Banished(an indie town building game)

[Tryfaen 713]

So Banished just released today(Feb 18). Anyone else get the game?

 

 

 

 

For those who don't know what Banished is, it's a single player town building survival game set in a medieval time period. You start with some settlers and a randomly generated map using seeds and a few basic terrain and climate settings. Once the map is created, a small group of settlers are spawned and you can delegate tasks for resource gathering food generation(agriculture/fishing) and construction. The object of the game is to survive and create a happy and thriving little civilization.

 

http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/game/

[Allenkey 46]

It sure looks interesting….

 

Id try it out for free if I could before having the option to purchase :/

[DreDBanGeR 61]

very good game, and Very challenging.

you wont just play a few hours and finish it, not a steep learning curve, just a constantly changing set of demands to coop with

[Allenkey 46]

Have you guys played before?

 

I might buy the game if it is not online play lol

[Druidnature 1118]

It's very fun so far, Freaking hunger though man.....these people are fat!

 

 

Edit: I also don't think my hunters doing anything.....Animals are there, but he's not going after them from what I've seen.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Druidnature

[Webbler 64]

Looked kinda cool from the video. But meh..

As for the "online" question, this game, according to the website is currently only single-player. Unless I mis-read something?

[Druidnature 1118]

Looked kinda cool from the video. But meh..

As for the "online" question, this game, according to the website is currently only single-player. Unless I mis-read something?

 

 

Single Player only.

[DreDBanGeR 61]

its singleplayer, when you stop playing you just save and load the next time you start up (doh ) as for the hunters and the food... dont get me started.. i was doin sooo well... and in no time one after the other dropped dead from starvation .... ( and i havent even build my graveyard yet )

[Ruxin 32]

So is it "fully finished" or is this yet another early release type deals?

 

I've got a huge catalog of early release games from the past 2 years that still haven't changed much, I don't want to add to that.

[waarokku 61]

from the little i saw reminded me of black and white

 

[Tryfaen 713]

So is it "fully finished" or is this yet another early release type deals?

 

I've got a huge catalog of early release games from the past 2 years that still haven't changed much, I don't want to add to that.

 

Yes, it's finished. I played it a bit but I ended up having some food troubles and had half my population die off and decided to take a short break, I should finish the tutorials.

[Allenkey 46]

How big of a file is the game?

[Asciana 303]

How big of a file is the game?

About 400mb or so. Which is pretty crazy considering how damn pretty it is.

[Tryfaen 713]

It's 100mb if you download the DRM free version, ~275 if you download the steam version.

 

If you buy the drm free version you still get a steam key.

[Ruxin 32]

Might check it out, although I had that $20 saved for my deed form...decision, decisons

 

*Edit: Watched a let's play of it on youtube...it looks amazing..and all made by 1 guy! I guess I've found my new "internet/servers are down, what do I play now??" game.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Ruxin

[Elen 1013]

Reminds me of the fallout 3 mod for making a running your own town.... except for the view and not having the fallout 3 awesomeness.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Elen

[Chrisyou 46]

I played it since Wurm was offline.  Glad I didn't have to choose which to play today.  Was fun but pretty difficult to expand fast.

[Dairuka 888]

I've been playing Banished almost non-stop since I woke up today. For people who are interested in the game but don't know what it's like or about, let me clear it up for you.

 

It is not like Sim City. Sim City is a economic oriented micro/macro-management stylized city builder. Banished in comparison is more of a resource oriented micromanagement stylized village builder.

 

If you absolutely need a game to compare it to, it's closest cousins (second cousins, twice removed) would be Caesar IV and Children of the Nile. However, unlike the aforementioned, the difficulty curve is ramped up to eleven, and death stalks your helpless villagers at every turn in Banished. With common unnatural deaths such as starvation; freezing; Influenza; drowning; being crushed by a falling tree; being crushed by a collapsing mine, you'll start to wonder if this is a sadism simulator. Beyond just the guilt of these tiny denizen's digital deaths, you will feel the growth effects of each and every death. Every person is an important asset that you will require to succeed in the long run. Losing someone in the early game, while not entirely game-breaking, will completely hamper your efforts to get established. Lose multiple people early on, and you might want to think about restarting. If you're masochistic like myself, and run auto-save at 1 minute intervals, you better be prepared for long rebuilding periods to recover your losses for even the tiniest of mistakes.

