Banished - nearly finished

[Jarhead0331]

A review from Rock/Paper/Shotgun.  The reviewed didn't like the game.  http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/18/banished-review/#more-190327

Ouch. No wonder there is no combat in the game. Nobody lives long enough to go to battle.

[undercovergeek]

Just read that.... but then there is a shit storm in the comments about how wrong he is

[steve58]

I was ready to pull the trigger on this one, but realized that I was already playing pretty much the same game, but in space (Spacebase DF-9).  Even though its not finished/as polished as Banished, I'm still enjoying Spacebase...and it has combat (kinda).

[Gusington]

The RPS reviewer wrote that he admired the game but didn't like it. But I am not sure if I will like it or hate it...

[undercovergeek]

The complaints he seems to have made have been strongly rebuffed by others who have given more time to the game..... two things seem to be clear though - it's not light entertainment nor is it to be dealt with casually it would seem

[Greybriar]

In a way Banished reminds me of Robinson's Requiem--I always lost to death in it, too.  ;)

[tgb]

So far I just played the tutorial and farted around with one settlement.  Technically the game is rock-solid (for me, anyway) and looks great.  It's definitely all about surviving for as long as you can.  In my first game, my entire settlement (5 families) was wiped out when a late  frost meant snowfall in early Spring, before I had an opportunity to get any shelters built or firewood chopped

This may be the first rogue-like city builder.

[Apocalypse 31]

I pulled the trigger, and for a mere $20.

The graphics are bland, and the engine is even a little choppy on my gaming rig.

I survived 15 years(still going), and managed to still have 12 survivors. At one point I was up to 22 but a bad winter and my lack of understanding in some game mechanics got in the way. I had several people die of starvation, and a few seemed to have died without any mention (old age?)

Overall it is an interesting game. Once you can grasp the mechanics, then organize your systems to run smoothly, you'll be fine. You can slowly add perks like a city hall, doctor, etc.

I have noticed a few weird things; Workers randomly go idle, and for entirely too long! Is not like civilization or settlers where you order a worker and he completes the task. Workers wander off, grab something to eat, and have a weird pattern of work. When you click on them you see their status... it's really frustrating.

I'm also not sure how to build my population. I lost a bunch of folks and haven't had any backfill. This is a huge problem because part of the challenge in the game is managing your workforce. This is even further complicated by the fact that each commodity requires a minimum of one worker to operate. Since my population is so small I'm forced to double-task people and turn off commodities when I have a good stock. For example, my blacksmith and woodcutter is the same person. Each winter I build up my firewood stockpile, then switch him over to the tool shop in the summer so he can replenish tools from the summer harvest. It's annoying, and I need more people!

It's also funny seeing your cemetery slowly start to fill up

[Gusington]

Thanks...I am more than mildly intrigued. There doesn't appear to be a campaign though...how does the player win?

[Apocalypse 31]

Thanks...I am more than mildly intrigued. There doesn't appear to be a campaign though...how does the player win?

By not losing.

Seriously, there are no win conditions.

[Gusington]

So do you not lose indefinitely and then...win?

[tgb]

It's pure sandbox - as long as your village is viable the game continues.  There are achievements (both in-game and Steam), so you can use those as goals to be set.

I THINK population grows as children age and start to mate.  Also I read that there is a random event that allows you to take in groups of settlers, but there is a prerequisite,andI can't remember what it is right now.

[Bletchley_Geek]

I was ready to pull the trigger on this one, but realized that I was already playing pretty much the same game, but in space (Spacebase DF-9).  Even though its not finished/as polished as Banished, I'm still enjoying Spacebase...and it has combat (kinda).

I think that Banished will be looking very nice alongside Spacebase DF-9 in my Steam library  :)

[undercovergeek]

Downloaded for play tonight, oddly enough it was the feedback in the rps review that pushed me over the edge - a couple of guys have torn into the reviewer over the state of his village, how he set it up and then complaining the game was too hard - apparentley he has forragers in the middle of the village and the hunter/gatherer ratio wrong - I could get into a game that models those dynamics needing to be established correctly instead of a sim city 'well ill just build that there' attitude

[Apocalypse 31]

Downloaded for play tonight, oddly enough it was the feedback in the rps review that pushed me over the edge - a couple of guys have torn into the reviewer over the state of his village, how he set it up and then complaining the game was too hard - apparentley he has forragers in the middle of the village and the hunter/gatherer ratio wrong - I could get into a game that models those dynamics needing to be established correctly instead of a sim city 'well ill just build that there' attitude

The problem is that the game never explains anything, and I think the tutorials are to blame.

Part of the tutorial should explain how to establish efficient systems, and ratios so that your population doesn't starve to death in the first 5 years. As of now, the tutorials only explain things that a player can pick up and understand immediately anyway.

For example, I have no idea which commodity is the best for producing food. Farms? Orchards? Livestock? Which livestock? Chickens? Cows? Etc...

I am in the same boat as the RPS reviewer. I have a HUGE percent of my population farming, and I'm still starving to death when I get over 20 citizens.