Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem?
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Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem?
I was just thinking after watching the latest PA video. It seems like they're banging their heads against a wall to figure out food distribution and cook assignment and all that stuff, trying to make it as automated as possible... but why? Why should it be automated?
Currently, all of your guards tend to just screw around, picking a random location to hang out and watch for criminals--and the player is responsible for assigning them to specific locations in large prisons, where that uncontrolled behavior simply won't work. And even if you turn on prison labor, you have to manually assign how many prisoners you want in each particular location--the game doesn't auto-assign it.
So why not just set up the same system for cooks and kitchens? If you have 15 kitchens of various sizes and 40 cooks, you can go into the deployment screen, click on a cook button, and assign how many you want where. All of the tools and code for implementing such a system are already a part of PA--the current system where cooks just pick a random spot and go there can certainly be a part of the game, just like with guards screwing around in the holding cell. Make it part of the tech tree: if players want to deploy cooks to complex kitchen layouts, they have to upgrade that part of the tech tree, just like with regular guard deployment.
As for the problem of assigning food to canteens... again, why does it need to be automated? The current system works well enough for small prisons, but larger prisons should require more management from the player. Use a system similar to the electronic linking system to configure which kitchens are linked to which canteens, or to multiple canteens if need be. And then the only function that would need to be spun from whole cloth is calculating how much food should be produced given the number of tables/benches/serving tables. And that shouldn't really be hard at all, since those are all hard pieces of data easy for the game to calculate.
I think this is just a case of the Prison Architect team just... becoming so focused on solving a problem, that they forgot that it's already a problem they've solved for other, similar systems--and that it's actually a problem that SHOULDN'T be solved: the point of the friggin' game is to design a prison, right? Prison Architect, right there in the title. If they're trying to automate some of the design elements... well, that's actually back-asswards. Make the player solve the problem FOR you, that's the whole point of the game, and it fits in with the current set of features already designed (deployment, linking systems, etc.).
Anyway, just my opinion. Hopefully a lot of other people agree. I don't really see why this is an issue.
Currently, all of your guards tend to just screw around, picking a random location to hang out and watch for criminals--and the player is responsible for assigning them to specific locations in large prisons, where that uncontrolled behavior simply won't work. And even if you turn on prison labor, you have to manually assign how many prisoners you want in each particular location--the game doesn't auto-assign it.
So why not just set up the same system for cooks and kitchens? If you have 15 kitchens of various sizes and 40 cooks, you can go into the deployment screen, click on a cook button, and assign how many you want where. All of the tools and code for implementing such a system are already a part of PA--the current system where cooks just pick a random spot and go there can certainly be a part of the game, just like with guards screwing around in the holding cell. Make it part of the tech tree: if players want to deploy cooks to complex kitchen layouts, they have to upgrade that part of the tech tree, just like with regular guard deployment.
As for the problem of assigning food to canteens... again, why does it need to be automated? The current system works well enough for small prisons, but larger prisons should require more management from the player. Use a system similar to the electronic linking system to configure which kitchens are linked to which canteens, or to multiple canteens if need be. And then the only function that would need to be spun from whole cloth is calculating how much food should be produced given the number of tables/benches/serving tables. And that shouldn't really be hard at all, since those are all hard pieces of data easy for the game to calculate.
I think this is just a case of the Prison Architect team just... becoming so focused on solving a problem, that they forgot that it's already a problem they've solved for other, similar systems--and that it's actually a problem that SHOULDN'T be solved: the point of the friggin' game is to design a prison, right? Prison Architect, right there in the title. If they're trying to automate some of the design elements... well, that's actually back-asswards. Make the player solve the problem FOR you, that's the whole point of the game, and it fits in with the current set of features already designed (deployment, linking systems, etc.).
Anyway, just my opinion. Hopefully a lot of other people agree. I don't really see why this is an issue.
- McLumberjack
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
I had the exact same thought watching the video (screaming 'Nooooo!', banging on the desk, natch). It's a matter of giving the player tools, all this effort trying to deduce a player's intentions when what's needed is giving them the option to explain themselves.
This many cooks here, this kitchen serves this canteen, cook this much food at these times, etc.
This many cooks here, this kitchen serves this canteen, cook this much food at these times, etc.
Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Nothing to add except that I totally agree.
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- blipadouzi
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Your idea is sound and it does present a great potential solution... but there is one thing it does not factor.
With your example, the game will calculate the tables, benches, serving tables etc to calculate how much food is required. But if I have a Canteen that can serve 200 prisoners (according to furnishings) but only have 40 prisoners currently eating out of that canteen... then I'll have 160 servings purchased and cooked for nothing. This is the problem the programmers are facing, calculating how much food and staffing is needed depending on how many prisoners are going to a specific canteen based on regime and security assignment.
And don't get me wrong, I really like where you are coming with your idea, but this would present a new problem for players, and just more complaints on the forums. A player would need to supply an adequate amount of tables, benches, serving tables in the canteen to accommodate the expected amount of prisoners. A miscalculation and there will be a shortage of food. Personally, I like this aspect because it will force players (myself) to properly calculate the size and furniture for the canteen to get the food supply running properly. But many players will moan and groan about it saying the game is bugged.
With your example, the game will calculate the tables, benches, serving tables etc to calculate how much food is required. But if I have a Canteen that can serve 200 prisoners (according to furnishings) but only have 40 prisoners currently eating out of that canteen... then I'll have 160 servings purchased and cooked for nothing. This is the problem the programmers are facing, calculating how much food and staffing is needed depending on how many prisoners are going to a specific canteen based on regime and security assignment.
And don't get me wrong, I really like where you are coming with your idea, but this would present a new problem for players, and just more complaints on the forums. A player would need to supply an adequate amount of tables, benches, serving tables in the canteen to accommodate the expected amount of prisoners. A miscalculation and there will be a shortage of food. Personally, I like this aspect because it will force players (myself) to properly calculate the size and furniture for the canteen to get the food supply running properly. But many players will moan and groan about it saying the game is bugged.
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
blipadouzi wrote:Your idea is sound and it does present a great potential solution... but there is one thing it does not factor.
With your example, the game will calculate the tables, benches, serving tables etc to calculate how much food is required. But if I have a Canteen that can serve 200 prisoners (according to furnishings) but only have 40 prisoners currently eating out of that canteen... then I'll have 160 servings purchased and cooked for nothing. This is the problem the programmers are facing, calculating how much food and staffing is needed depending on how many prisoners are going to a specific canteen based on regime and security assignment.
And don't get me wrong, I really like where you are coming with your idea, but this would present a new problem for players, and just more complaints on the forums. A player would need to supply an adequate amount of tables, benches, serving tables in the canteen to accommodate the expected amount of prisoners. A miscalculation and there will be a shortage of food. Personally, I like this aspect because it will force players (myself) to properly calculate the size and furniture for the canteen to get the food supply running properly. But many players will moan and groan about it saying the game is bugged.
This.
Like this says, the problem is more deeply rooted than just 5 cooks here, 6 cooks there, etc., it goes into how many meals to buy and then how many meals to cook for which kitchen for which regime "Eat" for which security level(s), and possibly even deeper.
Assigning cooks to kitchens, and kitchens to canteens, is a step in the right direction, and the ability to do so should be a separate unlock from the standard "Deployment"; I feel like a second or third kitchen/canteen wouldn't even be utilized as early as the normal "Deployment" unlock is available in a "normal" game (disclaimer - YMMV).
Having multiple security zones in a room would also play into the improved cooks. I personally have no issue letting the min/med/max co-mingle nor do I have an issue with them sharing a canteen with staggered "Eat" times (this allows for a smaller canteen overall, leaving more real estate for other rooms). It is with the other two that have the issues, and even they can share a smaller segregated canteen (with greater staggering of "Eat" for obvious reasons), and that's the thing; to minimize issues between these two new groups and the normal three they really need a better food-getting mechanism, be it meals on wheels or their own canteen(s). With two canteens, to keep the two groups separate and still fed, the ability to designate canteens (and other rooms, but I'm trying to stay on topic) for each group (normal min/med/max and special PC/SM) so that there is no cross-over is highly desirable, and perhaps even a "must have feature" on some peoples' lists.
