CHAPTER NINE
STRATEGIES
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"Leadership is a powerful combination of strategy and character.
But, if you must do without one, do without the strategy."
General Norman Schwartzkopf |
My PresidentΘ, far be it from me to suggest that I might perhaps know better than you how to rule Tropico, but perhaps I might offer a few suggestions: (Really, you're doing a great job, I think you're wonderful and would never question any of your decisions.)
Character traits Choose your character traits wisely. Some produce relatively immediate payoffs (a free building, like the foreign ministry from the diplomatic trait, or annual stipends, if you're 'Installed By The CIA'). Others produce economic benefits much further down the road (the extra rum revenue that a 'Booze Baron' gets is useless for some time, as rum distilleries are difficult to build - but later, this is extremely lucrative). Many have political impacts that may save your bacon as your population grows restless. If you plan on building a tourist industry, consider the 'Green Thumb' trait - the lower pollution is a nice bonus for tourism.
Making money Early on, your priority should be making money. Convert perhaps two of your farms to lucrative cash crops (tobacco, sugar, coffee, perhaps pineapples). Spend some of your starting money on one or two more cash generating enterprises - a mine if there are good nearby mineral deposits, a logging camp if there are dense trees nearby, or perhaps a ranch if there is a large cleared area you don't plan to use for anything else (beware, though, it takes a while to build up the good sized herd necessary for a profitable ranch).
Second construction office You'll probably want to build a second construction office relatively early to allow more laborers and faster building. Conversely, for the first couple years, you won't have any goods to move around or ship out, so cut down on your number of teamsters and dock workers (leave at least one of each, though). After a couple years, start gradually increasing the worker count at these buildings.
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TITLE: Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party REIGN: 1930-1961 RISE to POWER: Established rural soviets in the hinterlands, and built the Red Army. In 1931, he was elected chairman of the newly established Soviet Republic of China. CLAIM to FAME: Controlled almost a billion people for more than 25 years. He controlled more than 9 million square kilometers of land and a country whose present value is more than $980 billion American. CIRCLE of INFLUENCE: As one of the most prominent Communist theoreticians, his ideas on revolutionary struggle and guerrilla warfare were extremely influential, especially among Third World revolutionaries. GREAT LEAP FORWARD: In an attempt to imbue the Chinese people with renewed revolutionary vigor, Mao launched the Great Leap Forward. The program was a failure, an estimated 20 million people starved, and he withdrew temporarily from public view. |
Basic social services Once you've got a steady stream of revenue, you'll want to rapidly put in place at least the basic social services - some decent housing, a church, a pub, and, when you can afford it, a health clinic. Consider building a high school to start training your workers.
Increase your income Start increasing your income further by building a factory or two, or by starting a nascent tourism industry. With tourism, don't aim too high, too early. Start with a cheap hotel and a couple of cheap attractions (beach sites are great for starters). Over time, re-invest the profits to allow nicer tourist enclaves, and don't build eyesores within sight of the tourist areas.
Clean elections If possible, try to have fair and free elections. They'll give your people a greater sense of liberty, making them happier, helping you to keep winning elections. Conversely, once you upset your people, it can be hard to bounce back. If necessary, follow an oppressive path with plenty of soldiers - just keep your soldiers well-paid and loyal.
Worker productivity Remember that your people do two things that slow down their productivity. They eat and sleep. Neither thing do they do on the job so they wander away from work to do both. The farther they have to travel the slower they will return to the real task at hand. Laying out your city with an eye on travel times will improve your production greatly. Consider centralized market place locations and keeping adequate housing near all major employers (i.e. factories and the like).
Build roads Since travel is the productivity killer, it is important to note the use of roads. Tropicans are generally lazy and will cut corners while walking. They also go faster down hill than up, for obvious reasons. When the terrain type is rough or grade of the land is steep you will find people will generally follow roads the most. Additionally, if the grade of the ground is such that a Tropican will not normally use it, build a road through it, you will see that they will then travel over this new section despite it's difficult slope. This is of particular interest near the docks.
Educate the workers Education is the life blood of high profit industries on Tropico. Hiring one to three high school educated workers from off the island isn't too bad; however the cost becomes quickly prohibitive when you need to staff several factories. It's better to invest in education to solve these needs. Don't wait for the intellectuals to start demanding that they want one built. There will be bad enough blood with them if they have to complain and a high school will do much to improve your island as a whole.
Variety, not quantity Tropico is not the United States of America. More is not always better. A second high school, college or cathedral is rarely necessary. When building entertainment structures, focus on variety, and not multiple pubs or restaurants. Always consider the buildings you create carefully as each one has some impact, try to make it the most productive.
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TITLE: President of Argentina REIGN: 1946-1955 RISE to POWER: Won the allegiance of Argentine workers, who became the backbone of his support. He was elected president by a huge majority in 1946. POLITICAL POLICY: His political program was strongly nationalistic, anti-imperialist and anti-United States. In power, he became increasingly authoritarian: opponents were jailed, the press was muzzled and education was strictly controlled. LUCKY GUY: Married beautiful and dynamic mistress Evita Duarte, who commanded a huge political following. Evita helped him rule the country. POLITICAL DECLINE: The death of Evita, and an anticlerical campaign launched by Per≤n, led to the decline of support from the unusual coalition of labor, reactionaries, nationalists, churchmen, and military leaders. |
Factory upgrades It's easy to overlook a building upgrade but the improvements they provide can be huge! Most upgrades are cheaper than new buildings but offer everything from improved worker happiness to entirely new product production. Many of the factory upgrades require electricity - so think about adding an electrical plant once you're well established.
Landscaping People move around the island on their own and absorb the effects of the surrounding area. If the areas they go through daily are even slightly positive, it will have a good pay off to daily attitude improvement.
PresidentΘ, lead us to prosperity!