Tropico...help.

The Game Room
1

This games been in my library for a few years and it got shelved because it ran too choppy for my old computer. I recently bought a new one and pulled it out and dusted it off. I read the manual and all the tips provided at the Tropico Cafe website but I still just can’t get my economy rolling.

I’ve tried, I’ve micromanaged the whole island and I do ok in the beginning, then 30 years later with about 300 or so people my economy goes stagnant, the peoples wages are too high but will riot if I lower them, despite loving the ‘Military Coup’ bonus on my dictator I have constant issues with the over paid and Cabaret entitled military. My nation survives on incredible rum profits but they really just subsidize an increasing draining social structure, slowly the farms produce less the factory produces less and the whole thing goes tits up.

Farming is the biggest issue, I never know where the good spots are, yeah the viewing box tells your where the best places are for most farms in general but seems to give you only seasonal advice for your specific plants (I work on getting sugar 'cause I also love the ‘Booze Baron’ advantage) and in January the place you put your Sugar plantation looks red while 5 months later it’s dark green so I never know whats working and what doesn’t, yeah I learn years later that that specific plantation hasn’t turned a profit, but other than that I have no idea.

Forget tourists I can’t even house all of my people!

Does anyone still play this game and have any hints for me?

2

I could never get a nation humming along steadily either. It’s been a while, but I seem to remember that once your town reaches a certain size, your builders spend a lot of time commuting between their houses and their build sites. Large buildings take a long time for workers to level the land. I don’t know whether building housing near the middle of the island would help.

Farming, ranching, and mining will all degrade the environment and deplete their yields. If you want to attract tourists, try making that the only industry (aside from basic farming); tourists don’t like looking at strip mines or goats or whatnot. You can attract low-class tourists to your pristine beaches right off the bat; after you build up amenities like nightclubs and so forth you’ll eventually attract a classier clientele. Tourism has the advantage that it doesn’t really degrade your environment like other economies, so it’s more sustainable. I think I had even gotten some banks up and running, but I forget how that game ended. I either got frustrated by my slow computer, or my town just got too big and stagnated.

Good soundtrack, though.

3

I never really got a strong economy going either :slight_smile: But I did learn one thing from repeated, repeated, REPEATED tries : sticking with Russia doesn’t work. Ever. The cool thing about cozying up with the commies is that you get cheap mass housing in lovely East German-style concrete monstrosities… but Russia gives you very little ways to make money, and an American embargo cuts even deeper in your pockets. Plus, if you’re too much of a commie, the Church hates you and since you’re building a worker’s paradise, you won’t invest much in schooling, so the Church’s a big part of your population…

On the other hand, if you side with the US, your exports are safe, and you get tons of tourists. Even if you built the shittiest roach-infested hotel for them, they’ll keep coming and trickle some dough your way. The only problem is your commies will probably form a guerilla out in the sticks, but as long as it doesn’t grow too much and it doesn’t blow too much stuff up, you can just leave them eat grubs in the jungle. Just invest in propaganda news to tell your little people that they’re an ongoing environmental experiment or something :slight_smile:

Other than that, well, GameFAQs got a few guides that may help, and there’s this big forum, sure you’ll get hints there.