, mastering production chains is the difference between a thriving empire and a bankrupt colony. Efficiency relies on understanding ratios—the balance between raw material producers and finishing facilities—to ensure your warehouses are full without wasting gold on unnecessary upkeep. The Golden Rules of Production
Time is Money: Each building has a specific production cycle (e.g., 0:30 means it produces 1 unit every 30 seconds). Match these times to avoid "bottlenecks" (raw materials piling up) or "shortages" (factories sitting idle).
Proximity Matters: Build processing facilities as close to their raw sources as possible to minimize transport time. However, ensure farms have enough open space for their fields, or their productivity will drop.
Population Demand: Every production chain supports a specific number of citizens. Over-producing early on is a common cause of financial ruin. Core Production Ratios
To achieve 100% efficiency, use these standard ratios for your colony's essential goods: Chain Components Capacity (Approx.) Cloth Sheep Farm →right arrow Weaver’s Hut 350 Citizens Alcohol →right arrow 480 Citizens Tobacco Tobacco Plantation →right arrow Tobacco Factory 450 Citizens Tools Iron Mine + Smelter →right arrow Tool Maker Essential for building Bricks →right arrow Brickworks Construction only Jewelry Gold Mine + Gem Mine →right arrow 2,760 Aristocrats Advanced & Complex Chains
As your population evolves into Merchants and Aristocrats, chains become multi-island operations requiring strategic trade routes.
Perfume (The Most Complex): This is widely considered the hardest chain to manage. It requires resources often found on different islands. Ratio: 1 Whaler + 3 Ambergris Productions + 12 Greenhouses →right arrow 6 Perfumeries.
Chocolate: Requires Cocoa from southern (tropical) islands and Honey from northern islands, forcing you to maintain specialized colonies and transport the raw goods to a central factory.
Canneries: An Iron Ore Mine produces at a rate of 0:15 (4 tons/min), while a Cannery produces at 1:30. This means a single Iron Mine can support 6 Canneries. Strategic Tips anno 1701 production chains
Check the "Deep" Deposits: Late-game goods like Jewelry require deep mines for a steady supply of gold and gems.
Logistics Optimization: Place a Market Building or Warehouse directly beside high-output buildings (like Shipyards) to drastically reduce production time.
Workforce Balance: Remember that higher-tier citizens still need basic goods. Do not upgrade everyone to Aristocrats immediately, or you will lose the farmers needed to run your wool and grain chains. If you'd like to dive deeper, I can provide: Optimal building layouts for maximum space efficiency.
A breakdown of upkeep costs vs. market revenue for each good.
Strategies for setting up automated trade routes between islands. Which area Guide :: Production of Goods - Steam Community
In , production chains are the backbone of your colony's growth. To keep your inhabitants happy and your civilization advancing, you must balance raw material extraction with processing facilities in specific ratios to avoid bottlenecks or wasted resources . Essential Early-Game Chains
These chains are critical for meeting the basic needs of Pioneers and Settlers: Cloth: The first consumer good required for advancement. Ratio: 2 Sheep Farms →right arrow 1 Weaver’s Hut .
Alcohol: Keeps your citizens satisfied and provides significant tax revenue. Ratio: 2 Hop Plantations (or 2 Sugar Cane Plantations) →right arrow 1 Brewery (or 1 Distillery) . , mastering production chains is the difference between
Tools: Vital for all construction. Since specialized tool production is complex early on, many players rely on the Free Trader until their economy stabilizes. Ratio: 1 Lumberjack + 1 Ore Mine + 1 Ore Smelter →right arrow 2 Tool Makers . Building Material Chains
Sustained expansion requires a steady flow of construction materials beyond simple wood: Bricks: Required for more advanced buildings and roads. Ratio: 1 Clay Pit →right arrow 2 Brick Factories . Marble: Used for late-game luxury structures and monuments. Ratio: 1 Marble Quarry →right arrow 2 Marble Stonemasons . Advanced Consumer Goods
As your population reaches Citizen and Merchant levels, their demands become more sophisticated: Tobacco Products: A staple for higher tiers. Ratio: 2 Tobacco Plantations →right arrow 1 Tobacco Processing Plant . Meat: A high-tier food requirement. Ratio: 2 Cattle Farms →right arrow 1 Butcher's Shop .
Chocolate: A luxury good requiring multiple refined ingredients. Ratio: 2 Apiaries + 2 Cocoa Plantations →right arrow 1 Confectionary . Tips for Efficiency
Transport Ratios: The ratios above assume a production cycle of
. If your warehouses are too far away, cartmen may not move goods fast enough, lowering efficiency .
Resource Overlap: Notice that Tools, Weapons, and Cannons all share the same precursor (1 Ore Mine + 1 Smelter), which supports 2 final production buildings (e.g., 2 Tool Makers or 2 Weapon Smithies) .
Market Access: Ensure all processing buildings (like the Weaver or Bakery) are within the influence radius of a Market Building to ensure finished goods reach your storage quickly. Memorize ratios (especially 2:2:1:1 for chocolate)
The production chains of Anno 1701 transform a simple building game into a logistical optimization puzzle. Success requires the player to:
The elegance of Anno 1701 lies in that visible idling of a Cigar Factory is not a bug, but a signal – a direct feedback mechanism indicating a broken or unbalanced production chain. Mastery of these chains is the sole path from a lone ship to a thriving aristocratic society.
References
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Your journey begins on the shore of a small island. Your only goal is survival and slow expansion. The chains here are simple but fragile.
You have two choices here, and choosing wrong can ruin your island layout.
Verdict: Hemp is better for small islands. Sheep is better for large, grassy mainland islands.