Prison Architect

[luckton]

Sure, if you've gone bargain bin diving over the last decade, you've probably seen the "Prison Tycoon" series amongst all the other shovel-ware out there.

This is not that game.

This is Prison Architect.  From the good people that brought you Defcon, Darwinia and Uplink.

And as a person who works in the industry that this new game is modeling, and watching the following leaked trailer, I need this game, like, NOW.

http://www.introversion.co.uk/prisonarchitect/3612ghdn3id7nawn38dh/

[luckton]

A little more info

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/25/prison-architect-preview/

[NiX]

If you purchased the Humble Introversion Bundle and tried the Voxel tech demo, there's a block with Prison Architect on it. I was wondering what that was.

I'm sad that they've ditched their last idea. After using the City Generator it seems like the game would have been a lot of fun.

[Yoru]

If you purchased the Humble Introversion Bundle and tried the Voxel tech demo, there's a block with Prison Architect on it. I was wondering what that was.

I'm sad that they've ditched their last idea. After using the City Generator it seems like the game would have been a lot of fun.

They did an interview on this with RockPaperShotgun a few months ago. Basically, Subversion was tech-driven and it was hard to find the fun. The fun wasn't emerging from the systems they were creating.

So they ditched the original premise and turned things around; instead of you infiltrating/escaping from a computer-generated building, you configure the building and try to prevent infiltrations/escapes. You get to use the same tools they used to design levels for Subversion, with door physics and electrical systems and whatnot, you're just designing how to use them instead of trying to defeat them.

Sounds solid to me.

Disclaimer: Massive introversion fanboy here. 

[NiX]

Didn't know that, I'll have to read the article. I am satisfied then and would be happy with almost anything these guys put out.

[tazelbain]

They seem to be releasing a bunch of source code, maybe they will release it.  *dreams of massive PG city in Skyrim*

[Yoru]

They seem to be releasing a bunch of source code, maybe they will release it.  *dreams of massive PG city in Skyrim*

They release the source for all of their games after a few years. If there's any of it in Prison Architect, it'll probably get out eventually. If they go back to Subversion later, which they've stated they may do after Prison Architect, then it too should have its source eventually shipped.

In time for TESVI: Return of the JediDwemer, possibly.

[Samwise]

"Prison Architect" does not sound like a game I would be that interested in... but dear God, do I want that game.  It looks not unlike Dwarf Fortress with an actual UI.

[schild]

I want this, but I'm also waiting for DF with an actual UI.

[NiX]

I want this, but I'm also waiting for DF with an actual UI.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

[schild]

I want this, but I'm also waiting for DF with an actual UI.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm not. If someone absolutely ripped him off, gave him zero credit, and called it Fuck You Tarn Adams - I'd give them my moneys happily.

[Samwise]

I want this, but I'm also waiting for DF with an actual UI.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm not. If someone absolutely ripped him off, gave him zero credit, and called it Fuck You Tarn Adams - I'd give them my moneys happily.

That's basically what's going to need to happen, I think.  I'd say it'd serve him right, but I honestly think he's too detached from reality to care.

[Ingmar]

Yes please.

[NiX]

I'm not. If someone absolutely ripped him off, gave him zero credit, and called it Fuck You Tarn Adams - I'd give them my moneys happily.

Take the initiative and print money.

[tazelbain]

What does rip him off mean?  Reverse engineer?

[Ice Cream Emperor]

What does rip him off mean?  Reverse engineer?

Yeah, it's not like the awesomeness of DF is in the concept -- it's in the ridiculously meticulous and complex (and presumably concealed-under-the-hood) execution. That part's not so easy to rip off outside of somehow getting access to the code.

[Teleku]

I don't know if I buy that....  I think the awesomeness is in the concept.  Its just that the concept, on top of being a normal "sims" sort of game, takes things down to a very very small detailed level.  Nobody has really tried to emulate that (to the level he has).  But I'm pretty sure that a small team of decently funded devs could make an amazing full featured version of the game that would blow everything he's ever done out of the water.

