Author: UbiCecce

Union Update – This was gamescom 2022

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hey Anno Community,

In the midst of a new DevBlog about “Empire of the Skies” and the good news about Anno 2070, we want to share a look at our presence at gamescom last week.

From Thursday till Saturday, we not only presented our upcoming DLC to to our fans there (shout-out to everyone who visited us at the Community Lounge!) but also offered you an opportunity to directly ask us questions. We also brought some questions of our own, however, since we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask our community about their preferences on military usage and multiplayer as well as their feedback on Anno 1800’s scenarios.

Here are some impressions from our time at gamescom this year:

 

Community Questions

Our audience asked us a variety of questions after each of our presentations and we wanted to include some of them – with their answers, of course – here, since we think they’re also interesting for the rest of our community.

  • How do airship vs ship battles work?

The armed airships can only attack other airships. But they can attack regular ships via drop actions: bombs and sea mines both damage regular ships (if you aim well). Normal ships can’t attack airships with the exception of the new Flak Monitor.

  • Can airships escort each other? Can ships and airships escort each other?

Airships can escort each other, like normal ships. Ships and airships, however, cannot use the escort function on each other. You can of course group them and send them on their way together, of course.

  • Does the AI use the drop actions? How?

They do, their usage depends on the AI’s character. Some might prefer propaganda, while others happily use bombs as part of their strategy.

  • What is the maximum number of skyscraper inhabitants with the new lifestyle needs?

A level 5 skyscraper can house 730 investors, with full panorama effect and all needs and lifestyle needs fulfilled. Items are not part of this calculation.

  • Do consumption affecting items affect lifestyle needs?

We did not add any new items specifically targeting the lifestyle needs and existing effects were not adjusted to also target lifestyle needs.

  • When will “Empire of the Skies” release?

The new DLC as well as Game Update 15 will release on September 20th

  • Are you planning to limit the research costs or add a way to further speed up research in the institute?

No, currently it’s not planned to adjust anything related to the research system.

  • Will we ever see land units?

There’s no land combat planned for Anno 1800, as discussed a few years ago already before release. This does not mean land units are ruled out for all eternity for the Anno brand, however.

  • Will there be a Season 5 or more content for Anno 1800? What about a new Anno game?

Our team is focused on developing the upcoming DLCs of Season 4 and the next Cosmetic DLC for Anno 1800.

As in the previous few years, we plan to give more updates regarding our plans end of this year or beginning of next year.

Anno Union Anniversary

Last but not least: The Anno Union recently celebrated its 5th anniversary! Established in 2017 and announced at gamescom of that year, the Anno Union has since been our central hub for all news on Anno, before and after release.

Back in 2017, we certainly did not expect to celebrate the Union’s 5th birthday in the middle of a Season 4 for Anno 1800!

We want to say thank you for your passion in sharing ideas, feedback and wishes, as well as letting us know when you weren’t so happy with how we were handling things. We’re extremely happy that we had decided to walk this route with all of you.

Events like our livestreams or the recent gamescom just confirm for us that this has indeed been the right approach for our team and our game.

DevBlog: “Empire of the Skies” DLC

Posted on by UbiCecce

Today I saw a most remarkable thing. We gathered, the whole town, filled with anticipation. A breathless silence settled on us, broken only by the clicking of pocket-watches repeatedly checked.

And then, rising beyond the distant mountains, silhouetted against the morning sun, it came: immense and majestic; thunderous and forbidding. A titan of the sky, its lungs enclosed by ribs of metal. I must say, I had the impression more of some noble antediluvian beast, grazing the sky, than of a man-made craft.

I sense a new age dawning, the possibilities stretching as far as the limitless horizon. Untethered from the capricious sea, we can accomplish vast voyages in record time; melt away the distances between nations. But fear grows in me, too; visions of what violence we might wreak on one another, of these vessels we worked so hard to launch into the sky falling to earth once more, screaming plumes of gas bleeding from their ruptured sides.

A new age, indeed. To stand on the threshold between epochs… It is a vertiginous sensation.

Hello Anno Community,

Welcome to our second DevBlog dedicated to DLC 11, “Empire of the Skies”! Previously, we (hopefully) delighted our players and readers with a DevBlog dedicated to Airships, heart and soul of this DLC. Today, instead, we will focus on the whole content and mechanics of the DLC.

Come on aboard, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the flight: we will be cruising through game mechanics, dev insights and more!

A quick recap on Airships

As mentioned in our Airships DevBlog, with DLC 11 you will have access to two types of Airships: Rapid Airships if you prefer speed over cargo space, and Cargo Airships if you need more space to transport your goods. Airships present different capabilities and features: from transporting goods on your designed trade routes, to worker commuting and drop actions on islands. The first step of your journey into the sky starts with building a Hangar on your island: that is where your airships will be constructed. The Hangar is a monument that needs to be built in 4 phases, each one requiring various materials and quite a bit of workforce – so you will need to be prepared!

New Production chains

Two new elements will be essential for the construction of your airships: aluminium and helium. Of course, this implicates the need for two new production chains.

The new airships are surprisingly lightweight thanks to the aluminium frames that help maintain their structure. Not only is aluminium used in airship constructions, but also for many of the buildings used by airships. Two elements will be required to start your aluminium production: coal and bauxite, with the latter only available in the New World.

