January 13, 2014 | Dukus | 112 Comments
Sometimes in the middle of working, I find myself slowing down the game and just watching it. I find myself staring - looking at what was built, watching the seasons pass, and seeing the townsfolk move around and go about their lives. So rather than be productive this morning, I took a whole bunch of moving screenshots of just that. Enjoy!
Looks awesome, can't wait for 2/18!
Question: can you name your towns and/or buildings?
I want!!! I will be patient...Feb 18 is not that far away. Thanks Luke!
Beautiful! I love watching my people in games sometimes too ð
February 18th can't come fast enough!!
Very cool, really looking forward to feb ð
Is there any chance you are going to do any sort of pre-order?
btw, I love your large farms! Nice places for crops and livestock ð Most city building games seem to skimp on the size of a farm.
yes eric he has said you can name your towns before, unkown about buildings tho.
I feel so serene and peaceful as I watch that. It really IS easy to become engrossed in it!
I'm feeling super excited!
Looks stunning, can't wait!
Get back to work and ship it! Oh, and thanks for the video, awesome ð
I love the music; so peaceful and serene. I could listen to it all day.
Release date is on my sons 5th birthday! This is going to probably be the only time we can say WE are getting something on HIS birthday!! ð
He already is saying "I am going to help!"
Beautiful!! Can't wait to play it! I have a feeling my productivity is going to drop from 2/18 onwards... ð
It's probably to late for this request but for further consideration, maybe:
I would wish people run/cover themselves/look down when it is raining. I know, it's just such a little thing, but for me it kind of breaks immersion when people just outright ignore the rain getting into their eyes ð
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY BITCOINS!
XD
Seriously though, game looks wonderful!
I've already set aside blocks of days to immerse myself in this game.
Cheryl, I love the way you describe farms ð
THANKS for video.
The game looks awsome!
I wish that someday I might make something as beutifull as this.
On fourth moving picture (0:21) there is a sheep outside the fence.
How did it get there? Possible bug?
Looks really good. Looking forward to release day.
What is about the speed of your villagers? would it be possible to make some faster/slower depending on age, health and other stuff?
Especially with the scenes where everyone was moving in line on the feels this stood out. I think out could give a great feel.
So peaceful. I'm really looking forward to this.
What will be the different options to buy this game, I mean I would like a hardcopy and not be forced to download it from Stream or something? Your "moving" screenshots were great, just wondering though if the animals inside the pen move sometimes, they all look like they have been "plopped" there to stay.
just beautiful i love the way people walk and carry things even a barrel of beer this is going to be a big hit i wonder what sales do you need to make a profit
Gameplay looks excellent. Some minor tweaks would be lovely though.
- Children walking animation doesn't match movement speed, and looked like they're gliding around.
- Rivers look great, but I can't see any waves/splashes (No problem whatsoever if its not implemented, still look lovely). And maybe you can make the river banks darker, make them look soaked/wet? Or make the water darker, that should do it.
- Colored tents looked too bright for me, and a bit plain, doesn't look like canvas/fabric.
- I think one potential problem in this genre is the lack of events, so keep 'em coming please! i.e. Snowstorm > some buildings destroyed > economic meltdown (food is lacking,etc.) > villagers grow unhappy and become outlaws > you have to deal with them and so on and on. Just my imagination of a perfect version of this game :3
As you can see, they are just minor graphical issues, and I don't even mind about them much, I'd still buy them. Just trying to make the game perfect in every aspects, I'm sure you like that too.
Good luck! ð
I can't wait, this is such a tease ...
I think i'll love this game ^^
greattttttttttt
Thank you Vern, that is very nice of you to say ð
Farms are one of my favorite things to build, and watch grow and get harvested and cared for.
mrbisonm I agree, hopefully they will move around - but I saw their heads moving up and down to graze at least.
I agree with the suggestions to implement, (the more the better right?) hehe, but I love the birds singing too! It's very lovely. I hope I can scrape up enough money to buy this game!
