Anno 1701 guide/walkthrough, yay or nay?

[bob the builder]

Hey,

I've been playing the Anno series since 1602 (some 400 years ago), and I figured that I should put all that wasted time to good use by writing an FAQ to help others waste more of their time. Most good games (including the last 2 anno games) have at least one FAQ posted up on GameFAQs.com, so it'd be a shame for this beauty to be deprived of that honor :wink:

More specifically, I was thinking of a guide that, well, guides the reader on what I believe to be the "optimal" strategy for this game. I suppose it would mostly consist of build orders, resource management and settlement planning/expansion, as well as general tips and strategies, on how to develop your colony as quickly and as strong as possible.

Obviously the FAQ could be used on any setting to surpass normal/easy AI players, but I suspect people have no trouble in doing that already, so the FAQ will assume hard difficulty computer players + settings and aim to surpass them (in advancement/expansion).

But before I roll up the sleeves and get typing, I just wanted to see if people would find this sort of thing useful/interesting. So, tell me what you think!

(p.s. As previously mentioned, I was thinking of posting it up on GameFAQs, since that's where people usually go for guides/walkthroughs, so it'd be text-only. I'd also love to put in people's contributions - with appropriate credits - once I get a first version finished and submitted)

[thegrovechick]

sounds great to me. I could use a guide to get through the game...by the way, does anyone know whats up with the playground mode? I mean, I played it once, but was pissed when my houses started catching fire...isnt the playground mode supposed to be easy? like no disasters. Maybe you could include a section about that in the guide, bob the builder.

[zippyriver]

Good idea.

However, "optimal strategy" is a grey duck with this game, as there are so many factors and different approaches.

Anytime I have looked for walk-throughs I had got stuck at whatever point in whatever game. Usually long before I tackle the hardest levels. So I would not "assume hard dificulty", as if you state that in the begining of the FAQ, someone looking for help that is struggling with easy/normal might get turned off at that.

A strategy guide for playground/sandbox mode? For what purpose?

[thegrovechick]

Just so people like me arent so freaking confused.:scratch: :confused:

[Dobber]

sounds great to me. I could use a guide to get through the game...by the way, does anyone know whats up with the playground mode? I mean, I played it once, but was pissed when my houses started catching fire...isnt the playground mode supposed to be easy? like no disasters. Maybe you could include a section about that in the guide, bob the builder.

The playground mode is totally useless, well maybe it can help you decide the best layout to use in optimizing housing placements. Disasters are in it, but houses don't upgrade, not all buildings are available, and you don't even have ships. You cannot get a feel for the game with it.

[WaxWorm]

... well maybe it can help you decide the best layout to use in optimizing housing placements. ...

Unfortunately not even that, since there are no areas of influence in the playground mode. I guess, it's just for little children to play around with the same game their parents are playing :biggrin:

[BaldJim]

... Most good games have at least one FAQ posted up on GameFAQs.com, so it'd be a shame for this beauty to be deprived of that honor.

More specifically, I was thinking of a guide that, well, guides the reader on what I believe to be the "optimal" strategy for this game. ...

Obviously the FAQ could be used on any setting to surpass normal/easy AI players, but I suspect people have no trouble in doing that already, so the FAQ will assume hard difficulty computer players + settings and aim to surpass them (in advancement/ expansion).

But before I roll up the sleeves and get typing, I just wanted to see if people would find this sort of thing useful/interesting. So, tell me what you think! ...

If I may be so bold as to ask, to whom are all those FAQs posted there directed? Are they intended for "newbies" or other levels of players? How is someone who stumbles over these FAQs instructed to interpret them as to level of player skill?

Of course, I do not wish to suggest that you should not cruise ahead on your project. An FAQ based on your vision of the game would be useful to many players.

I do have to suggest that in my opinion (gained from reading this board and not actual play) is that this version of of the series has far more branches in the player's decision logic table than either of the two previous editions. Therefore I suggest that your project of a "universal" FAQ is a bit more than you may expect.

But remember, I have been always "wrong" on this board.

