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!