Very very nice!
But i have questions;
Its possible to change the Clothing (summer / winter)? The Fencegate dont work, because the animals runs out?
I'm pretty sure I just came a few hundred times. Looking forward to this game and your next.
@Pelagorn there are 3 types of clothing, other the default one: leather, wool, wool + leather.
I think that the fencegate is only a graphic issue.
Well done, shared on Facebook. Good luck!
Phenomenally Zen !
@Axios ah okay thx
Oh no! A lighting bug at 1:18!!
Look at the rocks.
But, anyway, soooo excited to play!
I would just start working on upping the graphics, animations, and such. Not looking for cutting edge, but the better you get it, the more eye candy you can get to show it off. Little things like grass textures, trees, and walking animations make the game that much more immerse. Have to comment on something since i dont have my hands on the game yet. Still gets a decent grade in graphics, but there are easily viewable areas to concentrate rather than things like balancing and gameplay decisions.
I think the snow needs to be painted on a few more surfaces and perhaps the water should freeze over some winters, halting trade.
Also, people should dress warmer in winter.
Other than that, looks great!
Looks like everyone has suddenly become a game developer with all of these 'suggestions'.
Game looks beautiful. Can't wait to play it, looking forward to whatever you've got in store with patches/updates.
Will you still be updating it after release?
@Jack he said yes. And will be also free or paid DLC.
Totally immersive and relaxing. The next 35 days will drag. Unfortunately, the game will be released while I am on family holidays down-under... ARGH.
Can you do the exact same video without the music I wanna hear the nature and the sounds of the town, they sound great!
Looking good.
Alot of 'screenshots' of people moving about, but it would have been nice to have a few more screenshots of people performing their work (Eg- fishermen and woodcutters)
Fantastic game, and very peaceful video. I can see myself playing for hours.
A quick question/comment though : have you considered more random orientations for the building/roads? I remember a game called 'medieval lord' from the 2000's, where you had quite a lot of freedom when choosing the location and orientation of what you built, including non rectangular crop fields and pastures.
Looks beautiful and so relaxing. I really am looking forward to play it.
finally a video, you rock xD
Cool, I look forward to the 18th.
How does it feel to be something like a god? Giving live to where there was none?
Random question ,and a weird one ,but if you did not have a church in your town would that leave you with any defects or missing effects on my town, only because I am am not the religious kind of one and if i didn't have to have one without the cost of something that would be cool.
Great great work, I want to say great a million times, I am an outdoors man and love adventure/outdoor games and this just fits me perfect, I really cant thank you enough that you will be bringing this game to my computer ð
One more thing Luke its another Question: ok later or maybe during free days form a customization thing for a character, so i could make myself and see how it compares to what i think i would actually do, that would be awesome.
Beautiful.
February 18th can't come fast enough.
Very much looking forward to the game Luke. What you have created single-handedly is very impressive and you deserve all the success that goes with it. I'll be buying it on release day. Can we buy it direct from you or do we have to go through Steam?
@James on reddit he talked about 2 buy options: directely from him (steam key included) or from steam. Quite both the same.
@mason it's a game after all. Think at the church as another happiness building.
Look's impressive. I really hope there is a game there, under those beautiful graphics.
@Axios - Thanks for the information. I was also wondering whether Luke would get more of the money if we bought direct from him rather than go through Steam but I guess not.
I noticed that the peopledont use gates or gaps when they leave the livestock pens. Iknow its a small thing, biut its all the small details that a game great.
@James I think that Luke get more money if we buy directely from him. But it's only a supposition. No info on Steam's commercial agreement.
@jack seems a small graphic bug.
I think, church is need for help to people against fear of the unknown. Before science will reveal things out...
So, people walking like ghosts, need moving speed differences!
Wow, just wow! Cant wait till Feb. 18th!
Thanks for the video. I was hoping for more videos before release. I wan not disappointed!