:wink: :cool:
-------------------------------------------------
I went here
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/list_a.html

and found these

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/370645/23390

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/919576/23390

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/919576/23390

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/932832.html

Plus these

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/932832.html

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/932832.html

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/932832.html

Oh my. Some of those links seem to be duplicates.

Your post here as "bob the builder" was exactly duplicated on one of the 'boards' there by a poster "F1_2004" - just so you can check to see if someone has ripped off your identity.

Again, as everyone everywhere suggests, we are waiting for your first edition.

:gogo: :gogo: :coffee:

[nullspace]

A hard mode guide would be useful, and it would be an interesting discussion of strategy. Here are a few tips I've come up with.

Build lots of houses, taxes are your main source of income.

Lower your taxes to dark green and allow the houses to mostly fill. Then raise taxes to yellow so you are taxing a higher number of people.

Don't allow your people to have optional goods until you are ready to advance them to the next level. For example, letting your settlers have alcohol so you can raise their taxes makes less money than it costs to operate the alcohol production chain.

Tools, weapons, and cannons cost less to passively buy than it costs to produce them. Also, your need for weapons and cannons changes suddenly, so you really don't need continuous production. You can buy them at multiple warehouses and ship them to the main island if you need a lot of one of these three items.

Don't do anything to provoke your opponents. You don't want to fight until you are ready. In particular, don't settle on islands that they want. Use the lodge's ingratiate ability and give gifts if you have to. Paying for a trade agreement is worth it.

A watch house rush is an easy way to remove one opponent early on. Advance to settler level quickly, and as soon as you upgrade your first settler house, build a warehouse and a watch house on your enemy's main island. Then attack them with militia, pikemen, and aid from the queen. If you do it quickly, your only resistance will be some pioneer houses. The tricky part is getting 12 wood, 8 tools, and 8 bricks (buy from Amin Sahir) to your opponent's island by the time you get to settler level. The watch house rush can destroy Yegorov before he becomes a threat, and it gets you a big island with a mostly self-sufficient city.

[bob the builder]

Thanks for the tips & feedback. I think the first version (without any outside contributions yet) should go up some time later this week. This thread is as good as any to post strats and such (especially once I put out version 1.0 and there's something to discuss :P ). I'm especially in need of detailed wartime strategies, since I haven't really explored that part of the game in too much detail.

[BaldJim]

... Tools, weapons, and cannons cost less to buy passively than it costs to produce them. Also, your need for weapons and cannons changes suddenly, so you really don't need continuous production. ...

I wonder why even passive trade is cheaper than "in house" production. If accurate, that puts a different "tilt" on this version of ANNO. It certainly makes trade very important, but one wonders how easily that trade can be disrupted.

:confused: :confused:

[bob the builder]

Guide is posted on gamefaqs :biggrin:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/932832.html

Some of the formatting got all screwed up in the transition from word document to notepad doc, so I'll have to work out the details later. Any comments/suggestions/criticism is welcome.

[achkarou]

so i've decided to challenge myself to the strategy outlined in the guide by Bob the builder, i read it through and thought it was pretty good, many things i've already been following in my startegy nicely put together. I've created a game as outlined in the guide and began playing.

I settled on a northern large island with greain, hops and blossoms as well as unlimited iron and clay and even a couple of whaling grounds to boot! Acting quickly as outined in the guide i obtained ~45 citizen houses on my main island and also occupied 2 small/medium satellite islands one with unlimited marble, honey and another whaling ground up north and one with cocoa, tobacco, and unlimited gold and gems
(luky me i thought)

But by this time money was starting to get low and the tribute requests began pouring in from Igor and Madame Nadesky... i was able to pay Igor off once but the second round i had to decline since i had no more cash (even though i had a small +ve income of about 100-200) and so both AI's declared war. I wasn't able to advance to Merchants because Madam Nadesky rushed me and attacked me with both fleet and troops which were unfairly large for this stage of the game... :sad:

So i don't know how its possible to have a fleet/army large enough to fight off the 2 AI's so early in the game if they don't even let u get to Merchant level.

