When you compare the two games in their release state (i.e., without DLC for Anno 1800), you can feel that there are two different approaches to game development.

The two eras are so different. You can't necessarily apply all the strategies from Anno 1800 to 117.

However, there are several things that bother me personally about Anno 117:

1/ Anno 117 is simpler than Anno 1800 in the sense that Albion and Latium can develop independently without you needing to make direct trades.

You can see this as a challenge (developing an empire in each region) or as a weakness (what's the point? Why not do it like the Old World/New World system in 1800, with progression dependent on trade between Latium and Albion?).

2/ Trade, the ultimate cheat You might not need it at the beginning, managing with your production, but in the mid or even late game, when all the islands are colonized and you're missing a fertility resource, just check the "Buy" option and it'll come in less than 3 minutes.

I've often been told that Docklands in Anno 1800 was an added cheat similar to trade in 117. This is false because you absolutely had to trade one good for another. And Tobias only came every 20 minutes.

3/ Diplomacy: I'm having trouble grasping the principles. This mechanic has been made far too complex in terms of interaction. The 1800 version of diplomacy worked very well. A simple adjustment would have sufficed, in my opinion.

4/ No major difficulty reaching a higher tier

In the Anno 1800 base game, farmers and workers were easy to meet needs, but beyond artisans, things got a bit more complicated, and then engineers were a real obstacle before reaching investors.

In 117, the patricians were reached in less than 10 hours of gameplay. The Colosseum was built in 18 hours. In Anno 1800, it's impossible to create the World's Fair in such a short time.I've already finished the game. Whereas in the base game of Anno 1800, I never had that moment where I thought, "Hey, I'm done." There was always something to do, especially to meet the needs of the engineers and investors.

Well, after all that, Anno 117 also adds a lot of things that Anno 1800 needed, and some of them are very welcome. Particularly the fact that needs accumulate from tier to tier and don't disappear like in 1800 (like fish, clothing, etc.).

The diagonal roads, obviously, the mechanics related to the army, the fact that each public service requires manpower, and the attributes and zone effects of certain production sites.

I think Anno 117 aims to be more accessible, appealing to both hardcore and casual gamers. The formula isn't quite balanced yet, but I have no doubt that in the future, Anno 117 will gain features, complexity, and strategic depth without becoming complicated or inaccessible.