The Game looks very impressive, and a marvelous effort for a single person, congratulations! I only suggest possibly adding curves and diagonals to the roads, adding carts to the traffic, and maybe some larger centre piece tiles (great halls, cathederals etc.)to truly make this a potentially incredibly great game to make and play, good luck with the launch!!! Bravo!
34 more days
Hey Luke,
I've been following your game since last May when I first stumbled across a video on it. I can't wait! I've even got my girlfriend excited.
Question: Who's the wizard that can walk through fences at 3:40?
Lovely, I will enjoy exploring this world you have created.
Here is my wallet, now where is my pre-order?
This will be an awesome birth day present! (im feb 22)
All this talk about churches and cathedrals, how about some religious fanaticism and alternate religions then feuding factions within the town? Maybe later DLC.
Sooo stunning, i cannot wait to give it a try!
The field of chickens standing around in the snow? and people just walking through it?
For all the people asking for pre-orders: keep in mind that setting up a pre-order takes time and planning. I'm not saying pre-orders are bad, just that it's likely Luke didn't plan on having a pre-order and trying to set one up now would probably cause the release date to be pushed back, since time spent working on setting up the pre-order is not spent working on all the non-code work that goes into getting a game released.
Can`t wait for release! In still setups like the animations get more attention, doubt it will bother me when playing the game. But some good suggestions pointed out above if you have some spare time and the will to improve em.
Nice video. Still amazed at the work you've done. I hope it was worth it. Not only financially but also on a personal level.
Yahh!! Game going to come out tonight!!!.... oh wait it's in February. ..... damnn... on well 30 days till release ^^
Just add some Weapons and Soliders and you've got the game that Stronghold 2 should have been.ïŧŋ
Cant wait to get my hands on this awesome game! And all i can do is to wish you and us good luck with your next projects! ð
Nice impressions. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to Feb 18.
ð
One thing I was wondering, was it intended that villagers/workers pass through each other or maybe it would make you much more work to do.
I have absolutely no idea, but I wanted to share it with you, it stumbled right upon my eyes as I was looking at the video.
Thruthseek3r
Are you open to suggestions regarding things to add?
Some other civilization feature would be cool, so you can trade with them etc(if thats not allready implamented lol, i dont know enough about the game)
add some wars between civilizations(it would be some work to work out that but it could be done)
add a feature so your buildings tech up or imporve over time, kinda like a tech tree
Please Email me if you read this, whoever the owner may be ð id really appreachate talking to you about the game Via email!
A must buy!
Ryan
Seriously, what is it with the graphic u know whats now days. If the gameplay is great and otherwise game works as supposed to, u really dont need a million dollar graphics engine to make the game good... 1 man put this whole game in motion and finished it alone, I would say good friggin job... not "it needs better graphics"... In short, good game does not need to be photorealistic to be good.
Can hardly wait! I check the web site everyday to see if the release date has been updated.
Anxiously awaiting.
Great job Luke and I can't wait to see what you have planned for your next project. Could it possibly be better than "Banished"?
Thanks Luke for a great game.....
Hi,
Great work!! It will be avaiable in Spanish? Do you need with the translate?
Jose Luis
You REALLY Need a forum!
http://www.banishedforum.com/
here the forum
You are killing me! Cannot wait to be banished to playing this game by a fire with hot chocolate and a wool blanket.
Thank you for not making this an early Alpha release. Too many developers are opting for early Alphas and it's like opening your presents before Christmas.
Sound is well done. Rain splashing on cobble stones, bird song in the woods, and frogs croaking along the river, all make me long for a warmer season. Until I heard the snow softly pattering on the ground in the forest, which I was surprised to find relaxing in spite of currently being in the middle of a long cold winter. The sound of a snow fall was a nice touch.
The environmental sounds blend nicely with the sounds of a busy community. I felt immersed in the town with the cries of plaintive children, ringing hammers, and a steady murmuring hum of townsfolk in the background.
I fear my wife may find me asleep at the computer with my chores undone the day this game is released.
oooh cant wait for this to be released it looks amazing.
