I like the Colonial Era. It's a nice, relaxing opportunity to really lay the foundations of your economy without having to worry about trivial things like healthcare and education.
In my opinion, the World Wars era is the worst one. It just doesn't really have an identity of its own. It's just the Cold War before the Cold War.
Man. I FINALLY figured out happiness. I'm going to link the video for anyone still having trouble like I did. It's not the greatest vid, but if you pay attention to what is going on, it finally clicked for me. It is that simple.
I feel like an idiot now because of two reasons:
1. I was looking at the wrong page of the almanac to figure out what to build. I was looking at the factions page and going down into individual tropicans to figure out what to build instead of just looking at the 2nd almanac tab for areas of happiness.
2. I didn't understand that the taverns/resteraunts/etc had a max number that wasn't revolving. Those were permanent spots that were taken. When I saw 58/60 I had thought "not full yet" instead of "overloaded, build another one."
I am also finally starting to understand the impact of buildings that provide more service quality but use the previous generation's buildings as almost an emergency fallback so that the tropicans that can't go to the good stuff have at least SOMETHING.
Next up, really digging into constitution options to figure out wtf. I can finally enjoy this game without constantly fighting to keep my happiness up for elections! I just finished the invasions scenario with about $100k in cash and 85% approval on the normal difficulty. That's like super-duper awesome for my. Normally I was at 35% happiness and managing to eke it above 50% for an election.
Tropico 5 is available for just under $27 for MS's Countdown to 2015. But only for the next five or so hours (~5a EST). I'd have mentioned it earlier...but I totally forgot about this thread.
Thread-surrection: Yes, yes they seem to have rectified the bizarre transportation behaviour. I went back to the game over the holidays, and traffic is much improved. I don't know if it's me being smarter with layout or what, but traffic issues start to emerge near the modern age, and then metro stations do seem to keep any problems from popping up and shutting down my island.
The DLCs have also added some neat buildings, like the Oyster Farm and the Drone Control. But a lot of the buildings are either useless or I can't figure them out. Like the Defense HQ, which is just outclassed by the Army Base... or the Inquisition, which... is it just for role revelation before you get Police Stations?
Is the HQ cheaper and/or smaller footprint? The base may be better, but if you're looking for a specific number of soldiers/generals, the smaller locations can provide a simple and quick boost. Like the building they introduced in 4 which holds a massive amount of residents at a fairly high satisfaction so long as you pay for periodic maintenance. I would tend to go for the ultimately better option, too. But sometimes in a pinch the so-called lesser building can work in a pinch.
Is the HQ cheaper and/or smaller footprint? The base may be better, but if you're looking for a specific number of soldiers/generals, the smaller locations can provide a simple and quick boost. Like the building they introduced in 4 which holds a massive amount of residents at a fairly high satisfaction so long as you pay for periodic maintenance. I would tend to go for the ultimately better option, too. But sometimes in a pinch the so-called lesser building can work in a pinch.
Army Base
Cost: $13 000
Availability: World Wars
Size: 5x4
Workers: 3, illiterate
Budget: $75
Job Quality: 65
Wealth Provided: Well-off
Military Unit: Tanks, 9000 health, 100 attack
Upgrade: Reactive Armor, $5000
Military Unit (w/upgrade): Tanks MKIII, 10 000 health, 100 attack
Defense HQ
Cost: $17 000
Availability: Modern Age
Size: 6x6
Budget: $65
Workers: 8, illiterate
Budget: $65
Job Quality: 65
Wealth Provided: Rich
Military Unit: Commandos, 8000 health, 60 attack
Upgrade: Flak Vests, $7500
Military Unit (w/upgrade): Special Forces, 8000 health, 70 attack
Okay, sure, I guess it's not strictly better, but it's damn near close. Unless there's some interactions with military unit types I don't know about....
the Inquisition, which... is it just for role revelation before you get Police Stations?
The Inquisition is also there to persecute factions, but I'm not sure what that actually means since I've never tried it. I assume it means the targeted faction is going to shrink and also really dislike you.
Honestly Defense HQ and Army Base are aimed at two entirely different Tropico situations.
Both are intended at boosting defense. True.
However.
Army base:
-High budget.
-Employs three persons who count as Well-off.
Defense HQ:
-Lower budget than Army base
-Employs 8 persons who count as Rich.
So the Defense HQ is a better choice if you to push up your profit, approval ratings and dropping unemployment. Army base on the other hand is a better choice if you need to get the maximum out of each worker.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Honestly Defense HQ and Army Base are aimed at two entirely different Tropico situations.
Both are intended at boosting defense. True.
However.
Army base:
-High budget.
-Employs three persons who count as Well-off.
Defense HQ:
-Lower budget than Army base
-Employs 8 persons who count as Rich.
So the Defense HQ is a better choice if you to push up your profit, approval ratings and dropping unemployment. Army base on the other hand is a better choice if you need to get the maximum out of each worker.
P.S: Overall Defense HQ gets the most bang per buck except in terms of original investment.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
How does adding a flak vest to a commando make them a better attack? Are they swinging the vests as clubs?
It's because El Presidente says so. Nothing in Tropico happens without the will of El Presidente!
P.S: For a more logical explanation, they've been trained to fight more aggressivly.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
The flak vest is known to induce the "Rambo Effect", by which soldiers feel invincible and will attack more aggressively. While the flak vest increases the soldiers survivability, this is balanced by the increased disregard for one's own life. Thus, the HP do not increase, but the damage dealt does.
the Inquisition, which... is it just for role revelation before you get Police Stations?
The Inquisition is also there to persecute factions, but I'm not sure what that actually means since I've never tried it. I assume it means the targeted faction is going to shrink and also really dislike you.
I've tried persecution, but the religious faction was still my largest IIRC (or at least was still quite large) PLUS they hated me and kept generating rebels, so :bigfrown:
Honestly Defense HQ and Army Base are aimed at two entirely different Tropico situations.
Both are intended at boosting defense. True.
However.
Army base:
-High budget.
-Employs three persons who count as Well-off.
Defense HQ:
-Lower budget than Army base
-Employs 8 persons who count as Rich.
So the Defense HQ is a better choice if you to push up your profit, approval ratings and dropping unemployment. Army base on the other hand is a better choice if you need to get the maximum out of each worker.
This is pretty contrary to how I've come to understand management of citizens and money in Tropico. I think it'd be more prudent to employ those 5 extra people, say, growing cocoa and just use the extra profit to bump up building budgets, or educating them up into more productive jobs. In the mid-game, after I've established a consistent income, usually my problem becomes management of citizens and making sure they're each being efficiently utilized, especially with all the new DLC buildings. There are too many needs to balance, in addition to maintaining my economy and infrastructure, to waste citizens on unproductive jobs. (I'll usually lock people out of my Smuggler's Docks, Drydock, and Inquisition, etc., bulldoze all my clinics, catholic mansions, groceries, etc)
Then again, I suppose late-game, my game focus again shifts to dealing with tons of illiterate people and all the profitable jobs becoming educated ones. Still though, I usually pipe all my illiterate people into a new tourism industry or into entertainment buildings.
the Inquisition, which... is it just for role revelation before you get Police Stations?
The Inquisition is also there to persecute factions, but I'm not sure what that actually means since I've never tried it. I assume it means the targeted faction is going to shrink and also really dislike you.
I've tried persecution, but the religious faction was still my largest IIRC (or at least was still quite large) PLUS they hated me and kept generating rebels, so :bigfrown:
Oh well, at least the Inquisition has an upgrade that lets it make money the more religious buildings you have, so that's... well, at least it offsets the expenditure on missions and churches and cathedrals a bit.
Posts
In my opinion, the World Wars era is the worst one. It just doesn't really have an identity of its own. It's just the Cold War before the Cold War.
