Hey Anno Community!

We wanted to give you a brief update on the modding-related livestream that we announced in late September.

The livestream has found a new home(-date): Tuesday next week (October 17th) starting at 5PM CEST / 3PM UTC / 11AM EDT. As usual, the livestream will happen on twitch.tv/ubisoftbluebyte

Community Developer Oliver will be joined by Studio Technical Director Kevin and Lead Tools Programmer Jakob, talking about the mod support update for Anno 1800 and showcasing some mods from the community.

We’ve also seen the occasional discussions about what the next Cosmetic DLC might be about… well, we have to ask for a little bit more patience but in late October we’ll drop the first teasers on our channels, so: stay tuned! We had a lot of fun with this one in particular.

That’s it in terms of news for now, but we’ll have a few more things happening till the end of the year. You’ll definitely hear about them here on the Anno Union.

Hello Anno Community,

In the past weeks we have seen the Anno modding community grow bigger and bigger, with over 300 mods uploaded at mod.io and hundred thousands of downloads: from additional ornaments and cosmetics to more technical mods that add even more complexity to the game (not for the faint of heart!).

After a break from live streams during summer, we decided to dedicate our next one to mods. If you would like to join us, then clear out your calendars for Friday 29th of September from 5-6 PM CEST: Oliver (Community Developer), Kevin (Technical Director) and Jakob (Lead Tools Programmer) will show how the built-in Modloader works, while giving some dev insights and showcasing some mods.
Please note that the livestream had to be postponed, we will communicate a new time soon.

Community Spotlight

After showcasing the modding works of Kurila and Taludas, we thought of switching the perspective for today and show off some modded screenshots, together with some other interesting posts we have seen in the past few weeks on Reddit and Discord.

Let’s start with this screenshot by Mithaldriel, shared on the Annoverse Discord: this New World city almost looks like a painting, so lively and colourful. If you are wondering where these houses are from, then go check out the Jakob’s New World Cities mod on mod.io!

This modded capital city by domis_cze does not only count up to over 100 hours for its creation, but also over 100 mods! This overview of the city is quite breathtaking, and if you wish to see more make sure to go check the full collection of screenshots on Reddit. Plus, if you would like to know which mods have been used, domis_cze will help you out.

What about this video showing off this beautiful metropolis by Lumpi? A magnet for tourists! We don’t know about you, but the Anno Team would love to visit this place – we can see ourselves strolling through the Old Town and visiting that mysterious castle. If you are curious about the mods used, Lumpi has listed all mod creators in the video description on YouTube.

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We all know that Anno goes hand in hand with math, but mafieth really impressed us with two interesting Reddit posts. In the first one, you can find an extremely useful spreadsheet of Needs Economy Analysis, that explains the economical impact of all production chains. Just by looking at that spreadsheet you can all understand that mafieth really likes data and math – but be prepared to be swept off your feet because there is more. From needs economy to the Ultimate Ship Analysis: in this post mafieth explains how each ship has a sweet spot of cargo load at which it achieves the highest possible throughput, and provides a detailed trade route calculator. As mafieth mentioned at the beginning of the post, trigger warning: a lot of math (and graphs, too!). Kudos to mafieth for creating such useful tools, we are sure the Anno Community will love them!

For our last feature of the day, we would like to show you this lovely National Park by Ancalagon-j on Reddit, who says “luckily I still had a little free space on Crown Falls!”. Well, it does not seem so little after all! Your citizen must be quite happy to have all that nature so close to their city.

Hey Anno Community,

Last week we shared a first modder spotlight, talking with Kurila about his way into modding Anno 1800 and what kind of mods he created so far.

Today, we’re happy to feature Taludas who you might know from the “Wholesome Hacienda Overhaul” as well as the “Riverslots” mods. Let’s get started!

Hello Taludas, hope you’re doing great! How did you get into modding Anno 1800? What was the reason you started?

I was incredibly enthusiastic about the IAAM mod for Anno 1404 which made numerous changes to the gameplay, and I also enjoyed playing with the ARRC mod in 2070 and for 2205 another Anno veteran created the “Revolution” mod.

Later I was particularly fond of Skyrim – I spent more time looking for mods, installing them and watching them than with actual gameplay – and my passion for modding was sparked to new heights.

For Anno 1800, it really started for me in autumn 2021, directly after the release of “Highlife”. The new complexity that was added was enormous and impressed me a lot. And that’s when my first mod idea was born: I wanted to integrate the new product Celluloid into the production chain for the souvenirs. And that quickly turned into more, a third good (Gold) should be added, and the whole thing should either be produced by Artisans in one of the new manufactories, or with cheaper material (brass) by Workers in the Assembly Line. The mod still exists today and was my first change of sides from mod user to mod creator.

After this first step, what did you work on next? What other types of mods have you done so far?

I love complexity in video games. In Anno, no production chain can be too hard for me, no need too much. I can spend hours coming up with new mechanics.

Especially since I didn’t know how to handle the graphics files at the beginning of my modding career, I preferred to bring in gameplay changes and use the original game graphic files for that. After the community developed the appropriate tools, the mods became more and more complex.

My first really big mod was the “Wholesome Hacienda Overhaul“. Since I didn’t agree with some of the design choices of the “Seed of Change” DLC, I invested a week’s holiday well and adapted and expanded the whole thing a bit.

In addition, I have already converted many of the islands of the Old World and incorporated them into the New World. Among others, Crown Falls, which is supposed to be the highlight of a new session in the New World at some point (video impressions: https://youtu.be/wSqFEBe8ZmY).

Through Taubenangriff, I came up with the idea of further island modifications: He planned the river building sites in the New World known from 1404 and 2070. So, I dug in and implemented the idea in the Old World. Add a few new buildings, like a sawmill and a river power plant, and the mod “Riverslots” was born. So far, it’s my biggest and most high-profile project.

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

Since I come from a completely different professional background, I really started from scratch.

So, in the beginning I had to get used to it: What is xml? How does the modloader work? How is such a graphic asset for Anno actually constructed? Then I learned everything myself bit by bit. Always step by step and with every project I learned something new.

In addition, 1800 is unfortunately not very beginner-friendly when it comes to modding. However, by now I know my way around quite well, have also got to know some new programs, e.g. Blender, and am deeper into the subject. But I’ll probably never become a programmer, I just don’t have the background for that, or the interest.

So, even after almost 2 years, I still make beginner’s mistakes again and again, which make me slap my forehead repeatedly.

You said yourself that you started from scratch and learned a lot over the years. What would you advise other players wanting to get into modding Anno 1800?

Look at other mods as templates! It’s best to start with something simple. In the meantime, we also have a quite extensive beginners’ tutorial, where you are guided step by step on the way to your first own mod.

And the most important thing: don’t get discouraged!  A lot of things are hardcoded, so, sometimes you have to discard an idea because it just doesn’t work. Also, when learning the tools developed by the community, you sometimes need a high tolerance for frustration, because some things are very specific (e.g. the command line tools, or the Blender plug-in for graphics editing).

But the most important thing is ideas! Anyone who has an idea that they would like to alter the game with, should simply get started. It’s a lot of fun and the community is super nice and helpful! We are happy about every new modder!

Just looking at the mod.io library, you already created quite a few different mods. Is there something that you’re working on right now?

I have a thousand ideas on my list! At the moment I’m mainly working on a new major project: “The Queen’s Gambit”:

• All islands of the New World incl. Manola are reskinned and available in the Old World to get more variety in the map generation. Manola has a special place in this: it will be available as the second continental island next to Crown Falls in the Old World! However, not just like that: there will be a separate questline to obtain the island, which is initially owned by the Queen.
• Two new monuments on the converted Manola Island: the Dam, which can supply the island with energy, and the Statue of Freedom, which plays a role in the questline. There, the goal is to gain independence from the queen. If everything works out, there will also be the possibility to defeat the rising separatists and thereby secure some interesting bonuses: You decide which side you will choose 😉

Apart from that, I’m also working on smaller projects from time to time, especially with the background of the community activities, changes to the existing mods are always necessary, so I always have something to do.  Be curious to see what else is in store for you!

Thank you so much for taking the time, Taludas. We’re indeed curious what else you got in store!

Like last time, we want to end this blog with a showcase of a specific mod – but we thought “let’s pick two” this time cause they both have something in common that we quite appreciated: They both not only change production chains but also attempt to add more realism to the game.

Let’s check out the “Forest Glass” and the “Glasshouses for Orchids” mods.

The “Forest Glass” mod introduces, as one might imagine from the name, a new production chain for glass: Use quartz sand and potash to produce glass – which historically then had a slightly green colouration. While not a way anymore to produce glass today, back then it was quite important for the Holy Roman Empire and a way to produce a good locally instead of having to import all glass from outside.

In Anno 1800, building the production buildings as well as woodcutters next to each other also provides you with some valuable buffs.

Talking about glass, the “Glasshouses for Orchids” mod replaces the orchid field tiles from the “New World Rising” DLC with greenhouses. Orchids are now grown indoors and harvested with slightly more care than a tractor would show… but you’re also losing the production boost that a tractor would provide.

That’s it for today’s modder spotlight! Check out Taludas‘ mods directly on mod.io or search for his mods directly in the ingame mod browser.

You would like us to feature your mod in a future spotlight? Reach out to us here in the comments or on Discord!

Hey Anno Community,

With the mod browser now implemented for Anno 1800 on PC, adding community creations to your savegames has never been easier! We’ve been very happy with the reception following the release last week and hope many of you will give some of the fantastic creations from the Anno modding community a try – especially if you haven’t done so before.

Since we owe a big thank you to said modding community, we of course want to feature some of their creations on our channels. This of course includes the Anno Union, and today we’re not only featuring some mods, but also have an interview with their creator: Kurila!

Read on to learn how he got into modding and what he recommends to players who want to start creating mods.

Hey Kurila! Thank you for taking the time. Let’s start at the very beginning: How did you get into modding Anno 1800? What was the reason you started?

As is usually the case with modding, I wanted to try to implement my own wishes and ideas.

I had already modified existing mods before, but my first own mod was that farms with tractor barns have fast transporters like the electrified factories.

But that was only the start, as we know. What other kind of mods have you worked on so far?

So far, I have created mods that include completely new products and their production, such as smoked fish.

My aim has been to find a way to make fish interesting for engineers and investors.

I have also created mods that have expanded existing productions, for example, the production of schnapps and beer requires either clay or glass in addition to the existing products. Since their previous production was too simple for me.

But I have also created smaller mods that only involve minor changes, such as making the Arctic canteen also function as a warehouse.

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

I had no idea about modding at the beginning. I had been playing computer games since I was a child, but otherwise I had nothing to do with computer-related work. My beginnings with mods were with XCom2 where I had adapted values in existing mods, so it went on at the beginning also with Anno 1800.

But at some point, this was no longer enough to achieve my wishes and ideas, so I started to look at how I could achieve this myself.

So, having started from zero yourself, what would you advise someone who wanted to get into modding Anno themselves?

Not to be deterred because everything seems too complicated and incomprehensible.

You have to start small and then develop your work. Otherwise, it’s too easy to get caught up in complex processes without understanding the basic structure of the mods.

I was very sceptical at the beginning about trying to learn how to edit graphics as a person with no experience in 3d graphics, as it seemed so incredibly complex.

But with the help of other modders and their modding tools it is possible with patience and will to learn everything you need.

And, final question: is there something (new) you’re working on right now?

One of the mods I am currently working on is an extension of the production of clothing.

Sewing thread and Wool Fabric should have a relevant role in their production.

Thank you, Kurila! We’re looking forward to your future mods, making a complex game yet even more complicated 😉

At the end of today’s blog, we want to highlight one specific mod by Kurila, the “Production Works” one. In true industrial revolution spirit, this one is all about factories, adding for example a Cable Factory – with cables now being required for the construction of elevators as well as for the construction of various buildings, like Power Plants or Radio Towers.

Drinks now also need materials to produce the container it’s filled into: glass for bottles, wood for barrels etc.

You’ll also find more uses for Wanza Timber (from Land of Lions) in adjusted recipes as well as new needs for your population – like potatoes!

Check out Kurila’s mods on mod.io or search for his mods directly in the in-game mod browser.

You would like us to feature your mod in a future spotlight? Reach out to us here in the comments or on Discord!

Hey Anno Community,

it’s Tuesday, and release day! The new Cosmetic DLC National Park Pack is now available on all platforms (on Steam it will be available from 7PM CEST onwards as usual).

• Ubisoft Store
• PlayStation Store
• Xbox Store

Build dedicated parks for your citizens or simply add hiking paths and picnic opportunities to already existing forests on your islands – and create lakes and little streams. This CDLC is all about being outside in nature. For your people used to ever-growing cities and industrial smog, this should be the ideal opportunity to relax and unwind.

There’s more releasing today than just the National Park Pack, so, let’s take a look:

Release Notes

Together with the National Park Pack, we’re also releasing patches for both PC and Console.

On Consoles, it addresses an “out of memory” issue on PS5 and potential causes for desyncs on all consoles.

On PC, aside from addressing two exploits, the loading times of the game with mods have been drastically reduced and we fixed the unbuildable area on one of the New World islands.

You can find the full Release Notes for Consoles here and for PC by following this link.

Mod Browser

Very importantly, players on PC will now also be able to make full use of the new integrated mod browser thanks to mod.io!

Scroll through the available mods either on the mod.io page in your browser or – even easier – in the game directly! Subscribing to any mod of your choosing will trigger the download. Check for each savegame which mods are used and leave an update or a nice comment on the mod pages for their creators.

For you mod creators, we’d love to spotlight your creations ingame and on the Anno Union, so, don’t hesitate to upload them to mod.io, too!

Read more about the mod browser here.

We also set up a subpage right here on the Anno Union with the mod browser itself as well as links to FAQs with more information and redirections for further resources. Check it out: https://anno-union.com/mods/