Note: Visuals and gameplay footage are not a representation of the final game.

Hello fellow architects. The devs of Prison Architect 2 here, to provide a bit more insight and some additional cool info bits related to the topic of this week’s Prison Architect Academy video…

Going 3D

So, the decision to jump to 3D we knew would add a heightened sense of production value to Prison Architect 2 and a natural evolution for the game. But, and as Prison Architect players ourselves, the predominant factor behind the decision, was to blow up the creative and construction options for players and deliver on the no. 1 requested feature; multiple floors.

At a high level, during early pre-production, the team talked excitedly about 3D and being able to have proper bunk beds, or windows and wall decor above other furniture. Finally, ceiling and floor lights could appear as such, and how low hedges, standard walls, high perimeter walls, and guard towers could finally look proportionate with each other, how the prison compound could be housed within a 3D environment with a day/night cycle, or how the players’ design could allow sunlight entering the prison through windows and skylights.

But much deeper than that, we started to think about how staple Prison Architect components such as; logistics, deliveries, security, and movement around the prison, could be advanced with 3D construction and multiple floors.

Multiple Floors

Finally, players can create proper multiple-floored cell blocks, just like the architects of real-world prisons past and present. Multiple floors also provide players more opportunities to segregate min-sec from supermax inmates with separate facilities on each floor. Or how about a Canteen above the Kitchen with a stairwell in the middle? From an optimization perspective, if you want certain rooms close together or near the access road for deliveries, you literally have an added 3rd dimension.

Between each floor is a layer that we think of as a crawlspace or ceiling layer. This allows for utilities, but also prisoners on upper floors to still tunnel down. Early on in development, we didn't want players to be able to just place all their cells off the ground floor to prevent escapes :)!

Of course, you also have a roof, which can be decorated as such, used for inmate or staff areas, or even a rooftop garden if you choose.

Catwalks

Catwalks or gantries were a must-have inclusion for Prison Architect 2 early on, going hand in hand with multiple floors.

When we think about real prisons and those in pop culture, we picture stacked multiple-floor cell blocks with indoor catwalks outside each cell door. Or a prison yard with elevated catwalks for guards to patrol around from a safe vantage point. This is all possible in Prison Architect 2, and under the hood we also developed a 3D perception system so that guards could see, hear, and respond to incidents below them. This might allow you to reduce guard numbers and save on wages, whilst maintaining coverage over inmate hot-spots.

With catwalks, players will essentially be able to create paths above the ground. To keep guards safe, add patrols along, or create separate routes for staff, inmates, and visitors to cross the prison.

Wall & Doors

Instead of hundreds of wall variations, we provide a simple “Building” construction tool, and a separate ‘Wallpaper’ menu for quickly decorating your walls. This also allows walls to be personalized separately indoors and out. For example, you may wish for your Warden’s office to have a wallpapered interior, but a brick-look from the outside. For Prison Architect 2’s doors, we’ve offered a few looks and styles, but now all door ‘rules’ can be adjusted how you wish - Governing whether they are open or closed, and if they need a key to open. And a separate new policy allows you to choose which staff have keys.

Closing Comment

We love Prison Architect (1), which was developed (in part by us) and molded over a span of 12+ years, Wow! Similarly, we also see Prison Architect 2 as the start of a journey, taking fans' feedback, and feature requests along the way to grow the game for you, the passionate player base, and the modding community. As such, if you have any queries about the construction aspects covered here, cool expectations, or ideas for the future in this area, we, the devs, would love to hear and collate them.

See you next week for more :) ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Next up: Prison Architect Academy - Rooms & Objects!

We have a tutorial made by CharliePryor coming up this Tuesday the 23rd - Tune in to learn about Building Tools, tap the bell on YouTube to get notified.