Winning and Failure Conditions

Languages: The content of this page is based on Prison Architect Version 1.

Gameplay

Winning and Failure Conditions

Description:

Depending on the game mode, it might be possible to win or fail.

Other Information:

None provided

The campaign levels have objectives, which have to be met in order to finish them, though they cannot be lost. In the sandbox mode, it is not possible to win the game, though there are some (optional) failure conditions. In the Escape Mode, both winning and failing is possible.

Campaigns

The campaign missions serve as a tutorial on how to play the game, while providing a series of loosely connected stories. There are no failure conditions that the player can meet while playing through the campaign.

To finish each chapter of the campaign, the respective objectives have to be met (see their descriptions in the respective campaign articles). There also are optional objectives, which are not required to finish the campaign, but only for your personal amusement and some Steam Achievements.

Sandbox Mode

In sandbox games, there is no goal, so you cannot win the game. However, there are some failure conditions which can be activated in the "Create new prison" menu (and are so by default), so you can fail the game.

If the player meets any of the failure conditions listed below, they will no longer have control over their prison. Instead of the game simply ending, the player is still allowed to view their prison in its final moments. This is similar to how Dungeon Keeper operated when the player met with failure; they would become a ghost and could watch their dungeon crumble. If the player fails because of allowing too many deaths, he will even be imprisoned himself and thus being able to walk around in his own prison.

Death and escape counters alert unaware players. These are especially helpful in avoiding a potential failure condition. Additionally, if a player starts getting close to failure, a game over timer will start counting down which further alerts the player that they need to act quickly.

With the Legal Defense research, the Lawyer becomes able to avert the Game Over event once per game.

• Riot

If you let a riot run for too long, the government will be forced to step in and take over your prison. In this event you will be sacked, and the National Guards will be deployed to retake your prison by force.

This is a very violent end to your prison because every inmate who is acting aggressively while the soldiers are present will be shot and killed. Most prisoners will surrender to the soldiers, but the soldiers do not shout warnings. Prisoners that do not surrender will be killed.

This failure condition is activated after a riot has happened for six in-game hours. Once activated, you will have another six hours to stop the riot.

• Bankruptcy

If you have a negative bank balance and a negative cash-flow, you are bankrupt. You will have 24 hours to put in place a financial rescue package before being sacked.

Once per game, the Government Bailout grant may help you out.

• Deaths

Too many deaths in a single day will trigger a warning. If more deaths occur the next day you will be sacked. You will then be convicted of Criminal Negligence, and will spend time within your own prison as a prisoner.

This results in you, the architect, becoming a prisoner of your own creation while it runs on its own (Escape Mode).

This failure condition is triggered if you have 20 deaths in one day. The CEO will call at midnight, informing you that if five more people die the next day, it will be game over.

• Escapes

Too many escapes in a single day is a PR disaster waiting to happen. If more escapes occur the next day you will be sacked.

This failure condition is triggered if you have 20 escapes in one day. The CEO will call at midnight, informing you that if five more people escape the next day, it will be game over.

• Warden Deaths

This failure condition is triggered when you get too many Wardens killed. The CEO will give you a call notifying you that it's becoming difficult to find new wardens to hire due to the fear of death while working in your prison. If you get another warden killed after the CEO calls you, you get fired and lose the game.

• Re-offending Paroles

This failure condition is met when you give an early release to prisoners who end up re-offending by committing new crimes. If you release too many re-offenders, The CEO will give you a call to notify you that it needs to get fixed quickly. If you continue to release prisoners with a high re-offending rate, you'll get yourself fired and lose the game.

• Wrongful Executions

This failure condition is met when you execute prisoners with a clemency chance higher than that of the state tolerance, and the prisoner is found to have been innocent or could have been given a life sentence. After the first 2 times, a call comes from the CEO warning you not to do it again. If it happens again, you get fired and lose the game.

Escape Mode

In the Escape Mode, both winning and losing the game is possible. The game is won when you (or your whole squad, that is) manage to escape from the prison. The game is lost when your whole squad is dead (or you removed the last prisoner from your squad).

A "Game Over" screen giving you a score and some statistics is presented in both cases.