My thoughts are there is 2 ways to play.
First, the people being the prisoners are doing time for crimes and are trying to make their sentences shorter with good behavior or making a run for it. This would be more of free roam mode. Where things like being able to rat someone out to the warden gets you a reduced sentence, but run the risk of getting you stabbed while in jail or if you mess with the wrong maximum security prisoner, have a hit squad waiting for you on your day of release. Possibly reporting fights, where a guard may not be present, to help prevent a riot and keep your life in the process.
Otherwise make your great escape, by talking to other prisoners and aggravating the situation to the point of a riot/fights. If working the scene isn't your thing, then finding a spoon may be just your thing. Dig a tunnel to freedom. Starting out, you would need to be able to search areas (most likely via hot key) for useful items to either escape or wear down the prison. Grab a knife from the kitchen, locate a guard all by his lonesome, and tear down the prison one guard at a time. This could become another mode of competitive escape with teams or free-for-all. Giving players abilities (only in competitive mode), such as planting weapons in enemies cells, destroying any of their possible work (tunnels, stashed tools), fight them in the yard (blindly guessing, if it's another player), or just plain old make use of solitary confinement as a means of uninterrupted work.
Second option, the prisoner players are doing time, but they're escape artists. Testing the prison for any faults, where they might be able to slip out of jail. This would be good for team and solo style, making it a race to escape or leave no soldier behind effort. An escape date would be set by the players, with a corresponding payment for the window of opportunity. Upon a successful escape, they receive their benefits. Failure, and no one goes home. Beyond the point of no return, only one option remains; the electric chair, if the current architect has included one. Otherwise a nice quiet ride on the bus to "The Hole" to end your game.
If an architect is playing this mode with friends or random visitors, the architect needs to play the warden and weed out the unwelcome guests. Foiling their plans and giving them a permanent cell in solitary confinement.
An endless mode of this game type would be to test your friend's or your own prison. No benefits for escaping, other than the knowledge that your prison is never secure.
Architects should be able to be present in all game modes as the warden or another prisoner. Architects choosing to be wardens will need to thwart any attempts of escape. Escape Artist mode is the only situation were an architect can single out prisoners, branding them escape artists and cost them their cash.
All prisoners, except escape artists (they will have researched the prison first), will have a fog of war that starts you out with a completely black screen/prison. You won't be able to see any of the prisons inner workings, until you're inside. Exposing only the areas you've been, and creating a second fog of war that will only gray the prison areas. Leaving you with a map, like a mental map (You don't know where to go, until you've gone there). Things like doors could display a name on the map, like security room, kitchen, office of ....; leaving a black spot, unless you choose to enter.
I feel like this post is getting too big, so I'll end it here. If anyone from Introversion would like to hear further details on this idea, please send me an email, I'm welcome to share them.
Also, reading this and looking it over several times, this may almost need to be it's own expansion. I hope some of you like the idea of multiplayer and my couple of game modes for it. Share any of your thoughts on it or what possibly else would be cool to see. Enjoy, and hope to see this option some day.
