Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

What would you like to see in a prison RPG?

PekkaK

Heaviest Matter
Developer
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Messages
255
In this topic we can discuss about all the nice features that a prison RPG should have. Here's a list of concepts that we are already implementing in some way:

- Creating shivs and shanks from scrap found around the prison
- Trading system and currency inside the prison (postal stamps, tuna, cigarettes, drugs, batteries, etc.)
- Sexual violence
- Gangs and reputation
- C&C and different ways to accomplish jobs (quests), for example scheming (Int), fighting (Str and Agi) and trading (Int and bartering skills) - think Torment but not as extensive

These will not be implemented:

- Dropping the soap
- Rape simulation / skills
 

WhiteGuts

Arcane
Joined
May 3, 2013
Messages
2,382
I want to be able to play a Ryan O'Reiley type of character in the game. If you can do that, then instant GOATY.
 

SuicideBunny

(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
Joined
May 1, 2007
Messages
8,943
Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Torment: Tides of Numenera
In this topic we can discuss about all the nice features that a prison RPG should have.
since you said "a prison rpg" instead of "our prison rpg":
- lots of really fucking stupid characters with poor impulse control, lots of racism both explicit and casual, no staple no-name chars.
- char creation race selection - ingame c&c preventing you from interacting with some individuals of some groups while making others automatically mark you as their own, which should be an ambivalent thing.
- personality reputation: get rep for acting consistently and successfully in a certain way, rather than some shitty gang rep for doing quests.
- every npc, whether guard or prisoner, should be an individual. no faceless filler gangers or guards.
- selecting what got you in at char creation and whether you were guilty or not. should have some social effects as well as starting personality rep bonus for certain personality types, like getting hardass or something for murder and so on.
- favors (quests are so fucking fantasy) system including trading favors with the outside (kill this soab on the inside before he talks and we'll fabricate some evidence in your favor for your re-trial, and stuff like that).
- many different conclusions, toee style, not just simple game over screens, stuff like "killing the biggest hardass around (you) gave bob the boost he needed to consolidate the sun brotherhood behind him. thinking himself invincible, he soon started an all out war with the other factions..." and so on.
- ideally it would be set in some third world mixed-sex prison because more interesting dynamics and more outside favors and corrupt guards possibilities. also more likely escape scenarios.
 

PekkaK

Heaviest Matter
Developer
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Messages
255
Tattoos that give you bonus, like reputation with a faction, intimidation or whatever fits your system.

I like this idea! I'm gonna look into it. Just need to be careful of that feature creep...

I want to be able to play a Ryan O'Reiley type of character in the game. If you can do that, then instant GOATY.

Yes, this is what we're aiming for! Scheming and plotting and making other people do your dirty work is definitely a character build that we try to put into the game. It's challenging, but definitely doable.

since you said "a prison rpg" instead of "our prison rpg":
- lots of really fucking stupid characters with poor impulse control, lots of racism both explicit and casual, no staple no-name chars.

There will be lots of racial conflicts, prejudice and stupid characters. We also try to make most (let's say 90%) of the NPC's unique with background, motivation and dialogue.

- char creation race selection - ingame c&c preventing you from interacting with some individuals of some groups while making others automatically mark you as their own, which should be an ambivalent thing.

Unfortunately this would expand the game a bit too much. We still want to release during the next year.

- personality reputation: get rep for acting consistently and successfully in a certain way, rather than some shitty gang rep for doing quests.

It's probably not what you're thinking here, but we do have 'neutral' reputation which affects how people see you in general. If you have good rep, people will give you better trades, ask you for help with things (writing letters, etc.) and sometimes even share their secrets with you (which you can of course share with other people for benefit).

- every npc, whether guard or prisoner, should be an individual. no faceless filler gangers or guards.

See answer above. There will be SOME filler characters who mostly make the space look more dynamic by walking around, but most of the inmates and guards are individuals.