These Airships also require a new type of gas, helium, another element that can only be found in the New World, where numerous helium-rich gas pockets have been discovered. The production chain for helium is a bit more complex than the aluminium one. The Helium Extractor, unlike other mines, needs input goods to function and start extracting the gas. The first is lubricant, produced by the Palm Oil Press, which uses two input goods, fish oil and saltpetre, in addition to needing space to plant palm trees. We know you like a good challenge, so you will need to set a trade route to get that precious saltpetre, as the saltpetre works is only available in the Old World. Together with the lubricant, add some clay, and the helium extractor is ready to begin its work!

Pssst! Would you like to increase the output of your mines? We have got the perfect item for you: Mad Mary, Dynamite Enthusiast. With this item, mines will process dynamite instead of mineral resources – while costly (and quite risky, too), it will greatly increase their output.

Disclaimer: we take no responsibility for any kind of explosion in your cities, you have been warned!

We have got more Items for you, of course. Like the Arctic Gas Expert: This item can be researched or bought from the local trader, and it allows you to use Industrial Lubricant in Arctic Gold Mines in order to produce more Gas. However, keep in mind that this means you will have to transport Industrial Lubricant to the Arctic region!

Airship Platforms

Once you have built your first airship, it is time to build an Airship Platform to maximise the airships’ potential – plus, this way, you will always know where you parked! You can build only one platform per island which can then be expanded with various modules to unlock unique features and capabilities on your island. Platforms can only be built in the New World and the Old World.

There are in total 3 modules that can be built from the Airship Platform menu.

Item Transfer

It allows you to quickly transport items between different islands and sessions. Once the Item Transfer module is built, you will be able to drop any item in an empty slot. The dropped item will then be available after a cooldown on any other island that has an Airship Platform with an Item Transfer module built – however, be aware that the cooldown varies based on the rarity of the item you are dropping. The more Item Transfer modules you build, the more your global storage capacity will increase. Each module you build will supply two additional slots, up to 24 in total.

Airmail Module

This module represents the main mail sorting centre present on your island. It allows you to send and receive mail through airship and their routes. Mail is produced passively by your residents and collected by Post Offices and Post Boxes. Once collected, the mail will be then distributed via airship to other islands and regions. But let us stop here for now, more on Mail and Air Mail Routes later in the blog, just be patient!

Airship Commuter

Shared workforce, anyone? Just like the Commuter Pier, it will allow workforce to commute between islands on which you have built an Airship Platform with an Airship Commuter module.

 

Based on what your airships are transporting, they will direct themselves to an Airship Platform or other trading spots. When it comes to Mail, airships will unload their precious epistolary cargo on Airship Platforms only, whilst when it comes to other goods, they will approach Airship Platforms, Piers, Trading Posts, etc.

Paloma Valente

With “Empire of the Skies” we’re introducing a new character to help you with the onboarding.

Meet Paloma Valente: aviator, inventor, dreamer. She’s harnessed two valuable new discoveries, aluminium and helium, to create a new type of lighter-than-air vehicle: the rigid airship. The aluminium provides the material for a lightweight metal frame, while helium offers a stable, non-flammable lift gas. After all, the Age of Airships might never catch on if people associate them with deadly fireballs…

For Paloma, this isn’t just a matter of technological innovation: she dreams of an interconnected world, where violent seas are no barrier to communication; where travel is fast and glamorous and invigorating; where one’s prospects are untethered from the place of one’s birth. Embodying the confidence and the zest of an emerging modern world, Paloma hopes that you’ll help her make her mark on history.

You’ve got mail!

One of the most interesting aspects of “Empire of the Skies” is the Mail System. Nowadays, we live in a hyperconnected world, where everything and everyone is just one click away. However, nothing beats the joy and charm of receiving a handwritten letter from an old friend living on the other side of the world, doesn’t it? An envelope carefully sealed, with stamps methodically placed on the back, or a care package full of our favourite treats thoughtfully picked and placed together…

Mail is a Lifestyle Need for your Residents, and it provides additional income and resident influx. In total, there are three tiers of mail:

  • Local Mail – distributed locally on the same island
  • Regional Mail – distributed between islands within the same region/session
  • Overseas Mail – distributed between different regions/sessions

A quick guide on Lifestyle Needs

With “Empire of the Skies” we are introducing Lifestyle Needs, additional goods and resources that can be provided to your residents. They act like normal needs but are completely optional. If fulfilled, Lifestyle Needs will grant bonuses and extra residents. Furthermore, they are purely beneficial and do not increase the consumption of your residents’ base needs. Once unlocked, Lifestyle Needs are deactivated by default: therefore, you will need to manually activate them in the designated Lifestyle Needs Tab in the Residence menu.


“After all these Seasons, we created several new goods spread across multiple new regions, and apart from recipes in restaurants and patents in malls, cross DLC content was still low. With lifestyle needs, we get an opportunity to link the populations of all regions closer together, also with content being released later.”

– Dominik, Game Designer

As mentioned before, Mail is passively produced by your residents and then collected by Post Offices and Post Boxes. Both buildings have a radius, therefore you should place them strategically in your residential districts: the more Residents in the range, the more Local Mail will be gathered. While the Post Boxes are easier to place as they take very little space (only one tile), their range is also smaller than the Post Office. Another thing to keep in mind is that radiuses cannot overlap between each other: time to use those Tetris skills!

As the name suggest, only Local Mail will be consumed by your Residents on a specific island, while to obtain Regional and Overseas Mail, you will need to transport Mail via the Airmail Module and, therefore, Airships. In terms of numbers and percentages, about half of the Local Mail produced by your Residents will be needed to fulfil their Lifestyle need for local mail. This means that the remaining will be used to produce Regional and Overseas Mail.

