Anno 2205 is out today on PC (we'll have a review for you in the coming days) and this latest version of the city-builder continues the series' futuristic flavour with a new goal of steering your corporation towards its very own colony on the moon. As well as the usual city-planning challenges, you'll also have to manage multiple settlements and coordinate trade routes between regions if you're to reach your ultimate destination.

If you've dabbled with Anno games in the past, you'll know that there can be quite a lot to take on board if you're not familiar with some of the fundamental nuts and bolts. With that in mind, we got in touch with the development team to ask for their thoughts on a few areas we've come unstuck on in the past. What they came back to us was so insightful, that we have for the most reproduced their thoughts for you below.

On this page: Anno 2205 - city layouts, environments, trade routes, naval combat

How to get started with the early foundations of your fledgling cities. Other pages: Anno 2205 - keyboard shortcuts, tips, factories, upgrades

Managing expansion and maximising your production facility upgrades.

Optimal city layouts for different environment types There are quite a few things to consider when you lay out your settlements - production areas, housing, energy needs and so on. It helps to have a plan, and know exactly what it is you want to achieve, so here are a few tips for creating an efficient infrastructure. Try to plan ahead, and keep in mind module sizes and amounts when laying out your city.

Use the movement tool and test around with your layouts.

The further away a house is from a public building, the more of its supply it will consume. So place your public buildings centrally so as to extend their reach in all directions. Below is an example of how you can perfectly fit an Infodrome into your starting city. In the Arctic sectors you need to supply your houses with heat, which is given off by production facilities. This means you need to mix industry and houses. A good piece of advice here is to take advantage of modules which don't need a street connection.

Geothermal Turbines and Gas Power Stations have the biggest heat radius.

On the moon it is important to build an effective shield. Shield generators come in two sizes and cost extra upkeep. You should try to minimize any overlap between them to optimise the cost-benefit ratio. As always with Anno: If you have a gap try to figure out what could fit.

Managing trade routes efficiently A bigger vehicle is not always better than two small ones. Transporting 40 tons with two small transporters is always cheaper than using a bigger one. It's a balance between maximizing savings and ease of management. You can easily calculate your transport costs per ton. Here is an example for transferring 100t of goods between two temperate regions: 5 x 20t routes cost 5*50 credits/minute = 250 credits/minute

1 x 150t route costs 300 credits/minute

5 routes with 20t are most cost effective

1 route with 100t is the more comfortable to manage At a certain point the more comfortable option also becomes more effective (add 20t to the example above and the costs are the same), so remember to check your routes from time to time to see if you can optimize.

How to make more money and balance your economy Just like the real world, money makes the world(s) go around in Anno, and you'll need to manage your incomings and outgoings carefully if you're to remain stable and in a good position to expand your settlements. Balance your economy by balancing your production and the consumption of your employees. Keep an eye on your balances - a zero balance is perfect as it means everything you produce is consumed. A slight under-production is better than a big over-production, as the latter will fill up your storage fast. When your storage space is completely full, any over-production (and the credits you spent achieving it) is lost. If you plan to upgrade your employees, it's a good idea to have a positive balance of the goods they will need.

Fulfill old needs before you fulfill new ones, as the new ones will most likely cost you more money in the beginning. That happens if one facility produces much more than your employees consume.

To bring in more money, start upgrading or expanding your city. If, however, you expand too much without upgrading, you might be unable to access new land via bridges. Bridges require a certain amount and a certain type of employees. If you cannot provide these then the bridge can't be build. You might need to go back and tear down parts of your city to meet these requirements.

A final tip for expansion is that you should check early on if the other islands in your sector can be connected via bridges or with additional Warehouses. Later in the game you can check the strategic view for new sectors that you can acquire from your competitors.