 

Think of Banished as a mixture between Anno Domini, Settlers and Dwarf Fortress (Even a little bit of Don't Starve) in this regard.

 

There is no combat, there are no ramparts to man, no castles to build, no wildlife to fend off (although there are delicious deer filling the forests, just waiting to be grilled.) - but the challenge is something surprisingly yet refreshingly new: The elements.

 

Give it a try. You might be surprised and find it fun.

 

Dairuka's Current Game, Hard Mode, Mild Weather, Valley, Large Map - Summer, Year 29.

 

The learning curve on this game is fairly high, and there are always going to be spots where you're left a little overwhelmed. I hit my very first one during the Summer of Year 29. I finished my school, added a second woodcutter, and got my very first mine up and producing extra iron that wasn't surface mined. However, my housing stagnated because I focused too heavily on other aspects of the game. The lack of attention meant that the households in charge of each house were too old to have children. While I did have young adults in the village, the game will not allow them to reproduce unless they themselves are the head of their own household, which meant that I had only ten children to cover the impending deaths of 38 villagers!

 

 

Naturally this proved to be a disaster for me, my village shrunk down to only 24 villagers, and I couldn't figure out why the young adults who were now the head of their own households weren't reproducing. It turns out that by making a child a student, they actually stay inside of the schoolhouse for prolonged periods of time, making it almost impossible for them to reproduce. (I was barely covering the number of deaths with new births.) - I ended up testing this theory out by removing the teacher from the schoolhouse, and low and behold, my birth-rates skyrocket!

 

Dairuka's Current Game, Hard Mode, Mild Weather, Valley, Large Map - Summer, Year 68.

 

Believe me when I say this, recovering after a major setback like the birth-rate fiasco is not easy in this game. It requires a great deal of patience and management to bring the new young adults together into households to reproduce more children. I made good use of the "Remove Structure" function by restricting access to single person households until they ended up in two-adult households, (It encourages childbirth as they are together more often, since they live in the same house.) - Because of this, I eventually rebounded. Thanks to the infrastructure already in place, and the fact that I had stockpiled oodles of food over the years of recovery, I was now able to fast expand without worrying about depleting my stockpiles. After trader visit after trader visit, I picked up a number of extra seeds for new orchards, and animals for pastures.

 

 

I plan to continue my current Firewood, Ale, Steel Tool and Warm Coat production. Firewood in particular is extremely easy to make, and sells for a sizable amount given the ease of creation. (It's my favorite resource to trade for other resources) - I've set up 5 Forester Lodges in various nearby locations to give me that massive boost of log production to keep up with woodcutting and other production lines. I've been hit by numerous disease outbreaks now, as well as dozens of infestations on my orchards and pastures. Deaths have been extremely high over the years - but I feel that the birth-rate has done a great job of outweighing the mortality. You'll probably notice that I like to build in a centralized location. It's not entirely optimal in this game due to hurricane disasters, but it is extremely optimal for marketplace use. I made sure to make multiple boarding houses as a backup plan should a hurricane ever decide to squash some houses. Fires haven't been much of a problem as I usually swap out everybody's job into laborers. (This cancels their current job, and makes them available to grab water to put out a fire)

Edited February 19, 2014 by Dairuka

[DreDBanGeR 61]

i just found out i have an 87 year old stonecutter... and my first 4 deaths were stonecutters who got a rock on their heads... i wish we had an option to retire him to enjoy his last few years

 

edit: 86->87

Edited February 19, 2014 by DreDBanGeR

[Druidnature 1118]

Been loving this game, at a 88 pop ATM and gaining kids way to fast lol.

Think I'm going to start a new one on hard, a few questions though for those that have played more with how things work and the mechanics.

One: is it plausible to make my entire place dedicated to forester/woodcutting/hunting/herding/farming/tailoring? I don't like the mining or stone cutting. I'd like to play the game like I do wurm (basically a forester) but not sure if it will work?

