Escape Mode
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS PC ONLY AND WILL NOT WORK ON PS4/XBOXThis mode allows you to play as prisoner in yours or random/downloaded steam workshop prison. It was announced to be in Prison Architect Version 1 which was released on October 6th and was eventually introduced in this version (initial release excluding the previous alphas), and can be accessed through the 'Extras' tab in game menu. There player can select one of his prisons, already downloaded prisons from Steam Workshop or just randomly selected prison from SW. You are a prisoner, and the goal is to escape from prison you have chosen before. Alternatively, you can enter this mode automatically while playing the classic mode due to reaching a certain failure condition. There are multiple ways to achieve the main objective. You can choose sneaky way of escaping through tunnel, but you should consider this could take some time, especially in bigger prisons or when your cell is far away from last wall of that prison. Another and easiest way in low and mid security prisons is to fight your way out of prison.
Game Play
Once you have started a game, you will arrive to the selected prison via prison bus and off load at either the Deliveries Zone or next to the Reception Room depending on what the process is for intake at that particular prison. Once you've gone through Reception or Deliveries you will then be escorted to your cell or holding cell depending on housing availability. Once this is done you will be able to walk around the prison and interact with prisoners and objects as well as steal contraband from some rooms just like any other prisoner.
Unlike other prisoners, your controlled prisoner does not currently have 'needs' and therefore cannot interact with objects that satisfy needs like TVs, Weight Benches, Meals, Showers, Etc. You also cannot work at a prison job or participate in reform programs. The only interaction with objects for now anyway is only attacking which is used to gain 'reputation points' which are then used to upgrade your existing prisoner(s) reputation traits, or recruiting additional prisoners into your personal squadron or gang.
Interaction with other prisoners is slightly more involved. You can either attack a prisoner by left clicking on them, or you can recruit them into your squad (assuming you have enough reputation points) by holding right click and waiting for a red bar to fill up indicating the recruitment is complete.
Objective
The object of the mode or 'end game' is to escape the prison as the mode's name implies. Once you have successfully escaped the prison including any currently recruited squad mates you will get a 'Game Over' screen that will then display the amount of points you received for escaping which includes the number of prisoners in your squadron at the time that escaped successfully, as well as the number of victims (deaths) you inflicted during your escape attempt. This will all be tallied up to give you a final score as well as display the time it took you (in game time) to escape the prison. This screen will also appear if your last character or squad mate dies.
Effect of Gangs in Escape Mode
If gangs are enabled in the prison you are currently playing and one of the gangs has a leader; there is a chance that he may 'recruit' you into his gang if your avatar meets specific conditions like being the same or similar skin color to the recruiting gang, type of hair style, etc. Having existing traits will also increase your odds of a gang leader recruiting you. If you are recruited by a gang, the leader will approach your prisoner and your movement will be slowed greatly for a moment, then you'll have the same face tats as the gang leader. Game play does not change with the exception that you will have gang tats that match the recruiting gang and will go topless if you misbehave or fight showing the body tats. You currently cannot directly participate in gang activities like zone captures, recruiting new prisoners for the gang, or making plays at this time, (however if you are playing another prisoner that is in your squad, the prisoner(s) in any gangs will do gang activities automatically until you select them again and start moving them.) but that might change in future updates.
If you attack a prisoner that is part of a gang, then any nearby prisoners that are in the same gang will attack you, potentially killing you and resulting in a game over if your not able to take them all out, or they are not stopped by guards, so be wary of attacking prisoners that are in a gang. If you kill a leader of a gang they will all come after you and you will incite a full prison-wide riot especially if the affected gang is a large one.
Also unlike other prisoners, you do not have to pay protection money to enter a area claimed by a gang such as a yard or common room, as the financial aspect in escape mode is at this moment, non existent, and you are unable to make any money or work a prison job.
