Jailbreak | Guide to being Warden & Minigames

Discussion in 'Guides & Rules' started by Fennik, Jan 23, 2017.

  1. Fennik

    Fennik Member

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    Before i begin, yes, i am aware @Starfish@Starfish has already written a similar guide, but it seems to be outdated and there's some things i disagreed with or some things i wanted to elaborate on.With that out of the way, let's get started.

    Welcome, Warden
    You've just come here from the guard van and through hard work and determination (typing !w really fast) you've reached the honorable position of Warden. You get to boss around both the prisoners and the guards, but at the cost of a lot (and i mean a LOT) of responsibility, being a high value target for the REDs and maybe annoying some of your colleagues on the BLU team.
    Beginning of the round
    If you're the first to have claimed warden (through the command !w), you'll notice a neat little menu popped up somewhere to the left of your screen. There's four things you can do with this;
    1. Open the cell doors - if you push this button, the cell doors will be opened and the prisoners will be released. Some maps are incompatible with this command and require you to manually hit or shoot a button somewhere in the map.
    2. Close the cell doors - same as above, but closes them instead. Likewise, some maps are incompatible and require you to use buttons in the map instead.
    3. Toggle friendlyfire - when you use this button, friendly-fire is enabled, which means that people on the RED team can attack others on the RED team and BLU players can attack other BLU players. This is useful for a variety of minigames, which i'll elaborate on later, or getting rid of freekilling Guards when admins are absent (but should only be used when absolutely nessecary).

    4. Toggle collisions - when you use this button, collisions are disabled, which means people on the same team will no longer "push" eachother around. This is useful if you need a lot of REDs to stand in one place or don't want them to be able to influence eachother in certain minigames.

    Alternatively, you can use !open, !close, !wff and !wcc as alternatives, respectively to open and close cells, to toggle friendlyfire and to toggle collisions.

    Don't open the cells immediately! The cell doors are usually locked for the first 60 seconds or until you manually open them, which gives you an opportunity to give orders to your prisoners.

    A "list of rules" that aren't default KOS reasons but that you might want to announce to the prisoners are:
    Medics need to have their mediguns out at all times and spies must have their sappers out at all times; medics and spies with their mediguns/sappers out will need time to switch to their melee weapon before they can attack, giving you valuable time to neutralize them. This is especially useful for spies.
    Medics are not allowed to heal teammates; the Medic builds ubercharge as he heals, and invulnerability or 100% crits are extremely useful in rebelling. Prevent ubercharges by preventing healing.
    Scouts aren't allowed to fire projectiles; stunning baseballs and bleed-inducing Christmas ornaments can be lethal for the Guard team, and for some reason trying to hit a guard but missing isn't an act of rebelling (by default).
    No class can use lethal taunts; taunts like Heavy's Showdown (POW! Haha.) are considered lethal taunts, ones that can deal damage and kill people. Like launching projectiles, attempting a kill but missing it isn't an act of rebelling by default.
    No detours, no delays; no detours means people can't intentionally go a different way than the rest and claim they're "taking a different route". No delays means people can't intentionally delay, eg. by spinning circles, by crouching-walking when not told to etc. when heading to a particular location.
    (optional) Scouts aren't allowed to double or triple jump; Scouts have an unfair advantage in many minigames. Their movement speed is the highest in the game which is already a great thing for them; yet they also have double jumps (or triple with the Atomizer). This is a huge advantage for them and many minigames become a lot fairer if you don't let them use their double jumps.



    I'll write some example first orders out now- if you've got something different in mind, give it a go! Don't feel compelled to pick one off the list and feel free to create your own variations.

    - Cell Wars | Cell Wars is a minigame at the very start of the round where friendlyfire is enabled and the REDs need to kill the people they share a cell with. The cell doors need to stay closed for this minigame (don't want prisoners running off) and a rule of thumb is to tell the prisoners that there can only be one RED remaining per cell to prevent people from teaming. Once everyone has killed their inmates, toggle friendlyfire off again and open the cell doors as the remaining prisoners triumphantly walk towards the line.