[Samwise]

Yeah, it's pretty much a "mere matter of code" problem.  Nothing that he's done is really cutting-edge in terms of algorithmic complexity or anything like that.  It's just that he's obsessive enough to think of all these nifty little systems and then spend the time to implement them.

[luckton]

I believe we already have a Dwarf Fortress thread, gentlemen 

[Ice Cream Emperor]

Yeah, it's pretty much a "mere matter of code" problem.  Nothing that he's done is really cutting-edge in terms of algorithmic complexity or anything like that.  It's just that he's obsessive enough to think of all these nifty little systems and then spend the time to implement them.

Well, I'll take your word for it, but the world generation geography stuff seems far, far beyond anything else I've seen in a game. Then again, randomly generated worlds don't seem to feature in that many game genres anymore.

[bhodi]

Well, someone already started to do it with goblin camp. The problem is they are sticking with ascii when they desperately need sprites.

[SurfD]

Trying to figure out of this Wheeler72 guy is some kind of bot or not.  His posts dont seem to be advertising anything, and are somewhat on topic for every thread he has posted in, but at the same time, dont really scan well when you read them.  Almost like it is doing a random scrape for information about the game the thread is discussing and makeing an almost coherent post about it.

[Yoru]

That's because it's a bot, in this case scraping this RPS article's first two paragraphs.

[taolurker]

In this case are you suggesting the poster is in fact the writer of said article, or a plagiarist shill for the company?


If it's the latter, then this should be fun.

[K9]

I'm getting Theme Hospital vibes, that's a good thing.

[NiX]

In this case are you suggesting the poster is in fact the writer of said article, or a plagiarist shill for the company?


If it's the latter, then this should be fun.

Probably the latter. From India no less!

[luckton]

Art blog on the evolution of design in this game.

Also...

"If Valve aren’t launching your game you really have to ask yourself why."

"The other extreme is Xbox Live Arcade which does have extremely rigid requirements for release. They won’t release anything until it’s totally finished, 100% bug free, matches their menu, and user interface guidelines. They’ve made it very hard to actually make games on there and make money, because it just takes so damn long to meet all their requirements"

 

[Ironwood]

I'm still a little fuzzy on what a prison architect actually does.

And how that's a game.

[Malakili]

I'm still a little fuzzy on what a prison architect actually does.

And how that's a game.

Dwarf Fortress, Prison Edition.

[Ironwood]

 

I get that.  But to what end ?

Dwarf fortress;  awesome fortress, fighting with monsters, delving deep, building cash and resources, artifacts, monsters, etc, etc, etc.

Prison Architect;  Make a prison.  House prisoners.  Keep them 'happy' and secure or breakouts occur.  Kill off the bad ones in a violent mockery of the American Justice System.

And what ?

[bhodi]

Think of it like theme hospital, but with inmates.

Also, 'paid alpha' will probably be in September, 1.0 version is slated for next year. Boo.

[Thrawn]

I'm very curious to see what they are going to charge for this.  Right now it strikes me as an interesting game to try, but nothing I'd spend more than $5 on because I could just play Dwarf Fortress for free with tons more depth.  Even loading up Sim City 4 and installing all the great player made fixes/mods would provide a similar but superior experience I'm guessing from the little they've shown so far.

[Ironwood]

Ok.  I hated Theme Hospital because I didn't see the point.  Which tallies.  Though, you know, Bullfrog.  

But, yeah, the tech looks fantastic and something that I've said since the start should be 'Dwarfed'.  Like others here, I'd pay if someone was to rip off this game to give me non-ascii dwarves.

[Yoru]

Like others here, I'd pay if someone was to rip off this game to give me non-ascii dwarves.

Paradox recently announced just that. Release TBA, probably early 2013.

[tgr]

Normally I'd look at that graphics and go "oh dear, that looks cutesy, I bet it'll suck to play", but then again it is paradox...