Prison Yard — Documentary Sim

A Werner-Herzog-toned documentary about Barrow Creek Correctional — 50 inmates, 4 gangs, count time, weight pile, payphones, and the slow gravity of a day inside.

Try it live → Source on GitHub

Built with: three.jsr160single-file

#3d#simulation#living-world

## What this is A single-file three.js demo styled as a documentary about a day inside Barrow Creek Correctional. Fifty inmates, four gangs, three featured characters per day, and a director that cuts between eight cinematic cameras as the yard moves through count, workout, ball, payphones, visitation, and the slow gravity of time. ## Why this is mind-blowing Most prison sims chase exploitation. This one is the opposite. The narrator quotes are italic Herzog-toned reflections, the anchor PIP names a real correspondent, the lower-thirds tell you who someone is and why their daughter graduated yesterday. When a fight squares up the camera cuts away to the lockdown red flash and the count countdown. It feels like watching a real documentary, with a brand new cast of 50 every nine minutes.

Prompt

Build a single-file three.js r0.160.0 demo as a documentary about a
day inside a fictional state prison yard. Tone is empathetic and
observational — Werner Herzog narrating, not exploitative.

Constraints:
- Single HTML file < 200KB. three.js from unpkg only.
- First line of <body>: <!-- ROUND14_LIVING v1 -->.
- IIFE + strict mode. Disposables registry. Reseed every ~9 minutes.
- Autoplays forever.

3D world (Barrow Creek Correctional):
- 60×60 concrete yard, 4 watchtowers with guard figures, cell block
  with barred windows, basketball hoop, weight pile (3 benches +
  barbells + plates), 3 payphones, 4 picnic tables, chain-link fence
  with razor wire helix.

Living world:
- 50 procedurally named inmates: "Marcus Hollis 'ROCK' #A-2249".
- 4 gangs color-coded: White Tigers, La Sombra, Falcons, Neutrals.
  Zone clustering by gang.
- 3 featured rotating characters per day with matching backstories.
- Live events: weight workout, 5v5 ball game, payphone calls, gang
  meetings, contraband handoffs, scuffles → lockdown → resume,
  count time, intake, release, visitation.
- Squared-up moments cut away to lockdown — never depict violence.

Broadcast UI:
- LIVE pulse logo, day/clock, count countdown, population panel
  with colored gang bars, lower-thirds "WHO IS", roster ticker,
  italic Herzog-tone narrator quotes, anchor PIP "Hilda Mensah",
  inmate quote subtitles, lockdown red flash overlay.

Cams: 8 director cams (AERIAL, WEIGHT, BASKETBALL, PHONE BANK,
WATCHTOWER, GUARD POV, WALK TRACK, EAST GATE) — auto-cut on event.

Forever loop:
- ~9 min/round → "DAY ENDS — INMATES RACK UP" → reseed with new
  names, new gangs, fresh sky tone.

Paste this into Claude, Cursor, or Copilot. Change one thing that matters to you.

Build a single-file three.js r0.160.0 demo as a documentary about a
day inside a fictional state prison yard. Tone is empathetic and
observational — Werner Herzog narrating, not exploitative.

Constraints:
- Single HTML file < 200KB. three.js from unpkg only.
- First line of <body>: <!-- ROUND14_LIVING v1 -->.
- IIFE + strict mode. Disposables registry. Reseed every ~9 minutes.
- Autoplays forever.

3D world (Barrow Creek Correctional):
- 60×60 concrete yard, 4 watchtowers with guard figures, cell block
  with barred windows, basketball hoop, weight pile (3 benches +
  barbells + plates), 3 payphones, 4 picnic tables, chain-link fence
  with razor wire helix.

Living world:
- 50 procedurally named inmates: "Marcus Hollis 'ROCK' #A-2249".
- 4 gangs color-coded: White Tigers, La Sombra, Falcons, Neutrals.
  Zone clustering by gang.
- 3 featured rotating characters per day with matching backstories.
- Live events: weight workout, 5v5 ball game, payphone calls, gang
  meetings, contraband handoffs, scuffles → lockdown → resume,
  count time, intake, release, visitation.
- Squared-up moments cut away to lockdown — never depict violence.

Broadcast UI:
- LIVE pulse logo, day/clock, count countdown, population panel
  with colored gang bars, lower-thirds "WHO IS", roster ticker,
  italic Herzog-tone narrator quotes, anchor PIP "Hilda Mensah",
  inmate quote subtitles, lockdown red flash overlay.

Cams: 8 director cams (AERIAL, WEIGHT, BASKETBALL, PHONE BANK,
WATCHTOWER, GUARD POV, WALK TRACK, EAST GATE) — auto-cut on event.

Forever loop:
- ~9 min/round → "DAY ENDS — INMATES RACK UP" → reseed with new
  names, new gangs, fresh sky tone.

What I learned shipping it

Tone is a feature. The italic narrator copy is what turns a yard sim into a documentary.
Cutting AWAY from violence is more effective than depicting it — the lockdown red flash + count countdown does the dramatic work.
Backstory cards (daughter graduating, time accumulating) make 50 NPCs feel like people, not crowd.