Restricted Areas

[PerfectDeath]

One thing that happened while playing was I noticed prisoners stacking onto staff-only doors to gain access to areas I do not want them to go into; so far there is no way to stop them even posting a guard will not deter them.

SO I thought about a "Burrow" mechanic like dwarf fortress has to create zones where certain dwarfs can be restricted too.
This could be done with a general restricted zone highlight where staff only can enter; if a prisoner is spotted in a restricted tile and a guard is alerted then they will be cuffed and escorted to their cell or something.
This could be expanded if prisoners can specifically be sorted into groups (like cell blocks) to be restricted from entering specific zones. But the general restriction could be easier to implement as it is a prisoner only restriction.

Prisoners would probably need to be aware of restricted zones and they would probably ignore these zones if they are desperate enough.

[wfuller]

+1

I had the same thought earlier. Could be great for making access corridors to certain parts of your prisons. And yeah, it would be really cool if sneakier prisoners would still try to get in to get their hands on contraband, etc.

[lilserf]

I think the real solution needed here is that when prisoners are pathfinding they shouldn't path through a staff-only door - this would prevent them from stacking up.
Right now you can work around it by making sure that the shortest path doesn't run through a staff-only door if possible, but I agree this is annoying.

[PerfectDeath]

Well I design the prison so the routes they take are usually through places I want them to go (fencing is free!) its just that when they are being deviant and decide to path find their way to contraband I know they are up to no good but I have no way of communicating that to the guards.
All I can do is have a funnel with a metal detector at the point people enter and exit the kitchen to flag prisoners to be searched.

Though there are also other places prisoners try to go to get contraband, the kitchen is the #1 spot.
Plus metal detectors are expensive. =P
I have a eat then yard regime so they all bundle up in the yard after walking through the metal detector between the yard and canteen; the problem is that it results in prisoners missing out on things resulting in more clamour..

The burrow system is in the game; you can see it with the regime schedule; if it is shower time then prisoners who try to leave the showers while a guard is nearby will walk back to the showers. A restricted area could even do the same thing where prisoners would move out of the restricted zone if they feel the presence of a guard.

[RMJ1984]

I kinda feel that if we are gonna have some real fun with prison breaks and such.

Ifeel that we need to be encouraged to build more corridors and hallways. like say each room has a power box circut or something, so that prisoners could disable power or something and you wouldn have vision in that room unless you bring a guard.

There just needs to be a way for prisoners to be able to sneak around. either that or the zoom out should be lowered or something.

I just feel that the whole prison escape and them doing stuff they are not supposed to could play such huge part in making this game very fun and interesting.

Or maybe if Prisons had multiple levels above or and under ground, that way you couldn always be able to have full vision on everything.

Or maybe if you dont have a guard in a room you dont have vision, not sure if that could work, as in you dont see what is going on with the people there. that would play well into the fact with security cameras later on as then you have those to give a cone of vision in a room without any guards and prisoners can still sneak past those.

Or maybe if you zoom out there would appear roof on the buildings, an that goes away when you zoom in a certain distance and so you can watch inside the buildings, but not all at once.

I hope Introversion have som idea to really this a big part of the game.

[Nenjin]

I"d just like two areas that we can designate:

1. Staff-only zones. These are zones that the guard AI knows should only have staff in them. If a prisoner enters a staff-only zone, it's a conduct violation and the guard AI will subdue the prisoner.

2. High-risk zones. These are zones that the player has deemed too dangerous for staff, and all staff members except guards will avoid them unless there's no alternative route available. The game already sort of does this when fighting breaks out, but it'd be nice to have control over it as the player.

[PerfectDeath]

Yea staff restricted zones would be useful; it can get annoying when my cooks walk through the main prison hallway to carry ingredients; I can see why it is often quicker to do it than to go to the storage site but still. =P
It would keep the injuries down; however, repairs to damages would still need to occur so maybe having it toggled so staff can come out to fix things once you deem it appropriate for them to enter the danger zone.

[ElectricGlow]

This was the system I was thinking would work - in the game it would act as a set of guidelines for the prisoner's decision making and pathing.

OPEN AREA - This would be the default setting for all areas inside the prison. Prisoners can be in these areas any time (except during lockdowns) without generating much suspicion or concern. This would include hallways, showers, the canteen, the yard, and soforth.

LIMITED AREA - These are areas where prisoners do not need a guard escort, but have more common-sense limitations. This would include the infirmary as well as individual cells and holding areas. Unauthorized prisoners in these areas would be checked and escorted out with a "slap on the wrist" or minor punishment.

CLOSED AREA - Prisoners should never be in these areas, or should never be in the areas without an escort. This would include the kitchen, the building perimiter, access corridors only for staff, workshops, the utility room, and staff offices. Unescorted prisoners spotted in these areas would be apprehended immediately and have more serious punishment like solitary confinement.

CLOSED AREA WITH LETHAL RESPONSE OPTION - Prisoners should never be in these areas for any reason, with or without an escort. These are areas where guards are authorized to use lethal force at any time to stop a prisoner. This would include building perimieter areas as well as places like the security room - any area where there is a serious risk of escape, or where a prisoner could cause serious damage to the prison. Any prisoner or prisoners in this area fighting, carrying a weapon, or not immediately responding to commands/fleeing may be shot at.

[Hessen]

Someone's seen Fortress far too many times.

[ElectricGlow]

Someone's seen Fortress far too many times.

What's Fortress?

[Hessen]

A film about a futuristic prison. There are lines drawn on the floor and if a prisoner crosses certain coloured lines they're either automatically administered pain or death (depending on the colour of the line)

[ElectricGlow]

Huh. Never saw that. Well there's nothing to really stop a prisoner. So if they KO a gaurd and take the keys, they can get into a restricted area. But if they get farther they face a decision - whether to go for it and rush through a resitricted or lethal restricted area or not. During normal times it might be suicidal, but if there's a massive riot, they might escape through.

[thekev506]

I think setting zones is already planned for the game. Don't quote me on that, though.

[ElectricGlow]

I think setting zones is already planned for the game. Don't quote me on that, though.

That's great! I have a lot of pathing issues where the prisoners are getting into wierd areas.



That service corridor, the horizontal one-tile wide orange area in the middle, - somehow prisoners always enter into it from the upper-left and get stuck halfway through going from one of my more distant cellblocks to get to the canteen. Ignoring the staff only designation, of course.

[Das_Wuff]

How the hell did I miss this topic when I wrote this? I mean, it was a day apart XD

I like the idea with the 'lethal response' areas, though. Maybe someone should make a mod where if they're caught in a lethal response area, they get their head put up on a pike outside the prison. Show the fresh meat what the pecking order is c:<