Alpha 7, opinions?

[RonP]

For my map I need a way for my workers to travel better. As it stands they use prisoner pathways. It would be nice to guide them to staff only routes.

[uecasm]

Most of the time the door unlocking isn't really an issue. But there are a few bugs that do bother me:

1. Guards will run to "unlock" wooden doors (even when someone just bumps into the door without even trying to exit).

2. Guards will constantly try to unlock solitary doors when the prisoner randomly bumps into them, even if their time isn't up yet. (This is mostly only an issue with tiny cells.)

3. A random guard gets chosen to unlock the door each time; it should always be the closest guard (by path-route) at the time. I've lost count of the number of times I've had two guards milling around right outside a locked door waiting for another guard to run halfway across the entire map to unlock it.

[Bureaucromancer]

That's how my prison is set-up... use prison doors for exterior entrances and the normal wood door for everything that is not a cell.

I don't mind that approach being encouraged at all, but we really do need double width wood doors for it to work properly. That said, it also seems to me that in the long term the best approach would be to make all door types functional in all modes, with the type affecting how much abuse they can take.

[Parker22]

Well, 'internal lockdown' doors that only close in an emergency or 'day / night doors' would be the next logical step. That would make it easier to use. I like it!

[VoiD88]

Most of the time the door unlocking isn't really an issue. But there are a few bugs that do bother me:

1. Guards will run to "unlock" wooden doors (even when someone just bumps into the door without even trying to exit).

2. Guards will constantly try to unlock solitary doors when the prisoner randomly bumps into them, even if their time isn't up yet. (This is mostly only an issue with tiny cells.)

3. A random guard gets chosen to unlock the door each time; it should always be the closest guard (by path-route) at the time. I've lost count of the number of times I've had two guards milling around right outside a locked door waiting for another guard to run halfway across the entire map to unlock it.

Numbers 1 and 2 can be easily remedied: That only happens if the door in question is included in the respective room assigment. For the solitary door for instance, don't include the square the door is on when assigning solitary cell rooms so the prisoners will no longer wander onto the tile with the door. Same goes for other doors, I've never seen staff or prisoners bumping into doors without wanting to go through, as long as you don't include the doors in the room assignments.

[uecasm]

Numbers 1 and 2 can be easily remedied: That only happens if the door in question is included in the respective room assigment. For the solitary door for instance, don't include the square the door is on when assigning solitary cell rooms so the prisoners will no longer wander onto the tile with the door. Same goes for other doors, I've never seen staff or prisoners bumping into doors without wanting to go through, as long as you don't include the doors in the room assignments.

Well, that's true, the solitary doors that this happened with were inside the room assignment.

But the wooden doors weren't. I saw a few occasions where a guard would run up and unlock one or two of the office doors. And those guys never try to leave their rooms.

[111none]

What buggs me is that the doors need to be redone, as how staff need keys too.

[Dr_Olaf]

I think I pretty much agree with most people here.

Guards having to open doors is a very interesting addition to the game - it's far more realistic and requires much more thoughtful planning.

But for it in order to work properly we would also need a better system of controlling prisoner flow. At the moment, the system is tedious because in Freetime they are free to go wherever they want, even in tighter regimes they still decide which shower etc they want to use seemingly randomly, requiring guards all over the prison to open doors for them.
Segregation options and the possibility of setting different zones depending on regime would be a great start.

Also, I like the suggestions of adding more door types / door options, here is my take:

Make different door types unlockable through bureaucracy: Everything from "Normal" jail doors to high-security electronic doors. They could differ in things like the time they take to open, whether they can be controlled remotely, how much of a beating they can take etc…

Also, make something like "electronic door control" researchable, maybe working a little bit like cctv - a control panel controls x number of doors, can be placed in a secure area where it is operated by a guard. Maybe in combination with cctv. Or give guards radios?

That way, if you want remote controlled doors (like the cell dors at the moment already are) you'll have to research it and design your prison accordingly. (Security room in a central location with bulletproof glass - another feauture we need! )

[Raziaar]

Allow specific high traffic pathways for prisoners or staff that are locked, to have a CCTV put near them to monitor the desired side, if not both.

Guards in the security booths monitoring the CCTV cameras can utilize the knowledge contained within the camera cone to determine whether he needs to remotely open a door for a congregating group of prisoners, or staff members.

It's how it's done in real life in prisons. Officers observing cameras "buzz" people through doors. Every officer having keys to certain doors is not how it typically is. At least for the larger traffic doors.

Lawyer meets with client, finishes, steps through an "airlock" room of sorts where the CCTV can see that he's alone, and buzzes him through the secure door to the outside world. No actual officer required in that room.

Here's a scene from Breaking Bad that demonstrates this.

[111none]

has anyone noticed if animations for prisoners and staff are broken? because it my be because of my bad graphics card.
Also, prisoners spawning with handguns and shotguns are a lot more common, esp with name in game people

[Sc00by22]

3. A random guard gets chosen to unlock the door each time; it should always be the closest guard (by path-route) at the time. I've lost count of the number of times I've had two guards milling around right outside a locked door waiting for another guard to run halfway across the entire map to unlock it.

Definitely this!

[Dr_Olaf]

I think I pretty much agree with most people here.

Guards having to open doors is a very interesting addition to the game - it's far more realistic and requires much more thoughtful planning.

But for it in order to work properly we would also need a better system of controlling prisoner flow. At the moment, the system is tedious because in Freetime they are free to go wherever they want, even in tighter regimes they still decide which shower etc they want to use seemingly randomly, requiring guards all over the prison to open doors for them.
Segregation options and the possibility of setting different zones depending on regime would be a great start.

Also, I like the suggestions of adding more door types / door options, here is my take:

Make different door types unlockable through bureaucracy: Everything from "Normal" jail doors to high-security electronic doors. They could differ in things like the time they take to open, whether they can be controlled remotely, how much of a beating they can take etc…

Also, make something like "electronic door control" researchable, maybe working a little bit like cctv - a control panel controls x number of doors, can be placed in a secure area where it is operated by a guard. Maybe in combination with cctv. Or give guards radios?

That way, if you want remote controlled doors (like the cell dors at the moment already are) you'll have to research it and design your prison accordingly. (Security room in a central location with bulletproof glass - another feauture we need! )

[Parker22]

Loads of interesting ideas here.

My thoughts are that the remote locking doors should only happen much later on in the game. There is a risk of losing the prisoner/guard interaction, making it the game less fun to play. Just remote boring corridors...

However it if was done later in the game, when uniform pilfering (laundry), mischief manufacture (workshop) and other interactions were in the game, then the focus can 'shift' away from access and doors (movement) and into more specific, and more interesting zones, as they are new.

Then it can go into space

[HerrJoebob]

Same goes for other doors, I've never seen staff or prisoners bumping into doors without wanting to go through, as long as you don't include the doors in the room assignments.

You've never dismantled a door, then? I removed the doors from my solitary cells, and the workmen got swarmed by guards coming to unlock... unlock... UNLOCK... it was comedy.

[ace454]

I find it a step back. The problems I have been seeing are: Min security prisoners in High security areas and vice versa. No more staff only doors make it hard to control the flow of traffic. Having guards open and close doors is a good idea, but they destroyed an important aspect of door control. Depending on how your prison is set up this update makes the game also unplayable.