A few tips for a beginner

[Rodrigo]

So i just got past introduction, and managed to get this:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=169494939

'little' prision going after many attempts to not expend all my budget and have no tables for these scum to eat.

i know its alpha but im stuck into a few problems, i made a cell with 4 beds and 1 toilet, but some prisioners are desperately needing to relieve themselves on the toilet but they wont go there, some of them need to sleep, and while theres free beds, they wont... what am I doing wrong ;s ?

[jamesc70]

Only one prisoner to a cell area. Even though you have multiple beds, that big cell area is just room for one prisoner (note the second prisoner still in cuffs).

If you want more than one prisoner behind one jail door (like you tried), you have to make a cell (at least 2x3), and have a space between it and the next 2x3 area. They cannot touch, or they become one big cell.

For money, check the grants tab... you get $90,000 to start a prison, with $20,000 more from completing two of the grants.

[Rodrigo]

uhm... i figured that for a while afte realizing the 1/8 prisioner count, but the game task said at first i should build a big block instead of 1 cell per prision , cause that would be expensive. none the less, ill try, thanks

[jamesc70]

You don't even need walls or jail doors to start, which can save money. All you need is an open room, and lay down a bunch of 2x3 cell rooms with beds and toilets in them.

Build the walls and doors later, once you have cash rolling in from your workshops.

[Starvin247]

you didnt see the grants, did you?

[Rodrigo]

Publicado originalmente por Starvin247:

you didnt see the grants, did you?

yeah, i saw that afterwards and made a bigger prison, well it was working altough i had to remake a few things... ofc now i know better what to do... its just that i had this minor complication while i didnt knew how to stop prisioners to arrive... result is that some ppl... kinda, lost their lives.. and some bodies are laying here and there..

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=169550041

somehow things will get solved by tiself ;)

[Khan Boyzitbig of Mercia]

To stop them constantly coming in you got to the prisoners tab and click the green "open" box so that it becomes closed. Saves lives that does unless continous intake is on in which case I haven't a clue.

[Bamwich]

My tips for a beginner: Play through until you can complete all the grants and unlock most of the bureaucracy. That should help you learn most of the game.

Then start over again, use the planning tool, and map out a new prison, incorporating as many of the grant requirements as possible. See how far you get on that. Start playing with the Regime.

Then start over again and combine everything you've learned from your previous plays. It generally takes 3 or 4 prisons before you "get it right."

[EmberQuill]

Publicado originalmente por Captein:

uhm... i figured that for a while afte realizing the 1/8 prisioner count, but the game task said at first i should build a big block instead of 1 cell per prision , cause that would be expensive. none the less, ill try, thanks

That "big block" the game mentioned was a Holding Cell, rather than a normal cell. Holding Cells can hold multiple prisoners until you've built up some funds to build individual cells.

[Starvin247]

all you can do is just play the game and learn from your mistakes and get better!!

[Sinister Mr.Cream]

First time is a mess. Keep going and see where you go wrong. If you don't have hideously inefficient designs you're probably not doing it right. Given PA's heritage, I would suggest looking up the definition of "fun" in Dwarf Fortress as it probably works here as well.

As for your design, a holding cell is what you wanted in place of the cell. It holds multiple prisoners, is cheap, and they all use the toilet. Don't hire too many staff to start with. Keep the numbers low until you start seeing bad things (prisoners getting angry because doors aren't being opened, not enough meals made etc.).

Save money by building new rooms on the side of existing ones. Attaching rooms together means they share a wall. A free-standing office needs 4x5 space inside. This means 6x7 foundation to allow for walls. If you put one long wall of the office against an existing wall you only need 5x7 foundation, saving $70.

[EmberQuill]

Publicado originalmente por Sinister Mr.Cream:

First time is a mess. Keep going and see where you go wrong. If you don't have hideously inefficient designs you're probably not doing it right. Given PA's heritage, I would suggest looking up the definition of "fun" in Dwarf Fortress as it probably works here as well.

Haha, yes, so true. Your first (and second and even possibly your third) prison will be a complete mess. While my first prison actually turned out pretty well at first (I got up to 55 prisoners without any major incidents), it all went to hell when a fight in the shower exploded into a riot that consumed the whole prison. By the time I calmed the riot, most of the prisoners' needs had gone into the red so the prisoners kept getting violent until everyone was dead or escaped and I was out of money.