1404 Monastery Garden Layout [updated] | Anno

The maximum contiguous area for garden modules is a plus-sign shape or a filled diamond. However, because modules must be placed edge-to-edge starting from the monastery, the most efficient shape is a cross extending in the four cardinal directions, then filling the diagonal gaps.

| Mistake | Consequence | Fix | |---------|-------------|-----| | Placing monastery before Noria | Modules placed outside irrigation radius, produce nothing | Demolish monastery, rebuild after Noria placement | | Building modules in a straight line only | Wastes potential diagonal spaces, reduces total modules | Use diamond-filling pattern | | Adding flower gardens when needing herbs | Medicine shortage, Noblemen happiness drops | Convert flower to herb via demolish/replace | | Blocking road access to monastery’s main entrance | Bookbinder cannot collect herbs | Leave one side of monastery (preferably south) free of garden modules for road | | Using vineyards on northern island | Wine production possible without irrigation, but vineyards take space needed for herbs | Use northern island for vineyards, desert island for herbs/flowers | For large cities (5,000+ Noblemen), a single monastery’s 24 modules are insufficient. Build two monasteries on the same desert island, each with its own Noria. Place them 15 tiles apart so their garden modules do not overlap (overlap is not detrimental, just wasteful). Use one monastery purely for herbs (24 herb gardens) and the other for mixed wine/flowers. This produces 24 herbs/min (enough for 6,000 Noblemen’s medicine) and 12 grapes/min (enough for 3,000 Noblemen’s wine). anno 1404 monastery garden layout

Ugly, no flower gardens for attractiveness. Not suitable for a beauty-building city. 4.2 The Aesthetic Cloister Layout (for Attractiveness) Goal: Maximize attractiveness (flower gardens) while maintaining symmetry and leaving a central courtyard. The maximum contiguous area for garden modules is

G G G G G G G G G G M M M G G G G M M M G G G G M M M G G G G G G G G G G This pattern (a hexagon rotated 45°) fits perfectly inside a Manhattan diamond of radius 6. Place your Noria 5 tiles south of the monastery’s center for full coverage. End of paper. Build two monasteries on the same desert island,

Less efficient for pure production; some tiles wasted on empty space. However, historically accurate—real monasteries had central garth (lawn). 4.3 The Hybrid Three-Pod Layout Goal: Balanced production of herbs, wine, and attractiveness.

If the monastery is centered inside the Noria’s radius (e.g., its center at distance 5 from Noria), then all 24 possible modules might be watered. But if the monastery is near the edge, only 12–16 modules will be watered. Thus, pre-planning your monastery location before building Norias is critical. 4. Three Optimal Layouts Based on extensive testing (via the Anno 1404 community forums and my own simulations using the game’s map editor), three layouts dominate. 4.1 The Compact Production Layout (for Herbs or Grapes) Goal: Maximize watered modules for resource production, ignoring aesthetics.

The monastery (3×3) occupies, say, tiles (0,0) to (2,2) if we set its southwest corner at (0,0). To maximize watered modules, the player must position the monastery within the Noria’s diamond so that as many expandable tiles as possible fall inside the diamond.