Tropico 3 announced

[CafeMarguerite]

http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewstory&threadid=93213

Thought the old faithful would like to know.

[BonnieB]

Thanks for the announcement. I had given up all hope of a Tropico 3.

[TeamStar]

Might as well quote these incredible news for everyone to celebrate! 


Kalypso Media announces they have acquired worldwide rights to Tropico 3 from Take-Two Interactive, and they will release the third installment in this PC strategy series in summer 2009. Tropico 3 will be based on the original Tropico, and development is being handled by Bulgarian developer Haemimont Games (Rising Kingdoms, Imperium Romanum, Grand Ages: Rome). They hope to appeal to newcomers as well as fans of the series, promising "state-of-the-art graphics, complex gameplay similar to the other titles in the series and a comprehensive multiplayer mode." According to Kalypso Media's Simon Hellwig: "The Tropico series is a great IP which we are excited to continue. The game will be the biggest project Kalypso has realized so far in its short history and we are focussing on achieving a worldwide PC hit with this brand. The acquisition of Tropico along with other key licenses is fundamental to our future growth."

[TeamStar]

Some other links wich made me think that this dream will actually come true!




http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/55934

http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_news.phtml?id=111408_9

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/42972/Tropico-3-Announced

http://www.gamingshogun.com/Article/2700/Tropico_3_Announced.html

http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2008/11/14/tropico-3/

More opinions on how Trop3 should be:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/11/17/tropico-3-dictate-your-thoughts/

[Coconut Kid]

... They hope to appeal to newcomers as well as fans of the series, promising "state-of-the-art graphics, complex gameplay similar to the other titles in the series and a comprehensive multiplayer mode." ...

BTW, I tried to register on shacknews.com and could not get it done.

When you cheer about yet another outfit riding on the original game, remember the less than magnificent second go around.

comprehensive multiplayer mode
What do you (collectively) think that means?

I think it means that Tropico 3 will be nothing more than yet another "war" or "crime" shoot-'em-up. You and your friends will be able to engage in a "massively multi-player" orgy of mayhem which includes sex and drugs. You will not need to know anything about a historical period or politics. Tropico 3 will have even less connection with the original than Tropico 2 did. The really great "up-date" of the graphics may not even bother to include the concept of an island.

The Bulgarian development company knows the games that sell. It knows nothing about the game setting -- especially its inspiration Hidden Agenda. They will "improve" it to the point that you will be sick to your stomach over the results.

If I am wrong, I will apoligize. Look at the time frame they have set. Do you wish to guess at the number of corrective patches they will have to issue on such massive change? But it is short enough that I probably will still be alive.

 

[TeamStar]

Do you think they'll make a shoot'm'up Tropico because they're Bulgarian?   

[Coconut Kid]

Do you think they'll make a shoot'm'up Tropico because they're Bulgarian? 

Not just because of their nationality. I think they are oriented to the international mad dash for the lowest common-denominator of mindless, instant gratification drive to win by players of computer games. Pretty pictures followed by changes driven by the "click & shoot" hand-held devices. Look at the madness of text messages on cell-phones. The "games" on cell-phones which are little more than the original "pac-man". All very expensive "fads" which make the "hulla-hoop" look like a sensible exercise machine.

There might be an outside chance that an American based developer could understand the deeper thought behind the original game. Even that is doubtful.

I would also mention that the international disruption in the economy indicates that the projected release date may be fantasy. The U.S. consumers are with-holding purchases of such stuff >big-time< ; if you haven't heard.

 

[TeamStar]

All news say the same, they're making this one to appeal to both newcomers and fans of the series. I suppose die-hard fans like us and strategy gamers overall are no into shoot'm'up kind of game. If the publishers are counting on Tropico 1 audience to support their sales effort, they must be taking that in consideration while designing the new game.

[Coconut Kid]

... If the publishers are counting on Tropico 1 audience to support their sales effort, they must be taking that in consideration while designing the new game.

I so much hope you are correct.

However, do you know of any other web site where this new design/development team could establish connections with "fans of the series"? Have you seen any evidence of their having a spokes-person login here to open a dialog with fans? That is something that PopTop did with #1 - carrying over from CafeDave's RRTycoon board. (The really old-timers here were RRT-2 players first.) BreakAway did it for the 'Paradise Island' expansion. Frog City did it for T-2. Is CafeMarguerite the one? If so she hasn't spoken-up.

In my cynical way, I think Kalypso Media issued a press release written by a marketing functionary who didn't know anything about the game or its history. All the gaming web-sites posted it without the slightest investigation, so naturally everyone says the same thing.

Of course, they may have a dozen folks fluent in English reading this site to glean information. I hope so. But that is expensive as ****.

