Anno 117 now has an official interface that lets modders read game data in real time. This could make an old dream of the community come true.
For many Anno fans, part of the fun of the game comes from endlessly optimizing their island worlds. In later stages of the game, this can often lead to a lot of number-crunching. But it’s no coincidence that resource calculators are always among the first fan tools to appear online after the release of a new Anno game.
But for a long time now, efficiency-focused players have been chasing a dream that no Anno game has quite been able to fulfill. They want a tool that displays the current game statistics in real time on a second screen. Such a tool would make life much easier for many Anno fans. It seems, however, that this dream has recently moved a step closer to reality!
For Anno 117, the developers from Mainz have now created an interface that does exactly that. A data aqueduct, so to speak.
A Blessing for Modders
As early as September 17, Ubisoft programmer Martin Tillmann uploaded sample code to GitHub that will allow modders to access a so-called “pipe” in the future. This is a new interface created by the developers in Anno 117 that communicates with Windows and exchanges information from the in-game statistics screen.
Modders such as the well-known Anno player Taubenangriff see this interface as a tremendous opportunity. This finally makes it virtually effortless to program a second-screen app that accesses your current game data in Anno 117 in real time. Something like this has never existed in the entire history of Anno.
What this means for you
If you aren’t a modder yourself, you probably won’t be able to make much of this change right now. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see what the pros actually create with it. However, the possibilities are apparently vast, at least according to some modders on Reddit and in the Anno mod Discord. A few possible uses would be:
- You could run your stats screen on a second monitor while building your islands on the main monitor. The information would update in real time.
- Similarly, instead of a second monitor, you could use an app on your smartphone or tablet. The effect would be the same. All stats would be permanently visible to you without having to pause the game.
Modders might even be able to create significantly more powerful stats screens than what’s currently available in the game. After all, the stats screen in Anno 117 isn’t without its critics, as it contains less information than Anno 1800 did. While an official update is expected to address this soon, some fans would certainly be interested in even more information.
It’s still unclear how long it will take for modders to actually use the interface to fulfill a major wish of the community. But when the time comes, even those who aren’t big on stats should consider such a mod or app. After all, it ensures that you’re less frequently pulled out of the flow of the game while still keeping a close eye on how your island worlds are changing in detail.
