# Anno 117 Beginner's Guide: City Building Tips and Tricks

A comprehensive guide for new players starting their journey in Anno 117: Pax Romana. While the campaign serves as an extended tutorial, sandbox mode requires more self-directed learning. This guide covers essential concepts for building a successful empire.

## Table of Contents

- [Warehouses](#build-and-upgrade-warehouses)
- [Building Radii and Attributes](#use-building-radii-to-maximize-attributes)
- [Public Service Range](#extend-your-public-service-range)
- [Expanding to New Islands](#expand-for-whats-missing)
- [Essential Tools](#relocate-buildings-instead-of-deleting-them)
- [Resource Management](#check-your-resources)
- [Production Efficiency](#pay-attention-to-efficiency)
- [Naval Forces](#build-a-strong-navy)
- [Specialists](#specialize-specialize-specialize)
- [Choices and Events](#choices-matter)
- [Hall of Fame](#hall-of-fame-unlocks)
- [Latium vs Albion](#latium-vs-albion)

---

## Build and Upgrade Warehouses

Warehouses are the lifeblood of your supply chain. They function as pickup and drop-off points for resources and connect any buildings on the same road to your Trading Post or Governor's Villa.

### Key Points

- Warehouses are essential for expanding your city beyond the shore
- When Warehouses become overloaded, build additional ones or upgrade existing ones
- Research **Warehouse Organization** and **Warehouse Refinement** discoveries to unlock upgrades

### Warehouse Upgrade Costs

| Upgrade Cost | Maintenance Cost | Loading Ramps |
|--------------|------------------|---------------|
| 250 Denarii, 25 Timber, 5 Tiles | -12 Denarii/min, 10 Liberti/Waders | 4 |
| 500 Denarii, 50 Timber, 15 Tiles (+5 Concrete in Latium) | -20 Denarii/min, 15 Liberti/Waders | 6 |

### Tips

- **Epona's Exaltation:** The "Great Mare's Stride" allows Logistics carts to travel 30% further
- Warehouses can connect buildings to your Trading Post or Villa without roads, useful for tight spaces
- However, bonuses travel along roads and cannot transfer through a Warehouse - use roads when possible

---

## Use Building Radii to Maximize Attributes

Many buildings provide positive or negative attributes in a radius around them:

| Icon | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Green up arrow | Positive attributes |
| Red down arrow | Negative attributes |
| Green/red diamond | Both positive and negative |

### Positive Attribute Buildings

Production buildings like the **Spinner**, **Pileus Felter**, **Sandal Maker**, and **Lavender Farm** provide positive attributes:
- Income
- Population
- Knowledge
- Belief
- Prestige
- Health
- Happiness
- Fire Safety

**Strategy:** Place these buildings near clusters of houses to maximize bonuses.

### Negative Attribute Buildings

Buildings like the **Charcoal Burner**, **Pig Farm**, and **Renderer** inflict negative attributes.

**Strategy:** Place these buildings away from residential areas to avoid incidents like fire, disease, or unrest.

---

## Extend Your Public Service Range

Public service buildings provide bonuses to a number of buildings along the road. These are crucial for meeting citizen needs.

### Road Upgrades

Upgrading your roads significantly extends the effective range of public services:

| Road Type | Effect |
|-----------|--------|
| Dirt Roads | Base range |
| Paved Roads | Extended range |
| Marble Roads | Maximum range |

**Important:** As your city's status increases, so do attribute penalties. Public services are your front line in keeping citizens happy, healthy, and safe from fire.

---

## Expand for What's Missing

Your initial island should satisfy Liberti or Waders, and may even meet Plebeian or Smith needs. Eventually, citizens will demand goods you cannot produce locally.

### When to Settle New Islands

Look for islands with fertilities you are missing. For example:

**Island 1:** Mackerel, Lavender, Grapes, Oysters, Iron
**Island 2:** Resin, Olives, Flax, Iron, Gold

Island 2 is an excellent settlement choice - its resources help meet Plebeian needs and begin satisfying Equites.

**See Also:** [Fertility Guide](../systems/fertility.md)

---

## Relocate Buildings (Instead of Deleting Them)

City building can be messy. When you need to move buildings, use the **Relocate Tool (G)** instead of the **Demolish Tool (X)**. This preserves buildings and any citizens living there.

