Category: Union Update

Union Update – Ubisoft Forward & other news

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

As we are getting closer to the release of “Empire of the Skies” and after an interesting weekend with Ubisoft Forward, we thought it was time for a quick recap on our news and more.

Ubisoft Forward

Last Saturday, you might have noticed two friendly faces during the Ubisoft Forward Pre-Show: Oliver, our ComDev, together with Lisa, our Junior International Product Manager, presented a teaser for “New World Rising”. In case you missed it, you can watch our segment right here!

 

What do you think is hiding under that veil? Let us know in the comments below!

A recap on everything “Empire of the Skies”

In the past few weeks, we’ve published three different DevBlogs dedicated to DLC11, to give you all the information you need to start your sky-bound adventures on September 20th.

The first DevBlog is entirely dedicated to Airships: from our concept art to 3D models and the different types of Airship you can build.

The second DevBlog, instead, is dedicated to “Empire of the Skies” as a whole: new production chains, airship platforms and modules, drop goods and mails.

Last but not least, a DevBlog dedicated to the second Scenario of Season 4, “Clash of Couriers”: learn all about the goals and challenges of this new scenario and help Paloma Valente win the Grand Postal Derby!

Release Notes & Early Access phase

Game Update 15 will be released next Tuesday, September 20th. It will add support for DLC11, together with bug fixes, balancing and general improvements. Furthermore, some new features and content will be added, such as new Items (tied to different DLCs), new Harbour weapons, and the brand-new Lifestyle Needs we mentioned in our DevBlogs and DevStream. The full Release Notes will be published next Thursday, so keep an eye on the Anno Union!

On Friday, the Early Access phase for DLC 11 will start, together with a Twitch Drops event. Read here for all info.

Anno 2070

Since Update 3.0, we have seen some reports of owned DLCs being missing for some players. We are aware of the issue, and we are currently investigating it. Thank you for your patience.

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.

Union Update – Anno 2070 is getting an update

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

It’s time for an update on Anno 2070, we know many of you have been waiting for news.

 

We have worked hard this summer to update the game, upgrade and replace various legacy online services and test if it all runs smoothly in the end. Thank you to the testers from our community who helped us find some newly introduced bugs.

 

We started with Anno 2070’s singleplayer (campaign, sandbox, missions) as well as special features (the Ark, world events, the voting system and achievements), then tackled the multiplayer (regular versus mode, coop mode and domination mode) and the migration of player progression (old savegames, existing Ark with its items).

Today, we are happy to announce that we’ll be able to release an update to Anno 2070, that will allow you to continue to play the game past September 1st and hopefully for many more years to come.

After installing said update, you will be able to do World Events and vote in the regular council elections as you used to. You will also keep your full progression and be able to continue your existing savegames including your Arks and their content.

For the multiplayer fans, be it in coop mode or PvP, you dive right back into the Domination Mode or simply a regular multiplayer match.

In fact, your experience should even be a bit smoother now than before: We ported the game to 64bit, which enables the game to address all your PC’s memory. Additionally, the new online services should make for a nicer matchmaking experience. And you can still use the in-game friendslist to set up matches.

Anno 2070 will enter maintenance mode on September 6th at 6 AM UTC+2. During this maintenance, we’re going to migrate all your progression to the new version. This maintenance could take up to 24h, meaning that from September 7th, 6 AM UTC+2, onward, you can dive into the updated version of Anno 2070.

Be assured, we will give you an update as soon as the maintenance is over.

 

Thank you for your support – and a special shout-out to the small crew that worked on the update over the last months!

Please note: Due to the changes done, we unfortunately can’t guarantee that old mods etc. are still working in this new version of Anno 2070.

Union Update – DevStream and gamescom

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

On Tuesday we revealed DLC 11 in our DevStream with Game Designer Dominik, International Product Manager Lisa and Community Developer Oliver. We dived into almost all aspects and features of “Empires of the Skies”: From the new mines and the various airship types over airship combat to finally the Airship platform and its modules.

Not to forget the post offices that are part of the mail system, as well as the drop actions, allowing you drop various goods over your own or other players’ islands: propaganda, water, sea mines, bombs and care packages.

And we also gave you a first look at the scenario, “Clash of Couriers”, that throws you into a Grand Postal Derby.

If you missed the live stream, you can now watch the VOD of the stream here.

