Summary of "LIVE | Back to Latium! Anno 117 Campaign FINALE & NEW Sandbox Start - Roman Strategy City Builder"

Video Summary: LIVE | Back to Latium! Anno 117 Campaign FINALE & NEW Sandbox Start - Roman Strategy City Builder

Storyline & Campaign Finale

The streamer returns to Anno 117 after a break, aiming to finish the relatively short campaign (~20 minutes). The campaign concludes somewhat ambiguously, followed by post-game missions and rewards.

Key moments include:

Receiving a choice of rewards: a powerful conquest ship, money, or freeing a loyal servant (the streamer chooses to free the servant).
Various side quests involving law decisions, delivering letters, and rescuing people.
Attempts to find a quest to overthrow the emperor, but it seems absent or unclear.

The streamer expresses that the campaign is less engaging and less polished compared to Anno 1800. After finishing the campaign, they decide to start a new sandbox playthrough for more freedom and creative city building.

New Sandbox Playthrough Setup

The streamer sets up a custom sandbox game with the following features:

Custom AI competitors.
Medium difficulty settings.
Large islands in an archipelago map.
Starting with governor “Marcus” and a yellow banner for visibility.
Preference for starting in the Latium region but considering Albian for strategic expansion.

Discussion points on game mechanics and settings:

Human players are only defeated when no islands or ships remain.
Starting with flagship and military escort.
Various difficulty and economic settings, including taxes, incidents, and workforce management.
Comments on the lack of finer difficulty gradations and inability to save custom presets, unlike Anno 1800.
Brief discussion on Roman history and female emperors, referencing a female governor in the game.

Gameplay Highlights & Strategies

Island Selection

Crucial to find islands with key resources such as lavender, iron, oyster, resin, olive, marble, and fertile land.
Settling islands requires balancing costs and strategic resource access.

City Building Tips

Place warehouses strategically to cover resource gathering areas.
Build homes in 2x4 blocks with surrounding roads.
Use diagonal building sparingly due to space inefficiency.
Construct production buildings like fishing huts, bakeries, garum factories, and charcoal burners while managing fire risk.
Fire safety is important; place firehouses away from the city to reduce fire hazards.

Managing Population Needs

Provide food (fish, bread, porridge), clothing (tunics), and luxury items (lavender fields for happiness).
Upgrade residences and workforce to meet demand.

Research and Knowledge

Prioritize research buildings like the Grammaticus for knowledge.
Keep research active to unlock upgrades (e.g., increased storage, ship durability).

Military and Defense

Build watchtowers and defensive gates with archers for protection.
Use patron gods to boost specific areas (e.g., Neptune for naval strength and reduced ship upkeep).

Diplomacy and Rivals

Interact with rival governors and political factions.
Monitor economic, military, and prestige stats to gauge standing.

Festivals

Can boost happiness and provide temporary bonuses.

Expansion

Claim new islands when financially feasible to secure resources.
Prepare infrastructure for future aqueducts and bathhouses by reserving space and mountain slots.
Balance income and expenses carefully to avoid bankruptcy.

Key Tips & Observations

The Anno 117 campaign is shorter and less satisfying compared to Anno 1800.
Sandbox mode offers more freedom and is preferred for long-term play.
Resource management and city planning are vital for growth and happiness.
Fire risk management is a critical gameplay element.
Upgrading workforce and residences helps overcome workforce shortages.
Use patron gods strategically based on your island’s resources and needs.
Defensive structures are important but costly; balance them with economic needs.
Diagonal building adds aesthetic appeal but consumes more space.
Keep research ongoing to unlock important upgrades.
Claim islands early but watch your finances.

Streamer & Sources

The video features gameplay and commentary by a streamer known as Booster.
The streamer references other games such as Anno 1800, Moonlighter, Timberborn, Whiskerwood, and Valheim.
Viewer interaction includes chat mentions (e.g., Solar, Gallen).

Overall, the video showcases the conclusion of the Anno 117 campaign and a detailed start of a new sandbox game, focusing on city building, resource management, and strategic expansion with tips and personal commentary on game mechanics and historical context.