Tropico Tourist Trap Pt. 5: Blaze of Glory
By MikeLemmer 2 Comments
Part II: Cigars, Depression Fruit, and Space Tanks
Part IV: Rumming on the Threshold of Time
When we last left off, the Cold War was swinging into full gear and I was preparing to exploit the uneasy peace with hokey tourist lures! Let's see what the new era has in store for us...
And we immediately start off with a request to replicate the Cuban Missile Crisis for the Americans! Lovely. I accept, of course.
For the first time during my reign, I've changed the Constitution to a more... educated viewpoint. I've opened voting to all citizens and required a High School education for soldiers. In the short term, that reduces my approval (apparently the women are crankier than the men) and my army (most of whom were uneducated). That should recover before it becomes a problem, though. In the meantime, time to start building the Tourist Trap!
First, there's a strange request from the Environmentalists. Just a few years ago, I would've refused to shut down my gold mines for anyone, but since they've been exhausted all I'm mining is iron and coal. The Environmentalists' favor is worth closing down those last 2 mines, although first I need to build up enough tourism to pay to import Coal for my power plant.
And then I get this counter-request to mine uranium! I want both factions' support, but their requests contradict each other... However, they don't care which one I fulfill first! I will simply demolish the mines first to please the Environmentalists, and then set up a Uranium Mine while they're occupied with the furry trout!
I can do all that once I'm done building the Tourist Trap, and then-
...Uh oh. Elections happened faster than I thought... those angry housewives are going to get me ejected from office! Unless...
Operation Re-Election is a 3-pronged process. First, I pass the Tax Cut edict, giving a good chunk of the island's savings back to the rich for their love and support. Second, I use the just-researched Democracy to make a few additions to the Constitution...
...And finally, for the cherry on top...
I win reelection without a hitch and continue building my Tourist Trap. The extra rebels from the election voodoo won't be a issue once my army refills itself with trained soldiers.
Unfortunately, the Tax Cut edict has left me extremely short on cash. My choices are either to take out a loan, or swallow my pride and make a deal with the devil...
I will consol myself with the knowledge the devil doesn't realize my run causes blindness and bladder failure.
I start by demolishing the ugly tenements that would otherwise greet tourists the moment they arrived at my port:
The residents can stand living in shacks for a while; I'll build new and better houses for them later! Meanwhile, I slowly build a thriving beachside resort for the tourists:
It's beginning to rake in money...
Which I hope to reinvest right back into building more tourist buildings; I still have numerous uneducated former soldiers I need to give new jobs to!
Things are beginning to look splendi-
...Ah, crud.
...Wait, did that tornado just thread the needle between my factories and my army base?
It did! It did! A tornado with no damage!
Well, there was some citizens killed, but they're easily replaced! I take this as a sign of divine favor and continue working on my Tourist Tra-
-Wait, what do you mean the rebels are attacking?!
Wow, that's a lot of rebels. Luckily I have enough military to win this...
...Er, troops? Troops?!
Aw, crud...
And so my grand plans, and the future of Tropico, comes crashing down. My military hadn't filled up again after the Constitution change requiring soldiers to be educated, the Rebel threat had increased from rigging the elections, and I was too busy building my Tourist Trap to realize the danger. I got complacent and Tropico punished me for it.
Epilogue
Rico 'Ryan' Davis and his family fled Tropico for the mainland, leaving the fledgling island in the hands of the rebels. Unable to see Rico's vision, they demolished the tourist town and focused on the island's cigar & rum business, indirectly killing millions through substance abuse.
Meanwhile, the Davis family settled down in anonymity, making a new life for themselves as normal Americans. One of their descendents seems to have taken a few cues from Rico Davis, though...
Conclusion
And thus ends my first game of Tropico. I lost by making a rookie mistake of focusing too much on the city-building and not enough on the potential threats. I believe this failed run still showed the major points of Tropico, though: mooching up to various factions, juggling city-building with securing your reign, the occasional lapses into unemployment, epidemics and starvation, the way everything can go peach-shaped in a moment, the utter snark permeating everything... Tropico just has more to do than SimCity, and brings its own sense of style to a bureaucratic genre. Perhaps I will expound more on the multiplayer or campaign later, or even try to reestablish the David dynasty in another game, but for now I think you have enough info to decide whether this game is worth $40 to you.
Viva la Tropico! May El Presidente reign forever!