[Suggestion] Reconsider Guard Deployments.

[zbyrne]

I'm a big fan of the new prisoner classifications, but I feel that Guards are deployed and used woefully. Quite simply I want my guards to go where my prisoners go. Especially if it's an occasion when all the inmates are centered in one place, the Canteen, or the Yard. Yet it's senseless to then have a guard or two permanently stationed in those areas, they are only used a few hours a day, and it's two much micro-management, especially in huge prisons, consisting of multiple wings to manually station extra guards in places during meals/yard time. What if we could divide a portion of cells into "blocks", within a Min/Gen/Max area. So these 20 cells within the Max Wing is "A", and the next 20 are "B" etc. Then individual guards could be assigned to such a block. (They can also do the morning check, to make sure no ones tunneled out, and be responsible for searching those blocks - other guards might show up to help - but it might mkae the searches more organised, also I want these guys to shout LIGHTS OUT!) They are then responsible for following the prisoners belonging to that block around, so when they're in the shower/yard/canteen. I'm not suggesting for a second that individual blocks should have their own unique timetabling, I'm more than happy that work only along classification lines. But I do want my guards to go where the prisoners go. After all, as this is for profit, I want to be able to use as few guards as possible to run the prison as a whole, and with the current deployment options, increasing guard numbers seems to be the only way to keep the piece. Now this solution would be great during times when prisoners (from each block) effectively move in one big group, like to meals or yard, but to make it harder, during work, or free time, when the inmates might have a greater chance to range the prison, obviously the two or three guards can't follow all 20 of their charges if those charges go to ten different places. During these times, then guards assigned to the blocks can rest, or might do searches within their blocks.

Alternatively maybe station guards or patrols can be timetabled to occur only at certain times. Ye I like a patrol around the walls 24/7, but i only need a man in my laundry 3 hours a day. And speaking of timetabling, what about a week timetable? So Monday to Friday might be broadly similar, but you could have a movie night on a wednesday evening. Mass on Sunday morning. This could in turn link back into encouraging good behaviour. A religious prisoner might not do anything if you can threaten him with a 24 solitary the night before mass. Or if you do lock him up, he might become even more violent than before.

And I would like a night cycle, less guards during the evening/night, making prisoner hijinks potentially more dangerous.

There's obviously been loads in the forums about having guards properly relieve one another, especially on the CCTV or Door Controls, but I think that the Guards as a whole need to be considered soon.

P.S. Not related to anything above, but for supermax/protected only, obviously loads of ppl have been clamouring for food brought to cells and doing 23 hour a day lock-up, but what about that last hour. Built a small private yard, and then let protected/supermax prisoners in one at a time throughout the day. Gotta let them out sometime, and it can be a truly terrifying experience when you do.

[thebigc]

Alternatively maybe station guards or patrols can be timetabled to occur only at certain times. Ye I like a patrol around the walls 24/7, but i only need a man in my laundry 3 hours a day.

This would be really useful as some of my guards are uselessly deployed in the yard when nobody is there.

[Jinxed]

How about this -
Leave everything as it is, but also add the ability to deploy a guard to specific security group?

Basicly, you are assigning the guard to security guard and he will do pretty much what you described there - follow the schedule of his assigned group.
There will be a tricky moment when there is a free time or work on schedule, though - prisoners tend to scatter all over the facility during those hours.

[5hifty]

I think a simple way around this would be to use the UI that you have on the timer block. Basically you click on a guard route and the UI comes up. You choose the times that the route is 'on' and 'off' (or even which type of guards are stationed on that route, thus simplifying the deployment screen - instead of different route buttons for each type). This way it isn't locked into the regime - guards could be stationed an hour before a regime chance to make sure they get there, or change off halfway through one once the rush is over. To make it easy to see changes, just make the route line a different color to signify on, off (and potentially which type of guard is stationed on it - either currently or over all)

[xPyr0x]

Having guard regimes would be nice. For example, I'd rather have a dozen tazer guards escorting my legendary guy around, rather than the first shotgun guard kill him. Also no need for the extra guards in unused places during sleep, except maybe guarding the front entrance. Maybe add option for some armed guards to have free fire always on (the ones at front gate) and the ones inside, meant to suppress you can toggle it still.

[Jacq]

There is definately a need for a revamp of the guard deployment so it can be assigned according to time of day or regimeso you can do things like:

No guards in the canteen for lowSec, normal for medSec, and armed for MaxSec, and only during eating.

