prison-architect game sourced
Prison Architect
A prison management sim in which the player builds a facility, sets an hourly regime, and staffs it while hundreds of prisoners pursue needs whose neglect leads to fights, escapes, and riots.
core loop
build cells, canteens, and yards -> set the hourly regime -> prisoners pursue needs within the schedule -> unmet needs raise misconduct, contraband, and riots -> hire staff, run programs, and claim grants -> expand capacity for more prisoners and income
design notes
Control is indirect: the player cannot order prisoners, only shape the regime, the buildings that satisfy each need, and the staff who enforce rules. Each of about 21 needs is a charge from 1 to 10 satisfied by specific objects for set durations (a phone booth takes 25 minutes, a shower 20), and needs left at the top charge produce side effects. Information itself is a staffed system: features such as viewing finances unlock only after hiring the matching staff member, such as an accountant. Prisoners fall into five security levels with different temperaments, sentence lengths, and cashflow, and reform and labor programs reduce recidivism, which feeds the prison's grade.
relations
20 stored edgesCrime and policing
Guards, dog handlers, armed guards, and snitches counter contraband, gangs, and escape attempts through patrols, searches, and lockdowns.
Daily schedules
Hiring a Warden unlocks an hourly regime per risk category with Lockup, Sleep, Eat, Yard, Shower, Free Time, and Work blocks; each block confines prisoners to areas rather than forcing actions, so needs are met only where the current block lets prisoners go.
Building placement
The prison is drawn tile by tile: foundations, walls, doors, and objects are placed, then workmen build them, and room types are assigned to enclosed areas that contain required objects.
Needs decay
About 21 prisoner needs (bladder, food, sleep, hygiene, freedom, family, privacy, spirituality, and others) each charge from 1 to 10 and are reset by specific objects or activities; a need at 10 triggers its side effect, and reports color needs from green to red.
Stability and unrest
Needs left unmet for long periods make prisoners irritated, then likely to fight, attack staff, attempt escape, or riot, and violence spreads to nearby prisoners until guards restore order.
Content sharing
Player prisons are shared online, and Escape Mode lets players break out of shared prisons.
Contracts and orders
Federal grants pay out for meeting stated construction or program objectives.
Population strata
Five security levels with different temperaments, sentence lengths, and cashflow, plus death row.
Staff hiring and rosters
Staff such as guards, cooks, janitors, doctors, psychologists, and lawyers are hired individually, and administrators unlock features.