Team Challenge: Reach 10,000+ Population. No mods.

[smurphys7]

I want to reach a population of over 10,000 in Banished while using no mods.  I don't believe this has been done before.  I don't have the appropriate combination of patience and computing power to do it myself.  I would like to recruit people in order to help this achievement actually get accomplished.

Plan:
1) Scope out a map with as much flat ground and available Trading Posts as possible.
2) Stabilize a simple and relatively small town for ease of play.  Use Firewood trading for simplicity and density.
3) Build all Trading Posts and setup Orders and Auto-purchase (but don't turn them all on).
4) Lay foundations for all buildings but do NOT construct them all.
5) Store a large amount of food, begin shipping in huge amounts of food.
6) Turn off education and unlock buildings as families become available and spike the population.

We would be sharing a save game file.  I am not yet sure of the best way to coordinate this effort.  I am sure we can come up with a method.

I am open suggestions and changes. 

Here's an example of using the population spike method to get every single achievement on one map.  First, 300 and 400 population was reached with no farms, trading posts nor education.  Then 900 population was reached on this small and mountainous map. 

I have started an attempt using this method but haven't gotten far.  I used Map Seed 767546564, Valleys, Large, Harsh, off Hard.  For my own personal amusement, the town ONLY has ever produced: Applies, Fish, Potatoes and Wheat for food.  The town has NEVER produced Herbs and many other goods.  Here's the Town Hall showing the only types of goods this town would ever have.

Here's the save-game file on google drive.

I am very open to starting over, changes, strategies input, help, whatever. 

Again, please let me know if you are willing to help, play etc.

[Maldrick]

If you find yourself in need of a different seed, give large valleys 251027083 a look.  It's been ages, but I think I was able to fit 70-80 tradeposts on the river and it's otherwise a decent map for unmodded.

[The Big Chihuahua]

... I think I was able to fit 70-80 tradeposts on the river ...

 

I think the most I ever had was 34 Trading Posts.  WOW!

[smurphys7]

I believe the map seed in the original post allows something like 84 or 94 or some absurd number like that.  There are multiple small streams that have inland spots that allow trading posts.  I believe one stream even leads to a Lake.

[smurphys7]

In the past year I have upgraded my computer and finally was willing to give this a try.  No mods.

Current Pop: 7,300.
Expected death: ~10,000.

76 Trading Posts.
~380 Woodcutters.
32 Markets to help distribute to far corners of map.
~15 Fishing Docks because they fit.

Barns.  Homes.  ~4,200 Homes total.  At 3.7 people per home that would be 15,500 citizens.

Save up tons of food.  Save up tons of firewood.  Pause huge amounts of unfinished humes with goods already supplied.

Start breeding program.  Three physicians in corners.  Save-scum until the diseases land near the doctors.

Team Challenge: Reach 10,000+ Population. No mods.

I expect to starve to death a little after 10,000 citizens.  Hopefully, Nomads arrive at the low food point.

If I had planned things a bit better I think it could get a little higher and maybe all the way to 15,000.  I have a huge amount of save files.  I'll zip them all together and upload if anyone wants to try from any point in time.

[smurphys7]

Team Challenge: Reach 10,000+ Population. No mods.

I reached a little over 10,000 and stopped.  The game runs excruciatingly slow and I was going to starve shortly after.  Link to ZIP of save at start of breeding program and end.

Problems and potential changes:

In short, more food.  Fewer homes.  Pre-build homes.  Store firewood over logs.

The town auto-purchases logs at a slightly faster rate than logs are used.  Don't start with any logs stored.  Start with all Firewood stored.  Firewood stored has more value per space (I think) used and is the finished good. 

Remove some homes and add more Barns.  Right now the town runs out of food before all homes would be used.  Store a bit more food.  Perhaps put them around the Physicians?

Start the breeding program at a higher population.  I think it would be best to go to about 2,000 to 4,000 population educated, clothed and tooled and then turn off the schools and go full out breeding.  The town should be sustainable somewhere around 3,500 to 4,000. 

Pre-Build extra homes (have more Homes than Families) during the breeding program.  As the game progresses tools run out and Firewood gets low.  The low Firewood causes citizens to run huge distances all over the map trying to stock their home.  Low Firewood with the lack of tools meant homes are barely built.  I couldn't even come to keeping up with the houses being built.  All the houses were pre-supplied with materials, too.  I think the plan would be to build lots of extra homes in the good times and use the Demolish trick to push divorcees back together.

Feel free to load the starting save in that zip file, make appropriate changes, and get to higher populations.

The game runs excruciatingly slow.

[theonlywanderer]

@smurphys7     I would imagine it was insanely slow which is why I never bothered trying such a thing, just don't have the patience for it.   Have you ever tried the all-in-one map challenge?   Get all achievements on one map?    It took me a few failures while I relearned how to play vanilla version again.   I almost said the heck with it, the whole patience thing again, but I kept at it and found it a fun challenge.  Ended up doing 3 successful runs.   It's quite the commitment though, but seems you obviously have that aspect.

[smurphys7]

Yes, the game runs insanely slowly for me.  Fortunately there isn't a lot of decision making or doing anything.

Yes, I have done all the achievements on one map.

[noamchomsky]

...Start the breeding program at a higher population....

...Pre-Build extra homes (have more Homes than Families) during the breeding program.

Congrats! Amazing job!

What is the breeding program please?

[smurphys7]

The "breeding program" is just what I call it when trying to make the population as high as possible as fast as possible.  Essentially, having houses available each and every time someone reaches the age of "10" and adulthood.  If I were to do this again I'd start the breeding program at a higher population.  I started somewhere around 900 I think.  I think it would be wiser to go up to about 2,000 to 3,000 educated and THEN started the uneducated breeding program.

Team Challenge: Reach 10,000+ Population. No mods.

The giant rise in population at the end is the breeding program.  Then everyone starves to death.