### Quick Tips

| Tip | Description |
|-----|-------------|
| Alt + Upgrade Tool | Downgrade buildings instead of upgrading |
| Planning Mode | Place blueprints for free, then upgrade when ready |
| Build Diagonally | Fit buildings into odd corners |
| Field Sharing | Some buildings can share field space (e.g., Apiaries with Lavender fields) |
| Spare Workers | Keep 20-30 spare workers for emergencies |

**See Also:** [Starting City Layouts](./starting-city-layouts.md)

---

## Check Your Resources

Click your governor's profile to access the statistics menu. This shows:

- **Green bars:** Production
- **White bars:** Demand
- **Arrows:** Stock rising, stable, or falling
- **Efficiency:** Production chain efficiency
- **Profitability:** Income from goods

### Addressing Deficiencies

1. Build more production on your current island
2. Settle a new island with needed fertilities
3. Trade with NPCs to purchase needed goods
4. Sell excess goods for profit

**See Also:** [Trade Guide](../systems/trade-routes.md)

---

## Pay Attention to Efficiency

Early production chains use 1:1 ratios, but advanced chains become more complex.

### Example: Tile Production

| Building | Processing Time | Output |
|----------|-----------------|--------|
| Clay Pit | 0:30 | 1t Clay |
| Charcoal Burner | 0:30 | 1t Charcoal |
| Tiler | 1:00 | 1t Tiles |

**Optimal Ratio:** 1 Clay Pit + 1 Charcoal Burner + 2 Tilers

### Boosting Production

1. **Specialists:** Socket specialists in your Villa for production bonuses
2. **Deities:** Worship compatible gods (e.g., **Ceres** boosts Bread, Porridge, Wine, Beer, and Olive Oil chains, plus +4 population to residences)
3. **Discoveries:** Research technologies that increase efficiency

**Tip:** You can dedicate each island to a different god depending on your needs - embrace the power of Polytheism!

**See Also:** [Production Ratio Guide](../production-chains/_index.md)

---

## Build a Strong Navy

Raiders are typically more annoying than threatening, but a strong navy provides significant advantages:

### Benefits

- Escort trading vessels
- Blockade pirate bases
- Defend against rival attacks
- Prevent troop landings during wars or rebellions

**Strategy:** Park ships outside pirate bases to intercept enemy vessels before they can threaten your shores.

---

## Specialize, Specialize, Specialize

Specialists provide huge boosts to your empire. Socket them into the Governor's Villa on each island, then add more in an Officium.

### Specialist Rarities

| Rarity | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Common | Minor bonuses |
| Rare | Moderate bonuses |
| Epic | Significant bonuses (e.g., Baker Augcrusta: +2 population to Plebeian, Equite, or Patrician housing when supplied with bread) |
| Legendary | Powerful, often unique effects |

### Acquiring Specialists

Visit these locations to buy and reroll specialists:
- Imperial Representative
- Valeria
- Manx's Ports

**Note:** Higher Emperor standing = cheaper specialists and more reroll options.

### Ship Captains

Specialists can also be appointed as ship captains, providing additional bonuses to vessels.

---

## Choices Matter

Most events offer multiple choices with distinct outcomes.

### Event Examples

- **Gemini in the Rough:** Choose between hiring Brutus or Gaius as a specialist
- **Festivals:** Pay outright, contribute goods, or postpone

### Emperor Reputation

Choices can increase or decrease your reputation with the Emperor:

| Reputation | Effects |
|------------|---------|
| Positive | Discounts at traders, more specialist reroll options, special privileges at 100 |
| Negative | Penalties when buying land, Emperor may send ships to attack at open rebellion |

**Note:** The rebellion path may offer unique perks if you prevail in combat.

**See Also:** [Brutus vs Gaius Guide](./brutus-vs-gaius.md)

---

## Hall of Fame Unlocks

Accolades and the Hall of Fame are more than achievements - they are a meta-progression system.

### Unlocks Include

- New technologies
- Legendary Specialists
- New gods
- Other perks available from the start of your city

**Important:** Remember to spend your Fame to unlock these perks!

**See Also:** [Hall of Fame and Accolades Guide](./hall-of-fame.md)

---

## Latium vs Albion

### Quick Summary

| Province | Characteristics |
|----------|-----------------|
| Latium | Safe, spacious, beginner-friendly |
| Albion | Challenging, requires optimization |

### Albion Population Paths

When you reach Albion, choose between:

| Path | Characteristics |
|------|-----------------|
| Celtic | Uses Albion-native resources, better relations with native NPCs, more Belief bonuses, may cause diplomatic friction with Empire |
| Roman | Requires Latium resources, pleases Emperor, may anger Voada and Scathach, provides more Knowledge |

**See Also:** [Albion vs Latium Guide](./albion-vs-latium.md), [Celtic vs Roman Population Guide](./celtic-vs-roman-albion.md)

---

## Related Guides

- [Starting City Layouts](./starting-city-layouts.md)
- [Production Chains](../production-chains/_index.md)
- [Trade Routes](../systems/trade-routes.md)
- [Specialists](../specialists/_index.md)
- [Population Tiers](../population-tiers/_index.md)