Quick Tips and Tricks For Getting Started in Anno 1800

Ubisoft’s Anno 1800 is hitting big strides on Steam right now. With each passing day, the massive game draws in another hoard of new players. With that in mind, real-time strategy fans are now leaping to their keyboards to pick up this title in droves. That being said, Anno 1800 is not the most new player friendly game to ever cross the PC. But, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Here are a slew of helpful tips and tricks for new players interested in picking up this RTS title.

• Take advantage of Blueprint mode. Blueprint mode is a new addition to the series and allows the player the ability to plan their constructions in advance. This tool can be the difference between success and failure.
• Scout for other islands. Once you have a ship, you can send the vessel out scouting. The ship will then discover new islands that are each filled with valuable resources. You can then build shipyards on those islands in order to extract goods from the newly discovered locations.

• Try to maximize your production efficiency. Resource production buildings and buildings that produce final products are all connected. One structure may produce wool while another produces work clothes that require wool as a base resource. Pay attention to the amount of time and the number of resources each material demands. This way, you can maximize your production efficiency by keeping everything running smoothly with no downtime. Reddit user Quidza has taken the time to offer a map of the production chains so that players can see the time ratios between products. An illustration of the map may be viewed to the right.
• Take full advantage of your islands. Once you have discovered new islands, you can get some great use out of the available land. Some of the islands will contain mines, which are often incredibly lucrative in Anno 1800. Beyond that, it is a good idea to place your factories on nearby islands so that they are far away from your residential areas. This will increase the happiness level within your populace and the attractiveness level of your city. You will need a ship with two cargo holds as well as 2,500 gold, 10 timber, and 8 steel beams for your journey. Once you have landed on the new island, start building a trading post.
• Keep stocked on warehouses. In order to store all of the goods you will be garnering throughout your playthrough, you will need warehouses. These structures will prove useful in abundant supplies throughout your playthrough.
• Keep your city attractiveness high. As mentioned earlier, keeping your factories far away from your residential areas will help keep your populace’s happiness in check. However, you can also unlock artisans in order to construct museums and zoos to boost your populace’s happiness. These two structures will also greatly increase your city’s attractiveness. It is important to note, however, that you will need to track down exotic creatures for your zoo through expeditions.
• Do not over-expand. Building new structures too quickly can easily lead to bankruptcy. In order to avoid this, try focusing on keeping your populace happy rather than expanding your empire at a blistering pace. It is also important to not promote your social groups too quickly, as this can lead to problems down the road.
• When the game begins, make sure to have plenty of residential buildings. After reaching the required number of residential buildings for a social group, you will be able to promote the group. However, some of the individuals within the social group will leave after the promotion takes place. Consequently, it is best to have plenty of residential buildings around.
• Keep up with your buildings’ productivities. When you click on a building you can access the productivity of that structure. In order to maximize productivity, you will often need to assign the maximum number of employees to the building and you will sometimes need to clear free space around the structure.
• Always utilize your manufactured goods. Whenever you have a surplus of manufactured goods, you should either trade the goods for other resources or ship them to your various populated locations.
• You can change the speed of the game. By pressing the + and – symbols you can speed up or slow down the pacing of Anno 1800. This can be incredibly useful whenever you are waiting for the production of certain materials.
• Establish emergency services as soon as possible. It takes time to prepare first responders for the various crises you will face throughout this game. If you find yourself facing a crisis before your emergency services are ready, then it may be game over.
• Remember taxation. Your citizens pay taxes. The happier they are, the more money they will pay. A happy populace means a wealthy empire.
• All of your roads need to lead back to your trading post. Just like the classic phrase “all roads lead to Rome,” all of your roads should funnel traffic into your trading hub.