Scorpy_CFS wrote:Anywho, I see gang systems as a valuable end game interest as I think we all can get to a point where our prisons are running flawlessly and everything becomes quite routine. At that point I know I manufacture discontent by going into lockdown. Doing unnecessary shakedowns or just leaving my front door open until someone does something stupid. I see a well done gang system as always keeping your prison teetering on the edge of something interesting happening but not unmanageably. Ie, one doesn't need a high discontent level for sudden breakout attempts or attacks on other prisoners, etc. But when it does happen it is unlikely to end in a riot unless you've really neglected that aspect of managing your prison.
I agree, gangs seems to be a good routine breaker. But I'm not too much fond of the link between gangs and an hypothetic city. Be cause it will needs a system that simulate (even broadly) a city that would be totally out of the reach of the player. Moreover, I think gangs could bring some events in your prison by logical connections, e.g. some members of a gangs are released, giving a rival gang ideas to jump on the occasion to 'take over', then they starts accumulating weapons, generating safety preoccupation between your inmates, maybe leading some of them to form a new gang to protect themselves, etc.
So you'll have to be careful to who does what in your prison, by overlooking contraband reports and inmates mass deplacements. It could add a whole management part in the game that needs to be handled while you already have a large prison and you don't want to extend anymore.