Dog patrols around the perimeter at night time. Sniffer duty at visitation, entrace and infirmary during day time.

Exactly how to do this so it works well, thats another question. I suppose assignment per room would best.

[5hifty]

A per room assignment leaves out the main way that guards are stationed - via route. Although I guess they could both be deployed via the 'timer block' UI. Again, basically click the room in the deployment tab, a UI similar to the one for setting the timer comes up and you set guards 'on' and 'off' for each hour.

[RFC3514]

There definitely needs to be a way to make guards' deployment change over the course of a day.

I think the suggestions above pretty much cover it:

• Allow the creation of generic guard "goups" (they can be called "squads", or something).
• Allow the creation of schedules (similar to prisoner regimes) for each of those squads.
• The schedule allows setting a different deployment for each time slot. Deployments can be to a specific building, to a specific patrol route, or just "free" (note: the patrol mode basically allows setting them to a fixed location, by creating a very short route).

Players can then add a few guards (of the same type or different types) to a squad, and they will update their deployment based on the timetable.

[RichieGrape]

see i think the current system works well but could use a few assignments...and example is "free" guards should go hang out in an area that has prisoners in it...if regime says eat..all free guards should split up between the canteens...
(example of the problem is i just started a prison but my guards want to hang out in deliveries instead of watching prisoners, pre-deployment and pre-patrols)

read a post about danger maps...maybe "free" gaurds will hang out in areas that are deemed dangerous

[shanelynn321]

see i think the current system works well but could use a few assignments...and example is "free" guards should go hang out in an area that has prisoners in it...if regime says eat..all free guards should split up between the canteens...
(example of the problem is i just started a prison but my guards want to hang out in deliveries instead of watching prisoners, pre-deployment and pre-patrols)

read a post about danger maps...maybe "free" gaurds will hang out in areas that are deemed dangerous

I also had the idea to add to the Guard Deployment System. I deploy guards in a lot of areas; Showers, Yards, Cell Blocks, Canteens, etc. I've never seen then rest, though I'm sure they do, but I think it would be neat to be able to set those guard deployments on a regime as well. Say you could deploy 4 guards to the Canteen, but they're only there during the same times as Prisoners are allowed to be there. I also noticed that when guards are posted at either the Door Control System or CCTV Monitors, they are still counted as available. I think it would make sense for this number to go down like before when you deployed them to the old CCTV's(when there were 8 screens).

[RichieGrape]

I also noticed that when guards are posted at either the Door Control System or CCTV Monitors, they are still counted as available. I think it would make sense for this number to go down like before when you deployed them to the old CCTV's(when there were 8 screens).

yea furthermore on this personally i wish we could go back to manual deployment on cctv and door controllers or at least have an option in the items menu to turn off (making guards not station it)...

or even upgrading the usage of the switch item...allowing me to make connection from the switch to cctv or door controllers...so if i turn the switch off all connected systems (cctv or door controllers) would shut down (make guards not man these consoles)

usage...would be nice during nighttime shakedowns when i don't need the cctvs running...or while building so i don't have to wait to place a cctv monitor that i'm not rdy to use...or in the situations where you just need a few extra free guards (large prisoner delivery)

[Trumbettoo]

Maybe just add ability on regime list that is already in there. Make it so that you can click on certain time in the regime to add little guard icon on that time period.

eg. Eat time from 12-13. Assign 2 guards, 1 dog, 1 armed guard little icons and free guards take their positions in selected time for selected group (min,max or whatever). With that settled and via deployment you can pretty much dictate where will guards go in case of multiple workshops or canteens?

I could see problems arise with multiple workshops/other for the same group...

[WiseWoodrow]

I like that. Have the deployment timeable would be very nice. When viewed in the deployement screen, the lines and positions could appear black to show they aren't currently active at the time.

[perryliu97]

As mentioned here viewtopic.php?f=43&t=51061, the builds page presumably incorrectly gave me a build with some weird non working dev features. One of them is custom deployments.

Here's the image to prove it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxiVGw ... luZlk/view

Yeah. That's real. No photoshop involved.

[REDDQ]

As mentioned here viewtopic.php?f=43&t=51061, the builds page presumably incorrectly gave me a build with some weird non working dev features. One of them is custom deployments.

Here's the image to prove it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxiVGw ... luZlk/view

Yeah. That's real. No photoshop involved.

iWant!