Update with 20 GPUs and 20 CPUs in the test [Update 3]

Update #3 from April 26th: On page 2 of the Manor Lords benchmark test you will now find a total of 20 graphics cards from 2016 to 2024, which we have included in the four Test resolutions Full HD, WQHD, ultrawide QHD and Ultra HD. As of tonight, all data is based on the current graphics card drivers adapted for Manor Lords. We have also now tested 20 processors with 4 to 20 threads. We hope you enjoy the results! However, if you would like to find out more about the game Manor Lords, read and watch everything from our colleagues at PC Games: Manor Lords: Does it live up to the hype? Big test for early access.

Manor Lords hasn’t appeared yet and probably hasn’t left you without a trace. The anticipation for the medieval city builder with a warlike twist is enormous. The strategy game has been conquering the hearts of players for some time now and defends doggedly dominance on the global Steam wishlist. No doubt, Manor Lords is a mass phenomenon. We have now created a large number of benchmarks of graphics cards and processors for you.

The technology behind Manor Lords

Ironically, the historically credible, technically adept, value-adding strategy based on Unreal Engine 4 was largely created by a single developer: Greg Styczeń, who also represents the Slavic Magic studio. On X – better known as Twitter – The Dev has been sharing insights into his daily work for some time now, Anyone interested can get up close and personal there. The look and feel is definitely on the authentic side, and that doesn’t just mean the realistic look of the game. Manor Lords seems down-to-earth, inspired and ambitiously creative – not typical characteristics of a mainstream large-scale production. This is probably not the least reason why many hopes rest on the defensively constructive development strategy. The game will be released in the form of an early access model, although less because it is still very unfinished, but rather because Manor Lords is also the first game from developer Greg Styczeń/Slavic Magic and the developer would like extensive feedback from the community beforehand BEFORE the game is officially released in its final form. Sounds too obvious, righteous and sensible to be true? It is certainly less the behavior of a developer motivated by the pursuit of maximum profit, but perhaps more of an artist and a love for his work of art. And the developer is surrounded on top of that almost something zen-like. But to a certain extent that also fits in with a successful development strategy and constructive ethics.

We were therefore very happy when we were publishers Hooded Horse, who specializes in indie developers, provided a first impression of Manor Lords under NDA. However, this NDA also included another appointment, for today at 4 p.m. Now we can say – and show – much more. So it’s going to be exciting, after all, the medieval building game with real-time strategy battles is currently one of the most anticipated games of 2024. The idea comes from a single Polish developer who has been pushing his project forward with heart and passion for seven years now: Grzegorz Styczen, better known by the name Slavic Magic, which is also the name of the development studio. The core elements of Manor Lords are building settlements, trading, managing resources and conquering new sectors. The focus is on building your own city, of which you are the prince. We’ve expanded our city and now provide you with benchmarks so you can see at a glance whether Manor Lords is running smoothly for you. Fortunately, the now antiquated Unreal Engine 4 without the addition of ray tracing in Manor Lords does not pose any major requirements.

However, that doesn’t mean that Manor Lords is technically uninteresting – quite the opposite. In fact, there is undoubtedly a dedication to technical details, which the developer also shows in the form of the sophisticated, even ingenious mechanics and in the general desire to create of Manor Lords: complex delivery routes and demanding resource management, efficient distribution of limited labor and military power, Young people want to be supported and their needs satisfied. Then, slowly but surely, the reward for your efforts will appear before your eyes. The reward that you truly deserve with your craft. Mechanically, Manor Lords is designed for effort, but constructive, very satisfying reward – in this respect, too, the creator of Manor Lords clearly has a clear understanding of technology and craftsmanship. But not only that, graphics and performance are also pleasing.

Manor Lords: Technology and Performance

Manor Lords’ graphics allow you to actually get up close and personal and experience the presentation up close. Manor Lords supports a “viewer mode” in which you can explore your lands as a stately dressed prince and examine the daily work of your protégés in your care up close. The visual presentation is excellent, especially considering that it is essentially a one-man project. Thanks to Photogrammetry As well as clever lighting, a visible passion for detailed accuracy and the noticeable commitment of Slavic Magic, the graphics of Manor Lords are very appealing. Even if the Unreal Engine 4, which is now slowly getting old, is used and no extra treats such as ray tracing are used. However, the medieval city builder does not need this kind of luxury to appear impressively realistic. If we had to sum up the look in a nutshell – imagine a Kingdom Come from an iso perspective. The level of realism and emphasis on historical events of a Manor Lord differs only slightly from that of the literal one digitized Bohemia.

Source: Slavic Magic


Manor Lords in the benchmark test: What hardware is necessary? (3)

Manor Lords leverages the DirectX 12 interface and some of Unreal Engine 4’s advanced capabilities, including clothing physics, dynamic day-night, and weather and seasonal cycles. When the weather changes, the game world changes dynamically; when it rains, puddles form and fields and paths become muddy. In winter, snow falls and slowly accumulates, wrapping the gaming world visually in its white veil. But the weather is not just visually splendid, the graphic technology in turn has a mechanical effect on the logistics of your production routes and the mobility of your soldiers. If you would like to find out details about the technology and development, you can visit the Manor Lords Twitter channel, but this Steam article goes much deeper into the matter, which also covers some of the developer’s more difficult decisions, such as unforeseen problems the previously dynamic creation of footpaths by using NPCs. You can find the detailed article here.

Manor Lords: System Requirements

If you would like to find out more about the game and gameplay, you can take a look at the preview from our PC Games colleagues. Let’s get to the performance and a selection of early benchmarks. Since it is a strategy game including various simulations, AI and pathfinding have to be managed, and since Unreal Engine 4 never made a name for itself with a particularly high, good or clean CPU utilization, we prefer to look at the processor this time.

According to the developer, Manor Lords should still run smoothly on very old PCs. A four-core processor (Core i4-4590) without SMT or a two-module processor (FX-4350) should be sufficient, while on the graphics card side, the GTX 1050 is even mentioned as a card that only has two GiB of memory. At least the RX 460 has four GiB of VRAM, but even that is no longer up to date from today’s perspective. Intel recommends a Skylake processor, again with four cores and without SMT, and AMD recommends a CPU that couldn’t be more unsuitable: FX-9590. Often such system requirements do not correspond to the truth. But not this time.

We have already tested whether Manor Lords can still be played on such old hardware. And it actually works! You will find all further impressions in the first impression of Manor Lords. Today the main focus will be on the performance of the early access version. The game has been patched diligently, we’ve downloaded an update at least four times in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, the saves from the press version don’t work with the launch version, so we had to build a new city. This is much larger, which gives us the opportunity for more demanding benchmarks – the exciting topic of the next page.