Cameras and Tunnels

[Yeslik]

So, I've got a cctv camera in a dormitory cell in my new cell block. It houses 20 prisoners, and it's right next to the two toilets, within visibility of the toilets. Yet, for some reason, my guards never noticed all of the prisoners digging a tunnel out of their cell on cctv. What gives?

I mean, my sniper had no problems putting down 16 delinquents, but you'd figure that would've been something they noticed on camera and checked out. Or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

[SteddyNCC78339]

CCTV cameras will only reveal areas that are not directly observable by a staff member, and are really only useful if you haven't disabled Fog of War or whatever it is called.

[Jet City Gambler]

Cameras don't seem to be much help for tunnels. You're better off with dog patrols around your dorms, using CIs to spot tools in the dorm, metal detectors at the entrance, and searching the toilets (just the individual toilets, not the whole cell) on a regular basis to discover tunnels.

Dorm residents are tunnel rats (especially the grey ones) because they have so many people to help extend the tunnel.

[Yeslik]

Hmm. I don't have any informants in that block yet. I think I'll try that one out. Thanks man. I've never played around with dorms before, I'm surprised at their eagerness for building tunnels. Watching that sniper tranq them all was absolutely beautiful, though

[Jet City Gambler]

You don't need informants in that specific block, but the higher their % coverage is, the more info you'll get. If you recruit a few informants early, they should bump up to 100%, which shows you virtually all the contraband in the prison.

Look for those little wood axes, in the dorms, they can bypass the metal detectors. Plus I think they share tools with other people in the dorm, which makes them such fast diggers. If you want to be sure, just bang the dorm toilets every other night. Your guards are probably just eating donuts in the staffroom anyway...

[billy]

Informants aren't great for finding out about tunnels directly . Dogs patrolling round the outside of the dorms/cells and regular searches are best. I rotate round my cell blocks 'search cell block' when the prisoners arent in there.

And as poster above says keep an eye out for tools. They can dig from dorms quick.

Not sure if it's a fact but lower and meduim security prisoners seems to dig a lot more than high.

[SteddyNCC78339]

Originally posted by Urist:

I'm surprised at their eagerness for building tunnels.

Dorms are absolute tunnel factories, especially when you get more than 5 prisoners per dorm... I tend to build dorm blocks with no more than 4 prisoner per dorm and each dorm is surrounded on all four sides by 3 square wide corridors so that my dogs can patroll around each dorm individually.

[Yeslik]

I'm liking the idea of several smaller dorms. Though I was hoping for a higher prisoner density in my cell blocks. I'll have to find a way. That's what makes this game fun though, right ;)