Exploring

From Prisonblock

Current revision as of 20:22, 18 March 2012

In late 2010 we began rolling out a feature we wanted from day 1: explorable areas. In their current form these take place in the prison yards (usually taking the place of ordinary yard searching). Here are some things you'll want to know about how this all works.

Your Backpack

Your backpack allows you to carry items and drugs while exploring. You'll only be able to carry as many items as you have slots. If you run out of slots you'll need to use or drop items/drugs from your back pack before you can pick up any new items/drugs.

Before heading out into the yard (or any explorable area), you'll want to pack your backpack. Do this from your Inventory page. You can click the little bag icon under an item or drug to add it to your backpack. You can do the same to remove items from your backpack.

• The warden can increase your allotted backpack slots with a price. Each backpack slot will up the price of the next. Backpack Upgrade

Note: You may pick up amenities regardless of how much space you have in your backpack as they are not stored there.

Tip: You may increase the size of your backpack by using certain special amenities and through other methods.

Tip: You can drop items to give them to other players who may be at the same location. Keep in mind that ANY player that is at the same location can pick that item up though!

While Exploring

While wandering around, keep these important things in mind, it may save you some headache and frustration later on:

Basics

• To move, click on one of the arrows around your player's avatar. You will only see arrows for directions you can move in.
• You can only use items that are in your backpack.
• You can not visit pages such as your cell, the gym, your bank account and other similar places. You can visit the forums, your account pages, your friends and enemy lists and battle logs however.
  • To visit any of these places, you'll need to exit the area you're in by either finding an exit (usually where you entered) or by using special items (such as ruby slippers).
• You can find your current coordinates by looking at the numbers under "Current Location". They are formatted as X,Y
• To view a map of the area you're currently exploring, click the globe icon right next to your coordinates
  • Note: Not all areas allow you to view the overall map
• Any actions that can be performed at your current coordinates will appear below the map
  • Open Yard Exits
• New Jersey 0,0 San Quentin 1,22 Putnam 0,4 Arizona 0,0 South Dakota 21,3
• Each step you take uses Stamina. Moving diagonally uses more stamina than moving in horizontal or vertical directions. Be sure to keep stamina-replenishing items with you. You can not move without Stamina
• You may dig to unearth cash and items. Digging requires energy and your stamina plays a role in what and how much you unearth.
• You may only fight players that you encounter while exploring. This also means you can't be attacked from someone not in the same area as you (even if they are in the same prison)

Player vs Player

While exploring, you can still interact with other players. This includes attacking and mugging. The main things to keep in mind are:

• You may only attack players that you encounter while exploring. They must be in the same "yard" (or "dungeon" as we call them internally) and at the same coordinate that you are.
• If you are defeated (in a fight or beat down from a mugging), you are knocked unconscious at your current coordinates.
  • The only way to recover quicker than the posted time is if someone comes along to revive you.
  • To revive you someone must navigate to the coordinates you are at and use health-restoring items until your health is 100% restored.
  • Players marked as dupes can not revive each other.
  • While knocked unconscious other players can search you. They can steal cash, items in your backpack as well as items from your inventory.

Digging

Most explorable areas have sections that you can dig in. When you dig, you can unearth cash, items, drugs or amenities! Here are some things to keep in mind when digging:

• Digging usually uses Energy. The amount of energy will vary from location to location, but you'll need the required amount before you can dig. You'll want to pack items that will restore energy when heading out to explore.
• The amount of cash at any given location is finite, so digging in the same location as everyone else, or on the same spot repeatedly will yield less and less cash regardless of your energy and stamina levels.
  • Each location is regularly replenished with cash, but you'll never know when that is!
• Your Stamina affects the amount of cash and the number of items you unearth when you dig, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
  • Remember that just moving around the area uses stamina! You can not move without Stamina
• You'll want to grab up items quickly when you dig as once unearthed, anything dug up can be picked up by anyone at the same coordinates.
• You can also drop items anywhere, but you'll want to make sure only the person you want to pick it up is nearby.
• Some Quest items will stack to allow multiple carries I.E. 1500 Blue Tickets for one slot.

Special Characters & Interactions

Sometimes you'll encounter special characters while exploring. Bootleg Joe is a common example. These characters can be interacted with in a number of ways (for example, you can buy a DVD from or mug Joe). Keep an eye out because these characters sometimes move around after every interaction!

There are also some items you can interact with such as the fountain of youth which sometimes appears or things that take you to other places. You'll want to keep an eye out for these and learn how they operate when you do encounter them because they could offer you a significant advantage!