The fast forward challenge

[irrelevant]

you need to scale the UI windows!   

I need to be able to read the UI windows!  They will stay the size that they are. 

[rkelly17]

I decided to give this one a try. So far I've killed more citizens than I killed Kerbals when I first played Kerbal Space Program! I keep hoping for a settlement that survives the first Winter. I'm just not very good when I can't cogitate and plan.
 But I'm not going to give up . . . well, at least not quite yet.

[Chon Waen]

@rkelly17  would it be considered cheating for this challenge to do a slow-run on a chosen seed, see if its possible to meet the challenge, plan out your builds, commit your plan to memory, then start the seed again, and try the challenge?
The hard thinking and planning will be done, you'll probably make a few minor changes in building positions, but you can concentrate on getting stuff down rather than "where do i put this"

[kee]

The whole idea with this exam was for you to proove your skill under the pressure of speed and time constraints. Please, do not bring any prepared materials, notes or textbooks. You may refer online material during the exam as long as the accessing of this material does not constitute in effect a pausing of the simulation.

[Demonocracy]

I decided to give this one a try. So far I've killed more citizens than I killed Kerbals when I first played Kerbal Space Program! I keep hoping for a settlement that survives the first Winter. I'm just not very good when I can't cogitate and plan.
 But I'm not going to give up . . . well, at least not quite yet.

I had a difficult time surviving the first winter, too.  Here's approximately what I remember doing to keep alive for the first winter.

1.  Set to full speed (obviously).
2.  Set laborers (everyone at this point) to resource harvesting.  (Trees and Stone mostly.)
3.  Place Gatherer's hut and set priority.
4.  Place Boarding House and set priority.
5.  Keep all Laborers as Laborers until Gatherer's Hut has all resources to be built.
6.  Keep all Laborers as Laborers until Boarding House has all resources to be built.

At this point, it's Winter.

7.  Set all people to laborers except 4 Gatherers.
8.  Place another Gatherer's hut.
9.  Set priority on Gatherer's hut (or your people will starve).
10.  Keep all Laborers as Laborers until Gatherer's Hut has all resources to be built.
11.  Set 5 total Gatherer's to Gather.
12.  Place Woodcutter.
13.  Keep all Laborers as Laborers until Woodcutter has all resources to built.

At this point, you should be able to survive through the rest.  That first winter is a killer one, and the second is a little harsh too.  But something like this should do you quite well.  At least that's how I got through it!

[Bracken]

I got a harvest off my peach orchard.  I got lucky, the first merchant to arrive had seeds.

Everyone housed, fed, clothed, provided with tools and firewood.
4.5 hearts
5 stars
Food surplus over pop x 100
Town Hall
Market
Tradingpost
Boarding house
School
Tavern
Bridge

[kee]

Now that is a summa cum laude with extra honors! Congratulations to @Bracken, may your shrub never wilt!
Liked the way you spread out the hamlet on both sides of the bridge.

[irrelevant]

Congrats, @Bracken! Nicely done.

[Nilla]

I'm impressed of you all.

It seems to make you all a lot of fun, so I have decided to give it a try, too. I feel good at the moment.

But look what happened! I'm not sure that it is such a good idea to play such a challenge with disasters on! 

I'll give it one more chance. 

[Nilla]

Now I gave it another chance. I'm glad I did. Wasn't quite as much stress, as I thought it would be. Thank you @Demonocracy for challenging us.

I think I have everything asked for (there is a bridge not to be seen cross the small river south, just to collect the valuable stone on the other side). I was lucky and got some cabbage seed early spring 9, so I harvested some last year. (To increase the chances for luck, I even built a second trading port). The only thing not quite ready is the brewery, it is built but hasn't produced anything, because I had no fruit (except berries and I don't want to spoil them).

Started this way:

X10
Clear land
Stockpile
Open windows
School (one chiled slipped school)
Gatherer (2)
House
Hunter(1)
Plan Market (not build yet)
Tailor, Blacksmith, Woodcutter at the future Market
Houses for everyone
Forester (the forest around the gatherer was very thick from the start so it could wait)
Trading port, Market.....    as soon as there are enough stones.

[irrelevant]

@Nilla, way to keep at it! Well done.

The challenge was created by @kee however.

[Demonocracy]

Great job, @Nilla !  We all knew you had it in you.  : )

Thanks, of course, go to @kee for the challenge.

[kee]

There is no thing more despondent than an out of ale tavern, but still the smell of the malting was not a prerequisite of the challenge. A full honours, summa cum laude @Nilla !

[Nilla]

Sorry,@kee.I suppose I suppose I was a bit mixed up after the game. Once more,thank you.

I also forgot to post the picture, here it is.

[salamander]

Myrmidon Hill ... an exercise in incompetence.  But, about the best I've been able to do with this challenge after several attempts (including one where almost everyone starved in the first minute or two), so please don't laugh too hard. 

The game was completely vanilla, and each attempt was with a different seed.  I didn't realize how rusty I had gotten since my son got me hooked on Space Engineers over the xmas break, and maybe trying @kee's challenge first thing after coming back to Banished wasn't the smartest thing.    After getting counseling from the GEICO Gecko, who also is a reformed miscreant, I was able to curb my urge to hit the pause button every few seconds regardless of the rules, and I have to say I found this challenge to be really fun ... and definitely challenging.

@kee -- Thanks for this.  Can we submit more than one attempt ... if I want to punish myself some more?