Anno 117: How easy is it for beginners to get started? My first experience with the building strategy series
As a (former) passionate gamer, I've seen and read a lot about the Anno series in the past. But due to other genre preferences, the fascination never quite gripped me.
Now, for the first time, I have played the demo of an Anno game (see my Benchmark outlook) and tested how well or poorly I can immerse myself in the complex gameplay and how well or poorly the game helps me to quickly understand the rules. Incidentally, the game will be released on Thursday, November 13 and you can already buy it either on Steam or physically via Amazon for 59.99 US dollars.
Before starting the game, it gives you the option of (de)activating a tutorial function, which I naturally make use of. I start on the famous "empty" island, with only one ship and one harbor. So how do I begin?
First I click on the ship, but I don't really know what to do with it yet. So I send it to a distant point on the minimap to explore the surroundings. Only a short time later, several leaders of the other factions contact me and so far I can only greet them, still not knowing what diplomatic options I will have in future interactions with the other rulers. In the corresponding diplomacy menu, which I discover later, I don't find any major options for interaction at first.
I see a few building options below, some of which are highlighted, including the basic accommodation. An advisor speaks up and suggests that I build accommodations, a lumberjack's house and a sawmill. I build these things and suddenly ask myself how much money, gold or other resources this will actually cost and what my quota is.
So I look at the interface and discover various numbers at the top. My initial account balance seems generous, but the counter is rattling backwards towards zero at a slightly worrying pace, not just when buildings are actively being constructed, but generally. This is because almost all buildings require maintenance payments. I don't yet know how to replenish my account balance and the game doesn't seem to tell me at first.
The game also doesn't tell me how many houses and production facilities are actually useful. How many accomodations should I build at the beginning? When placing the lumberjack house, I am shown a percentage for each type of terrain, unfortunately without any explanation, so I can only assume that this is the potential production prospects.
I build on eagerly, constructing accommodations, sawmills, fisheries, cornfields and mills, all connected by roads, always with a panicky eye on the balance counter, which is constantly ticking down and also jumps when I spend money. The profit generated by my production facilities is frighteningly small, even if it is slowly increasing.
Suddenly there's a shortage of workers everywhere, even though I've built a lot of worker houses, I'm building more of those, but the problem doesn't seem to be going away. I try out a few more things, then I finally feel the urge to watch a few beginner tutorials on YouTube to at least understand the basic mechanics of the game. Although the advisor appears from time to time and lists some basic rules in three steps, I still feel rather mediocrely advised. In general, the learning curve is quite steep, as a glance at the research tree available a little later on, for example, as well as a constant stream of new buildings and ever more interlinked production facilities suggest.
Interim conclusion
As a beginner, getting started in Anno is not so easy, the tutorial function doesn't guide you enough. Of course, there is also an attraction in the game to find out the best methods for more efficiency yourself, but I would have hoped for a little more help from such a game as a beginner. Perhaps even a short tutorial mission, which at least at the beginning (optional) takes me by the hand and tells me what to build in what order and in what quantities and how to make a profit quickly.
AI consultant?
Then I thought, there is an advisor in the game, but unfortunately you can't ask him anything. That would be the perfect use of an AI advisor, as if made for building strategy games and today's LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini and co. An advisor that you can ask anything in writing if necessary and perhaps depending on the level of difficulty.
I'm still giving the game a chance and will try out the demo a bit more, maybe I'll get to enjoy it after all. After two or three tutorial videos I feel better equipped, understand a few more things and have also got the worker and account balance problems under control in the second attempt. Let's see where this journey takes me...