I know I can trade, haven't done much of that yet though so I'm not sure if this will work at all.

I basically want to make a lot of woodcutters and gathers to start, and follow with hunters, then get in some farms and a tailor then the herds. I'd love to not have to worry about mining or stone cutting at all, and just have a lot of houses and things inside a forest. so think I can do that?

2:how exactly does the trading work? I understand items have value, you trade those items for other items of equal/lesser value. But how do the certain types of merchants come/go? And is there a specific way to attract the type?

3:population.... Ok so, I know how to get a huge population...but how can I make it so they don't get huge? I want to grow slowly/not at all. But I don't get how this works at all. I've noticed death streaks and growth streaks. But never a stable amount. I just want to have a few family's for some time, but I don't even think this is possible. Any tips for this would be greatly appreciated.

4:What exactly does the chapel/tavern do? I know the happiness thing, but anything else? As far as I noticed, I only needed one, and everyone stayed happy.

5:god dang freaking. Stone/iron... Always lacking! What's the best way to get it? Keep them close to the main barn/trade area? Or make a 2nd area just for them?

6:Disasters I've only seen one.... Are they very rare? Had the infestation or wtv on my crop. Also is it good to build a lot of wells, or only need 1?

7: hunting. How does this work? Do I need to put it in a forest? Where I see deer? Or just out of range of other ones? (If not the last, can two be in the same area and get double gain?) and does this ever run out?

8: herbs are these used to cook, or heal? Or both? Can't really tell so far...o.o

9:fishing.... Is it even worth it? I notice my hunters and farms do a lot better, doesn't seem fishing gets much food. Or am I just not noticing something?

10:tools how much do these help? Also clothes...

11:gathering even worth it?

Sorry for the ton of questions, but want to be able to play to the max potential any tips (even beyond what I asked) I'll be very great-full for! Very fun game thus far. And my apologies for any spelling errors, IPhone Ftl/ftw lol

If anyone cares to add me on steam, to talk, help, or share techniques. Please send me a forum PM and I'll pass you my steam name. (doesn't have to be for this game, I play quiet a few, so hit me up if you want!)

[rosedragon 2282]

Played it when wurm is down.. I call this tropico with more survival nature. Some of the mechanic kinda remind me of dwarf fortress too, but it is not that complex.

 

Basically you start with a little group of people and up to you to expand the size of the village. Build too much houses then they will make too much kids that end the adults can't make enough food and warmth to suffice all. Neglect harsh weathers then you will starve or freeze. Gather only one type of food.. sickness.

 

My first two villages are fail, first one died in first winter, second one I hate how I manage the city, third one.....

it was a good map with plenty space to expand... then a row of disasters kick in. First, I got six nomads and I was so happy. They are in bunk house then I go to make them houses. Apparently, after those houses build, some of the nomads decide to stay with the weird 1person houses.. so I suddenly have baby boom.. 25 kids 25 workers... that put my food goes down quickly. But no problem, I pump all the workers to food production and I shall be good after few years.

 

BUT.. then the next season a fire burn a house. I put 6 of my villagers to no job to handle it... but they can't.. and fire spread to next building.... I put ALL my adults on handling fire even that I have 0 food 0 firewood... and they still failing. The fire burn almost all my buildings except two houses, one woodcutter, and one storehouse... plus my on-forest buildings. After that.. my villagers died one by one because starvation regardless I put them all to food making (they make food, they eat food, then they die.. derp..)

 

Until I reach 8 villagers 1 kid left.. which then they don't eat all the food they bring. Got food back up so I start rebuilding by the rebuild feature. Only to found out my workers only disassemble the house then left it... waited few season, they just won't build it, until I cancel the building and remake.. duh... and even that took too much time... while everyone start being in cold...  I just felt that too many resources already wasted and my quarry is too slow for only 8 villagers.. so I restart.

 

new game, I turn off disaster just cause it feels stupid. And make stone houses from beginning since more workforce for making firewoods is less free workers to do other stuffs.

[Niki 2279]

this game is extremely well done for a 1man team - i'm addicted

[DreDBanGeR 61]

Been loving this game, at a 88 pop ATM and gaining kids way to fast lol.

