Prison Architect 2’s Upgrade System Explained

After expanding upon the first one for years, Paradox is preparing to launch the next chapter of the Prison Architect series next month. This game promises to take the fantastic prison simulator mechanics of the first to new heights with a fully 3D artstyle, refined building mechanics, and a more realistic prison simulation. While it remains to be seen if Prison Architect 2 will be able to deliver on all of that, so far, the title looks promising.

One aspect of the simulation that Prison Architect 2 seems to be shaking up a bit is its Bureaucracy tab. Just like with most simulators, players have to research an assortment of things to grow their prison. This research can be anything from laundry and faster building to armed guards and leisure activities. Fans of the first game should know this all too well, though it seems like Paradox may be expanding upon it greatly with new technologies, new mechanics, and a more in-depth system overall.

Prison Architect 2 is Approaching Upgrades in a Very Different Fashion

Contracts Are VItal for Research This Time Around

One of the biggest changes to Prison Architect‘s bureaucracy is that contracts are directly tied into these research trees. In the last game, contracts were simply a way to earn some money and expand the prison while doing it. Once accepted, they would give players a slight cash influx, and then task them with building new things within their prison. Upon completion, players would be given even more money that they could then go spend on other things. That was all there was to it, but in Prison Architect 2, they are now worth far more.

Contracts in Prison Architect 2 still task players with building different things within their prison, while also still giving players money upon completion. On top of that, they also now give players XP that can then be used to unlock new things on the bureaucracy screen. Additionally, a new form of contracts known as Milestone contracts reward players with even more XP and cash once they hit a certain milestone, like recruiting 30 staff.

This is a massive change from how Bureaucracy worked in the original Prison Architect. XP did not exist, so the only way for players to unlock new things was by hiring the required admin, spending money, and then waiting for them to complete their research. Now, they only spend their accrued XP, which unlocks the research right away, and the admins just serve as a way to collect passive XP.

The Bureaucracy Tab Has So Many More Upgrades for Prison Architect Players to Enjoy

Along with the XP system change, Prison Architect 2‘s Bureaucracy has also been expanded upon greatly with even more things waiting to be researched. The tree itself is split up into four distinct sections: Big Business, Infrastructure, Well-Being, and Security. Each tree requires players to first unlock the matching admin staff, and then they start spending their XP on new upgrades. And as the prison grows and players spend more XP, they will unlock further tiers of research that will hopefully change their prison for the better.

Not only are there far more things to research in Prison Architect 2, but each tree is also vastly different from how it was in the original game. That tree was displayed as an interconnected web, with Finance, Maintenance, Legal, Education, Health, Psychology, and Security serving as the different sections. Some of those sections had nothing branching off of them, while others were filled with things for players to unlock.

While it might be a drastic change, Prison Architect 2‘s version feels far easier on the eyes and more streamlined. The additional research also gives players more things to work for and will hopefully help give the game a whole new feel. It remains to be seen if the XP system and new trees are actually worthy additions, but the brief overview videos make it seem like that is the case. And luckily, players do not have to wait that long to find out.

Prison Architect

Prison Architect is a prison/penitentiary building and management game where a central Warden must house countless inmates. Developed by Double Eleven and Introversion Software, the game lets players customize their very own prison while managing the inmates through normal and atypical scenarios.

Released

October 6, 2015

Genre(s)

Simulation

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

17 Hours

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium