Tag: Anno 1800

Union Update: The Anno 1800 Saga

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community!

Last week we released the “End of an Era” Pack, and we didn’t choose the name as a joke: With this Cosmetic DLC ends the postlaunch phase for Anno 1800 – about five and a half years after the initial release in April 2019.

What a ride it has been!

Announced in August 2017, Anno 1800 was at the center of everything we were doing for many years: from the big exciting announcement and the launch of the Anno Union over many, many DevBlogs, fan meetings at gamescom, playtests and livestreams to the release, over four seasons of postlaunch gameplay DLC and then two more years of support with Cosmetic DLC and updates. It’s certainly been quite a journey!

We were also happy to ultimately add mod support to the game (and see the modding community flourish), successfully launch Anno 1800 on consoles and celebrate both the Anno series 25th, as well as Anno 1800th 5th birthday with you all.

Sure, there were, no doubt, some hick-ups along the way:

Veterans might remember an incident with an armada of ghost ships in Season 1 or issues around the release of the “Eden Burning” scenario, which left the game in a rough state for the holidays.
For quite a while, the Influence mechanic remained a hotly debated topic – as were items and their balancing. Some of these topics even make a return now in discussions about Anno 117: Pax Romana.

However, ultimately, this didn’t overshadow the fantastic success that Anno 1800 had become or the incredibly appreciation we have seen from all of you, motivating us to continue working on the game throughout all these years.

Certainly, we did not plan for Anno 1800 to have such a long post-launch life, or to see so many smaller and bigger expansions. Looking back, we’re incredibly proud of our work over the last years – even while we are at the same time also happy to close this chapter of our history and start writing a new one. Now in ancient Rome instead of in the time of the Industrial Revolution.

We’re also incredibly proud of having had YOU all with us on this journey! We couldn’t be luckier with this awesome community we have – that is (even when something goes wrong) polite and patient, welcoming to new players, incredibly inventive and has created some of the best memories of our careers as devs.

You’re playing a huge role in what we’re doing, in many decisions we take and in why we can work in jobs that bring us joy.

Thank you!

Team Anecdotes & Messages

Therefore, to round things off, we think it’s only appropriate to finish today’s blog with some messages and memories from the team:

Let’s start with two easter eggs that we think haven’t been found yet!

We’re not going to reveal the full details but… let’s imagine there’s a first-person mode that lets you use one of the swan boats from the “Pedestrian Zone” pack. Now, let’s assume there’s a button that lets you… do some acrobatics with the boat. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Johannes, Senior Gameplay Programmer

If you’ve really messed up the water quality in the “Eden Burning” scenario, nature is protesting. Vehemently. At the beach.

Nico, Lead Programmer

 

Then there are of course some development stories…

 

Did you know we, for a while, seriously considered a scenario involving aliens in Season 4? It was supposed to draw on some 19th century science-fiction works and involve a defense against non-human invaders.

Dominik, Game Designer

 

Did you know that when the team first introduced cats and dogs to the game, they assigned them the regular “pedestrian kid” behaviour since we didn’t have a specific “pedestrian animal” behaviour yet? The result was… interesting, with gangs of cats and dogs heading to the zoo to watch the other animals there.

Jan, Gameplay Programmer

The time we forgot to remove the “strange idol” item from a cancelled questline in DLC 12. We hoped you wouldn’t notice but… of course you all did. And not just that, this even resulted in some elaborate conspiracy theories about secret messages and teasers (and we never do teasers, as you know).

Jannika, Game Writer

Wow, End of an Era is here, and my memories from working on 1800 are flowing in, everything from starting my first job for a big game publisher on Anno 1800 in 2021 till my last work on 1800 – the Eldritch pack.
 Anno 1800 has given me so much joy and experience in working with game development, people and crafting great content for you, the player.

A couple of highlights are:

  • Introducing New World Rising in our Season 4 Trailer.
  • Being in charge of the Seasonal Decorations pack on the QA side (still annoyed it got released with the wrong icon, the placeholder was just that good hahah).
  • Working on the creative mode with Dominik, coming up with a lot of suggestions of what to add, like that every resident tier can be built directly, that every zoo and museum module could be built as an ornament – and just so so many ornaments!
  • And then, close to the end, when we added the mod support to Anno 1800, the great collaboration between the few of us that were still working on 1800 back then.

All in all, I want to say thank you to all of you – the fans – for supporting the game and our team these years. It’s been amazing and I can’t wait for you to see what Anno 117: Pax Romana has to offer!

Sic Parvis Magna
Jan, Development Tester

 

Thank you so much for every minute you played at Anno. Your support, your having fun while creating your own little world is the biggest joy and gratification a designer could ask for <3
Thank you for being the most wholesome community I ever joined! Nothing warms my heart like joining the twitch lives and reading your comments on Reddit.

The end of 1800 is just the beginning of a new chapter and the beginning of your new empire!
See you in Rome!

Elisabetta, UI Designer

 

There’s no doubt that we have one of the most wholesome communities in gaming. Both in the interactions with each other as well in interactions with us from the dev team, the calm, friendly and constructive manner in which you engaged with others made the lives of players and devs (especially mine <3) of Anno 1800 just so much better.

Never change, please, and we’ll all continue to have a great time with Anno.

Oliver, Community Developer

 

Union Update: It’s the “End of an Era” Pack Release Day

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

It’s the End of an Era! – The release day of the “End of an Era” Pack that is. Our newest Cosmetic DLC is available now!

As the name very subtly hints at: This is the very last Cosmetic DLC for Anno 1800, and the very last piece of content we have planned for the game.

Accordingly, the “End of an Era” Pack is all about celebrating Anno 1800, its citizens and you and your achievements: decorate houses with colourful lights, hold festivals of light on your public plazas and invite your people to a show they have never seen before.

Oh, and don’t forget the fireworks!

If you want to have a closer look at the contents of this final Cosmetic DLC, check out last week’s Twitch livestream with Laura and Jannika.

You can also get a detailed look at all the new skins and ornaments and learn about the inspirations for this cosmetic pack in our DevBlog.

 

The “End of an Era” Pack Cosmetic DLC is now available on all platforms for 4,99€ or your regional equivalent.

Creative Festival

Finally, let’s not forget the “Creative Festival” is still ongoing until December 8th! Join other Anno 1800 fans in sharing your best, favourite or simply wildest screenshots of the game using the DLC and CDLC that were released since 2019.

Which ones are your favourites? Share them on any platform (Twitter, Reddit, Discord, Instagram, …) – we’re looking forward to seeing your creations!

Anno 117: Pax Romana Updates

We’ve also published a few updates and news on Anno 117: Pax Romana very recently!

Check out this blog for news on Steam as well as some first screenshots of the regions Latium and Albion! In addition, in the same blog we’re also sharing a more general development update for the game including some of the topics we have been and currently are working on.

Community Spotlight – Advent Calendar

A very short Community Spotlight for today: On Reddit, user announced their video advent calendar for Anno 1800. Every day, you can expect a chill video with some Anno 1800 beauty building footage on their YouTube channel.

We love the idea! Why not head over to their channel and check it out?

DevBlog: The “End of an Era” Pack CDLC

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hello Anno Community,

As you might have seen in our latest teasers on social media or yesterday’s  livestream, we will soon release a brand new Cosmetic DLC, the “End of an Era” Pack!

To be totally honest with you all, when first approaching this DevBlog, we struggled to find the right words to talk about it and give this Pack full justice – both because of its grandiosity and the fact that it marks, for real, the end of an era. If you don’t know this already, this CDLC will be the last piece of content developed for Anno 1800, after an amazing journey that lasted 5 years, with 16 beautiful Cosmetic DLC – not to mention the post-launch game content released over the years.

… *Nervously clears throat* … But let’s not get emotional now, we haven’t even started talking about the Pack! So, without further ado, let’s join the festival.

“A crazy unicorn festival of lights, flowers and dancing”

In this pack there are Funfair Stalls for all necessities, big and small: whether your residents would like to smash some unicorn pinatas, eat some food or enjoy the famous Anno cocktail at the Cocktail Bar – the Margarita Hunt – for an evening of fun, the End of an Era Pack contains everything you’ll need to build the perfect festival in your Anno cities.

For the residents who enjoy movement, a Dance Floor is in order – together with a Beer Tent for when they need a break and a fresh drink after all the late-night waltzes.

Flowers are a central theme of this pack as you might have noticed: Lily Pond Lights, Dazzling Dandelions, and colourful Fairy Flowers installations – each of them with multiple variations. And who knew flowers could pair this well with an Aquatic Streetlights and an Aquatic Light Tunnel?

A burst of colours and pure joy

Anno 1800 looks SO stylish in neon pink, don’t you think? Or neon blue, green, yellow… all the colours! Well, colours extravaganza is another recurring theme in this pack. Engineers’ and Investors’ residences have never looked this great – and so sparkly!

“The Jorgensens – The Musical” in Theatre now!

Fun for the whole family: the latest musical masterpiece starring Bente Jorgensen, Sir Archibald Blake, Carl Leonard von Malching (and his pink tutu), and The One True God of Anno, is in theatre now! Treat your residents to a show they will never forget, thanks to the Musical Stage included in this pack. Some of you might remember “The Jorgensens – The Musical” from the credits scene in Anno 1800, which was masterfully recreated by the talented Laura in this shorter version for the ornament (more info on this in the Q&A section). And do not worry about limited seating for the show, we even included an Auditorium to accommodate a big audience.

Paint your sky with fireworks

What kind of festival would it be without fireworks closing the night? Actually, let us rephrase that – what kind of End of an Era Pack would it be without fireworks celebrating the support you’ve showed us for the past 5 years? These fireworks will paint your Anno sky with our gratitude and appreciation, as well as… flying pigs and unicorns? (Editor’s note: no animals or magical creatures were harmed during the production of this CDLC)

Q&A with Laura

And now, it is time for our favourite part: Q&A with the Art Team! We asked some questions to Laura, Prop Artist and CDLC Overlord™ on Anno, to get some insights on the creative process behind the End of an Era Pack.

 

Q: It seems that you had a lot of fun creating this pack! What were the main sources of inspiration for it?

A: So, after some brainstorming the decision was made: we wanted to go out with a big festive bang, a celebration of Anno and the Players and since it would release around Christmas time the first source of inspiration had to be fairy lights, lots of lights in the dark, like a Christmas Wonderland kind of theme. But the idea of another Christmas Package didn`t quite do it for us, so we went ahead and made it into, what I call, “a crazy unicorn festival of lights, flowers and dancing“. Luckily, I had been to Tokyo earlier in the year and took away quite some inspiration from the teamLab Exposition, which is an amazing thing, everybody who can go see, do it! So, in short, the main sources of inspiration would be a mad mix of Christmas Wonderland sparkle and the fantastic teamLab Tokyo.

 

Q: What was the hardest ornament or skin to create? Why?

A: In terms of designing, the hardest were actually the tiny festive stalls. We have so many stalls in the game already, it was quite hard to come up with something completely new. So, after initial rather tame designs, I decided to go more bonkers with this and make them out to be weird, dreamy flowers from the top view, which in the end fit in quite well with the flowery overall theme.

 

Q: This CDLC is filled with content, which ornament or skin is your favourite? Is there a particular reason?

A: I think I have two favourites. The first will be the blue lights tunnel with the goldfish “swimming through”, just because I would love to go through there in real life, sit down and just endlessly look at it. The second one are the waterlilies. They just look so pretty, better even in the dark and if precious production time was spent with a darkened monitor and only those lilies on the screen staring back at me…. It was…. Ehm… I was quality checking them, yeah…

Q: How was it to work on the last CDLC for Anno 1800? It’s literally the end of an era!

A: Working on it was great, as is true for most of the CDLCs. It’s true though that this time around there was mixed in a hint of sadness, to let my precious CDLC-babies go, to let go of my self-organised authoritarian overlord state, and the uncertainty of what would come next-task wise didn`t help either. But there was also relief, because it grew so hard to come up with new, purely cosmetic ideas. So, it was a cocktail of emotions, but staring at the waterlilies soothed about everything.

 

Q: Flying pigs fireworks?! We love them! But why?

A: Well…. Only when the pigs learn to fly, will there be an end to Anno 1800!

 

Q: How complex was it to create the theatre ornament?

A: The Theatre was a self-evolving, not-certain-to-be-created-at-all kind of thing. We wanted to have a really big festive tent as a main attraction, but it ended up looking a lot like a circus tent no matter what. And I had been having this idea to bring the credits into the CDLC (because “The End”…), so I just threw the two of them together, the big tent with the theatre stage in front of it and there it was. What was a bit tedious was the animation of the puppets, which I did frame by frame imitating the exact movie animation. That took a lot of endurance… But the result was quite worthwhile, I think. So yes, it was the most complex ornament to do in this package, but also the most rewarding.

 

Q: Which Anno 1800 CDLC would you combine with this one to decorate your own city?

A: Well, this is something that I do really like about this package in particular, that it is so very universally combinable with a lot of the stuff we already have in the game. Be it the Holiday -, the Amusement -, the City Lights -Pack or the Seasonal Decorations, even the Chinese New Year Pack CDLC or the ornaments from the High Life DLC, you can just build a huge festival throughout the city, throw in basically everything: the madder, the better.

What’s left to say? We could write words and words about how weird it feels to be writing the last DevBlog for Anno 1800, and how bittersweet it is to be at the end of this journey – but that’s for another day.

The End of an Era Pack will be available starting December 5th on PC and Consoles, for the usual price of 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.

We cannot wait to admire your festival-ready cities in Anno 1800!

List of full content

  • Musical stage
  • Auditorium
  • Dance Floor
  • Beer tent (2 variants)
  • Lily Pond Lights (4 variants)
  • Dazzling Dandelions (3 variants)
  • Wisp Lanterns (4 variants)
  • Fairy Flowers (4 variants)
  • Flowery Funfair Stall (2 variants)
  • Unicorn Funfair Stall (2 variants)
  • Cocktail Bar
  • Sunflower Swing
  • Aquatic Streetlights (2 variants)
  • Fireworks Podium (2 variants)
  • Aquatic Light Tunnel (3 variants)
  • Festive Light Tunnel
  • Funfair Arch (3 variants)
  • Balloon Pole (2 variants)
  • Flower Power Flag
  • Large Banner (4 variants)
  • Bunting (2 variants)
  • Sun Gate
  • Umbrella Seats (4 variants)
  • Iluminatree (3 variants)
  • Parade Pavement (4 variants)
  • Glowing Garlands (3 variants)
  • Festive Skin – Engineers Residence
  • Festive Skin – Investors Residence

DevBlog: The “Pirate Cove” Pack Cosmetic DLC

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Ahoy me hearties,

It’s yer Cap’n speakin’! Get yer spyglasses out, be it treasure wha’ ye see? Aye ‘tis, all the shiny loot ye see ‘ere is part of the “Pirate Cove” Pack Cosmetic DLC! Avast ye, enough wit’ the useless natterin’ now, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Let’s ‘ave a closer look at dis mighty good treasure. Aaaarghhh!

Ahoy t’ the Red Herring!

Splice the mainbrace, ye old salt! At the Red Herring we spare no grog or rum. Whether you need a drink to refuel yourself after a long time lost at sea or simply need a hiding spot from your sworn enemies, the Red Herring is the place for you. Be careful, though! Even walls have ears in this place, so make sure not to reveal where you stashed your treasure, savvy? You might need to use some War Cannons and Nautical Rope Fence to protect it from other buccaneers.

X marks the spot

Speaking of treasure – what “Pirate Cove” Pack would it be without Legendary Loot? According to a treasure map we found, a treasure has been buried next to an Interesting Rock Formation. Dis cap’n said too much already… ‘n we all know dat dead men tell no tales.

Pirates need to relax, too

After a long day at sea, sailing and plundering, ’tis time to relax. Yes, pirates need peace ‘n sleep too, sometimes. Whether you seek shade under the palm trees of the Hammock or some food at the Beach Barbecue, remember to first pay a visit to the Captain’s Tent to get your share of the bounty.

Fire in the hole!

Cap’n! Be ye ready t’ sail the High Seas wit’ the Ominous Octopus? Her infamous sails can be spotted from miles away and her reputation precedes her. Will you be brave enough to venture through dangerous seas and face other Man-O-Wars? The Ship-of-the-line has never looked this… ominous, indeed. Me think this look does suit her mighty well, doesn’t it?

The “Pirate Cove” Pack will be available just in time to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, that means starting 19th September – on PC and consoles, for the usual price of 100 Pieces of Eight… err, 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.

We look forward to seeing your infamous creations with the “Pirate Cove” Pack – we’re sure you’ll make Anne Harlow and Jean La Fortune proud!

List of all loot

  • Abandoned Rowboat
  • Mutinous Crew
  • Captain’s Tent
  • Hammock
  • Beach Barbecue
  • Shipwreck
  • Interesting Rock Formation
  • Guardian of the Cove
  • Tiki Torch (2 variants)
  • Legendary Loot
  • Crow’s Nest
  • War Cannon (2 variants)
  • Sand (modular system)
  • Nautical Rope Fence (modular system)
  • Palisade Gate
  • “Red Herring”
  • “Pirate Shack” skin for tier 1 residence (4 models)
  • “Infamous Outpost” Trading Post skin (3 tiers in New World, 4 tiers in Old World)
  • “Ominous Octopus” Ship-of-the-Line skin

Union Update: Modder Spotlight – Hier0nimus

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

Last week we showcased Taludas’ “New Frontiers” mod for Anno 2205 which adds a whole bunch of new features and content for the game – including Mars as an entirely new region!

 

Today, we’re returning to Anno 1800 with a full spotlight on Hier0nimus who you might know from mods like the “Perfect Specialist & Items Pack” or “Music to my Ears” (a winner of last year’s mod contest!).

Hey Hier0nimus, thank you for taking the time! Before we’re diving into your different projects, how did you actually get into the modding scene for Anno 1800?

I think the trigger to get into modding came from a reference on the normal Anno Discord server. I was interested in the Anno community and what the community made for the game: tools to help with making the best layout for your city, a wiki where you could find a lot of information about the game, etc. One of those things that caught my attention was mods.

 

When I saw the link to the Modding discord in the list of resources, I was triggered and joined that server to find a warm community of people really open and helpful for people who wanted to start modding themselves. Via that server I found a website by Schwubbe with a lot of information that helps beginning modders. That was the starting point for me and the trigger to try out some things myself.

What kind of mods have you worked on so far?

The first mod I started with and that got me into modding was a specialist item mod. I’m a player in Anno 1800 that likes to lose himself in optimizing productions with specialists and items. Specialists are the perfect first thing to learn how to make a mod when you understand the basics of the modding in Anno 1800.

I spent hours and hours with a spreadsheet coming up with names, descriptions, lore and the actual use for all those specialists before even doing any coding or making graphics. The first version was released in November 2021, months after I started to understand the modding process and contained about 50 new specialists for the regions that were available at that time. The mod that was the start of my modding journey now contains 125 specialists and items and still has a special place in my heart.

After I created the specialists mod I wanted to take the next step in my modding journey and create a new production chain with new products. It was around Christmas 2021, and I decided to make a Christmas tree production chain. To this date, this mod still exists. For me, personally, it is not a big mod but it was a mod that was a step in my learning experience and one of the many steps I needed to make to learn new things.

 

After that Christmas mod, I discovered another drive inside me, which was writing tutorials and helping people who wanted to walk the same path I walked and get into modding. I found a lot of joy in helping people with the basic knowledge I myself learned from others and smacking my face to the ground multiple times. I took up the goal to help people in their modding journey and found it really enjoyable to see people grow and make amazing things.

 

In 2023, the Anno team announced a modding contest with prizes that triggered my attention. I started way too late and only one week before the contest ended, I started creating the first assets. I had an idea lying around for a while to add musical instruments to the game, but it had to have some extras, so I added the Music Hall as a building to buff surrounding residences. Which is also not the craziest, but it adds some extra flavor.

During the development of that mod, I again had way too many ideas but because of the limited time, I had to make some hard choices. It would have been nice to have the music hall be a monument and to add new music to the game as well. But those would have been things I totally did not know anything about and with only a week totally not realistic. Crunching that week to get my mod out was a really enjoyable period with again the community helping out where I got stuck or giving me ideas or improvements. In my opinion every mod I created is in some way an achievement of the whole community and not only of myself. And then the contest was over, and I was one of the winners! Hurray! A big thank you again to the Anno team for organizing this amazing event and the whole Modding community for participating and helping out!

Did you have any prior modding knowledge or specific skills (programming, 3D art, …) when starting to mod Anno?

Playing a game for me has always been a way of expressing myself. I like to play games that build / create stuff where you accomplish something towards a goal. It is a part of me and how I’m wired. Anno in that way is the perfect game for that and modding ties so well into that. Modding gives me the power to feel more connected with the game I love. When having certain skills that help build something, like creating graphics, writing code it makes it easier to feel that connection. I have a background in Web Design, graphic design and frontend development which gave me the advantage of finding that extra connection with a game a bit easier. It even gave me the ability to spread the enthusiasm for modding faster when helping people.

 

What would you advise someone who wanted to get into modding Anno?

Take your time, do not put pressure on yourself, read the documentation, start small, dive in face first, smack your face into a wall and make mistakes, learn, grow, ask questions and most importantly: enjoy the ride.

Join the modding discord and be part of the community of people that help eachother grow.

Take on small projects and do it step by step. Eventually, you will combine everything you learned into a big mod when you are ready for it.

You are about to release the “Military Attention” mod. Can you give us an overview of this mod, its goals and what inspired you to create it?

Military Attention is a mod that has a size I could not even think about when I started modding. Military Attention contains new soldier population tiers for every region, new military products, additional requirements of building ships, new monument, ornaments, etc. Way too much to put a list here.

The idea is to add an extra military aspect to the game. Originally, I would have added a lot more changes to AI, new ships, etc. but during the past years a lot of other modders already added so many military things that I skipped a lot of those. I would rather be compatible with them and be a piece of the Military puzzle and make a complete puzzle together with those other mods.

So, I focus on the logistics part of the military. If you want to have a more challenging AI or more ships, there are so many other mods already that have even done a better job than what I could probably would ever have done. At the moment I released it as a BETA to give people the opportunity to test it out, find bugs, check compatibility with mods I would maybe never use but I want to be compatible with, etc. A lot of feedback was already given which I really appreciate! Big thank you to everyone! I hope to release it as soon as possible. At the moment I’m polishing the last steps so it should be ready before the summer! After that I will probably dive back into the Arctic mod again!

Are there any other mod projects you’re currently working on and that you already want to tease?

Again during those last years I worked on a lot of things, but 2 bigger things are still the two things ranked 1 and 2 (sometimes pushed to 2 and 3). Years ago, I started to work on an Arctic mod. We all want the Arctic to get some extra love. I created new population tiers, new buildings, new production chains, new mechanics, ect. It is looking so good already. It even will have new skinned islands and already has a new Arctic session!

Then a topic came up on the modding discord about soldiers in Anno 1800. I was triggered by it. That is now the mod I put my full attention to (well, most of the time until I got sidetracked by something like almost 100 Hot Air Balloons, helping people, writing tutorials,…).

 

 

That’s it for today’s modder spotlight – thank you once more, Hier0nimus for taking the time to give us insights into your modding journey!

Everyone else: Check out Hier0nimus‘ mods on mod.io or search for his mods directly in the ingame mod browser.

Union Update: Anno Dev Talk recap, mods, and more

Posted on by UbiCecce

Hey Anno Community,

Let’s have one more round of updates before the weekend!

Starting with a reminder about the livestream we did on Wednesday: Community Developer Oliver was joined by Brand Director Haye, Creative Director Manuel and Executive Producer Stephane for one hour of Anno Dev Talk:

We talked about the scope of their jobs and how they all entered the video games industry, as well as their motivation to get out of the bed every morning to work on video games.

Together with the chat, we discussed what makes an Anno game actually “Anno” – and all four revealed which games they are playing right now.

If you’ve missed the stream, you can watch the VOD here on Twitch.

Anno 2205: New Frontiers mod

On the very same day (22.05), Anno modder Taludas released his “New Frontiers” mod for Anno 2205 (excellently chosen date, we have to admit). You can watch the trailer below:

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The mod does not only add Mars as a new sector to explore and settle, but also includes many changes to the existing regions and their production chains, as well as a new population tier for the Arctic region: Geniuses.

A great opportunity to dive (back) into Anno 2205 and check out all the changes Taludas added to the base game. There are so many, actually, that we heavily recommend checking out the “Features” section on his GitHub page.

Very impressive work, we certainly did not expect an Anno 2205 mod this year.

Modding Spotlight: Hier0nimus

More modding news! In next week’s Union Update we’re welcoming Hier0nimus, creator of the “Perfect Specialist & Items Pack” mod as well as “Music to my Ears” – a winner of last year’s modding contest!

In the interview, you’ll learn more about his journey into modding Anno 1800 and the projects he has been and currently is working on. Including the “Military Attention” mod.

Union Update: It’s Steampunk Pack release day!

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

It’s May 14th and we have to let off some steam – with the Steampunk Pack Cosmetic DLC releasing today!

Find out more about this latest bundle of ornaments and building skins in our DevBlog. Watch researchers test an experimental dragonfly-suit, give your Investor residences a steampunky new look or build dreamy plazas with the celestial ground tiles.

The Steampunk Pack is available on all platforms for the price of 4,99€ or your regional equivalent.

In addition to the new Cosmetic DLC, we also released a few bug fixes. You can find the Release Notes here on the Anno Union, both for PC as well as for Console.

Friendship Ornament

We’ve mentioned it about a month ago at Anno 1800’s birthday: To celebrate both said birthday as well as the incredible milestone of 4 million players, we’re adding a free ornament for everyone – the Friendship Ornament. We’re sure you’ll find a great spot in your cities to place it.

Thank you for your support!

Board game livestream

We have another livestream coming up this week as well: on Thursday, May 16th, we’ll be playing the Anno 1800 board game and its soon-to-be-released (German) expansion live on Twitch. Join us from 5PM UTC+2 onwards!

Anno Leadership Team Livestream

And one more livestream coming up: As part of our ongoing mission to give you more glimpses behind the scenes and the different people and teams involved in creating the worlds of Anno, next week’s livestream will look at the daily work of the heads of our team. With recurring guest Manuel (Creative Director), as well as Haye (Brand Director) and Stephane (Executive Producer) we’ll be talking about topics like their way into gaming, the scope of their work and what kind of games they like to play to relax.

Join us on Twitch – next Wednesday, May 22nd, at 5PM CEST.

DevBlog: The Steampunk Pack CDLC

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

Prepare yourself a cup of steamy tea and get ready for a nice read because today, after much teasing, it is finally time to dive into our upcoming Cosmetic DLC: the Steampunk Pack! If you watched our End-of the-Year livestream back in December, you might have noticed a small teaser that redirected you to a mysterious page set up by none other than Old Nate, who was secretly “leaking” important information and clues on the content of the Steampunk Pack. Safe to say we got that situation under control now… right?

Unreal new skins

The focus of this Cosmetic DLC is innovation and progress, which perfectly marries with the overall vibe of Anno 1800 and the Industrial Revolution era. However, with the Steampunk Pack, you’ll discover a new peculiar side to the age of innovation: steam-powered machinery and aesthetics, highly advanced, but quite unnecessary in application. This was the humorous twist that Laura – Prop Artist on Anno and self-appointed CDLC Overlord – wanted to give to this pack, and we are all for it. The Dragonfly Man taking off to the sky from the “Unreal University” is a perfect example of this, don’t you think?

The idea with this is not taking ourselves, as humanity, too seriously. Sometimes we have this new technology, and we try to implement it everywhere, whether it makes sense or not, and most of the time it doesn’t with these ornaments.  And this is my kind of humour!

Laura, Prop Artist

The University building is not the only one receiving a new skin with the Steampunk Pack. This pack also includes skins for the Investors’ residences and the Church, that will be transformed into the “Temple of Progress”: considering the huge telescope towering over the building, the name sounds like perfect fit. Who knows what they will find?

It’s all in the details

Is it getting steamy in here or is there a bath house in your city? The biggest ornament of this CDLC is the Steam Spa, the place that will make your residents relax and forget about their daily worries. Plus, it’s all automated! Of course, the Steam Spa is only one of the many ornaments in this pack, all characterised by moving clogs and wheels, almost mesmerising your residents: from a beautiful Celestial Fountain surrounded by bubbly steam to a small aquarium hosting the most exotic underwater creatures. However, one statue reigns supreme in this pack: Eva.Porator, an ornament that emblematically symbolises one of the biggest inspirations of this pack, Metropolis – a German science-fiction film from the 1920s.

Celestial tiling and bronze lining

Needless to say, we are obsessed with the colour theme in this pack: from the metallic shades of bronze and gold shining under the light of the sun to the celestial blues of the ground tiles and building windows. This colour  in the different tiles, as well: not just one, but three different tiles for you to build the perfect paths and plazas around your cities.

 

All aboard the New Era Express!

It wouldn’t be a Steampunk Pack worthy of its name without a train skin, don’t you think? Well, in this CDLC you get two of them! The “Steamliner” and the “New Era Express”. And speaking of means of transport, the flagship is completely unrecognisable with the “Nautilus” skin, a beautiful reference to the fictional submarine belonging to Captain Nemo in Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas”.

The Steampunk Pack will be available starting 14th May on PC and consoles, for the usual price of 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.

If you’d like to see the new ornaments in action before that, we recommend watching our birthday livestream VOD, where we had a first look at the full pack with the guidance of its creator, Laura.

We cannot wait to admire your cities decorated with the Steampunk Pack!

List of full content

  • Eccentric Overpass
  • Celestial fountain
  • Eva.Porator
  • Steam O’Clock
  • Aquarium
  • Adver-Turner
  • Steam Spa
  • Celestial Tiles, three types
  • Steam Pipe
  • Investors residence skins
  • “Temple of Progress” Church skin
  • “Steamliner” Train skin
  • “New Era Express” train skin
  • “Nautilus” Flagship skin
  • “Unreal University” University skin

Happy Birthday Anno 1800!

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Grab a piece of the birthday cake, Anno 1800 is turning 5 today!

Half a decade of Anno 1800 (and even longer for anyone who’s been following the game since its reveal in 2017) is quite some time and a lot has happened since the release back in April 2019. Let’s go on a little nostalgia trip together:

Five years really are a long time for any game, and we wouldn’t have been able to work on Anno 1800 for such a time without YOUR support. It was also your support that enabled us to reach

 

over 4 million players!

 

To celebrate both this milestone and the birthday, we’ll be adding a special monument to the game for everyone in our update in May:

CDLC 14 – The Steampunk Pack

This evening, we also held our birthday livestream with special guests Laura (Prop Artist) and Manuel (Creative Director). Not only did we celebrate Anno 1800 turning 5, however, we also had – as announced – a first look at the upcoming “Steampunk” Pack Cosmetic DLC for Anno 1800!

If you missed the livestream and want to know more: You can find the full VOD here.

Alternatively, at the end of April we’ll release a blog – as usual – with all information on the Steampunk Pack and its content.

Anno 1800 birthday giveaways

To further celebrate this anniversary, we have two little giveaways for you: We’re teaming up with Art4Fans to produce several Anno 1800 art prints that would surely look absolutely fantastic on your walls at home.

You’ll be able to buy them starting today!

A few lucky ones among you will be able to get your hands on one of those prints via our little contest over on Twitter starting tomorrow (17th)!

You will have to quote-retweet our post (to be posted tomorrow evening) and with the hashtag #AnnoGiveaway – and maybe tell us a bit about your time with Anno 1800!

Amongst all valid entries we will randomly select 5 winners.

On Wednesday (18th) we’ll also be giving away keys for both the PC as well as the Console version of Anno 1800 over on the Anno Subreddit.

Keep an eye out for our post there on Thursday afternoon. Here, as well, we want to hear about your favourite moment in or memory of Anno 1800 to celebrate its birthday. Among all participants we’ll randomly select 10 winners who can pick their prize.

Anno 1800 x Art4Fans – art prints for your home

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

We’re excited to announce our partnership with Art4Fans!

Together we’re bringing five selected Anno 1800 artworks as deluxe prints to the Art4Fans store.

Art4Fans, located in the heart of Montreal, offers high-quality artworks designed for art fans and also works with, for example, our colleagues at Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six Siege.

Fitting to Anno 1800’s birthday, you can choose from large posters, framed or canvas prints of artworks ranging from the popular Anno 1800 key art, over the world expo, the busy city streets and vibrant cities to the zeppelin in the Arctic.

We hope you like the selection!

 

Head over to the Art4Fans store and bring a piece from the world of Anno 1800 to your home!

And that’s not all: Tomorrow we’ll be giving away five framed artworks to random winners via our official Twitter account. Keep an eye on our channel tomorrow afternoon!