Hey Anno Community,

It’s mid-April, the Anno 1800 Console Edition has been already out for one month, Game Update 17 is released… let’s give you a short news recap and a fantastic Community Spotlight in today’s Union Update.

Firstly: What about those Cosmetic DLC we mentioned earlier in the year? – Excellent question. As communicated previously, we still have 3 Cosmetic DLC releasing this year (both on PC and console), each focusing on aspects that may have been a bit neglected so far, when it comes to beautification.

We’ll have news and first pictures about the upcoming one (to be released in May) in the coming weeks – stay tuned!

Console & PC: Patches

We’ve also seen some questions about a patch for both the Console Edition as well as the PC version.

Right now, we’re working on a patch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S to tackle some of the reports you sent us over the last weeks, like issues with the diplomacy menu, some crashes and graphical glitches.

On PC, while Game Update 17 was the last major update, we are investigating reports you sent us after the recent release to iron out problems like the always-visible version number or that some stamps are getting created with special characters which subsequently corrupts their file. We are planning to still address these, as well as any high-priority issues, with a patch.

We’ve also received some reports on desyncs on PC. As a workaround for the time being, please make sure that each players of your multiplayer match has started the game once after Game Update 17 and either changed some settings (graphics, audio, …) or loaded and saved the game. If you afterwards regularly close the game, the chance for desyncs should be significantly lower. Please also make sure that all participants either use exactly the same mods or have all mods deactivated before playing.

Keep an eye on the Anno Union and our social channels for news on the upcoming patches!

Annoverse Quiz Event

Finally, the team of the “Annoverse” Discord is soon holding an Annoversary event on their server, with quizes to all Anno titles – and you can win prizes if you can prove your knowledge! Head over the their Discord server and read more in the news and dedicated giveaway channels. It all starts on Monday, April 17th!

Modloader (PC)

Let’s also not forget about our “happy little accident” last week, when we released the integrated modloader for Anno 1800 on PC. This means, the game will now automatically recognise mods in your mod folder and load them for you. This means you won’t need the other one anymore – please delete the files and then verify your game files to prevent any conflicts.

We want both credit and thank meow/xforce (GitHub link), who created the original modloader you have been using for the last years – and whose code formed part of the basis of what we now added to the game. Your work has been an immense factor in enabling the modding community for our game as it is right now, thank you!

We take this opportunity to remind you that mods might cause issues with the game (bugs, glitches, potential blockers), especially when they haven’t been updated in a while. Therefore, please check for potential incompatibilities or ask around on the Modding Discord Server.

Community Spotlight

As you might already know, with the Annoversary Update we added the Stamp Feature to Anno 1800 (PC). In case you missed it, you can check out this blog  to better understand how it works. If you created your own stamps already, don’t forget to share them with the rest of the Community! For example, the Annoverse Discord server has created a dedicated channel where anyone can share their Stamps.

The Anno Community is very dedicated, as we already know for a long time, and reallymilo has created a portal where you can share your Anno Stamps with the rest of the community: https://annostamps.com/

Speaking of Annoversary Update, we’ve seen some of you have been celebrating with fireworks and and lovely decorations in your cities. We hope you keep the celebrations going for a while and keep sharing those screenshots with us!

Let’s start with Qurphi, who shared on Reddit this lovely composition for the celebration. Why a 4 in the middle, you might ask? Well, Anno 1800 turns 4 this Sunday!

Mithaldriel has shared quite a few screenshots on the Annoverse Discord to show off the ongoing celebrations. We chose the one portraying the lovely skyline by night, with the Annoversary fireworks brightening the night sky. What a view!

Would you like to see more Annoversary fireworks? MaxiMALER effekt shared this screenshot on Steam, with a stunning view of the Research Institute and the Iron Tower, while fireworks burst with colours in the starry night. Bravo!

That’s it for this week, dear Annholics. We wish you a great weekend!

Hey Anno Community,

It’s release day: the Annoversary Update is now available on PC! If you missed the Release Notes for Game Update 17 or simply would like to brush up the (very long) list of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements that come with today’s update, then feel free to check our dedicated blog.