I feel like an idiot now because of two reasons:
1. I was looking at the wrong page of the almanac to figure out what to build. I was looking at the factions page and going down into individual tropicans to figure out what to build instead of just looking at the 2nd almanac tab for areas of happiness.
2. I didn't understand that the taverns/resteraunts/etc had a max number that wasn't revolving. Those were permanent spots that were taken. When I saw 58/60 I had thought "not full yet" instead of "overloaded, build another one."
I am also finally starting to understand the impact of buildings that provide more service quality but use the previous generation's buildings as almost an emergency fallback so that the tropicans that can't go to the good stuff have at least SOMETHING.
Next up, really digging into constitution options to figure out wtf. I can finally enjoy this game without constantly fighting to keep my happiness up for elections! I just finished the invasions scenario with about $100k in cash and 85% approval on the normal difficulty. That's like super-duper awesome for my. Normally I was at 35% happiness and managing to eke it above 50% for an election.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Probably to pricey, though. But hey, options.
The DLCs have also added some neat buildings, like the Oyster Farm and the Drone Control. But a lot of the buildings are either useless or I can't figure them out. Like the Defense HQ, which is just outclassed by the Army Base... or the Inquisition, which... is it just for role revelation before you get Police Stations?
Army Base
Cost: $13 000
Availability: World Wars
Size: 5x4
Workers: 3, illiterate
Budget: $75
Job Quality: 65
Wealth Provided: Well-off
Military Unit: Tanks, 9000 health, 100 attack
Upgrade: Reactive Armor, $5000
Military Unit (w/upgrade): Tanks MKIII, 10 000 health, 100 attack
Defense HQ
Cost: $17 000
Availability: Modern Age
Size: 6x6
Budget: $65
Workers: 8, illiterate
Budget: $65
Job Quality: 65
Wealth Provided: Rich
Military Unit: Commandos, 8000 health, 60 attack
Upgrade: Flak Vests, $7500
Military Unit (w/upgrade): Special Forces, 8000 health, 70 attack
Okay, sure, I guess it's not strictly better, but it's damn near close. Unless there's some interactions with military unit types I don't know about....
The Inquisition is also there to persecute factions, but I'm not sure what that actually means since I've never tried it. I assume it means the targeted faction is going to shrink and also really dislike you.
Both are intended at boosting defense. True.
However.
Army base:
-High budget.
-Employs three persons who count as Well-off.
Defense HQ:
-Lower budget than Army base
-Employs 8 persons who count as Rich.
So the Defense HQ is a better choice if you to push up your profit, approval ratings and dropping unemployment. Army base on the other hand is a better choice if you need to get the maximum out of each worker.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
P.S: Overall Defense HQ gets the most bang per buck except in terms of original investment.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
It's because El Presidente says so. Nothing in Tropico happens without the will of El Presidente!
P.S: For a more logical explanation, they've been trained to fight more aggressivly.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
I've tried persecution, but the religious faction was still my largest IIRC (or at least was still quite large) PLUS they hated me and kept generating rebels, so :bigfrown:
This is pretty contrary to how I've come to understand management of citizens and money in Tropico. I think it'd be more prudent to employ those 5 extra people, say, growing cocoa and just use the extra profit to bump up building budgets, or educating them up into more productive jobs. In the mid-game, after I've established a consistent income, usually my problem becomes management of citizens and making sure they're each being efficiently utilized, especially with all the new DLC buildings. There are too many needs to balance, in addition to maintaining my economy and infrastructure, to waste citizens on unproductive jobs. (I'll usually lock people out of my Smuggler's Docks, Drydock, and Inquisition, etc., bulldoze all my clinics, catholic mansions, groceries, etc)
Then again, I suppose late-game, my game focus again shifts to dealing with tons of illiterate people and all the profitable jobs becoming educated ones. Still though, I usually pipe all my illiterate people into a new tourism industry or into entertainment buildings.
Oh well, at least the Inquisition has an upgrade that lets it make money the more religious buildings you have, so that's... well, at least it offsets the expenditure on missions and churches and cathedrals a bit.