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PDX Ellinor

PDX Ellinor

Second Lieutenant
Sep 25, 2023
138
205
Hello Architects,

And thanks for the warm reception to the announcement of Prison Architect 2. We’re so happy to share our excitement for this game with you all!

We know you have many questions and we have been collecting these since the announcement! Below you can read some questions from you and some answers from our team to our most frequently asked questions these past few weeks. If you have more questions, please ask them in the thread below.

We’ll start by addressing concerns that some of you have had regarding the Art Style, Performance, and DLCs.

Art Style
The concept of Prison Architect 2 was born from the idea of multiple floors. To evolve the game and add building possibilities in a vertical direction, we added a whole new dimension. Our former devs talk more about this in our video where we visit the Double Eleven offices - Watch it here.

We also have our tutorials which showcase more gameplay footage - Watch them here!
This footage was recorded on an old build and is not representative of how the game looks and plays now or at release, but it does showcase, in a great way, how some of our highlighted features work in the game.

We have more gameplay videos (and streams!) coming soon on a later build, stay tuned!
Ryan Sumo - the original artist of Prison Architect 1 commented on the art style and shared some early concepts from his time working with PA1 on X(formerly Twitter), take a look in this thread! Here’s his comment:

When I first saw this in action I got a little emotional as I could still see vestiges of my artwork living on in the 3D models. Our former devs Double Eleven did a great job taking the best of the first game and modernizing it for the current generation.

Want to find out how Ryan created the original art style? Find more information HERE and HERE.

Game Performance

Some of you have expressed concerns regarding the game’s performance. Our latest tutorials are recorded on an early version of the game, 8 months ago, and be sure that performance is now significantly better. We will be showing the current version in streams coming soon - make sure to keep an eye on our YouTube to not miss them, you can subscribe here.

DLCs
Prison Architect 2 will release a full-fledged game, with old and new features such as the Career mode, the Sandbox mode, and modding tools. The post-launch content and DLCs are not our focus right now but we will update you when we have anything to share regarding this.

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F.A.Q.

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We would love for the game, and the community around it, to be built by us and the players together. Please give us your feedback and let’s go on this journey together!

We will keep updating this FAQ thread with new Qs and As as time goes on. If you have a question, put it here! If you have a suggestion, head over here!

  1. What is the game’s PEGI rating and will there be blood shown in the game?
    1. The game’s PEGI rating is 16+. The game will feature blood in places where a fight has taken place - look at this screenshot below to see how it can look in-game:

      20240206195913_1.png
  2. Will the game be multiplayer?
    1. Prison Architect 2 will be a single-player game.
  3. Will there be gangs?
    1. Gangs are not implemented in Prison Architect 2. However, there are inmate relationships. They can have acquaintances, best friends, and archenemies. If you would like gangs or similar features please see our suggestions page: https://pdxint.at/PA2Suggestion
  4. What is the Warden’s Edition? Do I get anything specific for Pre-Ordering the game?
    1. The Warden’s Edition includes various wardens that all affect gameplay with a mix of buffs and debuffs. You will also be getting some cosmetic decor to make your Warden’s office and prison look extra fancy!

      If you Pre-Order the base game or the Warden’s Edition before release you will be getting different K9 skins.
  5. What languages is the game translated to? Where can I suggest more languages?
    1. Prison Architect 2 is available in English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish - Latin America.

      If your language is not on this list, please feel free to leave a suggestion about it here: https://pdxint.at/PA2Suggestions Please check to see if your language has already been suggested, if so, upvote it to show your support.
  6. Will the game have Linux support? Will it be playable on the Steam Deck?
    1. Prison Architect 2 is not supported for Linux. We are currently investigating Steam Deck Verification.
  7. Will the game be playable on Mac?
    1. Prison Architect 2 is not planned to be released for Mac. The game will be available on Steam for Windows, Xbox series X|S, and PS5.
  8. Is the game to be released on mobile?
    1. Prison Architect 2 will be released on Steam, Xbox series X|S, and PS5.
  9. What are the recommended PC specs?
    1. Our current minimum requirement is:
      Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

      OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
      Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 2600X
      Memory: 8 GB RAM
      Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 970 (4 GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 480 (8 GB)​

    ​
  10. Is it possible to have a 2D mode?
    1. Prison Architect 2 will be fully in 3D. You can learn more about the decision to move from 2D to 3D and take a closer look at some in-game footage and devs to speak about the art style in this video: https://pdxint.at/PA2DevHigh1
  11. Will all inmates be male?
    1. In Prison Architect 2 all inmates will be male. They are diverse and have various ages. You will be able to read how they ended up in prison by clicking on them in-game, here’s how that can look:

      inmatedescription.png


      All personnel will be a mix of men and women, and as the inmates they come from diverse backgrounds. We have also hidden some easter eggs in inmate and personnel names - will you be able to find them all?
  12. Can we build underground? Will there be a basement floor?
    1. Prison Architect 2 focuses on building upwards and you will have the possibility to have multiple floors as well as building on the roof, perhaps a rooftop yard is to your liking?

      We think building in the other direction - downwards is a great suggestion and have taken note of this.

      Whilst Architects cannot build downwards, inmates can do this, in a way! They can dig tunnels, even from the second or third floor. Read more about tunnels and crawlspaces in Feature Highlight 1.
  13. Is there an inmate limit?
    1. Limit? What is that even? ;D

      You will be able to house as many inmates as you can build cells for on your plot of land! With multiple expansions to purchase and four floors, you will find quite a lot of room available.
  14. How big is the map size?
    1. This is hard to put into words, let’s show it with some screenshots:

      unnamed.gif


      How does this compare to PA1? Let’s show you a functional prison with 10 cells in PA1 and in PA2:

      dfg.jpg

      Prison Architect

      fghh.jpg

      Prison Architect 2

  15. Is there a new developer?
    Yes, the new development studio for Prison Architect 2 is Kokku. They have been onboarded and worked on the game since August 2023.

  16. Is the developer switch the reason why the game got delayed?
    No, the switch has been planned for a while and Kokku has been onboarded to the game since August 2023.
    The game is playable, but there are a few things we want to solve before the launch, such as lower spec configurations optimization and more as we want this game to live up to the Prison Architect legacy.

  17. Will there be an open beta or early access release?
    No, there will not be an open beta or early access release.
    We already have beta testers that have been assisting us for a while. Some of these helpers are from in-house and some of the testers are long-term PA1 players that have also been with us since we took over the development of PA1 in 2014.
  18. Will the game have multithreading?
    1. Yes, multithreading is supported in Prison Architect 2.

Got a question not answered in this FAQ? Please ask it below!
 

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Some good questions answered. It's probably my 'preferred' unreleased game at the minute.

A suggestion I have is, if people prefer 2d and might prefer it still (maybe for simplicity), what about a fixed(locked) isometric style camera option so they can keep that rigid view still and only need to rotate and move around for more complicated things? That might equate to the same thing already built but thought I'd suggest it :)
 
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That poor guy on the bottom left. Doesn't stand a chance lol.

Side note, great to see such variety in the guards! Will the guards perhaps have traits and such this time around as well, or would that be outside the scope of the trait mechanics? Either way, I'm glad we've got guards with more than like three hairstyles. (I know it hints at personnel diversity but I'm wondering in terms of mechanics.)

Ah, and how about compounding infractions? Will we see inmates that have stacked time for more than one crime, or is the UI focusing in on their worst offense this time around?
 
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Recently I've been burned by highly anticipated sequels launching lackluster and by some accounts, incomplete, namely Cities Skylines 2 and Kerbal Space Program 2. What steps are you taking to ensure that PA2 launches within community expectations and in a satisfactory state?
 
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Is there gonna be delivery ONLY from main road or we can make own side road connected to main road thru our prison land for truck delivery and visitors ?

Is there gonna be to make option for food delivery in certian security sectors ? For example Super max security. Meaning make food delivery thru secure food cell door ? (Not only while in solitary)

Many complains about these in Prison Architect 1.
 
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Can you talk a little about why features like Executions and Gangs have been removed from the game? I'm not going to argue that they should/shouldn't be included, but I'm interested in the design choices behind these decisions.
 
Will there be mods through the steam workshop available day 1? Mods are an integral part to PA1 (to me at least) and I'm hoping that it won't be the same situation as CS2 where there's no steam workshop and at this time no official mod support.
 
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A detail i havent really seen info about. and in the video's i havent really seen anything of an option to enable or use.

But what about drawing tools to draw out and plan your prison. Seen as its in the name Prison Architect, I do believe its a feature that's important to the game for people to plan out their prisons.
 
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AussieDoggo9377 said:
Will there be mods through the steam workshop available day 1? Mods are an integral part to PA1 (to me at least) and I'm hoping that it won't be the same situation as CS2 where there's no steam workshop and at this time no official mod support.
Click to expand...
There is Official Mod Support through paradoxmods Which is where i think modding would be aswell since that way Console can also have mods aswell
 
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Hello :) I took the plunge and pre-ordered the game! Just a quick question re stair cases: will the staggered staircases be reversible, so that they can also go up on right side first, or are these only left sided? I like building in a symmetrical/mirrored way. Definitely required for a grand design.. :)
 
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kimiko025 said:
Hello :) I took the plunge and pre-ordered the game! Just a quick question re stair cases: will the staggered staircases be reversible, so that they can also go up on right side first, or are these only left sided? I like building in a symmetrical/mirrored way. Definitely required for a grand design.. :)
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Yep! Example here.

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kimiko025 said:
Will there be protective custody, and female only prisons?
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Female inmates are confirmed to not be in the game at launch, though we do get a gender mix when it comes to guards. Protective custody, on the other hand, has no official confirmation one way or the other. I'm just a regular forum user so this doesn't mean anything, but I don't think we'll have protective custody at launch, since I would've expected to have seen it as a category in the Security video that released this week and it wasn't there.
 
Suggestion: Will there be designated kill zones for inmates? Similar to staff zones but guards use lethal force due to them trying to escape. Such as crossing a fence trying to escape? Being able to make all the space outside your prison a kill zone for snipers to shoot if a prisoner tries to escape by tunnel or running.

It’s a little unclear how snipers behave to escapees so just wondering!
 
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Armybow said:
Suggestion: Will there be designated kill zones for inmates? Similar to staff zones but guards use lethal force due to them trying to escape. Such as crossing a fence trying to escape? Being able to make all the space outside your prison a kill zone for snipers to shoot if a prisoner tries to escape by tunnel or running.

It’s a little unclear how snipers behave to escapees so just wondering!
Click to expand...
Excellent question ! ! Wonder the same ! !
 
Rhone said:
Can you talk a little about why features like Executions and Gangs have been removed from the game? I'm not going to argue that they should/shouldn't be included, but I'm interested in the design choices behind these decisions.
Click to expand...
They haven't removed anything from the game. A sequel is a new game. Why didn't they build in a similar implementation to pa1 is a good question but choosing not to copy some design work is very different from removing something.
 
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