Prison Architect alpha 25 launches with big updates

Time for another update which also comes in video form.

Prison Architect alpha 25 has now escaped and according to the team there’s big updates this month. The focus in this update has been balance changes which has meant a load of new system additions to “bring unpredictability back to your prisoners” as the team explains:

Alpha 25 was motivated by seeing prisons that just run themselves – and can even be left running overnight, without anything bad happening. This doesn’t sit right with us, and running a prison shouldn’t ever be something that can be done fully automatically. This month we’ve introduced a whole series of new systems and balance changes that bring unpredictability back to your prisoners.

As usual the guys are back with a new video which demonstrates the new features which are in the updates below.

 Reputation

• New prisoners sometimes have a reputation, shown when highlighing them or in their rap sheet.
  Nb. Existing prisoners (in alpha 24 save games) will not have any reputation – only new arrivals
  The reputation specifies unusual abilities or traits they may possess, which affect their behaviour.
• – 50% of reputations are known when the prisoner arrives. The other 50% can be revealed through your informants.
  – All prisoners have a new “Character” tab in their rapsheet, which gives details on their reputation.
• – STRONG hits harder with each punch during fights
• – TOUGH can withstand a lot more punishment in a fight. He can also sometimes withstand being hit by a Tazer
• – VOLATILE liable to kick off without warning and for no reason
• – STOICAL will not become suppressed when locked in Solitary
• – SNITCH a known informant, and as such his life may be in danger. Don’t leave him alone with other prisoners for too long
• – DEADLY a master in lethal combat moves, and can sometimes kill with a single hit
• – EX LAW was once a Police Officer, or some other law enforcement profession. His life may be in danger
• – COP KILLER guilty of murdering a Police Officer. Your prison guards may be unable to restrain themselves when subduing him
• – FEARLESS not intimidated by the sight of Armed Guards, and is less likely to surrender during a fight
• – QUICK an unusually fast runner
• – INSTIGATOR sows seeds of discontent in all those nearby. When he causes trouble, nearby prisoners will feel compelled to do the same
• – In some cases, the prisoner will have a high degree of a reputation, eg “Extremely Strong” or “Extremely Volatile”.
• – In a very small number of cases, you will receive a LEGENDARY PRISONER. These guys have a potent mix of the above list that makes them very dangerous.

New Prisoner Categories

• To help deal with the new troublesome prisoners, two new categories of prisoner have been created.
• Prisoners must be manually assigned to these categories.
• These new categories have a corrisponding new Zone in the Deployment screen, and a new Regime column.

Protective Custody

• Useful for hiding your snitches, ex law enforcement etc in a safe zone where they cannot be attacked
• Nb. Informants sent to protective custody lose coverage quickly (out of the loop)
• Nb. During riot conditions, some of your most dangerous prisoners may attempt to attack the protective custody wing

– SuperMax

• If you simply cannot control a particular prisoner, move him to supermax.
• Allows you to segregate them away and instigate strong lockdown and security measures

Escape Tunnels Overhall

• Escape Tunnels have been rebalanced, and are now viable once again
• Prisoners in neighbouring cells will team up to try to dig a combined escape tunnel.
• They can share any tools they have during the operation
• Many weapons can now also be used as digging tools, eg Knifes, Forks etc
• Guard dogs are now more reliable at discovering tunnels, and will mark the suspected spot with a small flag.
• Searching a cell now has only a low chance to discover an escape tunnel, UNLESS the prisoner is digging it when the guard enters!To discover a tunnel for certain, dismantle the toilets in the cells you suspect.

= Confidential Informants (continued)

• – Any single informant now has a maximum coverage of 50% at the time he is hired
• – An informants coverage will slowly increase over time (beyond 50%), so long as his suspicion is low and he is not ‘active’
• – The Informants overlay now shows the highest level of suspicion ever reached by an informant, as a black line.
• – You can now highlight and select prisoners and staff etc in the Informants window
• – Informants now reveal Assassination Targets – ie prisoners who will be attacked if left alone for too long. This is shown as a red crosshair over the prisoner. (Known informants / Snitches, ex law enforcement etc)