- selecting what got you in at char creation and whether you were guilty or not. should have some social effects as well as starting personality rep bonus for certain personality types, like getting hardass or something for murder and so on.

Nope, sorry. You can decide some of your background, but you are guilty as hell and your crime is predetermined.

- favors (quests are so fucking fantasy) system including trading favors with the outside (kill this soab on the inside before he talks and we'll fabricate some evidence in your favor for your re-trial, and stuff like that).

We call them 'jobs'. There are some jobs that expand over the walls.

- many different conclusions, toee style, not just simple game over screens, stuff like "killing the biggest hardass around (you) gave bob the boost he needed to consolidate the sun brotherhood behind him. thinking himself invincible, he soon started an all out war with the other factions..." and so on.

This probably won't happen.

- ideally it would be set in some third world mixed-sex prison because more interesting dynamics and more outside favors and corrupt guards possibilities. also more likely escape scenarios.

This is the sequel.
 

Zed

Codex Staff
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
Planning and executing (attempting) an escape.
Race-based and realistic jail factions.
Crude but witty language.
The ability to attack anyone at any time.
Nothing supernatural and no unrealistic abstractions (no hallucinations, no NPCs with a million HP or super abilities).
 

PekkaK

Heaviest Matter
Developer
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Messages
255
Planning and executing (attempting) an escape.

Of course.

Race-based and realistic jail factions.

We have real gangs in the game, here's a blog post about them: http://www.prisonscape.com/blog/?p=139

Crude but witty language.

This is definitely our goal, let's see how it goes. No filters or censoring.


The ability to attack anyone at any time.

This won't happen.

Nothing supernatural and no unrealistic abstractions (no hallucinations, no NPCs with a million HP or super abilities).

There will be some drug and SHU (solitary confinement) induced hallucinations. No super abilities, even the "bosses" are mere mortals.

Hiding under your bed to troll the Correctional Officers.

That'll get you some SHU time for sure.
 
Last edited:

anus_pounder

Arcane
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Messages
5,972
Location
Yiffing in Hell
Would it be too much to ask for special 'game over' messages under certain conditions? Like, hypothetically speaking, if I decided to walk into ____ territory and go on a racist tirade and start a fight, I should get into an unwinable scenario and the game should mock me at the gameover screen for doing something so blatantly stupid in the first place.
 

PekkaK

Heaviest Matter
Developer
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Messages
255
Romances.

Of course! Little different than in Bioware games, though.

Would it be too much to ask for special 'game over' messages under certain conditions? Like, hypothetically speaking, if I decided to walk into ____ territory and go on a racist tirade and start a fight, I should get into an unwinable scenario and the game should mock me at the gameover screen for doing something so blatantly stupid in the first place.

Certainly, this shouldn't be a problem. I'm still thinking if the whole game has game over or just the latter part of it.
 

Haba

Harbinger of Decline
Patron
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
1,871,744
Location
Land of Rape & Honey ❤️
Codex 2012 MCA Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2
Actually, some female characters would be welcome. Not sure if something like the female inmate in Oz would make sense (didn't make much in Oz either...). Not more than a few, I'd say. Otherwise it gets just silly.
 

GarlandExCon

Arcane
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
6,957
There are quite a few female COs and staff members in prison, although in higher security prisons they are usually given specific jobs to put them out of harms way.
 

GarlandExCon

Arcane
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
6,957
A few notes/ideas:

1. In prison, sex offenders are identified by most inmates by the negative insults "pedophiles" or "Chomos," even is neither is actually true about the person. Rarely will an inmate insult another inmate to their face with this even if they are or are suspected to be, unless than inmate pisses them off, then it's going to be said almost as a certainty. Ironically, often the people who use those terms the most are the ones who fit that description and are sex offenders. This is to cover their own trail and as a defense mechanism. Often inmates, those included, will go on rants about "Chomos" and "pedophiles," and will sometimes do it when they know present company includes sex offenders to make those individuals intentionally uncomfortable.

