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.
| 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
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. Less efficient for pure production; some tiles wasted
Moreover, the irrigation requirement mirrors the reality of medieval terraforming : Cistercians built leats and aqueducts to water desert gardens (e.g., the Monastery of Santa Maria de Huerta in Spain). The Noria (a Persian water wheel introduced to Europe via Al-Andalus) is historically accurate for the 15th century. Even experienced players make these errors: Use one monastery purely for herbs (24 herb
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.