Project Prison News

[p]Bug Fixes & Changes:[/p]

• [p]Fixed: NPCs going to the infirmary were causing frequent crashes (including when eating)[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Critical bug causing death from hunger[/p]

• [p]Fixed: Gang members will now only buy items if you're selling them for less than what their gang sells them for[/p]
• [p]Fixed: NPC names are now hidden in the trade panel until you've met them[/p]
• [p]Added: Taxation rate now displays in the trade panel[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Taxation is now properly deducted when selling items[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Dead NPCs on the ground could still be attacked after entering the downed state[/p]
• [p]Changed: Moved "Trade" to the first category and "Social" to the last in the menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Camera panning issues with headbutt - camera now pans to the opposite direction instead of rotating 360 degrees[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Health cure items not increasing health properly[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Stamina and other supplement-related issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Stamina drain issues when using melee combat camera (reduced jittering)[/p]
• [p]Fixed: Entry/extortion/protection refusal sometimes not triggering NPC attacks[/p]

[p]Hello! Demo was released yesterday. I've made the following changes in the recent build (1.77) based on the feedback I received. Before that, let me share the bug a player sent me. I was laughing at the absurdity of it I hope you'll enjoy it too and maybe it will bring a smile to your face like it did for me.




[/p][p]Recent Changes:[/p]

• [p]Game will now start from 11 AM. The problem was the game started at 7 AM when other prisoners were asleep, which made the game very slow.[/p]
• [p]Removed at least half the tutorial notifications players get. Continuous tutorial popups make the game annoying to play. I've made changes, and in the future I'll think of and create a better way to explain the game.[/p]
• [p]Each dialogue option will now explain what it means. Rather than just saying "Friendly/Annoying/Neutral," it will let players know about their choices and what each particular dialogue option means.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where the game gets stuck when someone comes to chat with the player while they're playing checkers or dominoes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where players could offer 0 days to stall NPCs when they ask for an entry fee.[/p]

[p]What's Coming Next:[/p][p]I'm working on a 3D interactable map, something you see in other games like Godfather 2 or Empire of Sin. Basically, rather than showing all information in the UI, players can see a 3D map with highlighted colors showing which gangs own which zones, different tax rates for contraband, and it will also allow players to assign their runners directly to particular zones if they want to avoid zones with very high taxation.[/p][p]Prisoner Information: I'll be showing more prisoner types and their information when dialogue trees open up, including past memories they have about you to help make better dialogue choices.[/p][p]Tattoos: Implementation is already there, but I didn't get enough time to make some tattoo designs. I will add it so prisoners will have different tattoos all over their bodies.[/p][p]Fighting: The biggest change I'm planning is improving fights with multiple enemies. Right now it works, but it feels a little slow. I'm planning on adding back grapples and other moves so NPCs can coordinate with each other better while attacking the player.[/p][p]Gang: I want to improve gang simulation. Right now it feels a bit static - it's not possible for new gangs to rise or current gangs to break away to form new gangs, but this is something I'm planning on adding. Also letting players order their gang members to perform hit jobs, or gangs could take hit job contracts.[/p][p]Project Prison is a long-term game for me - it still has a lot to offer. Please leave feedback if you've tried the game. It will help me a lot to understand if you find anything annoying.[/p]

[p]Hello! It's been a long time, but an early demo build is now available for all players. I've fixed major game-breaking bugs and progression blockers. Fighting now feels more approachable and smooth, and there is also a tutorial which explains to players what to do and when to do it. Honestly, there is still a long way to go from my end goal, but I'm pretty happy with the way the game is turning out. Here are all the changes:[/p][h2]🔧 Bugs / Glitches[/h2]

• [p]Fix NPC flying/jumping state issue[/p]
• [p]Fix weird walk animation for AI NPCs in yard[/p]
• [p]Fix action in progress issue when player misses attack (target can't be attacked after)[/p]
• [p]Fix two NPCs constantly performing social simulation between themselves[/p]
• [p]Fix outlines not working in the build[/p]
• [p]Fix social interaction not ending when attacking one of the NPCs[/p]
• [p]Fix colliders in dining room (player walking over objects)[/p]
• [p]Fix quest target getting false value preventing quest completion[/p]
• [p]Fix fight manager issue when player has obscure target and tries hitting other NPCs[/p]
• [p]Fix bug with attaching waypoint to character[/p]
• [p]Fix wavy hair position[/p]
• [p]Fix incorrect mail starting limit for mail letters[/p]
• [p]Fix game not accepting quest completion after beating up enemies[/p]
• [p]Fix ability to go on stairs in outside area[/p]
• [p]Fix waypoint not working in mailroom[/p]
• [p]Fix behavior animation when player attacks[/p]
• [p]Fix running attack - player can't perform it[/p]
• [p]Fix waypoint showing two different directions when attached to character[/p]