    + Simple and effective way to decrease the amount of living prisoners at the beginning of a round
    + Spies and Scouts perform badly in cell wars because of their low health and damage; this means you don't have to worry about backstabs or stuns as much as you did before

    # Favored classes: Medic, Heavy, Pyro and Demoman, who are all proficient at melee combat
    - This minigame isn't fun for the people that die. Of course none of the minigames are, but this one takes the cake; critical hits are rage-inducing and always seem to occur, and if you lose you're dead for the entirety of the round despite only having been able to play the first ten seconds, giving you more than enough time to let all the "random-crits-are-fair-and-balanced" salt build up.
    - Out-of-cell rebel | It's all in the name in this one; if you leave the cells, you will be considered a rebel. A very simple minigame but one that still proves difficult to win for some people; they enthusiastically walk out onto the line in front of the cells, greeted with a rocket or two to the face for disobeying orders. If you're eager to see some gibs, you can declare an "out-of-cell rebel day" and then ask them to come out onto the line, killing any innocent soul that obeys your second command, up until you cancel the out-of-cell rebel day.
    + Eliminates bad listeners and newer players, usually getting rid of troublemakers
    - Unfair, especially if given conflicting orders; well-meaning new players become victims
    - Luigi wins by doing absolutely nothing (AFK prisoners survive)

    - Lava day | Ever played The Floor Is Lava? Same thing applies here- if a prisoner is standing on the floor, they get killed by the heat of the lava (well, a Guard's bullets). This can be announced and canceled similarly to the out-of-cell rebel day. Some maps aren't exactly compatible with this as they don't actually have any objects to stand on instead of the floor, but luckily cells often have beds inside them.
    + Quirky! Eliminates bad listeners and AFK prisoners
    - Impossible to do on certain maps due to the lack of objects in cells

    These are the most common "minigames" for the beginning of the round. There's many variations to them, most of which aren't really minigames. The most common way to start a round, but one i personally dislike, is as following:
    - All prisoners have to face the back wall of their cells (face away from the exit) and AFK-freeze (not allowed to move, attack, taunt or anything else that they'd need to use their keyboard or mouse for- voicechat and normal chat excluded). Anyone that doesn't comply is executed.

    + Completely eradicates AFK people and bad listeners
    + Hard for prisoners to rebel when they are AFK frozen and facing away

    - Done very often; not fun for the guards nor the prisoners as it becomes more of a routine
    So, with the first (optional) minigame out of the way, let's get started!

    Generally, the prisoners are asked to come out onto the line in front of the cells, but there are often two other lines on the side. The colors of said lines vary per map! (one map even has one that changes colors constantly) It's a good idea to ask the prisoners to freeze on the line so you can count them and make sure no prisoners are hiding in their cells or have escaped (some maps have ways to escape from a cell, like smashing a hole in the wall). If everyone is present, the real fun can begin!

    There are many, many minigames you can play, but some of them are map-dependent. I'll be making another list here- you can pick a minigame you'd like to play yourself, but it's common practice to ask the prisoners what they want to do if you're feeling uninspired.

    Obstacle Course | Obstacle Course, often abbreviated "obby" is exactly what it sounds like- most maps have one of these, and it's among the most popular of minigames. An obstacle course is, well, a course full of hazardous obstacles that the RED team needs to overcome to get to the end. There's different win conditions decided by you (the warden), for example the first person to make it to the end gets the Last Request (if you want to end the round quickly) or you can just continue with every person that makes it to the end. A common problem is that people will stay back and wait for everyone else to kill themselves on the obstacles, but you can avoid this by telling them to move or they'll be shot, or saying that they need to complete it to receive LR.

    + Many prisoners kill themselves on the traps, leaving you with less ones to work with
    + Possible to end the round instantly by giving first person to make it LR and killing the others

    # Favored classes: Scouts are fast and can double-jump
    - Obstacle courses are always the same on a particular map and can get repetitive quickly

    Deathrun | This is a variation on Obstacle Course, except there's traps that can be triggered by the BLU team to put an end to the prisoners' life. These traps vary from pits into the abyss to gigantic hydraulic presses. The RED's goal is to make it to the end alive.

    + Fun and interactive for both the guards and the prisoners; mind-games galore!
    # Favored classes: Scouts are fast and can double-jump
    - A single player can rush to the end; traps can't be re-used and everyone else gets to walk to the end

    Fall Game | In this minigame, REDs stand on a platform above something hazardous (lava, spikes, a deadly pit, you name it) and random parts of the platform will crumble, dropping any unfortunate prisoners that were standing there to their death. This doesn't regrow and the game goes on until there's only one prisoner or platform left. It's often necessary to ask prisoners to pick a tile to stay on as the game escalates, because you'll be left with either no prisoners or more than one prisoner when the Fall Game ends.

    + Often eliminates many prisoners, speeding up the round greatly
    + Possible to play up until there's one left, ending the round immediately

    # Favored classes: Scouts get to double jump to far-away platforms
    - The luck-based nature can be frustrating for prisoners

    Crush Game | This one is a lot like Fall Game, except a color or symbol is displayed on the wall on this one. There's nine (9) tiles with different colors or symbols and each one corresponds to the one that can be displayed on the wall. You need to get to the right color as soon as possible or you'll die. The time between showing the color and killing those that aren't on the color decreases as the game progresses, making it harder over time. You can choose to disable or enable collisions- enabling them makes the minigame more difficult (but more fun, too).