Once you start producing enough Local Mail to get to second and third Mail tier, the next step is to transport it to other islands: this can be considered as the next step in the “production chain” of Regional and Overseas Mail. This distribution will start once you set a Trade Route through the Airmail Module. Once the Mail reaches its destination, it will convert to Regional Mail when reaching another island within the same session, or Overseas Mail when reaching another island in another session (except for Old World – Cape Trelawney, sending mail between them will only count as Regional Mail). We called this conversion process Route Alchemy. This does change a few things to how you are used to trade routes to work. First, mail will always be completely unloaded at target, it will not be unloaded in steps. If you cancel a trade route or throw the mail overboard, the mail will be unloaded and lost.

What about the Arctic, you might ask. Well, while the Arctic platform on the plateaus follows the same rules as when it was introduced back in 2019 with “The Passage” DLC, a special stand-alone mail module has been added for them with “Empires of the Skies”. For the regular islands in the Arctic, a modified Airship Platform has been added that also has this one module.

In short: You will still need to have a platform and a module on any Arctic island or plateau that you want to connect to your mail system. The existing Post Offices will now handle two tasks: Fulfilling the regular need of the Technicians and collecting as well as distributing mail in the context of DLC 11’s mail feature.

New World & Arctic Reports

If you have the Land of Lions DLC, you will have access to a fourth type of Mail called New World Reports. These can be generated by a new Specialist, the New World Science Reporter, that can be hired at the Research Institute. To gather these reports, you will need to equip the New World Science Reporter in a Town Hall placed in the radius of a Post Office. Reports can be then provided to Scholars, who will use them to boost their Research.

For The Passage DLC and the Arctic Reports, the process is quite similar: in this case, you will need to equip the Arctic Science Reporter in an Arctic Lodge with a Post Office in its radius.

Drop Goods

Air-Drops are another important feature of the new Airships, allowing you to drop different goods on your islands, based on your needs. To produce them, you will need a Drop Goods Factory where you can choose your preferred good from the recipe list. Once produced, you can load the goods onto your airship.

There are 5 distinct types of drops available: pamphlets, care packages, bombs, sea mines and water. For each drop production, the Factory will require specific input goods but will use the same amount of workforce and have the same maintenance costs for each.

Pamphlet Printer

By dropping pamphlets on your opponents’ islands, you will create unrest, affecting residences and production by distracting your opponents’ population with propaganda.

Care Package Factory

An effective way to boost your own, your allies’ or neutral factions’ production and happiness! After all, who does not like a thoughtful care package dropping from the sky?

Water Drop Factory

When fires are too extended and firefighters are struggling to keep a fire under control, you will be able to take out fires with water drops from your airships.

Bomb Factory

As you have learned from our previous DevBlog, airships can now be armed with bombs and attack your opponents’ harbours and fleets.

Sea Mine Factory

An interesting way to sabotage your opponents’ trade routes and fleets would be dropping sea mines in the open sea.

With “Empire of the Skies”, the AI will have access to the same Airship technology and if they can access Gas and Bauxite, they will be able to build their own fleet.


“The way they use Airships is up to the individual character: some will see value in spreading propaganda, others will support their friends and allies, Da Silva might try to end you…”

-Dominik, Game Designer

Ornaments

Let’s not forget the most important part for the beauty-builders out there: ornaments! In total, there will be 8 brand new ornaments that will go perfectly with the whole DLC 11 theme. They will help you create the perfect atmosphere around your landing platforms and, of course, make your people feel comfortable and ready for their flights: a nice refreshing drink from the Airport Café, café tables to sit in the shadow, an airport clock to make sure not to miss their flight and much more!

Struggling with the Mail System, Airship Platform modules or Drop Goods? Do not worry, we have the perfect solution for you. Just like other DLCs, you can access an in-game Tutorial Menu by clicking the “?” symbol in the top left corner of the object menu you want to know more about: here you will find an overview of all the new mechanics and features.

Free Game Update: Military Changes

DLC 11 will also come with a free update, available for all the Anno 1800 players. We mentioned some of the changes already, like the resizing of the Passage Airships, for example, or the Lifestyle Needs and several new items. Alongside of those changes, there will be some free military improvements: for example, new weapons will be available for your harbours, such as an anti-armour gun or a flame tower. Following this, we did some changes to the different damage types, which means that based on the weapons you will build, there will also be distinct types of damage – e.g., wooden ships will take more damage from fire attacks from the flamer tower.

The full list of changes will as usual be shared close to the Game Update’s release – so watch this space to know more!

 

This brings us to the end of today’s DevBlog, Annoholics. We explored quite a few topics and had a taste of what awaits you in “Empire of the Skies” on September 20th. We hope you enjoyed the read and are ready for the next one, as soon we will share our third and last DevBlog dedicated to DLC 11: the “Clash of Couriers” Scenario DevBlog!

As usual, if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, and our official Forums.

Until next time, happy city-building!

 

Development of Anno 1800 – Season 4 is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action within the framework of computer games funding.

Union Update – Industrial Zone Community Spotlight

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Annoholics,

We hope you’re enjoying the summertime!

Last week we released the “Industrial Zone” Pack Cosmetic DLC with several new ornaments related to construction, industry and the railway. We’ve already seen A LOT of fantastic screenshots and videos since then, so, of course we had to bundle up some of our favorites in a Community Spotlight. Just scroll to the end of the blog if you need some inspiration for your own cities.

Empire of the Skies & Old Town Pack

As we said above: It’s July, summer already! That means DLC 11 – Empire of the Skies – is coming closer and it won’t take too long anymore until we start talking about airships, mail delivery and the features the new Game Update will bring. Expect first details in late July!

But before we launch our airships, we want to give you a first status update for the “Old Town Pack”, the winner of this year’s community vote. So, expect a first glimpse in the next two weeks – we’re sure you’re going to love it.

Community Spotlight

Since the release of the “Industrial Zone” Pack Cosmetic DLC we have seen many screenshots portraying your Anno 1800 cities: from very elaborate industrial districts to railway stations and busy construction sites. Your creativity really shows from those captures, and we are amazed by the way you adapted some of the ornaments in different ways.

Our first pick of the day is this collection of screenshots by One_King_4900, portraying different districts of their Anno 1800 city. Everything is perfectly organised: the Loading Yard, the Packing District, Metro Central Station and more! The screenshot below shows the Steelworks District, and we think it is a perfect representation of the Industrial Revolution.

Speaking of using ornaments in different ways, Pyronite shared this screenshot on Discord, where you can see the Railway Hall used right next to the Commuter Pier, linking it to the city. Can we talk about how great all these ornaments from different CDLC fit perfectly together?

Desman2k6 did an outstanding job with this Train Station – and it only took them 2 hours of Twitch live stream to build it! You can find anything you need in this train station, from pizza to a chestnut stall and tiny market stands here and there. Something seems to be under construction in the background… What is it going to be?

Not long after, desman2k6 has shared an updated version of the Train Station. The sun setting on the horizon simply creates a peaceful atmosphere and brings everything together for this lovely train station! Adding the canals was a great idea, as they frame the station perfectly.

Wow, this part of the city seems to be very busy! Neufsgdv did a great job, putting all this together! Not only is there a railway guard hut to check that everything is on order for the trains, but check those pedestrian bridges from the Pedestrian Zone Pack CDLC, perfectly fitting the style of the railway hall!

This is all for today’s Union Update. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below or reach out to us on Twitter and Facebook! 

Union Update – “Industrial Zone” Pack Release Day

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Annoholics,

Today is “Industrial Zone” Pack release day!

Bring the “dirty” parts of your cities to life with new ornaments revolving around construction and industry like scaffolding, a waterpipe network and a crane. Or add some spice to your industrial railroad with railway halls, railway signals and a coal tower.

For a first impression, check out DevBlog for the “Industrial Zone” Pack . You can buy the Cosmetic DLC here in the Ubisoft Store.

Also releasing today is Game Update 14.3, addressing amongst other things a memory leak issue for Steam players and adding two new company logos, unlocked by you by fulfilling the DLC 10 Community Challenge.

You can check out the full Release Notes here.

Community Spotlight

It has been a while since our last Community Spotlight, so we thought that this was the perfect occasion for us to share some of your amazing screenshots in preparation for today’s release. As usual, we are impressed by your creativity and dedication in building your Anno cities, and we cannot wait to see what you create with the “Industrial Zone” Pack Cosmetic DLC – so feel free to share your screenshots with us!

Disclaimer: some screenshots might contain mods.

Let’s get the ball rolling with our first pick of the day, a wonderful University Campus created by MoonFernTreasures. They designed the whole campus, dorms included, and each building represents a different college: from Law and Politics to Naval Academy and Botany. Go check the whole collection on Reddit, where you can also find the full list of buildings.

Another great collection of screenshots, this one shared by AnnoHolicKorean on Reddit. They tried to recreate early Boston in their Anno world, and this particular screenshot pictures the commercial area of the city, where everything started.

The next screenshot is a project by 9ersGaming and moldebort in co-op: a recreation of Berlin in 1963. 9ersGaming built the West part while moldebort built East Berlin. Once done with the building, they walked across the border together in first person mode.

We are in love with the quiet atmosphere of this screenshot by evergreen94 that captures the beauty and lushness of these farm fields. And the rain falling just adds the perfecting touch: we can almost smell the wet grass and crops after a summer storm.

Finally, we would like to end this Community Spotlight with a video that left us speechless for the whole 5 minutes and 11 seconds. Breadom created and dedicated this video to Anno 1800’s Season 3 and it is based on the content of three DLCs: Tourist Season, Docklands and The High Life. The whole video is such an amazing journey!

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This is all for today’s Union Update, we hope you enjoy the new Cosmetic DLC. Whether you decide to expand your industrial district or build construction sites around your cities, we would love to see what you create – so share with us your screenshots on Twitter!

Happy city-building!

DevBlog: “Industrial Zone” Pack Cosmetic DLC

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community,

We are slowly but steadily getting closer to the release of our new Cosmetic DLC, so you know what this means: a dedicated DevBlog with some juicy details and insights while waiting to decorate your Anno cities with the new ornaments!

The “Industrial Zone” Pack is the second Cosmetic DLC of 2022 and marks the eighth Cosmetic DLC release for Anno 1800. As the name clearly suggests, the focus of this new CDLC will be the construction and industry districts of your cities. You, the Community, have been quite vocal about the need of some ornaments dedicated to this topic. Afterall, it is a quite fitting theme for a game that takes place during the industrial revolution, isn’t it?

This CDLC consists of 28 brand new ornaments and, as mentioned in our previous Union Update, it is divided into two main themes: Construction and Railway. Let us take a closer look at them together!

Construction Ornaments

Construction and work sites are extremely common in the real world: scaffolding hiding the faces of a building during renovation, construction sites on roads slowing down the traffic, while curious kids try to peep through the construction fences, fascinated by those big cranes destroying and moving materials around. With the Construction-themed ornaments, you will be able to recreate the busy life of construction workers in your Anno cities.

A construction trailer, a construction crane, and even a sawing station! All these and more for you to recreate the perfect atmosphere in your industrial districts. In total, there are 15 Construction ornaments, with some of them having different variants. Construction fences and water pipes are among the most interesting ones, as they allow you to build “modular” structures, as you can see in the screenshot below. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Railway Ornaments

Railways and transportation are essential for construction and your industry as a whole, as they help you to keep things running – and literally keep the lights on. Among the Railway ornaments you will find two types of Railway Halls, a Railway Platform, and a crane to make the loading process easier for the Anno workers.

But that is not all, Annoholics – together with the ones mentioned above, there will be even more railway-themed ornaments! In total, there are 13 cosmetic pieces for the Railway theme, and some of them have different variants, just like the Construction Ornaments. Oh, and of course, safety is important, so do not forget to place the Guard Hut and Railway signs in your industrial district, too!

And now our favourite part of the DevBlog, the Q&A with our Art Team, who are of course the minds and hands behind our CDLCs. We asked some questions to Raphael, Lead Artist on Anno, to get some insights on the creative process behind this CDLC.

Generally speaking, what is the process behind the creation of an ornament?

First we do some research and then we start with a lot of small 2D scribbles. We then choose the best ones and make a rough 3D Version to check dimensions and how they look and feel in the game. Once we decide on the final design, we use a traditional 3D workflow to create the ornament.

Which ornament was the most challenging to create and which the most fun?

The construction crane was the most challenging but also the most fun. It was difficult to find the right design that fits the time and make sure the scaling works with all the buildings and other ornaments. We had to make sure it is high enough, so it is still visible when placed in the middle of the residences. It was a lot of fun to create all the little details like bolts and welds that make the asset more believable and bring it to life…

The industrial theme could be considered quite wide and open; how did you decide on the final ornaments for this CDLC?

For us it is always important to make a good selection for the player and give them the possibility to combine the ornaments in many interesting ways. Because we already have a lot of ornaments in the game, we also need to make sure we do not repeat ourselves too much, this also plays a key role in the selection process.

If you had to pick one favourite ornament for this CDLC, which one would it be and why?

I like the scaffolding because it lets me change the look of the existing buildings and really brings that construction vibe across.

To sum it up, with the “Industrial Zone” Pack you will be able to bring out the dirty, grey side of your cities, that represents the heartbeat of the Industrial revolution and development. Plus, here’s a tip from us: this new CDLC works wonder together with the Sewers cosmetics from the “Pedestrian Zone” Pack CDLC and the Industrial ornaments from Bright Harvest.

The “Industrial Zone” Pack will be available for purchase for the usual 4,99€ (or your regional equivalent) starting from June 28th.

If you have further questions related to the Cosmetic DLC, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments below or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or our official Forums.

Happy city-building, Annoholics!

List of all ornaments

Construction Ornaments

  • Construction Trailer
  • Construction Crane
  • Construction Site
  • Pile Diver
  • Sawing Station
  • Sanitary Pipes
  • Copper Pipes
  • Water Pipes
  • Scaffolding
  • Construction Fence
  • Construction Fence Entrance
  • Water Pipe Network
  • Elevated Water Pipes
  • Water Pipe Connector
  • Pipe Passageway

Railway Ornaments

  • Large Railway Hall
  • Small Railway Hall
  • Railway Platform
  • Coal Tower
  • Railway Guard Hut
  • Railway Crane
  • Oil Tank
  • Water Tank
  • Railway signal
  • Railway Electric Pole
  • Railway Yield Sign
  • Elevated Railway Signal
  • Railway Warning Sign

Union Update: “Industrial Zone” Pack CDLC teaser and more

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hey Anno community,

Now that we reached early June, we think it’s a good opportunity to update you on a few things Anno: The two remaining Cosmetic and DLC 11.

Cosmetic DLC 8

As revealed in May, Cosmetic DLC 8 is called the “Industrial Zone Pack” and will release at the end of this month – more precisely: June 28th!

True to its name, you can expect ornaments focusing on construction and industry, the dirtier but nevertheless necessary parts of a city. The CDLC is split into two themes, the first is construction and adding things like scaffolding ornaments.

The second is focusing on your railroad system, one of the lifelines for any advanced city in Anno 1800. Fans of miniature railroads will certainly enjoy beautifying their islands with ornaments like a railway guard hut with its own little platform.

 

As usual, you can expect more details and a DevBlog with further insights and the full list of all ornaments in the coming weeks.

Cosmetic DLC 9

About a month ago, the community vote for this year’s third Cosmetic DLC was in full swing and in the end, it was the “Old Town Pack” that won the race. Going by the comments (and you left a lot of them), there’s also quite a bit of nostalgia connected to the theme of the CDLC.

After the end of the vote, our Art team started exploring the topic, incorporating both their own ideas as well as the feedback we received from our community. It is still a bit too early to talk about details, but we should have a first glimpse for you in July regarding what you can expect for this Cosmetic DLC.

DLC: Empire of the Skies

Lastly, there’s of course DLC 11 – Empire of the Skies.

The release of the second DLC of Season 4 is still further in the future (late summer) and will then allow you not only to expand your trading and war fleet with new airship variants but also profit from the advantages of the new mail system as well as other features to make your New World as well as your empire overall grow closer together.

Right now, we’re still in the production phase of the DLC, meaning assets are still being worked on, features (like the behaviour of the new airships) are finalized, and UI elements created. Soon, we will enter the polishing and fixing phase during which we can show you some first teasers of the new content – so keep an eye on our social channels!

