In Anno 1404, you play as a ruler of a medieval town, tasked with building and managing a thriving economy, diplomacy, and military. The game is divided into two main parts:
Use 4 farms around a single Small Market Building. Rotate the farms so their fields interlock, wasting only 3 tiles total.
No review of the game's layouts would be complete without mentioning the "Noria bug" (or feature, depending on who you ask). In Anno 1404 , Norias (water wheels) cost significant maintenance to run. However, if you demolish and rebuild them quickly, or overlap their influence areas in specific ways, you can maintain fertility with zero upkeep cost.