Even if the multi-security zoned canteens never become a reality, the food preparation mechanism would need overhauling for multi-canteens/kitchens to work better, something like the cooks only prepare enough meals for the number of prisoners set to eat for that canteen's security status plus about 10% to accommodate any changes upward in the number of prisoners (for example, "Eat" set following intake). The ability to adjust the number of prepared meals on the fly would be a bonus (and perhaps eliminate the need for the overage).
Just my $0.02
The Czar
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Totally agree. Same goes for the automated planning of classes. Give me (the player) the damn control instead of having some weired (and probaly hugely complex) algorithm trying to figure it out and usually fail (though it doesnt fail as often anymore).
And for people finding problems in the proposed solution, its just an example of what could be done if one goes away from the guessing-algorithm-concept.I wrote this on reddit earlier with about 30 seconds thinking about it:
"Esp. the canteen solution is really cheap, i do not understand why they didnt implement some kind of deploy system for cooks/canteens or a connection system (assign kitchen X to canteen Y/Z) or even a simple canteen object: "assign needed meals" where the player can enter how much food he likes in this particular room. There seem to be so many possible solutions besides trying to solve for X variables (the way they tried).
Similar things apply to the solved "multiple regimes not working", they built a (presumable) huge algorithm to solve the issue instead of simply giving the player the choice: in which room at which time do you want this particular class. I still have to basically guess and hope when assigning multiple classrooms in a shared facility."
Im pretty sure if PA devs would think a bit more about the problem (and ignore the automated algorithm!) they'd come up with way better ways.
PS: I had noticed the teleporting food in the canteen quite a while ago and always thought its a placeholder for a later more flushed out system.....
And for people finding problems in the proposed solution, its just an example of what could be done if one goes away from the guessing-algorithm-concept.I wrote this on reddit earlier with about 30 seconds thinking about it:
"Esp. the canteen solution is really cheap, i do not understand why they didnt implement some kind of deploy system for cooks/canteens or a connection system (assign kitchen X to canteen Y/Z) or even a simple canteen object: "assign needed meals" where the player can enter how much food he likes in this particular room. There seem to be so many possible solutions besides trying to solve for X variables (the way they tried).
Similar things apply to the solved "multiple regimes not working", they built a (presumable) huge algorithm to solve the issue instead of simply giving the player the choice: in which room at which time do you want this particular class. I still have to basically guess and hope when assigning multiple classrooms in a shared facility."
Im pretty sure if PA devs would think a bit more about the problem (and ignore the automated algorithm!) they'd come up with way better ways.
PS: I had noticed the teleporting food in the canteen quite a while ago and always thought its a placeholder for a later more flushed out system.....
- McLumberjack
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Look, basically I want PA to realise my lifelong* dream of being Gloria** in Orange is the New Black, is that too much to ask? Maximum prison kitchen management intrigue. I'll show that Red how a kitchen should be run, dammit.
Look at that. Way too many buns. THIS IS A DISASTER. GOD DAMMIT LARRY.
*I am one year and three months old
**spoilers.
Look at that. Way too many buns. THIS IS A DISASTER. GOD DAMMIT LARRY.
*I am one year and three months old
**spoilers.
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
So I posted a little ditty on reddit about this, but I'll expand on it here. Assuming the following things:
We'll talk about this solution in the context of multiple kitchens and canteens, but a single class of prisoner and meal. We will be able to generalise the solution for multiple classes and meals. So the problem is trivially in NP, possibly BQP: Come time to produce meals, the kitchen staff accurately guess (the magic of nondeterminism!) the number of prisoners assigned to their nearest canteen and take the exact number of meals to said canteens to provide food. Without knowing this, you can still produce the correct number of meals, but it will take longer to get them to prisoners if they aren't in the correct place. It's NP, but I don't think it's complete since we can reduce the problem to P with a simple metadata trick.*
To solve the problem without being able to apriori predict where prisoners go, we need to assign them to canteens. Consider you are running the catering show in the prison, to be able to satisfy the prisoners, you need to know how many are are going to be eating where so that you can cook for that number. Let's say class A of n prisoners eats meal x at time t to time u. For each kitchen, based on the number of appliances and staff, we can work out how many meals of type x they produce in the period tu = z. If the kitchens nearest canteen has less than z prisoners for a meal, then the spare meals can go to another kitchen.