At the end of last year we shared our plans for 2023. Today, we would like to take the opportunity to remind you all that the Annoversary Update will be the last update for Anno 1800. Of course, we still have three Cosmetic DLC releases this year (more news on those later this month)- but no major update is planned besides necessary bug fixes if needed.

We can tell you that it’s a strange feeling for us, too, speaking of “the last update” after having worked on Anno 1800 for such a long time.

Even more important for us therefore was this Annoversary Update, to leave our “baby” in state we can be happy with. So, no reason to be sad, since the update includes a bunch of great improvements. And in today’s blog, we would like to give you an overview on the Stamp Feature and the Creative Mode – the two brand new additions to Anno 1800 on PC.

The Stamp Feature

The Stamp Feature enables you to save layouts and use them again later or even in a different savegame. You can even share the Stamp files with other players!

How to create a Stamp

Like with the copy tool, you select a number of buildings, streets, ornaments etc. that are then saved as a “stamp” in a separate menu.

You can rename each stamp and select an icon (from any of the buildings included in the stamp, or one of the default ones). To do this, right click on the Stamp to open the edit window.

You can also rename each folder, just click on it and edit the name. Please be aware that the icon for each folder is chosen automatically based on the first Stamp in the folder. The Stamps in a folder are organized alphabetically.

Folders

If no folder is open, newly created Stamps are added to the “New Stamps” folder. If such a folder doesn’t exist, it gets automatically created. You can rename the “New Stamps” folder at any.

You can add a new Stamp into an existing folder by opening said folder before creating a new Stamp.

What you can’t do in-game, however, is moving Stamps between folders.

Folder Management

To organize your Stamps you can also use your Windows file explorer.

You can create new folders, rename both the folders and Stamps and move Stamps between folders there. Just keep in mind that any changes are not applied to a running game. So, either restart the game after doing your edits or simply organize the Stamps while the game is not running.

Other Notes

Stamps are organized by region and scenario by default and can only be used in their respective environment. You can find all your Stamps here, in the order described above: \Documents\Anno 1800\stamps

It’s possible to share and use Stamps from other players. Just drop the file in the respective folder.

If a Stamp includes content that is either limited to the Creative Mode or part of a DLC you don’t own, you can still place it, but the unavailable objects are placed as blueprints and cannot be upgraded (or, in the case of DLC content: not until you own it).

The Creative Mode

This one goes out to all the beauty-builders out there. The Creative Mode is a brand-new and separate mode that allows you to focus on your city building creative skills without feeling the pressure of AI requests or the constant worry of running out of money. Yes, you heard that right! There are no restrictions when it comes to the Creative Mode: money is unlimited, you can forget about incidents, construction costs, input goods, workforce and road connections. Just unleash your creativity and share your masterpieces in beauty-building with us! We cannot wait to see you your awesome creations.

Keep in mind that this is not the intended way to play Anno 1800, since it does not simulate a regular game you would normally play in sandbox or campaign. Plus, keep in mind that it can only be played in single player.

Well, Annoholics – this is all for today’s blog. We hope you enjoy the new features and are satisfied with the quality-of-life-improvements and balancing changes added with the Annoversary Update. Share some screenshots of your Creative Mode builds with us and don’t forget you can share your Stamps with other players! We are looking forward to seeing your creations!

Looking into the future, we have a few more things planned to celebrate this quarter-century journey with you all. Speaking of, have you noticed our 25th Anniversary logo in today’s clip?

Stay tuned for more. 😉

Happy city-building!

Hey Anno Community,

Today, we’re starting recruitment for the upcoming playtest for the “Jubilee Patch” which we have teased a couple of weeks ago.

The “Jubilee Patch” is our upcoming Free Game Update that not only includes a large number of bug fixes and improvements, but also additional quality-of-life additions and new features. We’d love to get your help in testing said update and in providing us with feedback on which aspects could still need some polishing or improving.

The overall goals for the playtest therefore are:

• Test the new features developed for the “Jubilee Patch”
• Test various QoL improvements
• Test the general stability of the update

A large number of bugs have also been fixed already and will be in said playtest version, so, getting feedback from any of you who were affected by these problems will be especially valuable. This includes for example quest bugs like:

• Anarchist Quests
• Barbecue Quest (Skyline Tower, The High Life)
• Inauguration Quest (Iron Tower, Tourist Season)

But also several of the bugs listed on our Trello Board:

• Issues with the Flamethrower Monitor
• AI attacking civilian buildings near the shore
• Wrong checkmark behaviour in cultural buildings

The playtest is planned for February 16 to 19 – and you can sign up today! Just follow this link.*
We’ll be randomly selecting a few hundred players early next week, after which the invites will be sent out. Please be aware that you will have to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to participate.

Soon after the conclusion of the playtest, we’re going to share more details on the “Jubilee Patch” with everyone. Stay tuned until then, and don’t forget to sign up for the playtest!

(*the sign-up period has ended)

Hey Anno Community,

With the first month of 2023 already coming to an end, let’s update you on what’s coming in the next weeks!

Game Update 17 & Playtest

Firstly, let’s talk bug fixes and patches.

While we continue working on the Free Game Update we briefly mentioned at the end of last year (currently internally dubbed the “Jubilee Patch”), we’re going to have a playtest for said update in mid-February, both to test the stability of the version as well as to get feedback on the new features we’re implementing.

There are still some issues that we want to iron out, including of course bugs that you have reported like the Anarchist quests, issues with the music or regarding the targeting behaviour of the AI – all of which are planned for the mentioned update.

We’ll have more news on the playtest soon and will follow this up later in February with more details on the “Jubilee Patch” – stay tuned!

Console Edition Reveal – FAQ

Following our reveal of the Anno 1800 Console Edition last week, we’ve seen a few questions pop up multiple times, so, let’s answer some of them today. Next week we’ll have a slightly longer FAQ blog that will then hopefully also answer the remaining ones. As a reminder: Anno 1800 Console Edition releases on March 16th on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Cross-play & Cross-progression

The Anno 1800 Console Edition allows multiplayer matches with a maximum of 16 players, with up to 4 players per team in co-op mode. However, the console version does only support multiplayer between players on the same platform.

Cross-progression between Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 is supported.

DLC content

For Anno 1800 Console Edition, we have decided to focus on the base game experience of Anno 1800 which already provides many hours of content, especially since we’ll be including the Free Game Updates that have been released for the PC version so far. Upon its release, the first 9 Cosmetic DLC will be available for purchase. The recently released “Dragon Garden” Pack as well as the three remaining Cosmetic DLC that are planned to be released in 2023 will become available later this year.

Controls

Our main focus during the development of Anno 1800 Console Edition was to achieve a smooth experience with a controller, for which the UI and controls were redesigned. It will therefore not support mouse and keyboard.

Since the PC version is optimized for mouse and keyboard input and with all the additional DLC released there, we are currently not planning to add controller support to the PC version.

Missed our livestream? – No worries, you can see the console version in action in our recording.

Community Spotlight

Rounding off this Union Update and with the “Dragon Garden” Pack having released one week ago, let’s feature some of the creations you posted using the new ornaments.

Let’s start with this this GIF by L_Q_Nguyen on Twitter, celebrating the Tết Festival: what a lovely composition! It’s great to see how the atmosphere changes between day and night, bringing out the bright colours of the lanterns and the Great Dragons in the centre.

My Tết festival in #Anno1800 pic.twitter.com/1Oqwv5zGyy

— LQ Nguyen (@L_Q_Nguyen) January 22, 2023

If you would like to see some beauty building in action, then we recommend checking out Nivarias video, showcasing the whole Cosmetic DLC pack. Such a nice and peaceful idea to build a beautiful district to celebrate the Lunar New Year next to the river!

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Pyronite shared a dreamy screenshot on the Annoverse Discord. The contrast between the dark skyline and the Dragon Garden ornaments creates an amazing atmosphere for the perfect night shot. Bravo!