2. I think controlled movements should be a part of the game, along with recall. Controlled movements, called "10 minute moves," happen on the hour and that's the only time an inmate can get from point A to point B. So if you wanna go from your housing unit to rec or the library, for example, or return from there that's the time to do it. There's also pill line, which is when people who take medicine report to medical to get in line at the window where they hand out pills, insulin line (which is the same thing but for insulin) and rec move (a shorter 5 minute move that's only from the housing units to rec which usually takes place before the morning and evening meals). Recall happens around 10:45 before the Noon meal and 3:45 before the 4pm stand up count and the evening meal that happens after that. Recall also happens if there's bad weather (lightning or heavy snow), fog, a fight or other serious incident (which in medium and high security facilities is then followed up by a lock down), or if they're looking for an inmate and can't find them. Weekend and holiday schedule there is also a 10am count after a 9:45am recall.

3. I think adding a pen pal element would be cool. Penpal websites are popular for inmates (I used one myself) and often result in friendship, relationships, visits, phone calls, letters and money on the books (money being sent to your account). This also results in good outside resources and could add more females to the game. Could be some in game bonuses or something you could get for getting pen pals. They could also sneak contraband into visits. I've seen a lot of inmates milk the hell out of lonely women who write them and use them as "sugar mamas." I've even seen inmates who use gay dudes who write them to send them money by pretending to be gay.

4. Will e-mail (TRULINCs) be in the game?

5. One popular thing in prison are 4x6 color photographs that look like personal photographs of women who are barely wearing anything... basically, the bare minimum for them to be allowed through the mail. Some inmates have PHOTO ALBUMS full of these and trade and sell them as a hobby/hustle. There are companies that exist exclusively to sell these types of photos to inmates. Often, these pictures are of the "barely legal" type, depicting young girls made up to look even younger than they are. It would be interesting to include this in the game, perhaps as some mission where someone's album is stolen and you retrieve it for them (maybe some of the pics have already been sold and you have to track down and get each individual one) or you're hired to sell some of them or just have them included in the game as contraband (although they're not actually against the prison rules, which is why some inmates who don't even mess with porn will exclusively collect those).
 

boot

Prophet
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Messages
1,016
Location
Bartow, FL
I'd like a prison RPG to be more like DwarfFortress than Fallout, so maybe I don't actually want a prison RPG.
 
Last edited:

Yobachi

Literate
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
7
Location
Planet Earth
Skills I would like to see in prison RPG:
#1 lockpicking
#2 sneaking
#3 talking out of stuff
#4 acting inconspicuous

But most importantly a possibility to play as a guard not a prisoner :salute:
 

GarlandExCon

Arcane
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
6,957
Skills I would like to see in prison RPG:
#1 lockpicking
#2 sneaking
#3 talking out of stuff
#4 acting inconspicuous

But most importantly a possibility to play as a guard not a prisoner :salute:

Heh, lockpicking would be a funny one. During all my time I never met anyone who could pick locks. Prisons are prepared for this. In (most) county and state facilities everything is electronic and in the feds they don't believe in electronic books. Everything is turn key but they use these unusual, huge ass locks that require massive keys to turn.

The other skills though would definitely be valuable, especially #3 and #4. I could see #2 useful if you were planning to jump another inmate (or a CO). Talking your way out of stuff is especially important in prison and its a skill I used many times. I used it to get out of trouble with staff and COs and I used it to calm down tense situations with other inmates (often between two inmates and I was trying to play peacemaker). This sort of reminds me of the D&D diplomacy skill.

Acting inconspicuous is mainly important when dealing with staff/COs. There were many times I was up to something I wasn't suppose to be and a CO would do a round unexpectedly and I'd hide whatever I was doing and I'd have to act like I was reading or something, lol. In the feds, since they have the big ass keys, you could always hear them coming from the jingle. But some of the more sneaky COs would pocket their keys so they wouldn't make noise.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom