The "Day 2 Hotfix" for Anno 117: Pax Romana has arrived, and for thousands of Governors hoping to finally play with their friends, the result is heartbreaking. 💔 Instead of stabilizing the servers, the 1.2 GB update seems to have done little to stop the infamous TRAJAN-131661 errors that are tearing lobbies apart every 15 minutes. 📉

In this episode, we analyze the patch notes vs. reality. Ubisoft claimed this hotfix would address the "Invitation Flow" crashes, but reports from the Discord and Reddit confirm that inviting a friend into an ongoing session still results in an immediate desktop crash for 80% of players. We discuss why the "Desync Loop" is actually getting worse for players in the Albion region, leading to a massive spike in negative Steam reviews (now sitting at "Mixed" - 62%).

We also cover the community's "Doomsday" theory: that the netcode issues are fundamental to the new engine and cannot be patched quickly. 🏗️ We look at the skyrocketing refund requests and the official "Workaround" that Ubisoft is now quietly suggesting—which involves editing your .vdf install scripts manually, a step no AAA player should have to take.

Finally, we ask: Is the hype officially dead? With the weekend approaching and no stable multiplayer in sight, is Anno 117 destined to be a solo-only experience for months? ⏳