[Suggestion] Finding tunnels

[Dodsmania]

How about a new option on toilets for search cell for tunnel, much better than removing them

[knoest26]

Like the 'search' button on there?

[RichieGrape]

Like the 'search' button on there?

touche ...but seriously i think a thorough search button would be a good idea(maybe takes 4x as long as a normal search and maybe also pisses prisoners off faster if they aren't caught with something during the search)

[knoest26]

Like the 'search' button on there?

touche ...but seriously i think a thorough search button would be a good idea(maybe takes 4x as long as a normal search and maybe also pisses prisoners off faster if they aren't caught with something during the search)

That would indeed be a good addition

[Alex-User]

Like the 'search' button on there?

I have a couple of CIs with 100% coverage that SWEAR that there are tunnels in three adjacent cells. No matter how many times I search the toilets, cells, or dismantle or trash the toilets, I cannot find the tunnels. Is this usual? If not, any idea what might be going wrong?

[Jailer]

Like the 'search' button on there?

touche ...but seriously i think a thorough search button would be a good idea(maybe takes 4x as long as a normal search and maybe also pisses prisoners off faster if they aren't caught with something during the search)

That would indeed be a good addition

I like the idea that any shakedown search now has only a chance to discover a tunnel, adding to the gameplay suspense a bit.
However if you explicitly manually search a toilet you suspect a tunnel there. Dismantling is a strange option in this context and also forces you to re-install the toilet.

What about an option to ransack (for lack of better word) a cell, where the guards ransack all items in the cell - leading to all those items being damaged to 99% or so (reducing chance that already damaged items are destroyed). This would have a 100% chance of finding contraband/tunnels, but will come at a repair cost, and extra aggravated prisoners.

"Search cell" would be as is, and part of the shakedown procedure
"Ransack cell" is a manual procedure if you suspect tunnels. Obviously you cannot apply it to the toilet only, as then you would break the 4th wall as you know that tunnels are only started from toilets...

Jailer

[Pingy]

Dismantling/reinstalling several toilets because guards can't find a tunnel after 5 cell block searches when the dogs have placed a dozen flags outside the cell block is a little too micromanagy for my taste. I like the concept of them being difficult to find in regular searches but the counter to tunnels is too micromanagy. I like the ransack idea the best. There's a money tradeoff on damaged items and workers are still involved but they show up to repair automatically. You could then make tunnels start under beds and bookshelves too. I didn't get this until alpha 25 so I have nothing to compare it to, but the tunneling seems excessive to me. I mean c'mon the guy can smuggle a wooden pickaxe through 3 layers of metal detectors and then tunnel 20 meters through concrete to freedom in 2 nights if I can't afford perimeter walls and don't rip out toilets every other night or spend all night every night searching cell blocks? I bet this guy punched down a tree to get the wood too right?

[xPyr0x]

Like the 'search' button on there?

I have a couple of CIs with 100% coverage that SWEAR that there are tunnels in three adjacent cells. No matter how many times I search the toilets, cells, or dismantle or trash the toilets, I cannot find the tunnels. Is this usual? If not, any idea what might be going wrong?

I have a couple ci's doing 450-1050 years in there, and both have 100% coverage, I save my game often and I've NEVER had them show me when someone is digging, I've also immediately reloaded the game, hit shakedown, and FOUND tunnels. the ci's never reveal them, how are you finding them?

[balfro]

How can you have CI´s serving so long sentences? Save file editing?

[RichieGrape]

How can you have CI´s serving so long sentences? Save file editing?

possibly but most likely they are doing time for murder

[xPyr0x]

actually 2 of them racked up about 500 years on their own... I just removed fearless so they wouldn't get killed by guards. Edited a few charges, stuck my name on one of em and made him legendary, max stats almost

[Pingy]

actually 2 of them racked up about 500 years on their own... I just removed fearless so they wouldn't get killed by guards. Edited a few charges, stuck my name on one of em and made him legendary, max stats almost

lol.

So I'm guessing people don't die from old age then?

[RGeezy911]

So I'm guessing people don't die from old age then?

Currently, no. But it's something that will likely get implemented in the future.

[AbandonedWolf]

I got a question about this,

I had 4 prisoners escape and it ONLY then shown the tunnel, the tunnel was connected to 8 - 9 cells! But the route which they took was being constantly patrolled by dogs, and each time they walked over the tunnel I got the small yellow flag and ALLOT of shovel icons. I did 12 shakedowns in a attempt to find these tunnels but the shakedowns do nothing. What's the chance of shakedowns finding tunnels?

[RGeezy911]

I got a question about this,

I had 4 prisoners escape and it ONLY then shown the tunnel, the tunnel was connected to 8 - 9 cells! But the route which they took was being constantly patrolled by dogs, and each time they walked over the tunnel I got the small yellow flag and ALLOT of shovel icons. I did 12 shakedowns in a attempt to find these tunnels but the shakedowns do nothing. What's the chance of shakedowns finding tunnels?

Tunnels are revealed through the following:

• If a prisoner manages to escape via tunnel. This is because you - the architect - realize prisoners are escaping from the hole in the ground which gets revealed to the security instantly.
• If a Guard Dog passes over a tunnel, and the digging prisoner is directly under the guard dog, the dog will sniff the prisoner(s) out. The entire tunnel will then be revealed to security.
• If a Guard searches the toilet of a cell + the toilet has a tunnel under it + the prisoner is still in the tunnel, the guard will uncover the entire tunnel.
• If you dismantle a toilet which has a tunnel under it, the entire tunnel is revealed.

The best strategy to finding tunnels is to have Dogs patrol the exterior perimeter of your cell blocks, not the perimeter of your prison. Then, when you see a consistent collection of yellow flags in one area outside your cells, you can begin dismantling the toilets nearest to the yellow flags. You will likely find the tunnel.

Remember, you have direct control of your Dogs! If you suspect an area has a tunnel under it, just command a dog to go back to the area. If the dog places another flag, it's likely there's a tunnel there.

The best way to prevent tunnels is to have Metal Detectors at all entrances to all cell blocks. This will catch the majority of Metal Tools. However, you still have to worry about non-metal tools like the Pickax. Regular Shakedowns, and the use of Confidential Informants will help keep track of non-metal contraband.

Cheers!