There is massive downsides to this, you need to solve systems of linear equations for multiple meals and prisoner eating simultaneously to work out the priority of production and the capacities need to be updated *every time* the system changes (add a prisoner, add a new oven, etc)
This doesn't mean that P == NP because by adding the metadata, we're effectively changing the problem. NP-hard/complete problems can't be solved by making a little change like this.
- Come meal time, prisoners will go to the nearest canteen (if they can get there)
- All kitchens can serve all canteens
- Kitchens independently make meals for currently unsatisfied prisoners
We'll talk about this solution in the context of multiple kitchens and canteens, but a single class of prisoner and meal. We will be able to generalise the solution for multiple classes and meals. So the problem is trivially in NP, possibly BQP: Come time to produce meals, the kitchen staff accurately guess (the magic of nondeterminism!) the number of prisoners assigned to their nearest canteen and take the exact number of meals to said canteens to provide food. Without knowing this, you can still produce the correct number of meals, but it will take longer to get them to prisoners if they aren't in the correct place. It's NP, but I don't think it's complete since we can reduce the problem to P with a simple metadata trick.*
To solve the problem without being able to apriori predict where prisoners go, we need to assign them to canteens. Consider you are running the catering show in the prison, to be able to satisfy the prisoners, you need to know how many are are going to be eating where so that you can cook for that number. Let's say class A of n prisoners eats meal x at time t to time u. For each kitchen, based on the number of appliances and staff, we can work out how many meals of type x they produce in the period tu = z. If the kitchens nearest canteen has less than z prisoners for a meal, then the spare meals can go to another kitchen.
There is massive downsides to this, you need to solve systems of linear equations for multiple meals and prisoner eating simultaneously to work out the priority of production and the capacities need to be updated *every time* the system changes (add a prisoner, add a new oven, etc)
This doesn't mean that P == NP because by adding the metadata, we're effectively changing the problem. NP-hard/complete problems can't be solved by making a little change like this.
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
blipadouzi wrote:Your idea is sound and it does present a great potential solution... but there is one thing it does not factor.
With your example, the game will calculate the tables, benches, serving tables etc to calculate how much food is required. But if I have a Canteen that can serve 200 prisoners (according to furnishings) but only have 40 prisoners currently eating out of that canteen... then I'll have 160 servings purchased and cooked for nothing. This is the problem the programmers are facing, calculating how much food and staffing is needed depending on how many prisoners are going to a specific canteen based on regime and security assignment.
And don't get me wrong, I really like where you are coming with your idea, but this would present a new problem for players, and just more complaints on the forums. A player would need to supply an adequate amount of tables, benches, serving tables in the canteen to accommodate the expected amount of prisoners. A miscalculation and there will be a shortage of food. Personally, I like this aspect because it will force players (myself) to properly calculate the size and furniture for the canteen to get the food supply running properly. But many players will moan and groan about it saying the game is bugged.
I don't know if that'd be a huge problem. While it is true that you could just do a rough calculation by calculating the number of seats, tables, and serving tables, that was only really a general starter suggestion. There are a ton of things they could do.
For instance, they could record the last 7 days of food consumption in a canteen for each particular hour, and make the cooks try and produce 5-10% more than that. That could even be folded into a function on the financial screen: penny-pinching wardens would want the food waste to be as tiny as possible, and could tell the cooks to only produce as much as calculated necessary, while wardens more concerned with prisoner happiness could allow cooks to produce enough food to cover minor or even major food demands.
I'm sure there are a lot more clever ideas out there--and I'm sure they're clever ones that Introversion has thought of. My point is more that, if they remove the number of things they have to calculate by manually granting control to the players (and maybe the answer is to give manual control over food quantity, too?), their impossible solutions become plausible again.
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As a side note, I think that being able to assign cooks and link up canteens manually should happen happen, because that'll allow us to feed prisoners in solitary. I imagine a dinky little kitchen with one chef, manually configured to the lowest possible food quality, linked up with 20 solitary cells. Guards are assigned to bring trays of food to the inmates. Maybe it's even like that in maximum security, too, to keep prisoners from getting weapons.
Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
The cooks over-preparing food based on a global three-sigma rule, and the excess food being put into the freezers for the next prep would solve this issue immediately.
