Are bookshelves broken?

[PlasticDingus]

I'm working on a small prison, A maximum security setup that's oddly profitable. Quite a lot of the prison is an open layout, and it has a sizeable common room. For some reason though, my biggest issue is the Recreation need. All other needs are pretty easily satisfied and my alert level has never gone to medium, but Recreation keeps ramping the fuck up. The worst of it is, it seems like my prisoners don't even notice the two pool tables and TVs I've supplied them. So as a measure to combat this rising boredom, each cell gets a bookshelf, but even the most bored prisoners aren't using them! What gives?

[Collic001]

I'm not sure ive ever seen anyone use them. I think they're non functional at the minute. They are a reliable fire risk though.

[zetathix]

In my prison, they don't use bookshelves too. Not even in anywhere, or any type of regime. So I just dismantled them. (I testing by build it a lot everywhere except shower, or it must be with toilet? )
TV and pool still work fine for me. But one thing I found somewhere on the internet, ratio is around 2-3 prisoners per one object to make them satisfy enough.

[fat_wilf]

i don't think bookshelves have EVER been functional. i''m sure they are decoration only at the moment

[perryliu97]

Bookshelves aren't working.

BIG TVs aren't either. Only the small ones are.

I vaguely remember the devs mentioning it quite a few Alphas ago.

[ExpressMBD]

There are big TV's?

[perryliu97]

There are big TV's?

I swear there was one. In Alpha 4 at least. Might have been removed in one of the updates, as I never bothered to check the items tab in every single new Alpha.

[christhekiller]

The big TVs were removed (I believe) in Alpha 10

[wUndertUnge]

You know, I put a book shelf AND a TV in the cells. I wanted them well-read, but all they want to do is watch TV

Could it be that this is a passive recreation thing? I mean, usually I know it shows it actively lowering their recreation need and actively watching TV...

[Ric666]

As fat_wilf has already said, bookshelves have never worked in the game to this point.

Hopefully, we'll get large TV's back & working bookshelves sometime soon.

[zetathix]

I think it should activate to usable object when something which needs education or religion coming. For now I didn't see anything need to improving their skills to use, maybe soon workshop will do better by educate them.
But it's use for fire fuel for now.

[vulgarman]

Bookshelves, good places to store contraband, easily found.

Also, provides contraband, depending on the literature.

But yeah, none of this is functional. Nor, the bookshelves themselves.

[wUndertUnge]

Bookshelves, good places to store contraband, easily found.

Also, provides contraband, depending on the literature.

But yeah, none of this is functional. Nor, the bookshelves themselves.

I have visions of a tunnel being covered up by a bookshelf, a la Shawshank Redemption.

[thekillergreece]

Or simple they are not fully coded..Prisoners will not take books from bookshelves..