Tunnels
Your prisoner will be able to access escape tunnels as well as create them if you have a digging tool such as a wooden pick-axe or a spoon for example. Like other prisoners however you can only start a tunnel under your toilet in your cell. You cannot start digging tunnels in other cells or anywhere else. You can however dig up into other cells and locations throughout the prison. If escaping by tunneling, simply just keep digging until you reach the map edge then right click to emerge from the surface to escape. Also take note that digging items do have a 'durability' and will 'break' after a certain point (usually after digging through several tiles) forcing you to get multiple tools or number of the same item in order to dig out. It's best to store several digging tools in your cell or nearby if you're planing on escaping by digging out. Wooden pick-axes, drills, and screwdrivers are all digging tools that can be 'stolen' from a workshop, while spoons can be stolen from the kitchen.
Reputation Points
They are points that are earned by causing trouble such as destroying objects like shower heads, TVs, doors, toilets, etc. As well as either killing or knocking unconscious other prisoners or prison staff. You can use these points to upgrade your existing prisoner with reputation traits, the same as a legendary prisoner can have (once fully upgraded). They can also be used to recruit other prisoners into your personal 'squadron' or 'gang' which can aid you when performing misconduct, tunneling, and or escaping. These recruited prisoners can then also be upgraded the same way as your own prisoner making them tougher and deadlier. Lastly these points can be used to 'skip punishments' if and when you are caught and arrested allowing you to spend one reputation point to instantly serve yours and all of your other squad mate's punishments (including lockup and solitary regardless of the length of time) and start back up in your cell (fully healed in most cases) able to continue once more as normal.
Squad
Once you recruit a prisoner into your squad, you can switch control between your various squad mates by simply clicking on their photo, allowing you to control any one prisoner in your squad directly (great for allowing everyone to gather weapons and other contraband). In addition you can press R to make the prisoners in your squad follow you (or click on "Toggle Follow"). They will copy any misconduct you perform, effectively allowing you to incite a full blown riot if you have enough prisoners in your squad and have the 'Instigator' trait upgraded in your rap sheets. Press R again to have them stop following you, allowing them to go about their activities and fulfill their needs. If gangs are enabled and if any of your inmates in your squad are in a gang, they will automatically participate in gang related activities for their gang while you are not currently playing them. If you have more then one prisoner in your squad, you will need to have them all escape or get killed in order to reach the end of the game and receive a score. Consequently if your starting prisoner dies or escapes, then you may take control of any other prisoners in your squad still alive in the prison, allowing you to continue. Alternatively, clicking the 'x' on the top right corner of each squadmate's photo will dismiss them, and cause the game to end after the last prisoner is dismissed including your starting prisoner.
Notes
Escape mode is now entered automatically if you reach the criminal negligence failure condition in the sandbox game. Once you escape your prison you'll receive a endgame score with the option to press 'Esc' to go to the main menu to start a new prison or load an existing one. Once you reached a failure condition, you cannot regain control of your prison again for that save.
Known Bugs/Exploits
-Even if your prisoner's name is flashing 'RELEASED' you will not be able to leave the prison and you will be marked as escaping and dealt with accordingly. You will have to force you way out by tunneling or fighting your way out. (Still bugged as of Update 1.)
-You are able to attack objects and people directly on the other side of walls. It is unknown if this is a bug or intentional
-If you are handcuffed and either you or one of your squad mates is rioting (while shackled) and you press the space bar to 'surrender' or 'end fight' you will keep doubling your reputation points each time you press the space bar effectively creating an exploit. (This appears to have been remedied with Update 1.)
-Another known bug is that sometimes if the game is a bit laggy the area will not load and if you walk into area that has not loaded in you will be invisible with all the other entities inside the area you cannot see. (Still bugged as of Update 1)
- If you recruit death row the death row prisoner will not be able to leave the map (please confirm because I only tried this once)
-If your escape tunnel is too big, the game will "lag" and consider you have done an misconduct. You will start gaining reputation points and, with time, they can be enormous exeding 1000. This can happen even outside your tunnel, yet guards, snipers, etc. won't fight you.