Think I'm going to start a new one on hard, a few questions though for those that have played more with how things work and the mechanics.

One: is it plausible to make my entire place dedicated to forester/woodcutting/hunting/herding/farming/tailoring? I don't like the mining or stone cutting. I'd like to play the game like I do wurm (basically a forester) but not sure if it will work?

I know I can trade, haven't done much of that yet though so I'm not sure if this will work at all.

I basically want to make a lot of woodcutters and gathers to start, and follow with hunters, then get in some farms and a tailor then the herds. I'd love to not have to worry about mining or stone cutting at all, and just have a lot of houses and things inside a forest. so think I can do that?

2:how exactly does the trading work? I understand items have value, you trade those items for other items of equal/lesser value. But how do the certain types of merchants come/go? And is there a specific way to attract the type?

3:population.... Ok so, I know how to get a huge population...but how can I make it so they don't get huge? I want to grow slowly/not at all. But I don't get how this works at all. I've noticed death streaks and growth streaks. But never a stable amount. I just want to have a few family's for some time, but I don't even think this is possible. Any tips for this would be greatly appreciated.

4:What exactly does the chapel/tavern do? I know the happiness thing, but anything else? As far as I noticed, I only needed one, and everyone stayed happy.

5:god dang freaking. Stone/iron... Always lacking! What's the best way to get it? Keep them close to the main barn/trade area? Or make a 2nd area just for them?

6:Disasters I've only seen one.... Are they very rare? Had the infestation or wtv on my crop. Also is it good to build a lot of wells, or only need 1?

7: hunting. How does this work? Do I need to put it in a forest? Where I see deer? Or just out of range of other ones? (If not the last, can two be in the same area and get double gain?) and does this ever run out?

8: herbs are these used to cook, or heal? Or both? Can't really tell so far...o.o

9:fishing.... Is it even worth it? I notice my hunters and farms do a lot better, doesn't seem fishing gets much food. Or am I just not noticing something?

10:tools how much do these help? Also clothes...

11:gathering even worth it?

Sorry for the ton of questions, but want to be able to play to the max potential any tips (even beyond what I asked) I'll be very great-full for! Very fun game thus far. And my apologies for any spelling errors, IPhone Ftl/ftw lol

If anyone cares to add me on steam, to talk, help, or share techniques. Please send me a forum PM and I'll pass you my steam name. (doesn't have to be for this game, I play quiet a few, so hit me up if you want!)

1. mining and stonecutting are essential, you will never get enough iron and rock from whats inyour surroundings.

 

2 not sure if you can lure a certain trader, i think they have a cycle tho... you can order specific items for when they come back .. but you pay the price for it ( about 25% increase )

 

3 you need to grow, but grow slowly, dont build to many houses from the get go, also dont accept any nomads if you dont want your food supply to drop dramatically over time without enough production

 

4 chapel is happiness only afaik, tavern produces ale which is a decent tradegood, it uses however a type of food you might need.

 

5 see 1, you need the mines/quarries

 

6 no clue i turned them off for now

 

7 best put next to the harvester herbalist and forester in a cluster in a forest, i find i get the best yields for all 4

 

8 herbs are for healing/ keeping your ppl healthy 

 

9 i find fishing is best done on lakes .. and if thats to far .. connecting rivers ... streams are not worth it.

 

10 tools are essential, steel tools last longer and have higher trade value, clothes keep your citizens warm and thus better protected against the elements .. another essential, also warm clothes have high trade potential.

 

11 YES ! it might be the difference between an early depopulation or a nice and diverse diet.!

[Druidnature 1118]

Thanks Dred :3

[rosedragon 2282]

gathering actually the most reliable food income if you can leave the forest from cutting things out. I usually set hunting and gathering on same location. Not a fan of farming... took too much time but nice if you have extra workers.

 

Stones and iron from mineshaft and quarry are slower to gain than things you mine on the overworld... very slow it can kill you and when those things deplete, it left a land you can't use. Theirs presence also reduce happiness, 1/2 bar at least.. more if it close to settlement I think?

Edited February 20, 2014 by rosedragon