Still, because there's an element of roleplaying-you create your own avatar, decorate your palace, and even have a private bank account to squirrel away cash-the mechanics are built out to support a variety of choices.
But that risks exacerbating the underlying social issues. Corruption is useful, as it can be a cheap, quick way to consolidate power. Such detail isn't for its own sake how you play is critically dependent on the political forces at work. Propaganda, trade, international political movements, and even disasters will have marked effects on the social fabric, too. Most of the time, they'll support political moves that match their own self-interest, but not always. Different factions come together on their own. How well are the teamsters paid? The houses furnished? Are you letting your people live in shacks? This moves down another level, too, because as time goes on, the populace evolves quite organically. It contrasts with its contemporaries by following not only each individual, but for simulating even small changes in living conditions.īecause this nation is dictatorial from the outset, you're also given control over just about everything. Tropico is distinct, though, in many respects beyond even its central premise because of its detail-oriented approach. The basics of the genre have been honed for almost three decades now, and little has changed in the sense that most city builders use stocks and flows-moving some resource to its consumer in progressive stages. On their own, these mechanisms would work well enough. Ports and supply depots, roads and laborers can only handle so much. Creating and moving goods largely works the same regardless of what it is, but the complexity comes from layering the skeleton of metal or oil transport on top of the systems that keep people fed and healthy. Agriculture, roads, and teamsters are the absolute basics-grow the food and move it to the people. There are a few necessary components you'll have to stitch together before you have even a rudimentary economy. Economic growth and innovation don't simply happen, though. At the outset, you'll have little more than a few shacks, shops, farms, and a lump sum to kickstart your nascent economy with infrastructure and business investment.