[h2]🧩 Gameplay Issues / Tuning Suggestions[/h2][h3]Core Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]Fix sleep schedule exploit (can roam freely during sleep hours)[/p]
• [p]Implement remaining changes in painting room and paint job[/p]

[h3]Combat System[/h3]

• [p]Removed random punch sounds in fighting[/p]
• [p]Use counter/block type icons in fight[/p]
• [p]Player should exit fighting mode after beating opponent[/p]
• [p]Add blood decals (bloody face)[/p]
• [p]During fight, AI should talk to player (e.g., "face me like a man" when blocking)[/p]
• [p]Added combat options in menu:[/p]
  • [p]Camera rotation toggle while fighting[/p]
  • [p]Disable button popups (no block key on AI head)[/p]
  • [p]Combat assistant to reduce timescale when AI attacks[/p]
  • [p]Show health bar on enemies[/p]

[h3]NPC Behavior & AI[/h3]

• [p]Cop will use NPC dialogue to de-escalate fights[/p]
• [p]Cop will arrest who started the fight, not always player[/p]
• [p]Let more interaction when player is smoking/drinking/dirty - NPCs will talk with dialogue system[/p]
• [p]Let player ask prisoner anytime to come out of cell regardless of what they're doing[/p]

[h3]Systems & Features[/h3]

• [p]Add different minimap icon colors for police and prisoners[/p]
• [p]Implement new insult/diffuse/buy system[/p]
• [p]Add ability for player to set waypoint on character (only 10 per day)[/p]
• [p]Add waypoint to character functionality[/p]
• [p]Quest system: make sure quest 0 loads when opening quests[/p]
• [p]Add video tutorial support to popups[/p]
• [p]Create actual videos for tutorial[/p]
• [p]Add ability to deliver mail to doorstep[/p]
• [p]Add popup to scene changer at workshop showing different levels[/p]
• [p]Improve trade panel (looks basic)[/p]
• [p]Check minimap resolution increase to 1k[/p]
• [p]Fix soldiers in wing only getting beer - check if everything is correct[/p]
• [p]Let player enter solitary - show icon but make it "not accessible"[/p]
• [p]Make sure character gets resurrected after dying[/p]
• [p]Stop typewriter sound if clicking early on AI response[/p]
• [p]Let player gift something to other prisoners to improve relationships[/p]
• [p]Make dinner plate enable/disable smoothly[/p]

[h3]Audio & Effects[/h3]

• [p]Add audio when showering, washing hands, eating[/p]
• [p]Tweak stamina system[/p]
• [p]Fix exercise stamina gained too quickly[/p]

[h3]Mail System[/h3]

• [p]Make sure on scene reload, show icons to drop off mail[/p]
• [p]Fix mail delivery system issues[/p]

[h2]🖥️ UI / UX Suggestions[/h2][h3]Interface Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Goal Panel: Allow dragging goals downward (scroll/drag UX)[/p]
• [p]Show letter icon somewhere in UI[/p]
• [p]Exercise: Add overlay circle and scale bouncing to exercise counter[/p]
• [p]Give message when mail panel start job is successful[/p]
• [p]Improve icons for workshop, dining room, and other cells[/p]
• [p]Add noticeboard quest icon (yellow when available, disabled/blurry when not)[/p]

[h3]Dialogue System Enhancements[/h3]

• [p]Show visual feedback for witness lies in dialogue UI (color text or add "\[Suspicious]" tag)[/p]
• [p]Add prompt when player has enough clues to accuse someone[/p]
• [p]Distinguish between "flavor" dialogue and "important" dialogue[/p]
• [p]Consider color-coding dialogue options (white for normal, yellow for quest-related)[/p]
• [p]Structure conversation UI with different access keys[/p]
• [p]Implemented gradual dialogue introduction (unlock more options as relationship progresses)[/p]

[p][/p]

Hello everyone,

First, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates in the last month. I lost someone extremely precious to me, so I needed to take a break to get back to normal. Moving on to the update:

Police System
We finally have cops in the game now!! You will see them randomly patrolling around the prison and arresting anyone caught committing crimes. The system works with several wanted levels:

- At level 1: If spotted doing any petty crime, they will give a warning but won't actively chase the player.
- At level 2: If they spot the player, they will run and attempt to arrest them.
- From level 3 onwards: Cops will actively come after the player, and at higher wanted levels, they'll use lethal force (GUNS!) rather than try to make an arrest.