Over the next weeks, you can expect DevBlogs with more insights on the individual aspects of “Empire of the Skies”.

Anno at gamescom

After two years of “online only”, the video games trade fair gamescom is back this year with a physical event in Cologne!

Amongst other Ubisoft games, we will also be at there at the Ubisoft Community Lounge with presentations and Q&A sessions on August 25th-27th. If you happen to be at gamescom, feel free to visit us, chat and ask your questions.

Please note that our panels will be held only in German! But we’re happy to chat with you in English, of course.

Due to regulations, seats in the Community Lounge are limited. You can book one either in advance or try to sign up directly on site. The following links lead you to the sign-up for the 3 days:

We’d be happy to meet some of you there 🙂

An update on the Green Game Jam & Ecologi

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

Today we have a great follow-up to the Green Game Jam topic: You might remember, last year we participated in the Green Game Jam (GGJ) organised by the UN.

The “Eden Burning” scenario we released for everyone in December 2021 was the result of it. It’s goal, aside from being a cool challenge for Anno fans, was to raise awareness for various environmental issues impacting forests world wide.

The scenario required you to construct a hydroelectric dam, to help the local population to become independent from oil. You also had to keep an eye on your eco balance, making sure soil, air and water quality was not reducing too far while investing into means to counteract the negative effects of your industry.

There was more than “only” the scenario, however, since we also released the “Plant A Tree” Cosmetic DLC at the same time. From each purchase, all net proceeds (that means after any fees or taxes are deducted) went to Ecologi, a social enterprise dedicated to the planting of trees.

The “Plant A Tree” CDLC was available until end of March of this year, and now with the administrative topics done, we can finally communicate on the results:

Thanks to your generous support,

Over 230,000 trees

were planted by Ecologi across several countries. Want to take a closer look? – You can keep track of the planted trees including their location on this website dedicated specifically to this project.

For us, those are some fantastic news. Exploring the subject was both fun and educational for us (and for you, too, we hope) and we’re happy to have such a great community that supported this project.

A big Thank You from the Anno Team!

Please note: The special Ceiba Tree ornament from the “Plant a Tree” CDLC will be added to Anno 1800 for free at the end of the year, as we communicated previously. 

Union Update – We’re entering the “Empires of the Skies”

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hey Anno Community,

 

We know you have been (im)patiently waiting for news on DLC 11 – Empire of the Skies – and we can now say: It’s time, we’re on the road to release!

In fact, we already kicked it off last Thursday: Have you ever seen such happy airships before?

Over the next weeks you can expect more news, teasers and of course the usual DevBlogs with details on the airships, the new scenario and of course DLC 11 itself while we’re nearing the release at the end of August. Follow us on Twitter to not miss out any news!

Something else you shouldn’t miss: Our DLC 11 live stream!

Mark August 9th in your calendars (that’s in exactly one week), since we’ll be showing off DLC 11 and its scenario in our live stream starting at 5PM CEST/UTC+2.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all in the chat next week on twitch.tv/ubisoftbluebyte

Cosmetic DLC 9

We did say we wanted to give you an update on Cosmetic DLC 9 – the winner of the community vote – before we really started with our DLC 11 coverage.

Some of you may have already seen it in late July when we posted it on our social channels: Our Art Team wants to share a first glimpse at what they’re currently working on for the “Old Town Pack”. Having seen your comments during the vote, we’re sure a modular medieval city wall should make many of you quite happy, no? While the concepts for all ornaments in the pack are ready, we’re still working on the 3D models. More on Cosmetic DLC 9 later, after the release of “Empire of the Skies”.

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 – An update on Anno 2070’s online services

Posted on by Ubi-Thorlof

Hello Anno Community,

Today we are informing you that  Ubisoft has decided to decommission online services for some older games on September 1st, including Anno 2070. You can find the full list of all impacted games here. And, as you know, Anno 2070 has several features tied to its online services.

That said, after an initial investigation, we have decided to dedicate some of our development resources to work on upgrading Anno 2070’s aged online services infrastructure to a new system, so that these features can continue to be used past the mentioned date. However, we cannot yet guarantee that we’ll be able to successfully upgrade/replace the old services as we’d like to.

Please note that until September 1st, the current online services will still be fully available. We will provide more detailed updates on the future of Anno 2070 in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you for your understanding.

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!

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.