2 More Utilities?

[Maraio1]

Hi There,
I was thinking about 2 new types of utilties for PA. The first one I'm very sure is workable and implementable, the second I'm not sure on.
The First:
Heating/Hot Water
Yes, Heating and Hot Water. At the moment, our prisons are all cold and not great. So you could have hot water pipes running under the ground to radiators in your prison. And of course you can decide on how Hot or Cold you want your prison to be. The Hotter you make it, the more it will cost, but it would provide relief of their comfort need (or a new Warmth need?). These hot water pipes can then be extended onto showers, where you can provide hot showers (which will make the prisoners more happy (as people generally like hot showers than cold showers)) But if you provide a cold shower (which will be cost saving) but aggravate these prisoners.
So what do you think of adding this in?

The second one:
WasteWater
This one would be a utility like water, but collects wastewater from Toilets, Drains and Sinks. I'm not sure on this one, but this Wastewater would flow to a garbage pump where it would be piped away.
As I've said, I really like the first, but not sure on the second, what do you guys think?

[perryliu97]

The first idea sounds intriguing, and would fit nicely into the rumoured temperature mechanic.
For the second one, many posts I've come across tend to suggest that it's simply easier to assume that there are waste pipes underneath the water pipes.

[lugaru]

I like the idea of the first one either as an 'unlock' you research, or as a device you set up that consumes electricity.

Example: I set it up near a pipe... all water leaving that pipe is 'warm' and provides comfort when somebody showers. Downside is that the aparatus consumes power equal to the showers hooked up to it, so you need to expand your electrical infrastructure.

[xander]

Just for the record, HVAC systems have been suggested before (that covers only the first half of your first idea, so I am not criticizing---just attempting to tie your suggestion in with what has already been discussed). For the record, I am all for it, but I think that it would require a more granular way of viewing utilities---even now, if a pipe and power cable are installed in the same square, it is a pain to change how things are configured since it is not possible remove only one utility at a time.

Off on a tangent (this doesn't seem to be a significant enough idea to warrant a new topic, and was inspired by this topic, so I'll put it here): should utilities have a continuing cost? Discuss...

What I suggest is that water and electricity cost something in an ongoing manner. For instance, lightbulb might cost 1 cent per day to operate (so 100 lightbulbs cost a dollar a day). Other devices would have costs that scale up compared to the lightbulb. The player would then be rewarded for running an energy efficient prison (fewer lightbulbs, no more cookers and refrigerators than are needed, &c.). In conjunction with HVAC systems, adjusting the thermostat might make prisoners happier, but would cost more. Water might have a cost dependent upon how far it has to travel (or something similar) that could reward players for having centralized showers (rather than a shower in every cell---there is currently no reason not to do this, especially with the funny L-shaped cells that I have seen a few people using).

Thoughts?

xander

[Maraio1]

Yes, I believe that Utilities should become an ongoing cost, just like in real life! I feel that there's a big room for a system like this in PA and I would love to see this implemented in!

Thanks for the great responses, means a lot!

[Jailer]

For instance, lightbulb might cost 1 cent per day to operate (so 100 lightbulbs cost a dollar a day).

Hmm - easiest to implement is to charge for the centralized amount of power consumption (power drawn from your generators - they run on fuel supposedly so fuel cost for the generators. Indirectly you are rewarded for energy efficiency. Also, generators could have a base cost (maintenance? idle running?) to encourage planning and not just have a generator per building.

Water might have a cost dependent upon how far it has to travel (or something similar) that could reward players for having centralized showers (rather than a shower in every cell---there is currently no reason not to do this, especially with the funny L-shaped cells that I have seen a few people using).
xander

You can charge the water consumption based on number of shower heads, sinks, toilets and washing machines. This is also an incentive to centralize showers to minimize costs. Advanced mechanic is that if prisoners flood their cell (can they do that with shower as well?) it adds a peak in water consumption - or drops water pressure. As currently there is no advanced water mechanic, I only need one pump per prison. If water pressure is introduced to the pump, then number of showers/toilets/etc will force you to build extra pumps to keep up the pressure.

Jailer

[Maraio1]

Well I knew Theme Hospital had a good heating system that worked quite well. Maybe IV can take a look and try to make something of their own.
I think that the utilities should be charged for how much water you draw and how much power you consume, so like if you use one full capacitor you'll pay $5 or something like that, so it encourages you to be economical on things like the Cookers and Fridges.

[lugaru]

Yeah, as somebody who has played his share of Sim City games (including the much maligned Sim City reboot) it is a little odd that power has no cost. What it means is that you should either buy it from 'the city' at a cost, or generate it at a slightly greater cost since that would require fuel (or wood, lol).

That means that an average prison would want a generator to make up for occasional black outs and a very clever prison would want to make all the electricity self suficient.

Also has anyone talked about tunneling prisoners possibly damaging the wiring if it is not indoors?

The odds of a prisoner hitting a wire while escaping are low (if only outdoor wires cost) but it would be hilarious to learn of an escape when half your place goes dark.

[Maraio1]

This could add another use for Forestry, with using the logs chopped as fire wood in a generator. What ya think? But yes, it's very off you get no other cost for power apart from the initial cost.

[xander]

For instance, lightbulb might cost 1 cent per day to operate (so 100 lightbulbs cost a dollar a day).

Hmm - easiest to implement is to charge for the centralized amount of power consumption (power drawn from your generators - they run on fuel supposedly so fuel cost for the generators. Indirectly you are rewarded for energy efficiency.

That was exactly the idea that I had, though expressed more clearly. I wasn't actually suggesting that a lightbulb cost 1 cent per day (or whatever), but that the power drawn by a single lightbulb would have that cost.

Also, generators could have a base cost (maintenance? idle running?) to encourage planning and not just have a generator per building.

I was thinking about that, as well, in terms of the idea that the player could be punished for having one power station with a lot of capacitors instead several power stations with no capacitors (or vice versa, depending on where the developers would like the incentives to be). The space requirement for multiple power stations might be a gameplay reason to punish the use of capacitors by making them slightly more expensive to operate (For example, pulling numbers out of my ass, a power station with no capacitors might cost $1/day, whereas a power station with the maximum possible 16 capacitors might cost $20/day to operate, making it more expensive to run than 17 power stations, which would give the same amount of power. The advantage of one power station with lots of capacitors is that (a) capacitors take up less space and (b) there is no worry about accidentally connecting distinct circuits).

xander

[111none]

Just for the record, HVAC systems have been suggested before (that covers only the first half of your first idea, so I am not criticizing---just attempting to tie your suggestion in with what has already been discussed). For the record, I am all for it, but I think that it would require a more granular way of viewing utilities---even now, if a pipe and power cable are installed in the same square, it is a pain to change how things are configured since it is not possible remove only one utility at a time.

Thoughts?

xander

It may be possible if we had the ability to view them as layers like in simcity, (no not the new one.)

[Maraio1]

Different layers, I think, would be great. This would allow you to overlap utilities and still make sure that everything goes where it's needed.

[Fyfebro]

To be honest i love the idea, the only problem is the utility's screen would be crowded. U could have different utility screens for each utility tho which would fix the problem. I'm all in on the idea

[xander]

It may be possible if we had the ability to view them as layers like in simcity, (no not the new one.)

That is the only solution that I came up with, but figured I would leave it nebulous, in case IV have better ideas. :)

xander

[Maraio1]

Well you could say that Wiring is in the roof, the top layer and piping is under the floor, the bottom layer?