The game publishers lock the developers in the sub-basement and turn the keys and whips over to the marketing department. Kalypso Media is the publisher /marketing department and Haemimont Games is the "developer" locked in the sub-basement. Read Simon Hellwig's statement very carefully.
Sometime between July and October (2009), a game stitched together from parts robbed from the grave (like Frankenstein's Monster), but dressed up in Tropico suits will be released with a great marketing fanfare. It will run for only about half of the buyers, and it will require several major patches. The "multi-player" option will never work beyond a house-hold hard-wired net. U.S. players will wonder why folks in the Caribbean use so many German language phrases. Some players will complain about having to add another hard drive to load it, and having to refrigerate their PC when the population goes over 200.

Sadly, Coconut Kid 

[CafeMarguerite]

CK - I am not affiliated with the devs or publishers. Just an old Tropico fan who checks the new posts on this board every once in a while, and noticed the news hadn't been posted.

[Coconut Kid]

Thanks for making that clear!

Anything else you wish to contribute is surely welcome as the news flash.

Actually, I do welcome that someone is doing something with the game. That's even if I do have low expectations.

 

[Jabberdau]

Also I am a long time lurker. Checks in every once in a while. However glad I am that there is a T3 on the horizon, having seen so many of my beloved old games beeing screwed up by new developers I don´t have much hope.

Jagged Alliance 3 was turned over to a company much like this. Based in Russia, no noteworthy games under their belt. Project never got anywhere.

SimCity 5, was turned into Sim City Societies by Tilted Mill. A game which killed the Sim City franchise completely. Fortunately Cities XL by Monte Cristo is under way.

Fallout 3 by Bethesda, has nothing at all to do with 1 or 2.

Then again Czech developer Illusion Softworks is behind the Hidden & Dangerous games and Mafia, so that part of the world does have its great ones (though its somewhat north of Bulgaria).

The only re-make of a game from the past which didn´t fail I can think of at the moment is Civilization 4 (made by the same man again).

[TeamStar]

You guys are hoping for the worst without even reading an interview with the developer or seeing a screenshot. It's too early to stress about this people, let's wait at least for next spring, to see some details of the new game.
 

[Coconut Kid]

You guys are hoping for the worst without ...

Whoa back, TeamStar!

We are not hoping for the worst. We are hoping for the best. BUT based on past experience (poor English redundancy - experience is always past), we expect the worst.

I ask you again, how do you think a multi-player mode would work? Do you wish a five member "Junta" to rule Tropico with all five having to agree on where and when each building is to built, and how wages, rents & fees are set?

But worse than that, do you want the update in graphics to push to the technical limits so it can be played only on a $2,000 to $3,000 custom machine? And perhaps only with a highspeed internet connection during all game play?

Naturally all the existing scenarios will be dumped. (Probably) Along with player access to the "editor" and script writing capabilities.

But then, soon someone will interview the lead developer and all such mundane questions will be answered.

 

[TeamStar]

Maybe they'll make a soft shoot'm'up where you can still play Mr. Nice Guy and can win the game without having to kill anyone.   

[el_malo]

Well, I thought that there would never be a Trop3.

I will just have to wait and see what they do with it.

Please, let me go after those pesky rebels 

[TeamStar]

I bet el_malo and his army of mice would enjoy a Tropican shoot'm'up. 

[el_malo]

No, the last thing that I want is for Trop3 to be a "shoot-um-up."

I hope that the developer improves and continues with the format
used in Trop1.

[Coffeebean]

w00t!

and again

w00t w00t!

[Capitaligous]

Well, I'm sure this new title won't be another Tropico 1.

Based on what developers are producing these days, I know we can't expect a new title that embraces all of Tropico 1's values. Tropico was released in 2001, which is close to a decade ago.

However, I'm optimistic about what new features may be added to the new title.

Also, with the release of T3, I'm pretty sure that the Cafe will be refilled with newcomers, and we may restore what once was a busy site.

[TeamStar]

w00t!

and again

w00t w00t!

Yes-yes, Trop 3! 

[Coconut Kid]

Here is the link to kalypso media:
http://www.kalypsomedia.com/en/index.shtml

Where there is NO news about T3.

[el_malo]

The only thing that will make CK happy... is a free copy of Tropico 3 

Instead of being totally negative, before there is anything to base it on,
how about we just relax and see what the future brings us.

If it is a dud... it is a dud.

We could get lucky and a worthy successor to Trop1 may emerge.

[Coconut Kid]

The only thing that will make CK happy ...

I'm not quite so crass as that. 

I went to Kalypso's web site and struggled through about 20+ attempts to register for the forum by following the German instructions. I did finally guess correctly including doing what the e-mail in German told me to do.

So I posted an American English message about Tropico on the Kalypso forum:
http://forum.kalypsomedia.com/showthread.php?tid=594

Please check it out. If I did not properly represent the hangers-on here correctly or adequately, please feel free to post your comments there -- and here if you must. 

There must be an old saying that the best way to be heard is to stand-up and shout right in the face of who is holding your prize. So I tried it.

 

[el_malo]

We can hope that your post will bring some of the people involved in Trop3... into the open.

All I want to know, for now, is if Trop3 will be a GTA piece-of-crap, or if it will stay true to its
origins.