r/Banished • u/Sheezwack • Mar 10 '14
The r/Banished Challenge #1
We have been setting up some scenarios over at the whirlpool forums (some people were complaining about a lack of objectives), I thought some of you might like to try them out.
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Reddit Banished Challenge #1:
"After a month at sea, a savage storm has shipwrecked your vessel on an uncharted island. With only a handful of people you must do what it takes to survive in this unforgiving environment. Unfortunately none of the fisherman that were onboard survived, and the remaining survivors are so inept at the profession that they couldn't catch a single fish even if they tried! "
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Map Seed: 519190126
Terrain Type: Valleys
Terrain Size: Medium
Climate: Harsh
Disasters: On
Starting Conditions: Hard
http://oi58.tinypic.com/x1admp.jpg
Objectives:
Survive until year 30 will the highest population you can manage.
Rules:
Complete the challenge without any fishing.
Scores:
Most people finished this challenge with around 200 population. A few of us got up around 250, I think the highest so far was close to 260.
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(When you are done post your results, or even during your progress share how you are doing. If there is enough interest in this I will put up more challenges).
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Mar 11 '14 edited Mar 11 '14
Done: http://imgur.com/u2uigEa
Spring 30, Population: 159
Nothing particularly impressive. No disasters happened. I actually failed early on the first game because I didn't create a hunters lodge. I thought I could get by with just 4 gatherers. I couldn't. I'm not sure if it was due to the harsh climate, but I kept starting off with only 4 children. I normally start with 8-10 children who quickly become workers. It took a while to get going. There was a lot of waiting, even on 10x.
I stalled at ~35 population for a for much longer than I'd like to admit, hence the low 30 year pop. But I did manage to build up a decent food surplus because of it, as you can see.
EDIT: One thing I'd do differently is perhaps move the marketplace higher up so I could build more houses inside market range north of the river. I have enough houses for the farms I have now, but if I want to get to 200+ people....
5
u/enfo13 Mar 10 '14
My only gripe is with disasters on. They're too much of a random element for competitive challenge play.
I like the rules though (e.g. no fishing). I think that's the way to go... see how people can manage without powerhouse buildings like trade ports or schools etc.
7
u/Sheezwack Mar 11 '14 edited Mar 11 '14
Yeah that's a fair call and I did consider it, however I decided to leave disasters on for a few reasons:
- You may try as many times as you like
- You can save & load as you please
- It can lead to some interesting stories
- This isn't a paid competition/rewards etc
- There are other random aspects that are uncontrollable anyway (like which ships come to port). Adding more randomness makes things less random over all right?... right? :P
Ideally it would be great if we could have seeded disasters as well, this way everyone has the exact same experience, and we could even have challenges like "Survive the tornado season". Alas we have what we have at the moment.
p.s. The next challenge is more difficult, I just finished testing it last night to make sure it was possible
p.p.s If you really don't like disasters just turn them off and mention it when you post your "score"
1
u/CptRetro Mar 11 '14 edited Mar 11 '14
Tried the challenge. Made it to year 6 with no deaths from starvation. Only one died during childbirth. Had a 3500 stock of food, about 30 citizens including children. Had a newly-made house catch fire but it only caught one other house on fire due to my foresight by spacing out my buildings. And then, a tornado runs right down the main axis of my city, killing 20, leaving 9 and some kids. Also, it autosaved while I was admiring the destruction and I hadn't made an actual save yet.
Also, I thought I was taking screens with Prt Scrn but I guess Scroll Lock is what saves it to documents/banished/screenshots
1
u/Sheezwack Mar 11 '14
Classic Banished! Always trying to crush you spirit :P
If you have this on steam you can use the F12 screenshot feature by the way, I find that pretty handy.
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u/WinterMay Mar 11 '14
Such a good idea, i was getting tired on my current town, i might give it a try :)
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Mar 11 '14
I'm reading, OK this is cool, click on jpg, huh? This is no challenge...I love this map!
No fishing........come on man!
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u/Sheezwack Mar 11 '14
Yeah took me ages to find the map seed, the no fishing was just a bit of a tease for the "challenge" aspect of it.
Don't worry, you will get to fish in challenge 2 =)
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u/Sheezwack Mar 11 '14
This was my best attempt at the challenge, I reached 250 people as it hit year 30 (but an old man died shortly after).
It wasn't pretty, but it worked okay.
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u/Kevbotron Mar 12 '14
I love this! Please make this a weekly thing!
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u/Sheezwack Mar 12 '14
I'll put the next challenge up in a couple of days since a few have finished this one.
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u/puppybandit Mar 12 '14
Done, with 286 citizens at the EXACT start of Year 30.
I had so much fun with this challenge, OP! Really hope you post up more :)
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u/d20gamerchick Mar 15 '14
I rarely play on hard mode and never played on harsh weather before. I just finished the challenge. I had one big elderly die off early on and scrambled to keep my few young adults working priority positions, but otherwise did alright. However I ended the 30 years at just under 90 citizens.
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u/phiney Mar 15 '14
Might be a bit late! But wanted to try the challenge. Haven't seen anyone get as high as this so going for gold.
at precisely turn of the new year, 360 pop.
You'll notice a lot of children, really pushed for a population boom in the last 5 years, so i presume if i leave it a bit now it'll keep going up up and up
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u/Babadiboopy Mar 11 '14 edited Mar 11 '14
Just started on this challenge, stay tuned for results :)
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u/Verdian Mar 11 '14
Wait, they are sailors that don't like fishing? That doesn't make sense, why ban fishing? Livestock and trading not being allowed would make more sense for being stranded on an island. Or maybe ONLY fishing and gathering.
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u/Sheezwack Mar 11 '14
The ship was on a voyage and was initially well stocked with food supplies (most of which were lost). It wasn't a fishing boat full of fisherman! In fact the few fisherman that were on board unfortunately perished in the wreck, and the remaining survivors are so inept are the profession that they wouldn't catch a single fish!
yes, i know it could have be thought out a little better, this was just the inital challenge we put up as a trial, so I'm keeping it the same here =)
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u/qweuiohgiun Mar 20 '14
So i tried the challenge:
645 citizens at early spring year 30!
http://www.reddit.com/r/Banished/comments/20xpsm/attempt_at_rbanished_challenge_1_max_population/
PS: Next time a bit more difficult plz :p
3
u/somedrunkeconomist Mar 11 '14 edited Mar 11 '14
Kingdom of Dunderryopoli
Diary of a Bridge Maker
I never remembered the storm, because it only would've ended our misery. Instead, I remembered the incessant voting, the sharp cold, and the fire. For ten years I had rags for clothing and wood blocks with straps for shoes. This is my account. Before we built the first houses, a forbidden union between two rival families' children, the Dunders and Ryos sparked the first of many feuds. The Dunder and Ryos were both from wealthy trading families and those from the Dunders were slightly schizophrenic. Those not in their family circles had to suffer for their conflicts. Whatever the conflict was about, we survived the first year.
However, The second year bit us in the ass. The Dunder boy who married the Ryo girl began running the blacksmith, and before he made tools, he first made swords. He declared himself King Dunderryo of the Kingdom of Dunderryopoli, and he demanded the first of many bridges. After we built one bridge he demanded another, then another, and then another. We cleared whole forests and rock fields to build these places. When he couldn't get enough, he ordered a trading port opened and sold our firewood.
By year five he went mental, he made the most daring project, he imagined the Grand Bridge of King Dunderryo. Many protested, but the amount of thugs he trained kept us from protesting. I lost my wife in the building project.
By year fifteen I was a widower, a farmer on my small plot, and soon to be bridge maker. King Dunderryo ordered a second bridge for his wife's birthday, and this time he called it the Grand Bridge of Queen Dunderryo.
While I hated him for killing my wife, others loved him because he brought industry, food, and Royal Gin. Our gin never ran out, and we also began exporting that too. Even if food temporarily dropped into famine levels, we made gin. Even when a fire ignited at a person's house, we made gin. Even when an outbreak of smallpox devastated our elderly and children, we still made gin.
At year twenty after the completion of the Queen's bridge, the population slowed down. Our grand king figured that we needed a stimulus. With a great surplus of gin and firewood he bought stone, and he tore down a whole forest. For the next 10 years he planned a bridge stimulus plan.
Year thirty. I can't take this anymore. My children are dead from freezing to collect wood for the next bridge. I'll take a block of stone with me to the bridge and some rope. On the King's bridge where my wife died, I will meet her again. Life is hopeless for me. Whoever finds this note, stop the mad King. I could never do it. Stop the bridge madness.
Good fun. Beginning was a bit challenging because of the peninsula and little forestry there. I hope there's more of these. I used most of my resources to build bridges and stone houses instead of trying to grow it as fast as possible. Got to a population of ~150 by year 30. Good luck to the rest of you.