Manor Lords: Difference between revisions

| engine = [[Unreal Engine 45]]

| released = 26 April 2024 ([[Earlyearly access]])

Set in late 14th-century [[Franconia]],<ref name="BachmanUnusualCall"/> ''Manor Lords'' is a [[Citycity-building game|city-builder]] game which also includes [[Real-time tactics|real-time tactical]] warfare.<ref name="RockPaperShotgun2023"/> The game's can also be considered a colony simulation. There are three different modes in ''Manor Lords'', titled ''Rise to Prosperity'', ''Restoring the Peace'', and ''On the Edge'',. They are differentiated by the aspects they focus on: ''Rise to Prosperity'' and ''On the Edge'' respectively emphasise growth through city-building and conquest through warfare, while ''Restoring the Peace'' gives a more balanced experience. The game offers a degree of customizability, with; players are able to adjust in-game values such as starting position and off-map threats.<ref name="GamesRadar+BlewMind"/>

The city-building aspects focus on expanding an initially-small settlement through gathering resources, managing [[supply chain]]s and expanding trade networks, while also managing threats to the settlement's internal cohesion.<ref name="RockPaperShotgun2023" /><ref name="GamesRadar+BlewMind" /> The game's emphasis on in-depth historical accuracy means players must manage six types of [[taxation]], and balance quick growth with environmental effects such as weather and the possibility of environmental degradation including [[soil exhaustion]] and [[deforestation]]. ''Manor Lords'', is normally viewed through a top-down isometric perspective, alsobut it includes a featurethird-person whichcamera enablesmode that allows players to exploreroam their settlements using a third-person camera modestreets.<ref name="GameRantFeatures" /><ref name="PCGamerTwoMillion" />

Grzegorz "Greg" Styczeń wasis the creator and solo developer of ''Manor Lords'' through his studio Slavic Magic.<ref name="GamesRadar+TwoMillion"/><ref name="GamesRadar+BlewMind"/> In the early years, development was funded in part through donations on [[Patreon]].<ref name="RockPaperShotgun2021"/> In 2021, Styczeń also received a grant from [[Epic Games]] through their Epic MegaGrants program.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2021 |title=Epic MegaGrants: 2021 Update |url=https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/epic-megagrants-2021-update |url-status=live |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website=Unreal Engine |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220407024305/https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/epic-megagrants-2021-update }}</ref> The game was initially developed with [[Unreal Engine 4]].<ref name="unreal interview" />

In June 2024 it was announced that ''Manor Lords'' would switch to [[Unreal Engine 5]] and the switch was completed by August 22 in version 0.7.987.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Norris |first1=Rory |title=New Manor Lords update is the strategy game's biggest since launch, delivering a huge UE5 upgrade |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/manor-lords/update-0-7-987-patch |website=PCGamesN |date=22 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Serin |first1=Kaan |title=Manor Lords creator is sorry about bugs leftover from the city builder's latest patch, but promises the move to Unreal Engine 5 will sort out other "annoying" issues |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/manor-lords-creator-is-sorry-about-bugs-leftover-from-the-city-builders-latest-patch-but-promises-the-move-to-unreal-engine-5-will-sort-out-other-annoying-issues/ |website=gamesradar |language=en |date=20 June 2024}}</ref>

Reception to initial [[game demo|demos]], such as one showcased at the [[Xbox Game Studios|Xbox]] Partner Preview in late October 2023, was very positive, with praise directed especially at the game's complex nature.<ref name="RockPaperShotgun2023" /><ref name="RockPaperShotgun2021"/> Matt Jarvis of ''[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]'' compared its various aspects to the established franchises of ''Total War'', ''[[Crusader Kings (video game)|Crusader Kings]]'', and ''[[Age of Empires]]'', calling it "hugely ambitious" and "filled with potential".<ref name="RockPaperShotgun2023"/> The game has been noted for its relatively high degree of historical accuracy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.polygon.com/24140347/manor-lords-early-access-impressions-pc | title=Is Manor Lords' authenticity a blessing or a curse? | website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | date=26 April 2024 | access-date=27 April 2024 | archive-date=27 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427193921/https://www.polygon.com/24140347/manor-lords-early-access-impressions-pc | url-status=live }}</ref> However, Styczeń has stated in interviews that in some cases considerations of gameplay superseded concerns of historical exactness.<ref name="unreal interview">{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/developer-interviews/solo-dev-makes-sophisticated-sim-manor-lords-using-unreal-engine|title=Solo dev makes sophisticated sim Manor Lords using Unreal Engine|access-date=27 April 2024|archive-date=2 May 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240502103403/https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/developer-interviews/solo-dev-makes-sophisticated-sim-manor-lords-using-unreal-engine|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Category:Unreal Engine 45 games]]