The problem is I doubt Prison Architect takes a running attendance mean for each individual canteen, which would be required to over-prep food based on each individual canteen's volume. Canteens can't be handled as one canteen, they have separate needs, which isn't how the game presently handles them in the data tables.
Frankly, the quantum tunneling shortcut is the easiest solution to what's otherwise an involved fix for the exact same gain. And this is coming from someone who's very much in the pro-realism camp.
It'd be cute to see cooks running food carts between canteens based on attendance fluctuations, as well as sending meals to inmates who're on long-term lockdown, though.
The problem is I doubt Prison Architect takes a running attendance mean for each individual canteen, which would be required to over-prep food based on each individual canteen's volume. Canteens can't be handled as one canteen, they have separate needs, which isn't how the game presently handles them in the data tables.
Frankly, the quantum tunneling shortcut is the easiest solution to what's otherwise an involved fix for the exact same gain. And this is coming from someone who's very much in the pro-realism camp.
It'd be cute to see cooks running food carts between canteens based on attendance fluctuations, as well as sending meals to inmates who're on long-term lockdown, though.
Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Another way to do it is with a reservation system.
Given 75 prisoners, 2 kitchens and 2 canteens
The player allocates canteen A 25 meals per day
The player allocates canteen B 50 meals per day
Kitchen A prepares meals for the nearest canteen until it is full, and then the next nearest, and so on.
Kitchen B prepares meals for the nearest canteen until it is full, and then the next nearest, and so on.
At meal time the prisoners attempt to queue at the nearest canteen until all of its meals are allocated, then the next nearest, and so on.
But a) do we really want this level of micro management, b) would it work better than quantum teleporting meals (doubtful), and c) is it worth delaying other features?
I don't think this problem is solvable without some kind of allocation by the player. The game has no way to predict many prisoners will be near a given canteen at the next meal time. I suppose it could use an average over the last few meal times, but it could very well underallocate food. So then you could tell your kitchens to overproduce food by x%.
Given 75 prisoners, 2 kitchens and 2 canteens
The player allocates canteen A 25 meals per day
The player allocates canteen B 50 meals per day
Kitchen A prepares meals for the nearest canteen until it is full, and then the next nearest, and so on.
Kitchen B prepares meals for the nearest canteen until it is full, and then the next nearest, and so on.
At meal time the prisoners attempt to queue at the nearest canteen until all of its meals are allocated, then the next nearest, and so on.
But a) do we really want this level of micro management, b) would it work better than quantum teleporting meals (doubtful), and c) is it worth delaying other features?
I don't think this problem is solvable without some kind of allocation by the player. The game has no way to predict many prisoners will be near a given canteen at the next meal time. I suppose it could use an average over the last few meal times, but it could very well underallocate food. So then you could tell your kitchens to overproduce food by x%.
Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
Couldn't you just link the cell blocks to the canteen and then the kitchen to the canteen?
Eg: Cell block D which has 30 max prisoners and Cell block E which has 10 med sec prisoners is linked to canteen A which is linked to kitchen B. Med sec chow time comes up so the canteen goes 'how many occupied cells of med sec are linked to me?'. It would then send a request to the kitchens that are linked to it for 10 meals.
Eg: Cell block D which has 30 max prisoners and Cell block E which has 10 med sec prisoners is linked to canteen A which is linked to kitchen B. Med sec chow time comes up so the canteen goes 'how many occupied cells of med sec are linked to me?'. It would then send a request to the kitchens that are linked to it for 10 meals.
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Re: Alpha 26 Video Response: Solution to the Kitchen Problem
blipadouzi wrote:Your idea is sound and it does present a great potential solution... but there is one thing it does not factor.
This is the problem the programmers are facing, calculating how much food and staffing is needed depending on how many prisoners are going to a specific canteen based on regime and security assignment.
I feel like this is a good place for me to start my suggestion, and has already been suggested by czar mohab, but I have a few suggestions to work it out.
(I did sorta semi work this out in a python type code, it's what I know, so it may not work in C++ but most programming codes are similar so......yell at me if you want.)
