison exchange:
Just exchange prisons via in-game up/download option and allow for rating: A bit like in powder toy: http://powdertoy.co.uk/

- Build a leader board:
Start a new prison with a new "leader board" option. This will make your new prison's performance add to or subtract from your online rank. A lot of statistics could be visible from that. Key values could be plenty and would allow for fun statistics. This will probably apply to all simulation style game fans :)

- Prisoner market. Jailing in the cloud and pBay, the prisoner auction house:
Players can flag a number of prisoners and attach a price and a "real life" duration. Others can take them in for that duration and will receive the offered money. The offer will then disappear from the server.
The player having taken the prisoners will have all the bonuses for the "real life" time he is playing. After that, the prisoners will disappear from the prison and will be reinserted into the original one, the next time that prison is being played. The fact these two involved institutions will most probably experience different in-game durations does not really matter.
The more simple form of this is just "selling" prisoners. The prisoner prices will probably vary a lot and nice graphs will become available from that.
You could also buy and sell specific prisoners, like, very aggressive or just mildly annoying. That way, you would allow players to be a driver for high security prisons and not just a simple scenario setting. You would have to take in a fresh load and just sell the unwanted kind to others.
You could even become a crim-re-seller that way.

- Quality rating by break-ability testing:
Players build a prison, set everything up and upload it.
Other players will play a prisoner (or several) and try to build up gangs, deal with contraband, organize escapes etc. The worse players can turn the prison, the lower its rating gets. The better your average ratings get, the more bonuses you are awarded for later gameplay (the "bad-ass" warden with a really, really tough reputation etc.)
To ensure people don't just upload well working prisons, you would have to start it in "challenge" mode and the game save file would be encrypted.
This would be a completely other game, called Prison Escape. The next game of Introversion. Since they don't do sequels, this is quite improbable.

- Love your Saboteur:
Have a game option "allow saboteurs" and "number of allowed saboteurs". This should be toggable while already playing, not just in the beginning. Once toggled, it must stay on for at least a few game days.
It works like this:
Other players can take control over single prisoners in someone else's game and influence it directly. The prison architect will not know which prisoner and will just see the number of saboteurs connected to the game. It may be safe for the original player to ignore it and just keep playing, but possibly it would make sense to find the saboteur and have him incarcerated in a solitary cell.
The original player and the saboteur will be able to control the game speed just in the fashion of Defcon.
The saboteurs will gain saboteur experience points, which can be used as an in-game currency, allowing for special perks like adding better snitches to one's own prisons etc.
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Postby Saranis » Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:06 pm

I think phees has a pretty good idea of how 'Multiplayer' would be able to function in this sort of game. It wouldn't be a head to head sort of thing, but rather a game with online features.

If you've ever played the game Nation States (which is ENTIRELY ONLINE) than you will get the sort of idea I have. You would focus on your own prison and only venture into the online features when you want.

Leader Boards, Prison(er) exchanges, sabotage, these are all relatively easy things to include in a game like this that would provide the community with more interactivity without changing the fundamental game.

I am personally hoping that sabotage occurs in the single player game, a way to offer it in multiplayer would be for someone to 'hire' a bunch of NPCs to orchestrate the escape of a prisoner in someone elses prison.

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