Goodbye, Marcel

So much for the news on the upcoming content, however, there’s also a change in the team we want to inform you about:

At the end of June, we’re saying “goodbye for now” to one of our Anno veterans, our dear Senior International Brand Manager Marcel Hatam – also known as Com_Raven. Having joined in 2017 during the early production of Anno 1800, he has since steered the Anno ship on the Brand side successfully through the game’s release and till now 4 years of post-launch content.

You could also see him in many of our live streams and trailers – most famously playing the role of the architect in the “The High Life” trailer (however, we can confirm he’s not starting an acting career).

“One last time: Hey Anno Community! When I bought 1602 24 years ago, I would not have dared dream that I could one day help to develop a new Anno game myself. I am eternally grateful for the past 5 years, and proud how all of us together – you in the community and us on the Anno-Team – made 1800 not only the most successful, but also the best Anno ever. I know this incredibly talented team has a very bright future ahead, and I cannot wait to cheer them on as a fan myself.”

– Marcel

And while Marcel is sailing towards new adventures, his brand-sceptre has been handed to Lisa, our Junior International Product Manager, who you surely already know from previous live streams. 

Please give him a round of applause for his role in making Anno 1800 the success it is! We wish him all the best for his surely magical new adventures. 

Union Update: CDLC Vote Winner, Game Update 14.2 and Community Spotlight

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community,

The voting has just ended, and it is time for us to reveal the winner of the Cosmetic DLC Community Vote! Furthermore, we will take this opportunity to speak about Game Update 14.2 and share our favourite screenshots in the Community Spotlight.

Cosmetic DLC Community Vote: The winner!

And the winner is…

[drumroll]

The Old Town Pack!

It became quite obvious since day one of the vote that this was going to be the Community’s choice for the third Cosmetic DLC of 2022. A great choice, Anno Community! The Old Town Pack will be released in autumn of this year, as the third and last CDLC of 2022. Just like other CDLC, it will be a standalone purchase for the price of 4,99€ and is not be part of the Season 4 Pass.

Many of you have also voiced what kind of content you would like to see for this theme, and we’re planning to give you a status update on our rough plans in summer.

Game Update 14.2

Today we released Game Update 14.2. This patch retroactively fixes the problem with all achievements being unlocked after GU14 and the missing Clay Pits in the “Seasons of Silver” scenario. You can find the Release Notes here.

Community Spotlight

For today’s Community Spotlight, we decided to go with a collection of screenshots that perfectly capture the beauty of the warm and soft tones of the New World. Here are our picks, enjoy!

Mydriase shared this amazing collection of screenshots, with the first one capturing a snapshot of their New World city. We love the contrast between the orange tones of the building and the fresh and lush green trees all around the city!

Aestris seems to have also spent a significant amount of time on beautifying his New World island using DLC 10. The Hacienda, its farms and residence areas are all surrounded by the new ornament wall, hopefully keeping some of the noise and smoke of the railway.

While modded, we love Ionovia’s layout – and the tilt shift effect really creates a miniature world atmosphere. Very cool screenshots.

Meanwhile, Carpo_VP has greatly enjoyed the “Seasons of Silver” scenario and shared some of their impressions on Twitter.

You might have already noticed, but we’re entering a slower period right now when it comes to news while the team is busy working on DLC 11 – Empire of the Skies – right now. You can expect more news in the second half of June when we start talking about the “Industrial Zone Pack” Cosmetic DLC.

Union Update: DLC 10 feedback, Community Challenge update & Community Spotlight

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community, 

Last week we kicked off Season 4 with “Seeds of Change” and its related scenario, “Seasons of Silver”. Now it is time for us to give you an update on the feedback we have received from you all and the steps we will take from here. 

Feedback, bug reports and patch information 

First, we would like to thank you for all the feedback you have shared with us so far. We have taken notes of your feedback related the Hacienda and some of its modules such as the new residences, alongside the fertiliser production cycle. As we said last Thursday, we are investigating potential changes and their impact for some of the mechanics and features, while we keep an eye on others. We can already confirm that the production time of fertiliser will be lowered with the next update. 

Furthermore, we updated our Known Issues List with the bugs you have been encountering after Game Update 14, such as all achievements being unlocked or increased multiplayer desyncs after the update. Please check this list to stay up to date on issues we’re working on. 

We will address some of the issues in a patch, that will be released in the first week of May. Stay tuned for more details and the full release notes! As always, thank you so much for your patience and support.  

Community Challenge 

To kick off Season 4 and spice things up a bit, we launched a challenge to the Community: we asked you to come together and reach a global target of 60.000 fertiliser modules built. Well, Anno Community, you did us proud. So far, you have built over 70.000 fertiliser modules! WOW – that is a lot of… dung! 

Clearly, the next challenges need to be more…. challenging. 

Community Spotlight 

We decided to fully dedicate this Community Spotlight to some of the amazing guides and videos you created and shared with us and the rest of the Community. Whether you are struggling with the “Seasons of Silver” scenario or would like to know some tips and tricks about the Hacienda and its modules, here are some guides we recommend!  

Let’s start off with a complete guide to the Hacienda mechanics by Takarazuka – a very detailed guide to know about the Hacienda, its mechanics and modules, but also advice and suggestions.

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Struggling with that gold medal for the new scenario? Here is a video by StratGamer with 10 tips for “Seasons of Silver”!

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Another great and quick guide for “Seeds of Change”, this one by Colonel Damneders.

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If you would like to sit back and relax while watching some scenario gameplay, Nivarias has uploaded not 1, but 8 episodes of “Seasons of Silver” gameplay. You can find the playlist here, enjoy!