Are we there yet?
How about now?
Now?
I'm just super thrilled and excited. Just wanted to stop by and let you know that your work is appreciated and there are many of us still very excited and looking forward to this!
A teensy thing I noticed: When the two villagers with wheelbarrows were walking, one behind the other, it looked too mechanical. Would it be easy to have a very small variation of speed for each villager? I know the game is "Done" but it seems like it would be an easy tweak.
If that would make villagers walk through each other then that wouldn't be worth it, (unless you already have collisions implemented) but I think it would add to the villager's personality, something that you seem to be working very hard to perfect.
~Wild_Doogy
Crap, I forgot to say how bloody awesome the REST of the game is!!!!!!! Take my doubloons!!
Looking really good.
one question though: For some immersion, can we build the crop fields and orchards in different shapes rather than perfect squares?
I don't think it's possible to let walk villager around each other neither build crop-fields that are round (not square). Both for the same reason: this is a isometric grid game.
Comign to ya from Chemistry Class. I can't wait for this, it's gonna be a great game to play while hiding from the -10F weather up here in New Hampshire.
The game looks beautiful. Only two possible bugs I noticed in the video was that it appeared that the citizens pass through one another and that they also seem to cut corners... sometimes even through the corners of buildings. Extremely minor flaws.. but otherwise awesome. I'm so excited about the release!
Looking awesome! As people have pointed out, more eye-candy never hurts in a game like this since you'll be spending a lot of time just looking at your city. (I actually loved the idea of people dressing warmer in the winter. Sorry.) But not at the expense of a solid game balance.
@Erdobelli @Jon Yes, villagers and objects/building are "tied" to a square grid.
This game looks fantastic!
The first time I saw Banished was through Biffa2001's let's play (youtube). I was mesmerized. The graphics of the game it self caught me right away. I'm truly looking forward to this game. February 18 can't be here soon enough! ð Thanks for your hard work! After EA's destruction of the SimCity franchise, this is a very welcome fresh wind!
Really looking forward to this. Just a beautiful game.
While looking at the moving screenshots, I noticed a sheep outside the pasture, and thought that down the line there might be some little questy things like getting the sheep back in there before it wanders off, or fix the fence. Might require pulling someone off their assigned job to do the task.
I found this game via an ad on EuroGamer and it looks very interesting. I find it difficult these days to get excited about a game because I feel like I've played them all before.
So I just wanted to give a little comment that you have dispelled that for me and I'm looking forward to playing this game. I've also enjoyed your blog posts (being a programmer myself), both in content and the way you write.
Good luck with the game, it's a brave decision to quit your job and build a game and so I hope it's a great success for you.
Very nice, but I am concerned about the issue. As people in the winter and summer clothes in one go. Grown sheep. No winter clothing. Please give out winter clothes and work ð I would not mind if the kids played snowballs ikatalis skating. In general, where the children? Thank you.
I like to see children too! even if you have to postpone the release date ð
I like how this game looks! J'ai rÊvÃĐ de quelque chose comme ce! Est-il disponible au Canada?
@tom surely the gave is available in canada..you have to buy it on line, no cd, so you can buy it wherever you want
This Game reminds me of Anno 2070 and i loved that game so i will be getting this game
please relaese a demo/pre release so that we can try out the game
Really good game, looking forward to buy it.
- will the People run or move faster, when ist raining?
- i didnt see the animals moving on the field?
- the People run through eachother making their way. a badlooking bug, will this be fixed?
ð nice game
Such a wonderful video. The music is so relaxing and awesome too. Can't wait till release.
I am so excited to play this game.
The interface is amazing, i think it`s gonna be a great game! can`t wait to play it
Love the whole look of the game. The only comment I have is about people passing through one another and or walking through fields and graveyards and passing through fences.
Everything else is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get started.
I've just watched the video, and call me very impressed! I think I'll buy this game at some point..great work!
Looks good, will check it out asap. Good luck ð