Why do you not make a tight prison?

[Freemind]

When I look through a lot of the prisons in steam workshop, I think they all build the cells a bit to sparse.
What I mean is that most rows of cells are very often buildt one and then a coridor. Why not chain the cells, to get more efficient space use and a tighter prison where your inmates do not have to walk for so long.

I've made a prototype:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=260137440

It works very well... the only downside is probably if there is a riot.

[Proteus]

IMHO such a prison could also bear the danger of riots breaking out easier and/or getting worse sooner, due to the large concentration of prisoners in tight space, when they have to go to and from their cells

(well, I also get them more roomy cells, with 3*3 m, a TV set a bookcase and optionally also a weight bench to keep them satisfied ... satisfied prisoners are less likely to get violent or dig tunnels)

[Freedom]

I have to stare at the screen while building it. No offense to you mate, but for me ,that is dog ugly. They have all kinds of tools and rooms, I use them as they were meant to be used. :)

Not like we are racing against others to reach some magical number.

I would build something like that maybe just for the dosh, but not sure. I am not sure my hands would let me. :)


I would like to see you run that for several cycles for sure. I agree with Proteus, that seems like you have issues.

[BadgerMilk]

Well I do know that a lot of people like to maximize their prison compacity, minimize size, and maximize output. I don't find this fun. Maybe it is just for more hardcore gamers. I like to have a prison that looks like a real prison, and functions like one. My prisons usually are smaller prisons, but they are fun to manage and they look nice. Well people are all about making small prisons it is like they are in a contest or something. I just don't see the point, but I could see it being fun just to try to see how small you could get a working prison.

[Princess Greg]

Well, firstly, with 1-tile walkways, you tend to get a lot of 'traffic' and people stuck at the corners. This is enough to agitate a lot of them.

There's not much space for patrols either. And with those cells so close together, guards will have to get through dozens of doors to respond to anything happening at the right or bottom. In my policy, every infraction results in search of prisoner and cell and this will slow down the operation a lot.

And it looks lke your danger levels aren't very good, so I don't think 'works well' is very accurate a description. ;)

Plus, the more prisoners you have, the more the game's performance could start suffering, depending on your computer. For now, it's just not worth it to maximize on space.

[Bamwich]

I build prison complexes. Many buildings, although my cell blocks are much larger than your mega-building.

I think you'd be toast if you had a fire. No pun intended.

[Starvin247]

Personally, I don't like how all your cells are connected like that and you're missing out on 3 capacitors on your power generator but thanks for sharing.

[yoda]

Not quite sure how to react to that...

[Winter]

Lets hope OP and some others keep their prison designing adventures to games only ;)

[Mendacious Calamity]

LOL that's the most bizarre cell layout I've ever seen! So if your cell is in the middle you've got to have a guard open about a dozen cell doors and walk through other people's cells to get to yours?

I was about to post that you should make whatever prison design you like and let others do the same, but that is really quite a peculiar design you've come up with there.

[Emmote]

Yeah, I've seen layouts like that before, even gave it a try once, but I really didn't like them. Having a guy in lockdown near the beginning of the chain locksdown all the others too.

It doesn't really work.

[Freemind]

I've added another screenshot to the prison showing the older a bit more ordered part of the prison where cellstacking is using in a neater and as I see it, more convincing way. This way I dont really see why it isn't used more often. I can agree with most of you who think my big cluster on the first screenshot is weird, ugly etc. though. Ofcourse it works.

Also notice that in the secound screenshot danger levels are down. Prisoners are usually tightly suppressed using armed guards.

Originally posted by my•glass•eye:

LOL that's the most bizarre cell layout I've ever seen! So if your cell is in the middle you've got to have a guard open about a dozen cell doors and walk through other people's cells to get to yours?

I was about to post that you should make whatever prison design you like and let others do the same, but that is really quite a peculiar design you've come up with there.

Well, the nice thing is that I put regular doors between cells, so It is actually mutch easier to manage than a regular prison, since the guards just have to open one door to let a lot of prisoners out. It's also cheaper to build.

Originally posted by irishinator:

Well I do know that a lot of people like to maximize their prison compacity, minimize size, and maximize output. I don't find this fun. Maybe it is just for more hardcore gamers. I like to have a prison that looks like a real prison, and functions like one. My prisons usually are smaller prisons, but they are fun to manage and they look nice. Well people are all about making small prisons it is like they are in a contest or something. I just don't see the point, but I could see it being fun just to try to see how small you could get a working prison.

You may do however you like ofcourse, and there is no competition. I just find it very ineffective to not do any cellstacking at all. Why have a coridor to each cell, when you can have 2 cells in a row. The danger increase and fire danger is marginal, while the cost is very mutch reduced and the management through guards are mutch easier.

Originally posted by chalked.up:

I think you'd be toast if you had a fire. No pun intended.

Well, possibly, but since I haven't every experienced a fire I don't know how they work.

Originally posted by Domina:

And it looks lke your danger levels aren't very good, so I don't think 'works well' is very accurate a description. ;)

Temporary fluke because of a "tree ordering" incident, Its usually at 0 '!' because of heavily suppressed prisoners.

[Freedom]

Well once I finish laying out of walls and such on my current 256 unit build. It is packed tight but orderly. 8 Cell blocks of 32 units each. I am pretty proud of it lol.

I will try to post it up tomorrow. Laying of wire and water pipes has taken me about 3 hours last night.

I have a hallway down the center of each block, cells on each side.

[Proteus]

Originally posted by Freemind:

....
Well, the nice thing is that I put regular doors between cells, so It is actually mutch easier to manage than a regular prison, since the guards just have to open one door to let a lot of prisoners out.
...

That´s actually no problem for standard prison layouts (with one prison door per prisoner) as well.
All cell doors automatically open when (according to Regime) it is time to let the prisoners out ... and stay open unless your Regime indicates lockdown (empty) or sleep times.

The only doors that manually have to be opened by your guards are the doors that don´t enclose cells