devtrackers.gg
I'm absolutely loving Anno 1800 so far! It's already possible to create incredibly beautiful cities, but one thing that could still be improved IMO is production areas.
Right now, to optimize the production of a good, you place a trade union somewhere and put as many duplicate buildings around it as possible. Outside the trade union circle, you add some firestations and warehouses to pick up the goods. This is very redundant and doesn't look very realistic IMO.
What I'd love to see instead is a way to "grow" a single factory by adding modules to it:
- The behavior and UI could be similar to museums/zoos, where you already have one main building that is extended via modules and ornaments (pathways, ...).
- There could be a "production module" that increases the consumption & production. Ideally there would be >= 3 art variants per factory (e.g. smaller version of the main building, construction halls with different roof colors, ...)
- There could be a "trade union" module that allows to set one trade union item and it would only affect the factory it's in. Having 3 modules should probably cost less than the 20 of a traditional trade union as it doesn't affect multiple factories. So maybe one module should cost 4-5 influence. This module would completely remove the need to build all buildings around a central trade union.
- There could be a "warehouse module" that behaves like regular "warehouses" but it has a more industrial look and only picks up goods from the factory it's in. There could also still be a ratio-requirement (e.g. require one warehouse module per 3-5 production modules)
- There could be a "firestation module" - again with a more industrial look. It would reduce the fire/explosion risk.
- There could be many ornaments that can be placed between the modules. This way you could create pathways, ... between the modules.
- Electricity should only have to reach the main building.
- If you add it to Anno 1800, you could have to "upgrade" existing factories into modular factories once (similar to upgrading to skyscrapers). This would change the art style of the building to a "headquarters/main building"-style and it would maybe already increase the consumption/production.
- If you add it to Anno 1800, it would be great if this could work for the Old World and New World factories
- Maybe the factory could create some attractiveness as well. Tourists would sure like to visit those mega factories.
This obviously requires much more artwork, so additional art variations and ornaments could be sold via cosmetic DLCs.