    + Simple but fun; keeps prisoners on edge!
    - Doesn't usually claim many victims; should only be done when most people are still alive

    Nine Square and Four Corners | A hybrid between Fall Game and Crush Game, there are nine and four tiles to stand on, respectively. Prisoners are given a short amount of time to pick one, after which bars will seperate the squares from eachother and a random square will lower itself or a corner will flash red, killing the people standing on said tile. Any players standing inbetween squares will be killed when the bars appear and the game generally lasts until there's one prisoner left, although it can be stopped early.

    + Quirky and exciting while you wait to find out if you're safe or not
    - Even more luck-based than fall game; deaths can be frustrating

    Sweeper | Like in Wipeout, many maps have have a sweeper. It works by placing the REDs on pedestals, who then need to time their jumps as to not touch the rotating bar going around below them. If they touch the bar, they either drop into the water and die or just straight up get murdered. You can go on for as long as you'd like, but the difficulty doesn't increase and when the same prisoners have been at it for a while you may want to start another minigame instead (no fun for the dead c: )

    + Usually kills off many prisoners in the first few seconds
    # Favored classes: The airtime given by scouts' Double Jump can mean the difference between life and death.
    - Difficulty doesn't increase over time; can get repetitive quickly

    Pool/Shark | A gimmicky minigame where all REDs need to get into the pool and a BLU is released into the water. The guard is the "shark" and has to kill as many REDs using his melee as possible; the REDs have to kill the BLU. The game goes on until the shark dies or there is one prisoner remaining.

    + Good for BLUs with anger issues; they get to bludgeon every RED they see to death! Avoiding the shark can be fun for BLUs, too!
    # Favored classes: The Heavy has a huge health pool and Soldier is a close second (+regen with the Concheror!), the Pyro has access to both the Powerjack and the Back Scratcher, Demomen have powerful long-range swords
    - This minigame costs you a guard; the prisoners are allowed to attack the shark!



    Minefield | There's a distance that has to be covered by the REDs in this minigame, but hazardous mines are hidden under the earth! The REDs have to make it through without being blown to shreds; the mines aren't instant kills, but can really wear down low-health prisoners.

    + Eliminates low-health classes like Spies that would otherwise be a threat (also Engineers and Snipers)
    # Favored classes: Medic always wins with health regeneration, Soldier and Heavy have a big health pool to work with, Scout can spend more time in the air with double-jumps and less time on the mines
    - Often seen as luck-based

    Soccer/Dodgeball | The REDs throw around a deadly ball that will kill anyone it hits. Can be done in teams and free-for-all. Some maps actually require you to score goals instead of knock out your opponents.

    + REDs love killing other REDs, which they get to do in this game; a nice alternative to friendlyfire
    # Favored classes: Scout can dodge well and attack more rapidly, Spies' melee attack is instant, Soldiers and Demomen have access to weapons with longer range making it easier for them to hit the balls
    - REDs also love killing BLUs, and will often not hesitate to throw the ball at a BLU who walks onto the field. Since they didn't directly damage the BLU, they aren't marked as rebels.

    Arena/Hunger Games | Cell Wars' big brother. The arena is a particular area on the map created specially for prisoners to bludgeon eachother to death, including but not limited to environmental hazards, health regeneration over time, obstacles and many other things to spice up the combat. There are often buttons to toggle friendlyfire near these kind of areas, but at other times you'll have to rely on !wff to toggle it. Hunger Games is the same set of friendlyfire antics, but anywhere on the map or in an area specified by the Warden.

    + Bloodshed! Drama! Action! Everyone gets to participate if they don't take a random crit to the face, and you can spice combat up or down as you wish by enabling modular features (like a deadly spike pit!)
    + Spies are horrible at things that involve friendly-fire and great at stabbing you in the back, so getting rid of them is always a bonus.

    # Favored classes: The Heavy has a huge health pool and Soldier is a close second (+regen with the Concheror!), the Pyro has access to both the Powerjack and the Back Scratcher, Demomen have powerful long-range swords, Medics have health regeneration which allows them to back off until they're healthy again (and the Ubersaw that seemingly has a 99% crit chance)
    - Critical hits can make prisoners feel like they've been cheated out of their win, as usual.

    Bunnyhop | Like Obstacle Course, except there's a set of platforms that'll disappear a fraction of a second after you get on them, requiring you to jump extremely quickly after landing or you'll plummet to your death. A rather difficult minigame that often leaves you without players to grant the Last Request, but can prove rewarding if there's little bunnyhopping gems among the Prisoners.

    + Almost everyone dies and it can be a clusterfuck if multiple people try to complete it at the same time.
    # Favored classes: Scouts have access to double and even triple jumping, which has a small chance of saving their life (but it's not all that big)
    - It's not uncommon for everyone to die, leaving you without a last prisoner to give a last request.