And this is mostly for prisons with seperate canteens (like I run), just cause it's set up this way, but I'm sure it could be adapted to a degree (have no idea how, but anyway).
czar mohab wrote:Assigning cooks to kitchens, and kitchens to canteens, is a step in the right direction, and the ability to do so should be a separate unlock from the standard "Deployment"; I feel like a second or third kitchen/canteen wouldn't even be utilized as early as the normal "Deployment" unlock is available in a "normal" game (disclaimer - YMMV).
Basically, I was thinking, the overall deployment functions that serve already for guards, (Need three guards in room A, and two in room B at all times) and the designated areas that come with the deployment tab (min/mid/max/staff only or all etc) could be tweaked to fit.
Prisoners have min/mid/max designations right? So why can't staff? That would solve a lot of problems to a degree, esp. if you had separate canteens, like I do. So you assign a canteen to be min only, and a kitchen to also be min only. Then you 'deploy' a cook to said min kitchen. From that moment he/she is deployed, they gain a security clearance/designation of min security.
A basic If/Else loop could run if they try to route to say the max kitchen.
Code: Select all
IF securityClearance == roomDesignation:
routePath
ELSE:
noRoutePath
print ("I do not have security clearance.")
Or something along those lines.
czar mohab wrote:Even if the multi-security zoned canteens never become a reality, the food preparation mechanism would need overhauling for multi-canteens/kitchens to work better, something like the cooks only prepare enough meals for the number of prisoners set to eat for that canteen's security status plus about 10% to accommodate any changes upward in the number of prisoners (for example, "Eat" set following intake). The ability to adjust the number of prepared meals on the fly would be a bonus (and perhaps eliminate the need for the overage).
If the kitchens and canteens were zoned correctly, and it all fell under the appropriate headings of min/mid/max/supermax etc, then this could possibly be a lot easier.
Instead of having kitchens A-D preparing and guessing, they get zoned, along with the canteens. The appropriate prisoners would then only be allowed to go to that canteen that is zoned for them, and they would all go at the appropriate time on the regime.
There is a prisoner count for each type (min/max etc). If all of the min prisoners head to the min canteen at this time because it is the appropriately zoned canteen for them, then the numMinPrisoners classification in the code should inform the numMinMeals variable. If it is done automatically, then as the numMinPrisoners increases or decreases, the numMinMeals automatically alters as well, keeping the kitchen in line with the overall number of meals they have to produce.
So Min kitchen is preparing say 10 meals, but 3 more prisoners arrive bringing the numMinPrisoners to 13. From there, as that variable is altered, the numMinMeals is also automatically altered from 10 to 13 and three more meals are ready to be created when needed for meal time. I believe this happens away if you have just the one kitchen, so all you're really adding in would be the numMinMeals total to minCanteen from minKitchen (or just KITCHEN if you had only one but multiple canteens). So really it's the canteens working out how many prisoners will be in said canteen, requesting the meals and the kitchen delivers said meals.
This all assumes that zoning and deployment is first working and everything, to avoid mixups. With this system though, you could honestly have one massive kitchen, but multiple canteens, as numMinMeals, numMaxMeals and numMidMeals would all be sent to the same kitchen, but the canteen would require numXXXMeals for the appropriate zone.
czar mohab wrote:With two canteens, to keep the two groups separate and still fed, the ability to designate canteens (and other rooms, but I'm trying to stay on topic) for each group (normal min/med/max and special PC/SM) so that there is no cross-over is highly desirable, and perhaps even a "must have feature" on some peoples' lists.
If this deployment thing went ahead so you could assign workers a security clearance and only let them into those areas (like the prisoner designation does) then this would add some micromanaging at the start but then make it easier in the long run I feel. This zoning/clearance thing would work for medical wards as well (another major issue like the cooks/kitchens thing), but also cleaners and gardeners. Instead of having 20 gardeners wandering around all over the prison, assign 5 to each sector and let them do their thing ONLY in that sector, so you know exactly who is being lazy and who isn't.
This is my novel of a response. Sorry, but I hope it makes sense. Yell at me if it doesn't.
Sam.
TL;DR:
Zoning and deployment to organise who can go where. Use prisoner numbers and classifications (min prisoners =#) to determine how many meals need to be sent to the canteen that is zoned for min prisoners.
Worker deployment would work across the board for all workers as well.
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