Running Banished on Linux

Yeah that's right, it works! The only thing I was not able to make work immediately was sound, but I can live without that.

I bought Banished on the Humble Store and got the DRM-free EXE. If you bought it on Steam or anywhere else, then I'm not sure if this post can help you. If you do manage to figure it out anyway, consider leaving a comment below for others.

Right, so assuming you have access to said EXE, download the 32-bit version. I initially tried the 64-bit version, but the installer kept complaining about not installing to a local hard drive. The 32-bit version was happy. Download it, unzip it, open a terminal, and run:

wine msiexec /i BanishedInstaller_1.0.0_x32.msi

Follow the instruction on screen. Depending on your OS (I'm on Kubuntu), the installer should make a shortcut on the Desktop and/or launch menu. These should work just fine. However, I had trouble with Banished insisting on running at a 1400x1050 resolution, which really wasn't helpful. To create a virtual desktop and make Banished run inside it, use this command:

env WINEPREFIX="/home/user/.wine" wine explorer /desktop=BANISH,1900x1000 /home/user/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files\ \(x86\)/Shining\ Rock\ Software\ LLC/Banished/Application-x32.exe

Make sure you change /home/user to your own home directory, and of course change 1900x1000 to whichever resolution you'd like. You can change the launch command for the Desktop shortcut to the above for quick access.

That's it, have fun playing Banished. If you run into any issues or have additional information, please consider again leaving a comment below. At the time of writing I was on Kubuntu 12.10 with Wine 1.4.1 and Banished 1.0.0.