DevBlog: “Seeds of Change”

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community,

Last week was packed with news, revealed during our Season 4 unveiling stream. If you missed that, don’t worry! You can find a detailed overview blog here on the Anno Union. As we are getting closer and closer to the release of the first DLC of Season 4, it is time for us to give you an overview of the content that you will soon be able to experience first-hand.

As you probably guessed from the title, this DevBlog focuses on the first DLC of Season 4 “Seeds of Change”: its features, mechanics, and anything else you need to know to be fully prepared for your upcoming adventure in the New World!

White stucco walls, topped with red clay tiles; heavy wooden doors and shutters; a spacious courtyard, shimmering in the sun — the unmistakeable features of the hacienda.

By day, this place is bustling with activity: carefully cultivated crops cross the courtyard by the cartload, brewers engage in animated conversation about whether oak or acacia wood makes for the best rum cask, and rugged farmers haul sacks of fertiliser to the fields — granted a wide berth by white-trousered hacendados.

In the evening, when the day’s work is done, a gentle serenity descends. Gathering round fountains or leaning against the pillars of colonnades, the townspeople relax in the soothing light of dusk, sharing a comforting cup of atole or conversing with the curious parrots perched atop the adobe walls.

Life is good here.

The heart of “Seeds of Change”: The Hacienda

Heart of this DLC is the Hacienda: A special building that can only be constructed in the New World. Why is it special? You might ask. First of all, it functions as a central hub for different production buildings, or “modules”, that can be placed around the Hacienda itself. In addition, the Hacienda allows you to enact island-wide edicts, while it also functions as a warehouse. It can be unlocked once you reach the Obrero population tier. However, there is something important to keep in mind: You can only build one Hacienda per island.

Radius

Another important factor to always keep in mind for the Hacienda is the radius. In order to function, each Hacienda module must be placed within the Hacienda radius: this means that buildings that are placed outside the range will be automatically paused. But do not worry! This radius can be extended with population: the more your population grows, the more the Hacienda range will expand.

Modules

The Hacienda has various optional buildings that can expand its functionality. These buildings are called modules and serve different purposes: highly productive Hacienda Farms, additional storage buildings, space-efficient residences, and the Hacienda Brewery. They can be selected from the Hacienda menu and in order to function, these modules must be built within the Radius and must be connected to the Hacienda by roads, either the special Hacienda roads or the normal ones – it’s your choice! Let’s go through each modules, shall we?

Space-efficient residences

There are two different residence modules, one for each tier: Jornalero Quarters and Obrera Quarters. Both buildings can house significantly more residents but are also bigger than their standard counterparts (4×4 instead of 3×3).

Highly productive Farms

One of the most interesting modules is the Hacienda Farm, which allows you to cultivate a wide range of crops, including non-local ones such as grain. Hacienda Farms offer high space efficiency, requiring fewer farm modules than their standard counterparts: no matter which crop you choose, they will always require 64 farm modules. After you have built a Hacienda Farm, you can select the crop you would like to start growing from the Recipe Book. Just like the other modules, Farms must be built within the Hacienda radius to function properly; however, the crop modules can be placed outside the range: this allows you to save up quite a lot of space! The Farm’s production can be boosted by two features: the well-known tractor barns from Bright Harvest, and fertiliser, which comes from an additional module.

Brewery

The Brewery is quite useful, since it gives you the chance to produce some goods previously unavailable in the New World. For example, Beer, which you would normally need to import via Trade Routes, or the new and spicy Hot Sauce. Just like with the Hacienda Farms, you need to select the desired output from the Recipe Book.

Storeroom

The Hacienda Storeroom will be a huge help, especially when boosting the productivity of your farms with tractors and fertiliser. By placing them in the Hacienda’s range, they will increase the overall storage capacity of your island. In this way, you will have the option to increase storage capacity on land, and not only via harbour storage building. Quite handy, isn’t it?

Fertiliser Works

This is where the magic happens. This module will allow you to produce fertiliser, which is then consumed by farms as an additional good that boosts their productivity. Just like the Hacienda building, the Fertiliser module has an influence radius, in this case used to collect… dung, of course. However, how is Fertiliser produced and used? It’s time for us to dive into this new process (not literally, though).

Dung & Fertiliser

To acquire Fertiliser, you must construct animal farms within the radius of the Fertiliser Works. Besides their usual goods, those animal farms will start “producing” Dung, which will be later transformed into Fertiliser in the Fertiliser Works. Fertiliser acts as a normal good, and it is then transported to your warehouse. From there, you can use it on your island’s farms or transport it to other islands – and to the rest of the world! To enable the use of Fertiliser in your farms – both standard and Hacienda ones – you need to attach the fertiliser module to them, just like you would normally do with tractor barns or silos. The farm will then start consuming Fertiliser as an additional good, increasing its productivity. If this is still not enough for you and you would like to boost your productivity even more, then tractors are the way to go: by building a tractor barn adjacent to the farms, the number of fields required by the farm will go from 64 to 96 and the productivity will be boosted to 400%!

Tutorial Menu

Need a hand with modules and understand how the Hacienda works? Do not worry, we have the perfect solution for you. Just like the previous DLC, you can access an in-game Tutorial Menu by clicking the “?” symbol in the top left corner of the object menu you want to know more about: here you will find an overview of all the new mechanics and features.