After arrest, based on the wanted level, the player will be sent to solitary confinement. Not only the player, but any prisoner arrested will be sent to solitary where they have to spend time alone waiting for their sentence to be over. This adds an interesting dynamic to the game and makes it more immersive (you can actually see cops arresting and handcuffing AI prisoners and then escorting them to solitary). I'd like to thank Darkwolf for this idea.
Combat System Overhaul
The fight system has gone through a major overhaul. While guns aren't really the focus of the game (as it's set in a prison), it's still possible for the player to kill and steal guns from cops to use them. I wouldn't claim the gunplay is sophisticated as it's not exactly the focus, but it works really well. An important feature is that players can perform takedowns with guns in close combat.



We now have shivs which players can buy from other prisoners. In close combat, if you want to kill a prisoner, you'll need to use a shiv on them. While fist fights only knock out targets, guns or shivs can actually kill characters. Shivs have normal attacks and also special takedown moves.

For the fight system, all counters and combos have been slightly reworked to feel consistent with the main attacks. You'll now notice targets falling to the ground with big attacks and some new moves like headbutts or extended kicks. This improves immersion in the combat system, as with this update I've made it slightly more arcade-like so players can enjoy beating down prisoners while still keeping it challenging.
Quest System Improvements
There are also several new mechanics, especially with the quest system. As I mentioned last time, there are over 14 different types of core quests in the game. Some quests are investigative, where players have to look for targets. To support this, there are now grabbing and threatening mechanisms where players can intimidate other prisoners to extract information from them.

All quests are posted on the noticeboard, so players need to go there to accept quests and meet quest givers at the specified time and place.

There are still many other improvements I've added, like enhancements to the gang system, but I'll save those details for next time. I'm hoping to push this update in the upcoming weeks before the demo release.

I sincerely hope you all will enjoy it. Thanks a lot for reading!

Hey everyone! I'm thrilled to announce that the long-awaited quest system is almost ready for playtesting! It's scheduled to go live next week, and I can't wait to see how you all interact with it. Because the quests are dynamically generated, it's been a challenge to test them thoroughly within a single in-game day. To address this, I'll be increasing the number of in-game days available for playtesters to give you more time to explore the system.

The core idea behind the quest system is to make the prison feel truly alive. Instead of static, pre-scripted missions, quests emerge organically from the actions and interactions of the prisoners themselves. For example:

• Prisoner A decides to buy contraband from a gang.
  
• Prisoner B witnesses the transaction.
  
• Prisoner B might then rob Prisoner A.
  
• This triggers a potential quest for Prisoner A to recover their stolen item.
  

The system uses a variety of base quest types, such as fetch quests, escort missions, deliveries etc. The specific quest that's generated depends entirely on what the AI prisoners are doing at any given moment.



Developing this dynamic system presented some unique challenges. Here's how I tackled three of the biggest hurdles:


Non-Linear Quest Generation: The biggest challenge was figuring out how to generate quests in a non-linear, open-world environment. The solution was to tie quest generation directly to the AI's behavior. Each action a prisoner takes has the potential to become a quest trigger, creating a constantly evolving web of opportunities.

Discovering Quests Organically: I didn't want to rely on a minimap icon shouting, "Hey, quest over here!" Immersion is key.
My solution: Prison Noticeboards. Each cell block have a noticeboard where prisoners can post requests for help. These notices will include a description of the problem, and crucially, when and where the player can meet the quest-giver (e.g., "Meet me in my cell between 11 AM and 12 PM for the next few days"). Prisoners follow schedules based on their needs, but the system ensures they'll be at the designated location during the specified time, making it easier for players to find them.

Investigative Gameplay: Simply highlighting a target on a minimap and telling the player to "beat them up" felt completely out of place in a game where you're meant to learn about the other prisoners. Instead, I wanted a more investigative approach. Here's how it works:

Known Targets: If the quest-giver knows the target (e.g., "Prisoner B from Cell Block C stole my stuff"), the player will have a general location to start their search.

Unknown Targets: If the quest-giver doesn't know the target or their name, the player will need to investigate. This involves talking to other prisoners (who might have witnessed the event) or even bribing or threatening guards who patrol the relevant areas. It's all about gathering information and piecing together the puzzle.

Looking Ahead:

I'm incredibly excited to get this dynamic quest system into your hands and see how you interact with it. It's designed to bring an unpredictable and emergent element to the game, reflecting the realities of prison life. In the meantime, I've also made significant improvements to stability and polished the UI and animations. If you're a playtester, you can check out these improvements now, or wait for the full quest experience next week. Your feedback is crucial, so get ready to dive in and let me know what you think!