We love to see combinations between ornaments from different Cosmetic DLC, and PeterMaywald shared a great example of these combos on Twitter. The lovely Ceiba tree from the “Plant a Tree” CDLC and the Hildegarden from the “Old Town” Pack CDLC blend perfectly together with the “Dragon Garden” Pack CDLC!

Hey Anno Community,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a great time over the holidays and started well into 2023.

Let’s take a look at what’s planned for the coming weeks in the world of Anno 1800:

Upcoming Game Update 16.1

Firstly, we’re currently in the validation phase for Game Update 16.1, a patch that will address several of the issues you reported to us following Game Update 16 and DLC 12. For example, the duplication of item effects when using the multi-move feature, several text issues for the Stadium and the problem that the game was not starting under certain circumstances.

The Game Update is planned for January 19th, we’ll have the full Release Notes for you closer to that date.

Celebrate Lunar New Year in style

Talking about January 19th: On the same day, we’re going to release the “Dragon Garden” Pack Cosmetic DLC.  Celebrate the New Lunar Year with the Dragon Garden Pack and create stunning lucky-dragon-themed districts in your empire with new ornaments. More details and screenshots on Thursday in a dedicated blog.

Revealing Anno 1800 Console Edition

Before these releases, however, there’s one more big event: On the 17th at 5PM UTC+1 we will reveal the Anno 1800 Console Edition in a live stream on twitch.tv/ubisoft

We’re excited to show you what we’ve been working on and how you will soon be able to experience Anno 1800 on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Mark the day, we’ll see you there!

“Cultural Boom” Community Challenge

Last but not least: The DLC 12 Community Challenge!

As we already said before the holidays, you smashed the goal of settling 81 million Artistas with ease. In fact, in the two weeks the challenge was running, you achieved three times that: a total of 242 million! Incredible, your New World cities must be very crowded by now and we hope you built some parks for them to relax.

With Game Update 16.1 next week, we’ll add two rewards to the game for everyone: Two new company logos themed after DLC 12 (orchid and bird) and two new player colours (Bordeaux Red and Orange).

Hey Anno Community,

We’re super close to the holidays and the end of the year, time for one last blog post here on the Anno Union.

This year’s focus was very much on the New World region, with “Seeds of Change”, “Empire of the Skies” and “New World Rising” all adding new options and possibilities for the New World – with DLC 12 even expanding the region further and adding Manola, a large continental-style island.

That said, we have also seen many happy comments (and screenshots!) in regard to the “Old Town” Pack Cosmetic DLC and admired all the little castles you built. We are not only happy that the Cosmetic DLC continue to be so well-received, but are also amazed by seeing what you create with all these options in the game now!

In addition to our livestreams (as usual with a very wholesome chat), 2022 marked the first time since 2019 that we could bring Anno to a large physical event again! Gamescom 2022 was a great experience for us, and we loved meeting some of you there.

And while we love seeing the comments, screenshots and videos you posted about “New World Rising” and the things you discovered in the DLC, we’re aware that some of you are still encountering issues with starting the game, even after the hotfix from Friday last week. For our investigation, it would be great if you could get in touch with Customer Support and provide your DxDiag file as well as your Ubisoft Connect launcher log. 

There are also several other bug reports we’re investigating following the release of DLC 12, like missing translations for certain menus or a problem with item effect duplication. We’ll keep you updated on the most notable problems via our Known Issues Board.

Therefore, looking into 2023, our first focus in January is ironing out those issues with a patch. As we communicated in early December, we’re also working on a larger Game Update for Spring and will have more news on it and its contents early next year.

Additionally, expect news on the Anno 1800 console version next year, too!

As some of you have already asked, we’re as usual sharing this year’s artworks as wallpapers with you. You can download the whole bundle here. Enjoy artworks from “Seeds of Change” over the “Industrial Zone” Pack to “New World Rising”! 

We’re wishing you Happy Holidays and a great start into the New Year.
See you in January!
The Anno Team