RE: ANNO 1503 AD

Seems like whenever I reach a 'certain' level of population (like around 125), some of my housing collapses into ruins.

There is more than enough housing available, housing is within the 'service areas' of the various 'venders' or warehouses or 'services' (like the chapel), and there never seems enough people to fill all the positions available (like farms, workshops, etc.) so there shouldn't be any unemployment. I have never run out of food, resources or 'goods' that the inhabitants would want. All housing, farms, services and workshops are all properly connected to roads. Also, trade has been established with two other settlements, even though they won't buy much of what I can produce (yet).

I seem to have everything under control, then without warning, three of four residences just collapse, making even fewer settlers. What am I missing here?

With 'Zeus/Poseidon' or 'Caesar IV' (similar 'world/city builder' games), there is a warning (housing changing to red) before they start collapsing. Usually these are caused by cutting off, or not servicing, the inhabitants from something they need to be happy (food, oil, entertainment, etc). There seems to be no such warning in 1503.

Proteus

I believe it should be the other way round. That is, the chapel should be in the service area of the house instead of the other way round. If I'm not mistaken the service areas of such kinds of 'public buildings' are pretty much meaningless.
Also there is no unemployment in Anno. As long as you can afford an industry's upkeep, then it will continue to function.

Yes, unlike in other games, in 1503 the inhabitants of a house need to be able to reach the services they need. It's the range of the house that counts, not the range of the servicing building. Clicking on a house will highlight all building in range, and they will need: shops, tavern, church, school etc. They don't need roads to reach those buildings. The buildings that are dependent on other resources needs to reach the respective buildings: for example a stonemason needs to have the quarry in range of his building, or a tavern needs to have an warehouse within its range because the tavern needs to regularly refill the alcohol stock from the warehouse. A charcoal burner would need to have either an woodcutter or a warehouse in its range because he take the wood from wherever it can find.

So reasons for houses collapsing could be:
- you accidentally demolished a shop stand (for food, salt, clothes etc) or some other required building
- you run out of something your people need (clicking on a house shows needed goods and how much do you fulfill from everything)
- you have build the tavern too far from a warehouse (shop stands do not need to reach warehouses to resupply though) and make sure you have enough alcohol in stock

And there is no employment in Anno 1503.