Prisoners not using yard or staying in canteen

[nomadicn8]

Returning player of the game. Made sure my prison is setup correctly with deployment and secured areas. Built 2 prisons which took a while to make sure it wasn't just a glitch in one game. Unfortunately prisoners aren't using the yard during yard time, sometimes a few will go out to use the exercise equipment but that is it and will stay inside their cells. But during free time they will wander the yard. Thinking about just removing yard time altogether.

Also during eat time prisoners will go to eat and head straight back into their rooms, I thought they were supposed to hangout in the canteen?

I have the 2 free DLCS and the Gangs DLC installed. Not sure how to upload my world but I attached these files from the

%localappdata%\Introversion\Prison Architect\saves\

 

[Enigmaticrose4]

Returning player of the game. Made sure my prison is setup correctly with deployment and secured areas. Built 2 prisons which took a while to make sure it wasn't just a glitch in one game. Unfortunately prisoners aren't using the yard during yard time, sometimes a few will go out to use the exercise equipment but that is it and will stay inside their cells. But during free time they will wander the yard. Thinking about just removing yard time altogether.

Also during eat time prisoners will go to eat and head straight back into their rooms, I thought they were supposed to hangout in the canteen?

I have the 2 free DLCS and the Gangs DLC installed. Not sure how to upload my world but I attached these files from the

%localappdata%\Introversion\Prison Architect\saves\

Hey there, you attached the .png file of the save. Could I get the .prison file? You’ll need to zip it. I’ll take a look when I get that.

Though, it sounds like things are working as intended. Yard time is really yard/lockup currently if they have no exercise need they stay in their cells. For eat time we have eat/lockup and eat on the regime. For eat they’ll treat any time after eating as freetime and go fulfill their needs.

 

[BlueMountainAshTardis]

I'm in the exact same boat, which is really frustrating because I share canteens. During Yard time my maxers will be in their cells or my canteen instead of the yard. And then the Mins are trying to eat with maxers hanging around. Then they escape the canteen and do whatever they feel like. Gah!

 

[Cardinal]

Can confirm, prisoners will only randomly use yard during free time, regime slot, security level and lock status has no effect on usage.

 

[Gooochy]

I feel that this thread belongs in suggestions but I agree YARD means inmates should STAY in the YARD if I wanted them to stay in there cells id use lockup. Or if they wonder around I would use free time but YARD time means they should be yard. During Yard time majority of my guards are in the yard causing huge staffing issues on the vast majorirty of inmates

 

[Anubis Judge]

It is so bugged. It was like this before. Now they roaming the whole prison when they should stay in the yard. Game breaking

 

[Armed Avacado]

I would also prefer if Yard time meant "Stay in the Yard."

I've designed some prisons with a specific traffic flow in mind. If prisoners have to run all the way back to their cells during Yard time, and then run all the way back across the map for, eg., a reform program built right next to the yard, it messes up the prison design.

 

[Walsht9]

This is absolutely game-breaking. I just came back after a few years and purchased all the DLC. Now I don't want to play anymore until this is fixed. Prisons are about structure, not free time.

 

[Tayste1985]

Returning player of the game. Made sure my prison is setup correctly with deployment and secured areas. Built 2 prisons which took a while to make sure it wasn't just a glitch in one game. Unfortunately prisoners aren't using the yard during yard time, sometimes a few will go out to use the exercise equipment but that is it and will stay inside their cells. But during free time they will wander the yard. Thinking about just removing yard time altogether.

Also during eat time prisoners will go to eat and head straight back into their rooms, I thought they were supposed to hangout in the canteen?

I have the 2 free DLCS and the Gangs DLC installed. Not sure how to upload my world but I attached these files from the

%localappdata%\Introversion\Prison Architect\saves\

I agree with all the responses here. It doesn't make any sense that prisoners would hang out in their cells during yard time. In real life would a prisoner choose to stay in their cell? No.

So I don't set any yard time in regime. Shower, lockup, eat, free time, work and sleep seem to be the only ones I ever use.

If you want the achievement for a gang takeover, they won't ever take over the yard cause they always stay in their cells. Best bet here is to have a common room near their cells and during free time they're much more likely to take over the common room, than they are to take over the yard during yard time.