[Brainstorming] Ideas to improve this awesome game.

[Treehugga]

Anyone else want to see iOS or android support for this game? I think it will run beautifully and is simple enough for a touch screen.

[Bedders]

Not really a feature of the game as such, but something to think about. Please tell me where to move it to if it's in the wrong place

I spoke to one of the gentlemen stood at the Prison Architect stand at Eurogamer today, and mentioned to him that there were no keys to zoom in and out with. He commented that whilst key bindings will be editable in the final release, he also enquired why was I asking - did I dislike using the mouse wheel?
He was somewhat surprised to learn I used a trackball rather than a mouse to play games with, and as a result I do not actually have a mouse wheel. This makes playing the Alpha somewhat problematic (alright, I do possess a mouse, and will use it for the alpha), and I am very hopeful that the final release will allow for key bindings of zoom in and out.

[saganator]

I'm not going to list a whole bunch of features and fixes, most have already been posted. My idea is more of a macro level of design, I'm not talking about huge sweeping changes to the game.. I'll just get on with it.

At the finished state of the game, I'd like to be able to take a couple different approaches to the game. I want to be able to decide whether I want to make a hardcore SuperMAX type prison, with guards who beat the shit out of trouble makers on the spot, no one ever escapes, make it so bad to be there, that prisoners will never want to come back. On the other end of the spectrum, I'd like to be able to take a softer approach. Offer education, excellent health care, ample activities, good food, therapy, ect. More of a rehabilitation experience for the prisoners. Right now I'm worried the game will end up being a game all about efficiency, which is fun for a while, but will probably get old.

[Harmonica]

Fog of war in the prison environment. Maybe optional, but I'd love it if it was in the game at a future point. It would make designing patrol routes an incredibly important process, and seeing your men out at night when they can only see what's illuminated in front of them would be creepy as hell. You'd really have to keep track of your prisoners and hope that somewhere they haven't knocked a wall through or something and found a blackspot in your overview.

Obviously you'd mitigate problems with CCTV and lighting. But then that would give the prisoners more incentive to take out your cables/generator. I think I remember hearing talk of the use of gravel in the game so that guards could hear footsteps approaching behind them and I like thinking about how that would play out.

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edit: also I love all the suggestions in the thread. I assume that a vast majority of them are already on Introversion's notepad. The moment you brainstorm some kind of Dungeon Keeper/Dwarf Fortress lovechild then these ideas come thick and fast.

[StevoIRL]

For me I think the highest priority should be managing the prisoner population. Instead of getting a constant stream of inmates we should see a number of them finish their rehabilitation and leave the prison.

[a__gun]

Fog of war in the prison environment.

They have already said this is comming soon

[ronanc]

Has anyone mentioned expanding the staff side of things?

I'm thinking break room, vending machines, couches, smoking area for cigarette breaks, etc.

I'd love to see staff come and go from the prison after their shift is complete. Maybe design a roster for them too? Admin staff should only work during the day. This could make every night a little more dangerous for the player as he has less resources available. Kind of like the day/night cycle in Minecraft.

What about staff with different skill sets, more experienced ones being on higher salaries but doing a better job than a trainee, etc.

[thekev506]

Chapel and Chaplain (already mentioned), I would like to see all inmates go to the chapel on Sundays say and also have the Chaplain to help keep the prisoners better behaved. Also good for executions. Some prisoners may totally reform and become very co-operative, making them targets for other prisoners.

Seen a few people suggest this - I'd only want it in my game if not having a chaplain would also work in the game just fine. I don't want my federal grant money going towards someone who prays for a living when it could pay for beds or guards.

[a__gun]

There is a church room icon included in the current release, so its a safe bet its comming

[Mathieu]

Has anyone mentioned expanding the staff side of things?

I'm thinking break room, vending machines, couches, smoking area for cigarette breaks, etc.

I'd love to see staff come and go from the prison after their shift is complete. Maybe design a roster for them too? Admin staff should only work during the day. This could make every night a little more dangerous for the player as he has less resources available. Kind of like the day/night cycle in Minecraft.

What about staff with different skill sets, more experienced ones being on higher salaries but doing a better job than a trainee, etc.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:51 am Post subject:
The staff in the prison should have their own facilities like other prisoners. For eating, sleeping. And they should go home twice week so we would have some timeshift to organize.

And during the day, the planning should be organize to meet the planning requirement of the inmates (no guards lunch during free time, or during the canteen...)

What do you think ?

Great topic by the way. Hope the dev find ideas in it.

[ronanc]

Thanks Mathieu.

[torchedearth]

Apologies if I am going over old ground.

I would like a log of events so I could see why certain things happen, such as why a workman picked up my water pump and walked off with it - I think because I put down some pipework by mistake but I can't be sure.

[Robert]

I would like to see the following added:

Laundry rooms get my vote. I want to see laundry having to be managed and get done, prisoners can help out here in a "work hour"

I like the idea of a work hour. Instead of me hiring more janitors and gardeners let some of the prisoners do some of the busy work like scrubbing the boot prints off the floors, clearing trays in the canteen, mopping up the blood in the shower after an unfortunate incident, mowing the grass, etc.

[allinlabs]

About visits form relatives, there's 3 types :
* do the talking with multiple relatives around a table
* do the talking with phone and a glass between
* date / sex with wife / GF with a dedicated room and bed etc...

It could be awesome to have this 3 features !

[Obit]

A basketball court in the yard!