Walkthrough

This article is a guide page..

This means that it will walk you through a portion of the game or a specific task/strategy.

This guide has been created to aid new players in getting started with the game, including the basics and progression and becoming aware of how the game works. The guide will also give pointers and tips and point players to other guides that may prove useful during their gameplay to help with progression and eventual mastery of the game mechanics.

This walkthrough is accurate as of the current demo version 0.5.1 which was available for free download during Steam NextFest.

Character Creation

Manor Lords has a unique and fun character/clan building mechanic that allows players to build their character. At the point of the demo, players were able to chose either male or female, but were also able to chose between one of the predefined appearances for their characters. There is also the option to change the name of the character — a function that also extends to peasants and villagers throughout the game, allowing for full customisation to seek the players individual needs and wants.

After selecting the character, players have the option to customise their clan crest. This feature mimics the "emblem" feature seen in many FPS games, such as Call of Duty. Players are able to select an icon and a background from the predefined selection, but can also merge two or more different styles together and configure them individually. As a bonus, players can also upload their own crest that has been designed in a photo editing software such as Gimp or Photoshoop; these programmes, however, are not a requirement, and any image will do. Players wishing to upload their own custom crest must do so by replacing the PNG file located at C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\ManorLords\Saved\SaveGames\custom_coat.png.

A template for the crest has been provided on this article for use. Simply download the template and customise it before uploading it to the directory above. The interface also provides players with a simple button to allow them to upload their modified crest design; this saves time and technicalities of uploading the crest in the game save folder.

Getting Started

Game Mechanics

One of the main things that players should be aware of is that seasons are deeply engraved in the game mechanics, and certain actions and activities are linked to the seasons throughout the game. Players have the ability to speed up the game timing at a rate of x2 or x3, which can come in useful if players are building around their villages or anything that is time consuming.

Seasons come into play almost immediately, and a keen awareness of the seasons and what activities take place during them can come in handy. For example, if a player knows the harvesting occurs in the next season or two, they will know how far to speed up the game and then stop when the game reaches the required season:

• Spring (Mar-May): Rain frequently occurs in spring, which menans Berry Deposits regrow quickly, but there is also optimal chance for plowing for summer harvesting.
• Summer: (Jun-Aug): Crop harvests start in late summer.
• Autumn: (Sept—Nov): End of the harvest season. It is recommended to plough and sow crops in preperation for maximum yields the following summer. Berries will start to dissapear during this time.
• Winter: (Dec—Feb): Deposits of berries will vanish, and players will need to collect firewood to survive the harsh winter weather. Sheep shearing is forbidden and there is a large chance for players to get ill.

Building Roads

Roads are the lifeline of a citybuilder game, and Manor Lords is no different. Where the differences occur, however, is that there is no cost — at least, during the demo — to build roads, so build them at your hearts content. Roads will need to be built to connect settlements and other buildings in camps together and allow villagers to move around. It is advised to build the road network around existing settlements, or where you plan to build them, but don't worry if you make a mistake, you can delete these at no detriment given they're free.

Roads need to be buillt and then confirmed by pressing the hammer icon once the road has been completed. If the player doesn't do this, the road will not be built.