    Stairway to Heaven | Similar to Obstacle Course and its siblings, the Stairway to Heaven is a minigame where a series of extremely thin platforms has to be climbed over some sort of hazard. There's not much to it, and all the platforms are the same distance away from eachother.
    You can have collisions on or off; it might be fun for the REDs to be able to push eachother off and spice the difficulty up a bit.

    + Usually kills off a decent amount of prisoners; Warden has the choice between collisions or not to change the game
    # Favored classes: As usual, Scouts can use their many jumps to save themselves. Most of the hazards are lava pools and not all of them kill instantly; the Pyro is immune to the afterburn and Medics can regenerate the lost health over time.

    Jeopardy/Trivia | Like the game-show it was inspired by, the goal of Jeopardy is for the BLUs to ask questions that the REDs need to answer (correctly, of course). There's usually pedestals with buttons accessible for the prisoners; the first to hit their button gets to answer. There's two common variations to this game: the person that gets the answer right gets to pick a teammate who is killed, or the first to get to a certain amount of correct answers (usually 3) gets the last request and the rest are killed. If someone gives the wrong question, they will be killed by you or the other BLUs.

    + Very fun; skill-based and does not rely on luck; endless variety of questions can be asked about an endless variety of subjects!
    # Favored classes: Though minuscule, Spy's melee attack has a much shorter delay between clicking your mouse and actually hitting the button.
    - Can usually only be played with very few prisoners alive; other minigames will need to have been played beforehand
    - The difference in age and knowledge on particular subjects is huge inbetween players and the ones that haven't been able to experience as much time in school and classes will interpret this as unfair


    Theater/Hat Day | Theater is a mini-game where people usually get the choice between their hat, their taunt, their spray or a joke. One RED comes onto the stage at a time; they can say what they want to be judged by, and then BLUs will vote on the joke, spray, taunt or hat. Unusual effects are usually ignored to avoid a "pay-to-win" environment, even if active players are given access to !benefits to give themselves unusual effects. If the majority of BLUs vote yes (in favor), the prisoner gets to live and can go to the other side of the stage. However, if the majority is not reached, the RED will face a swift death.

    + Sprays and jokes are good alternatives for the less financially fortunate players
    - The voting-based nature of this minigame can get you or the other BLUs blamed for favoritism


    Kitchen/Diner | Another gimmicky voting-based gamemode, one RED at a time makes up a delicious dish for the BLUs to consume; do they like it or do they hate it? Based on the BLU's vote, the RED either lives or becomes meat for use in the very next meal.

    + Creativity galore! No class or item ownership advantages!
    - As with Theater, the voting-based nature can be seen as favoritism by the prisoners

    First Reaction, Last Reaction | A mind-wrecking game where you mustn't react too fast, the Warden can say either "first reaction <action>" or "last reaction <action>". In a "first reaction" round, the first to perform the action is killed; likewise, in a "last reaction" round, the last one to perform the action is killed. For actions, think of things like jumping, crouching, taunting, attacking and other things along those lines.

    + Very useful to thin two to three prisoners down to one
    + Will always leave you someone to give the Last Request

    - Only doable with very little prisoners left

    Simon Says | A game similar to First Reaction, Last Reaction, the warden will give commands that the prisoners need to obey. That is, only if he uses "Simon Says" as a prefix. For example; if the Warden would say "Simon Says crouch!", the people that didn't crouch would be killed. If he left out the prefix and just said "Crouch!", the ones that did crouch will be the ones that get killed.
    + Requires prisoners to listen well; doable anywhere on the map
    - REDs will blame their death on the quality of your microphone, even if you're currently sitting in a professional recording studio.

    I hope i've briefly gone over the most common mini-games like this. You can bookmark this thread for future reference. Your goal as warden is to have a single prisoner left who receives the Last Request- you give it to them by using !lr. Most of the last requests trigger automatically, but if the prisoner chooses the custom LR you'll manually have to execute said request. Last Requests have an influence on the next round; from making specific prisoners guard immune and letting them roam the map to antics like Rapid Rockets Day, where everyone is given a valve rocket launcher and friendlyfire is turned on. Once the last request has been given, the final prisoner may either choose a death wish or you may kill them manually, but you should not delay the round by walking off and waiting for it to end; rather, if the final prisoner does not make a death wish, you should just straight-up shoot them.

    Now the round ends and the circle begins anew, and you're ready to try new minigames.
    Remember to check out the jailbreak rules and the global server rules and most importantly, have fun!

    Please provide feedback in the comments below! If you have any minigames you would like to see added to this guide or are missing any other kind of information, please respond and i'll see what i can do for you!



     
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