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DevBlog: The Steampunk Pack CDLC
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
Comments
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It seems exceptionally interesting; everything that people thought and planned for the future in the 19th century regarding the industrial revolution can be artistically recognized in this DLC, and ideas of Jules Verne can also be seen. I hope that the remaining planned DLCs will be inspired by Art Deco or Art Nouveau.
Definitely insta-buy. But this also makes me sad because it remembers me the fact – no more major DLCs of 1800. I wanted to see something 1920-ish on the mechanics of 1800!
Super fun, I love it!
Well design I have to say. At the first glance I think this will pretty suit to my scholars-only city. But it only provide skins for investors, who already lives in skyscrapers for a long time. I only wish you can provide skins for DLC buildings instead of only provide them to vanila game.
Understandable, but we decided a while back that we would not create DLC that require another DLC to work, so, we wouldn’t e.g. sell you skins for skyscrapers separately.
Otherwise, people not owning “The High Life” would still pay for the skins, and essentially receive less for their money.
Thanks for the reply Thorlof! I also understand why devs only create for vanilla games. But i hope there is a better ways to create skins for both DLCs and vanilla games, like an additional bundle pirced for 1.99€? I dont know others but i would be very happy to pay for it.
Or maybe its to late to change 1800. I hope devs could also consider improving it at the next game, like dlc regions will be a free updates, but items/stories/collect/building place will be only unlock after purchase?
I was not expecting this but I absolutely love it! I can’t wait to be able to get it!
This looks amazing. looking forward to this. and to the complainers, its a cosmetic dlc.. just.. dont buy it? like for real, some of you talking like they are making an anno game in actual steampunk setting. just chill, and let people enjoy things that you dont.
Please, we don’t want so much fantasy.
Have to disappoint: We won’t be doing a circus-themed Cosmetic DLC.
Right now, it’s a good time to experiment with some themes (e.g. Eldritch or Steampunk) that are a bit “crazier” than the very down-to-earth first Cosmetic DLC. We’ll keep an eye on how they are received.
And the circus cosmetic DLC, when?
Wish you’d find a way to bring season pass and such to the Xbox.
Ha, Ich wusste es!
Schon damals beim Teaser auf Twitter ahnte ich was mit Steampunk und einem U-Boot. Finde es zwar cool das ich richtig lag aber um so toller ist dieses CDLC!
Ähnlich zur Druckmaschinen von Gutenberg ist für mich Anno 1800 ein Meilenstein der Menschheitsgeschichte.
Hoffentlich wird es als großes Finale eine Physische Version aller DLC’s und CDLC’s geben damit dieses Spiel für die Ewigkeit bewahrt bleiben wird und noch meine Urenkel es genießen können. Bin auch bereit dafür alle DLC’s zum Vollpreis nochmal zu kaufen.
Danke für die Blumen, Neufsgdv. Druckmaschine und Anno aus Mainz – da muss was im Wasser sein!
Bezüglich der physischen Version werde ich aber vermutlich enttäuschen müssen – da ist für 1800 soweit nichts mehr geplant.
Swing and a miss I’m afraid. Too fantasy for the aesthetic of the game.
Please don’t go into fantasy