= Game Balance changes

• – Prisoners responsible for a serious injury will have their category automatically increased (min-sec to medium, medium to max-sec)
• – Prisoners responsible for a murder will be charged and given an additional 25 year sentence,and will automatically reclassify as Maximum Security (if they weren’t already)
• – The ‘temperature’ of your prison must now be at least 33% before a riot can start
• – 10 Prisoners must be rioting before a prison-wide RIOT status can occur. To stop the riot, you must reduce the number of rioting prisoners to 3 or less.
• – Tazer Training Program
  • All regular guards must now pass the Tazer Certification Program before they are permitted to use a tazer.
  • This takes place in the classroom and is led by the Chief.
  • The staff window now shows which guards have body armour and tazers.
  • Nb. When loading an alpha 24 save, all Tazers owned by regular Guards and Dog Handlers will be confiscated, and a refund given.
  • Nb. Dog Handlers can no longer carry Tazers.
• – Prisoners can now pick up weapons from their current room during fights, escapes, riots etc. (Based on what is available as contraband)
• – The Morgue is now a source of Knifes and Scissors
• – Prisoners can now improvise a Shank in the Workshop
• – Prisoners can now improvise a Baton in the Cleaning Cupboard (by snapping mops)
• – Prisoners can now improvise a wooden pickaxe in the Workshop (for digging tunnels)

Mod System Continued

• Now supports multiple active mods at once, even if those mods all add their own new graphics
• New property to set material auto-consumed on job
• Can now auto-order raw materials
• NEW SCRIPT COMMANDS:
  • GetNearbyObjects – Get a list of all nearby objects of a certain type
  • NavigateTo – Instruct an entity to go somewhere
  • ClearRouting – Clear an entity’s destination
• – Panic Button mod
  • A new ‘official’ test mod that adds a Panic Button to the game, using the new script commands.
  • Injured staff members will run to it and press it, and guards will be summoned to the area.
• – Fixed : You can no longer place Foundations that you cannot afford
• – ‘Unlimited Funds’ option in ‘New Prison’ screen. Spend as much money as you like while building your prison – a more pure sandbox mode.
• – Prisoners will now be assigned to Rehab programs more reliably, when addicted/alcoholic/withdrawn

BUG FIXES

• – 0004559: [Gameplay] Prisoners don’t starve to death
• – 0000353: [Graphics] Door is diagonal
• – 0004957: [Gameplay] Cooker works fine without electricity
• – 0003352: [AI & Behaviour] TVs satisfy Recreation Need without Power
• – 0001382: [Gameplay] Workshop saw and press don’t require electricity.
• – 0004684: [Gameplay] Objects requiring power/water remain functional when power grid overloaded
• – 0003186: [Save & Load] Water Valve resets to On when game is Reloaded.
• – 0000106: [Platform Specific Issues] Pipe Valves do not save state.
• – 0005166: [Graphics] some Guards show premanently their fists after a fight
• – 0003486: [Gameplay] Prison Guards do not recieve weapons back
• – 0005448: [Graphics] Bleach sprite is sometimes incorrect
• – 0000022: [Control & User Interface] Needs tab does not scale past 200 prisoners.
• – 0001948: [Control & User Interface] Steam shift+tab menu pausing and unpausing the game
• – 0003720: [Graphics] Prisoners in class facing the wrong way
• – 0001351: [AI & Behaviour] Visitors facing the wrong way
• – 0002391: [Graphics] Drains overlap beds/toilets
• – 0003989: [Graphics] Drains appear above washing machines
• – 0002970: [Control & User Interface] Lights over doors prevent door operation
• – 0000066: [AI & Behaviour] Prisoners use showers (and toilets) without water
• – 0004275: [Other] Laundy machines work without water
• – 0005668: [AI & Behaviour] Guard looking away from CCTV monitor
• – 0002777: [AI & Behaviour] Emergency personnel can’t open staff/jail doors
• – 0000181: [Graphics] Pool Players Disappear During Their Game
• – 0005262: [Graphics] Drain overlapping toilet
• – 0004755: [Gameplay] When buying a plot of land above your land, your unfinnished foundation jobs move upwards towards the new land
• – 0000191: [AI & Behaviour] Hired staff chooses office without any furniture
• – 0003646: [AI & Behaviour] Dog sniff icon won’t disappear