I think the strategy needs some adjustment, i was thinking slower development in order to be able to pay off the tributes continually (although im not sure it will stop the AI's) but if i saved money for that iw oudlnt have gotten the islands since they were colonizing like crazy and i settled by the citizen stage as the guide recommended.

Any thoughts?

[nullspace]

Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing when I read the guide. I don't see a big benefit to getting merchant level quickly. Citizen level gets you everything you need to defend yourself or attack someone else: small warships, grenadiers, and all the school research. Merchant level has some nice upgrades, like large warships, but it takes a long time and it is very expensive to get there.

I usually plan to do some fighting at citizen level. Be nice to Nadasky (tribute, trade agreement, ingratiate, stay off her islands) and she'll usually leave you alone. But you can be mean to Yegorov because you're going to attack him before he attacks you. Build a lot of citizen houses, I like to fill the entire radius of one town center. Then buy cannons and build more warships than he has. Fraternize with the Asians and then surprise attack Igor so you can take out his ships before they can group up. After that, you can build some soldiers and conquer Igor's honey, whale, or cocoa islands that you need.

[bob the builder]

Rushing to merchant isn't necessarily a requirement, but they pay a lot more taxes than citizens. A whaler is relatively easy to set up and get the whale oil going, and chocolates are similarly easy to supply (you've already got infrastructure for cocoa set up on your tobacco island, and honey on your main island should be no problem), so it makes most sense to jump to merchants asap and earn a lot more profit. I find it very difficult to keep up with military spending on citizen level, and if you stay at that level to build up your bank account, you might get yourself in a hole while the AI keeps advancing.

As for war vs. 2 AI's, yeah that's tough. Trading with the AI makes it happy, and sharing an island with it makes it very mad. If you can afford to take up all of your secondary islands with marketplaces (maybe pick smaller islands, just big enough to support you) I believe it should lower hostilities. AI tends to land on your islands closest to his primary island, so having a warship or two parked around those areas would be a good idea, as well as materials for a couple watchtowers or so.

War vs. 2 at citizen level is very frustrating, though. I don't have much to say about it since I myself start sweating bricks if I see two different countries sending troops in my direction. Doing as much trading as possible helps keep you afloat in such times. Also note that the Queen will give you more gold if your account drops below zero (I forget the amount, around 10k?).

[achkarou]

I realize that fighting at the merchant level is easier but as soon as i created one small warship to escourt my trade vessel and set up cocoa plantations and a few apiaries Madame Nadesky attacked me :confused:

i feel like its that advancement that pisses her off... but then how can you possibly build up a fleet and army if the AI atacks as soon as they detect that u began building one and expanding to merchants? :bash:

also Igor attacks at around 2hrs into the game with a lot of ships and troops and im not sure how u managed to take him out early on

i'm guessing that the AI's behave the same way for each game (considering same conditions and AI's) so then could u provide a more detailed guide to how u approach the AI relations and fleet/army development because the guide so far includes mostly the development of the housing and industry...

thanks for all ur help!

[fizzybean]

You are a star Sir! :happy:

Thankyou :)

[YENKO]

@ Bob the builder: so, you are F1_2004? Yes, i found your guide useful. Got it the very same day i installed 1701 A.D. on my machine. I always hunt for game guides. Gamefaq and GameSpot have good guides.Amazon has books, but, often, they are just a punch in your eye, trying to make money and having little or no useful info/data.

Though, the best in-depth 'guides' (tips, actually) are on the boards IMO.
Noone can possibly cover all the possible-impossible situations that coud arise for someone in the game. The German 1701 board is far, far better covered than this one, but, SOME people active there and here, are doing their best to 'transfer' as much wisdom as possible from there to our ENG forum here *poking SOMEONE* :go:

I say: if you need basic info: go for Bob's, Dobber's & other guides. When you ned in-depth, specific, detailed info/hints, ask here, and you will be answered.:cheers:

I read both forums (and then some) and will be glad to give advice on some specific problems i read about there, if i can.

What do you want more? Donuts?:biggrin:

y.