Part II: Cigars, Depression Fruit, and Space Tanks
So I've finally managed to reach the Cold War era, unlocking tourism in the process. I can finally begin turning Tropico into a tourist trap. And yet, on the eve of our transformation, I find myself looking back at my exploits and realizing that in the heat of the moment, I focused so much on what was happening that I neglected to show off Tropico herself! Thus, let's pause a moment and regard Tropico on the eve of her transformation. Sit back, put on some slow salsa, and gaze on the Tropico of the past one last time, for tomorrow she will become a new woman.
The fertile fields that feed my populace (and grow the tobacco for those fine Caribbean cigars), snaking off the edge of town.
The main (and only) town of Tropico. The trade ports give way to defenses old and new, a few early fields I never moved further away from town, and then a slew of service buildings (the school, the police station, the embassy, etc) on the road to my Palace and the numerous residences nearby. She may still be small, but I am sure she'll grow up quickly!
Already the residents creep further out towards the newly-established College. And beyond that...
Factory Road. An army base guards the steel and textile mills here, along with the coal plant powering them both. Symbols of an old Tropico, they will be demolished once the tourism industry is booming!
And on top of the hill, a lone army base guards the ranches there. There used to be 2 gold mines here as well, but they were exhausted and abandoned just as the World Wars came to a close. Alas, nothing gold can stay, a stark warning of the dangers of relying on limited resources. Thankfully, there's no limit to naive foreigners!
And yet, much of the island remains untouched. There is room to expand on both the high ground and the low ground. If you squint and look past the llama ranches, you can even see ancient ruins we can turn into a tourist attraction!
Beauty is an important part of any tourist trap; no one want to visit an ugly island. While much of the town is wonderfully beautiful thanks to the large palace gardens, the area near the docks is notably red! No, this won't do at all, that's the first thing tourists to the island will see! My top advisors will get back to me on ways to change this unfortunate situation...
Luckily, the rest of the island is lush and vibrant. All the better to lure tourists in...
But not all of Tropico's wonders are in the land itself! No, Tropico is just as well known for its people!
After decades of wise rulership, Rico "Ryan" Davis has advanced to the 2nd level of enlightenment! Rumors he paid a Buddhist monk a large sum of money from his personal account to achieve this are grossly exaggerated. (Your Swiss bank account: not just for retirement anymore!)
Flavio Davis "Jr." has also reached Level 2, but as the result of years of fighting in the World Wars. Sadly, Bile "Space Sickness" Davis has been unable to level up due to his devotion to the local defenses. Don't worry, though! I'm sure he'll get his chance soon enough!
The new era has changed the people of Tropico as well; now they realize choices must be made between trees and smokestacks. Bitter lines have been drawn between the Environmentalists and Industrialists, giving Tropicans a total of three different subjects to hate each other about!
While the Environmentalists are indifferent to me and in the minority, their support is vital for a tourist trap. (Industrialists like factories; tourists don't.) I'll have to figure out a way to court their favor and get more members for them.
Tropicans, although satisfied with their lot in life, could be happier. Their drab entertainment will be taken care of by the tourism industry; entertainment venues for tourists can service Tropicans just as well! Don't worry about the low Healthcare and Religion scores; those are for wusses! Tropicans are not wusses!
Threats always loom close to Tropico, and with the passing of an era the players have also changed. Now we have to appease the USA and USSR, as well as fight off the rebel threat and make sure our soldiers and populace doesn't revolt. As for which nation to support... do you really have to ask? Those Soviets are pikers.
With a new era comes new technologies. We'll eventually have to reach the end of this tech tree to advance to the next era, but in the meantime there's plenty of interesting technologies to advance our goals. "Naive Foreigners" looks particularly lucrative...
The new era also brings new edicts, most of these centered around cleaning up Tropico's public image (and subtly eliminating the dirtier aspects).
We finally come to the crux of the era's changes: we can finally build lodging for tourists! There are 5 types of tourists (Slob, Eco, Family, Cultural, and Wealthy) and each of them has preferences on where to stay. Slobs want lots of entertainment nearby, Culturals want to stay near colonial buildings, Ecos don't want other buildings nearby, and so forth... This means I can't just build a one-size-fits-all tourist trap; I need to diversify! The lower ground, filled with beaches and the main city, would be perfect for Slobs and Families. Meanwhile, the high ground with its ruins (and safety from tsunamis) could host the Ecos, Culturals, and Wealthy. That is the plan. But will it work?
Ah, that is a question for another day. For now, just relax, listen to the music, and drink to our future success...
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