I understand its alpha, why I waited so long to post anything, but figured since some of them are larger points and still not implemented in basic form Id come toss my 2 cents in to see if they have been overlooked as features are moving into how prisoners act/traits/personalities (gangs, volatile. fast..etc) vs the actual structure of the prison.
As someone that has spent time in both county and state 'vacation resorts' there is a handful of things needed in my opinion to make this run, feel, and be manageable as a prison simulator vs it feeling like a 'rough inner city school simulator' as it sometimes does now.
(Please do not take me stating I have done time as a brag, or boast, more just stating my extended time in the actual environment..NO ONE should ever be proud of it..those that you hear talk of it as if they are, usually the ones back in there later, vs out here enjoying games like this in freedom
)Anyway onto my suggestions:
Prisoner intake area:
Like deliveries are now. No true prison would take its prisoners into the same doors it takes its food, supplies, visitors, employees, trash, etc. Prisoners should have their own 'drop off' area that they come into, only officers and prisoners escorted by officers can use this entrance and ONLY prisoners dropped off into its room zone and carried the holding cell. This is much better to secure, doesn't have prisoners mingling with visitors and the like while coming in, and overall just 'feels' more correct. This would also fix problems like such as I have of figuring out, and never satisfied, with my 'road-to-inside' layout because I can never have a 'service entrance' and 'prisoner entrance'..they now use whichever is the fastest way regardless of how I do it, and just has people mushing about with each other. Which brings me to number 2
Intake room:
Not a holding cell. But the room after prisoner intake area/holding cells where they are searched, assigned a cell and such. This could be simple a room that once an escorted prisoner enters it triggers the search feature on them and they stop..waited to be patted down before entering the prison. The way it works now they just hang around outside until carted off to a cell never to be searched, or even frisked unless passing a metal detector. This combined with #1 would give the game a HUGE push toward feeling like a prison..a dedicated drop off area followed by a intake search/wait/handcuffed and assigned a cell area.
Ability to shakedown by cellblock:
As its now shakedown is prison wide, causing strain on guards as every inch of the prison is searched. We have the ability to mark areas as security zones, and even 'zones' marked by doors..why can we not shakedown only "Dorm A' with that button? To add to this, just like real prison timing would be everything. doing it midday at freetime? sure it will surprise the one area, but people walking by will go back to their own dorm and tell people start flushing items/better hide/ hide them on your person.. because they saw a shakedown over in Dorm A are they going to be shaken down too? who knows. This could be good OR bad. upside is people might be flushing stuff for no reason out of paranoia..OR others better hiding things you would have found if you shook them down first...Either way being able to shake down by area/zone/what have you would be another must have by prison standards.
Feeding prisoners by cellblock:
Again no prison feeds everyone of every security level at once..but assigns 'timeframes' to each dorm to goto chow. Sure you can sort by security level..but what if you have 400 medium level inmates. No prison feeds all 400 them at once. They have them goto chow in shifts. rotating the same order everyday. This stops mass riots from 400 prisoners and 20 guards from happening. but also stops the mad rush to make 400 plates worth off food by X time.
Feeding IN the cellblock areas (an extension of 4):
We should be able to label dorms are "in cell only" feeding. have it done like prisons do now. It takes 2 kitchen inmates escorted by 2 guards and 1 foodcart full of trays..goes door to door and feeds the inmates. then returns to pickup trays in the cart. max sec, solitary, protective custody and such NEED this.
Multi person cells:
Unless your in maxsec or lockdown most prisons have 2 man cells or even 'p-farm' like open dorms for overflow prisoners. Sure the holding cells work this way..but feels messy, and cross purpose. holding cells are for people waiting to be taking into intake (point 2) and assigned a cell. they shouldn't cross mix bringing people BACK to holding cells to live.
"Rainbow Roads":
(The colored strips you walk on the floors based on your jumper color/sec status) These should be in to have prisoners assigned that they follow these lines and ONLY these lines when being escorted, moved, waiting to transfer to a new area, going to work..etc) Only during freetime, course of job duties, and so on, should they be able to mingle around off of them. (areas without any are considered free to wander around as needed. Areas with them..well you better toe the line, or expect to be pulled aside and 'talked' to)
Sorry for the long post..but these are the few features that I would love to see (and feel are sorely missing from a prison sim)..and wanted to get off my chest.
But I am LOVING the game and all the work put into it, keep it up
