Prison Architect

As part of the PDX CON 2017, journalists were presented with a mobile version of the simulator of Prison Architect's prison director. This game is played by several hundred thousand gamers, it is known for its hardcore and the need to take into account many factors. Gaining popularity among PC players, developers announced the release of the mobile version, and it was a surprise.

The game was not only presented, but also available for viewing right in the hall. Play could as journalists during the day for the press, so ordinary visitors. It was also announced that the launch of mobile Prison Architect already took place in Sweden, Holland and Australia, and a full-fledged release is just around the corner.

During one of the sessions I was able to communicate with David Nisshagen, the product manager of mobile unit Paradox Interactive. He told about the difficulties in developing that it is worth waiting at the start and the number of Russian players in mobile Prison Architect (there are no games in our stores).

According to David, Prison Architect was designed as a complex simulator with an incredible number of behavior patterns. To create a smart AI with a huge variation in the behavior of prisoners and a reaction to external factors was a difficult task. The mobile version had very different problems.

Developers worked on the original game for five years. The most problematic part was the creation of AI, which would meet our parameters and was smart enough to surprise players and put them at a dead end. We managed - Prison Architect is a hardcore game. The Architect mode is not for beginners.

The mobile version had no problems with this, but we are still struggling with the interface problem. We are not sure that it is convenient and understandable. Softlanch in three countries will help us gather the opinions of players, so that on full release we take into account the errors.

According to David, despite the release in Sweden, Holland and Australia, Prison Architect has a huge number of players from Russia. This is evidenced by data collected by developers and reviews in Russian, which sometimes come to the company. Several requirements were devoted to the introduction of Russian into the game.

In PA at the start there were 28 languages. Russian was one of them, but with the mobile version we do not have time. At the start will be French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Russian will not, but it will appear later. We appreciate the Russian community and will not forget about it.

The second important problem for mobile PA was the gameplay and its duration. Parties in the mode of the Architect last on the PC for several hours - on the tablet it is unrealistic. There is a story mode in the game, and developers are bet on it.

Prison Architect Mobile is not a game for a trip to the subway. For 10-15 minutes (European metro - approx.) You can not do much, or just do not remember where you left off. The concept of the game "just outside - hard inside" is preserved for the mobile version.

We expect that the game session will last about 25-35 minutes. It is a trip by train, flight or cruise on a ferry. During this time, you can go through the story mission or join the game in a free mode.

Scene mode involves performing certain tasks. On average, they will take 20-25 minutes, so the developers believe that their game will be a success. David said that 70% of PAM players are newcomers and are not familiar with the PC version. This is a success that the developers plan to develop.

As for the game itself, the mobile version is no different from the full version. It's still the same Prison Architect, where you need to think, count and plan. Only instead of the keyboard and mouse you control your fingers. No revelations, but the management is convenient, understandable and simple.

Prison Architect for tablets will be available at a price of $ 15, but will receive a demo-mode for several hours, which will help determine the purchase. Developers also do not plan to introduce microtransactions in any form.

The release of the game will take place in the near future, the exact date will be known later.