In Anno 1701, is it possible to max out every household with all the numerous goods they need to reach the max level? It seems like an infinite spiral - the higher up the ladder I want to go, the more production buildings are needed to satisfy all the needs. The more production buildings I build, the more money they spend and I need to build more households to get income. And more households eventually need more production buildings simply because of sheer numbers...
I always try max out everything, but I soon run into huge debts. Maybe I shouldn't? Or is there always a "sweet spot" where a maxed-out society is self-sustaining? The screenshots always feature these beautiful huge cities with maxed-out buildings, but I cannot imagine how they got there - I run out of money a long time before that.
What's the right strategy?
P.S. What about other similar games? I've had the same problem in CivCity Rome, so I think it's a rather broader flaw in my thinking, then just the inability to grasp the particular game.
81 Answer
Yes, it's possible. Note that this is not the case in Anno 1404 or 2070, where you need a minimum number of lower-class houses to support the upper classes (how realistic). High-end houses can contain a lot more people, while requiring fewer high-end factories (per capita), so your return on investment is better.
The usual strategy is to pick a large island and devote it almost entirely to housing. Fill other islands with production buildings and use trade routes to import everything your people need.
There are a few things to watch out for.
Firstly, don't get ahead of yourself. Make sure you've got an oversupply of goods for your current housing tier before you allow upgrades. Building too much too soon will push your expenses well over your income and put your finances into a death-spiral (as you probably know :) )
Secondly, trade your surplus to others. Selling manufactured goods is a huge source of income. I like to make sure I'm overproducing at least a couple of things at any given time, just for an extra revenue stream.
Thirdly, keep your taxes on the top tier of house as high as you can. If they're not going to be upgrading any time soon, there's no reason not to squeeze them for cash.
Check this link for more detailed info:
