How Much Food Do People Eat in Banished? A Detailed Guide
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Figuring out the exact food consumption in Banished can be tricky because the game doesn’t provide a hard number. However, based on estimates and community experience, the general consensus is that each person, including children, requires approximately 100 kg of food per year. This number is crucial for planning your settlement’s food production and avoiding the dreaded starvation spiral that can quickly decimate your population. Understanding this basic figure is the foundation for ensuring your banished villagers thrive.
The Importance of Food in Banished
Food is the lifeblood of your Banished settlement. Without a steady supply, your population will quickly decline, leading to a cascade of problems. A lack of food not only causes starvation but also decreases overall happiness and productivity. Efficient food production is therefore essential to the success and survival of your community.
Understanding Food Sources
The game offers various ways to produce food, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. These include:
- Gatherers: These are often the most efficient early-game option, capable of producing large amounts of food if placed correctly in an area with plenty of resources.
- Hunters: While effective, hunting relies on a fluctuating game population and can be less predictable than other methods.
- Fishermen: Great for settlements near water, but their output depends on the available fish stocks and the size of the fishing area.
- Crop Fields: A reliable option for large-scale food production, but they need proper planning and land.
- Orchards: Excellent for diverse food sources, providing fruit over time, but they take time to mature.
- Pastures: Raising livestock can yield substantial food and other resources like leather, but requires land and initial investment.
Why Variety Matters
Relying solely on one type of food production can be risky. A bad season or sudden decline in animal populations can leave your settlement vulnerable. By creating a diverse food portfolio, you can better withstand such challenges and ensure a more stable supply for your people. Having different types of food also helps to boost the happiness of the citizens.
The Role of Storage
Effective storage is as crucial as production. Placing supply barns near production areas minimizes the time workers spend moving food, optimizing efficiency. A well-placed market will also help the citizens get food closer to their houses and boost their happiness, especially if a variety of food is made available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How can I avoid starvation in Banished?
The key to avoiding starvation in Banished is to be proactive with your food production. Start with gatherer’s huts for their efficiency, and then diversify into hunting, fishing, crop fields, orchards, and pastures. Keep an eye on your food storage levels and adjust production as needed. Remember that location is key; building your food buildings close to the source and near a storage barn will greatly boost your efficiency.
2. What is the most efficient food production method early in the game?
Early on, gatherer’s huts are the most efficient means of producing food, especially if they are placed in a densely forested area with resources. They can generate large amounts of food per worker, but they require lots of space.
3. How do I optimize crop fields for maximum yield?
A crop field of 15×15 is the most efficient, with each farmer managing 56.25 square tiles. Smaller fields are less efficient, with the 4×4 field being the worst. Always make sure that all crops are harvested before the first frost hits.
4. Is it better to focus on crops or livestock?
Both are valuable, but livestock is more efficient in food generation. Sheep are particularly good because they produce both meat and clothing material and each one will produce 200 food when slaughtered. However, they require time to grow and initially more investment.
5. How many houses should I build to keep the population growing?
The ideal number of houses can be calculated as: (Adults + Students) / 2 = Number of houses to build. Having enough housing is crucial for growth, but overbuilding can strain your resources.
6. What do markets do, and why should I build them?
Markets act as local distribution centers. Citizens who live near them will use them to collect a variety of goods, saving them the time of traveling to distant storage barns. Markets can boost happiness and are essential as your village grows.
7. How many vendors are needed for a market in Banished?
It depends on your settlement layout, but starting with two vendors is a good idea. If the stock level is below 80-85%, add another vendor and observe again. The better the production of your goods, the better they will be able to stock their shops.
8. What is the best trade item in Banished?
Firewood is an excellent trade good because it’s an infinite resource with high value. You need it anyway, and producing extra for trading is not difficult. Avoid trading food or alcohol, which have low value as trade goods.
9. How do I attract traders to my settlement?
A trading post must be built on a river or lake accessible by ship. Traders will only arrive by boat, so landlocked trading posts will be useless. The Trading post is the only way to get new seeds for crops and livestock.
10. What do I need to know about crop rotation in Banished?
While many people may wonder about crop rotation, there is no such feature implemented. The only consideration is not to have the same crops side by side since they can be susceptible to the same infestations.
11. What is the best layout for an orchard in Banished?
An orchard of 15×15 tiles is most efficient per worker. The best tree efficiency for a single worker is 15×4 which yields 16 trees for 60 tiles, or a ratio of 3.75 tiles per tree.
12. How fast do people age in Banished?
Citizens age 5 times per 1 in-game year, meaning they roughly age once every 2.4 seasons. Protecting them early in life will extend their usefulness and productivity in your village.
13. Do I need laborers and builders in Banished?
Yes, you need both. Laborers clear land and carry resources, while builders construct buildings. They serve different purposes, so not having one or the other will severely hinder the village’s progress.
14. How can I increase the birth rate in Banished?
A couple will only have children if their house has fewer than five people. So, build new houses to accommodate new families and allow for a higher birth rate. You need a mix of different age groups to keep the population stable.
15. What is the best animal for food production in Banished?
Sheep are the best, providing the most meat and the most clothing material as a by-product. Cattle are not nearly as efficient as sheep. A single sheep when slaughtered yields 200 food.