Edicts

Another important feature of the Hacienda is the possibility to enact policies that will affect the whole island on which the Hacienda has been built. Only one decree at a time can be active, by selecting it from the specific Hacienda menu. You can choose from a range of edicts and revise it as necessary. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Dietary Education Initiative: reduces residents food consumption
  • Local Assemblies: Hacienda Obrera Quarters produce influence

Some of the edicts, however, require a specific level of Attractiveness of your island (e.g., it’s the case for the Local Assemblies mentioned above). Therefore, don’t forget to make your cities beautiful, Annoholics!

Ornaments

Speaking of making your cities beautiful: “Seeds of Change” adds 11 Hacienda ornaments that can be placed on your island and give the perfect Hacienda vibe to your cities: Flowerbeds to make your cities even more colourful, colonnades and walls to elegantly frame the Hacienda, and pools for a splash of crystalline blue.

This is all for today’s DevBlog – but we got more coming this week! We will publish another DevBlog on Thursday, this time about the first Scenario of Season 4: “Seasons of Silver”. Make sure not to miss it!

We hope you are excited as we are for the release of the first DLC of Season 4! As a reminder, “Seeds of Change” will be released on Tuesday, April 12th at 6pm CEST / 9am PST. If you have any question about a specific feature of the Hacienda or would like to know more, please feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook and official Forums.

Happy city-building!

Development of Anno 1800 – Season 4 is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action within the framework of computer games funding.

Union Update: Annoverse Roundtable, Community Challenges and more

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community,  

Two days ago, we revealed our plans for Anno 1800’s Season 4. We hope you enjoyed the surprises and are excited to explore the new content throughout 2022! We are less than two weeks away from the first DLC “Seeds of Change”, a good time for a quick recap of our latest news and of our upcoming events. 

Season 4 Unveiled 

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Season 4 consists of three DLCs that will be released throughout 2022. At the center of Season 4 is the New World, and each DLC will focus on different themes. “Seeds of Change” (April 12th) focuses on agriculture and ways to improve and revolutionise this sector. “Empire of the Skies” (planned for Summer 2022), as the title suggests, will focus on the Age of Airships. Finally, “New World Rising” (planned for late 2022), will revolve around the industrial and economic boom of the New World. And did you know that each DLC will come with a new scenario?  

If you would like to know more about Season 4, we have a detailed overview here on the Anno Union. Oh, and of course, next week we will publish two DevBlogs with everything you need to know about “Seeds of Change” and the “Seasons of Silver” scenario. 

FAQ 

During yesterday’s stream we received a lot of questions related to our upcoming content. Here are the answers to the most common ones we have seen popping up: 

 

Q: When will I receive the Bonus Ornaments that come with purchasing the Season 4 Pass?

A: If you purchase the Season 4 Pass, you will receive the three Bonus Ornaments upon the release of DLC 10, “Seeds of Change” – that is April 12th at 6pm CEST / 9am PT. 

 

Q: Will the world expansion in DLC 12 be compatible with my old savegames? 

A: Yes! The world expansion will be compatible with your savegames. We will expand the current region and add new islands.

 

Q: How many Haciendas can be built per island? 

A: One Hacienda per island. More info coming next week! 

 

Q: Are all the airships shown in the trailer going to be released with DLC 12?! 

A: The airships you see in the image in the Season 4 trailer are just scribbles. They are not final concepts but just for us to get a feel for what can work. 

 

If you have got more questions related to Season 4 – ask away! However, keep in mind that answers to questions related to DLC 11 and DLC 12 will generally come later this year, when we get closer to each release. 

Community challenges 

We know that the Anno Community loves challenges – so we decided to spice things up for Season 4! Throughout 2022 there will be three Community Challenges in total, one for each DLC. They will focus on each DLC’s content and once completed, the whole Anno Community will be rewarded for the amazing work! 

Would you like some spoilers about the first Community Challenge of the Season? Alright, alright… Well, of course it will involve fertiliser and maximising its (excessive?) usage. More details in our “Seeds of Change” release day blog, so stay tuned for that! 

Free week 

What better way to lure your non-Annoholic friends into the Anno universe? From April 12th to April 20th, Anno 1800 will be playable for free! The Free Week will include the full base game without the DLC and will be savegame and multiplayer compatible. 

And did we mention our Friend Referral program? By getting your friends to play Anno 1800 you will both receive the “Seasonal Decorations” Pack CDLC for free, if your friends purchase the game! 

Twitch Drops 

The DLC 10 release will be accompanied by a Twitch Drops event, that will last from April 8th to April 20th – more details coming next week! Just one little spoiler from us: this time, our Twitch Drops event will be open for all streamers! 

Anno 1602 Annoversary 

In the past few days, we have been talking a lot about the future and our upcoming content for Anno 1800. However, we cannot forget an important milestone: Today, Anno 1602 turns 24! Happy Birthday to the game that started it all!

Annoverse Q&A session 

Last but not least, a couple of weeks ago we announced our Roundtable on the Annoverse Discord that will take place tomorrow, April 1st. During this Q&A you will have the chance to ask all your questions about Anno in the text chat, that will be then answered by the Anno Team in the voice channel. The session will be split into two parts, German and English.  

German session: 7pm– 8pm CEST/UTC+2

English session: 8:30pm – 9:30pm CEST/UTC+2

You can join the Annoverse Discord server via this link – there you will find a channel dedicated to the Roundtable (Annoverse Stage) and later on also a dedicated channel to post your questions. Again, a huge thank you to the Annoverse team for organising this event. We hope to see you all there! 

This is all for today’s Union Update. Quite a lot to unfold, right? As usual, if you got any question do not hesitate to comment down below or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, or our official Forums. 

Happy city-building!