... While in Black & White you struggle to figure out what you can do, you spend your time in Tropico wishing you had time to do more. I'll highlight a few of the most significant points:
- The villagers in B&W are completely moronic (this is supposed to be addressed in the patch) while the people in Tropico are rather clever (except of course when generals insist on living in shacks).
- When playing B&W I found myself spending all my time micromanaging instead of enjoying the game. In Tropico, I find myself slowing the speed down just so I can zoom in and watch what some of my people are up to.
- Although the creature in B&W is an interesting component of the puzzle, the overly strict good vs evil set of rules prohibits a 'good' creature from becomming powerful. Don't want to get into the long winded explanation, but those who have played will probably know what I mean. (Any use of an offensive spell, even against an enemy creature or an enemy village, causes a reduction in your alignment).
- B&W just isn't fun. For all the eye candy and high-tech features that are thrown at you, B&W is seriously lacking in gameplay. Tropico on the other hand subtely has almost as much eye candy, a fantastic musical score and phenomenal gameplay. Did I mention that Tropico is a lot of fun too? ...
Lach
I knew that B&W was a dud after I watched a very long promo movie that explained the game in detail. I thought about it and realized:
* I do not want to pull up trees and throw rocks to impress villagers.
* I do not want to help sailors build a boat.
* I do not want to rescue kids from sharks.
* I do not want to find missing people in the forest.
* I do not want to tickle a monkey.
* I do not want to hear advice from a floating guy in a grey beard.
While these and other posts in this thread are boosts for Tropico as could be expected on this site, they do provide glimpses of the really basic difference between the two games:
Black and White is a God Game in which the player assumes the role of a God in control of the NPCs; and there is some element of supernaturalism in the gameplay.
Conversely, Tropico has no "supernaturalism" and the player's role has no aspect of direct control of the NPCs' actions.
Unfortunately, the history of gameplay in Tropico has shown that the players can not let go of the desire to be GOD to the builders, teamsters, and dockworkers when they don't perform as expected. The players moan & groan that
something is wrong with the game when NPCs "misbehave" rather than accepting that the fault may be their own -- that they really don't understand how to play the game.
B&W does have a patch, its a developer patch that's absolutely huge, and covers every bug I've encountered so far. ...
Personally, I was infinitely amused with Tropico. But I was infinitely intrigued with B&W. The difference between the two games, is that Tropico gives you instant delights, but B&W rewards hard work and long hours.
For example, the first time I played Tropico, I had instant fun. I got into the game relatively quickly. The first time I played B&W, I was instantly amazed, and overwehelmed. After a short time playing, it got boring. But I persisted, and after a long time playing, I can fully appreciate the depths of the game. ... But I just realized the full scope of my creatures intelligence. How doing different things affects the game greatly.
I think both games are two of the best I have played in my life. People raved about C&C, I hated it. People marvelled at Deus Ex, I found it depressing. However, I can't say the same thing for either Tropico or B&W. Each, hits the nail on the head, appealing to a different part of my psyche. ... Tropico, infinitely more entertaining than any other God game or RTS I've played, including AoE. B&W, by far the deepest and most intriguing God game I've ever played, ... You've just gotta stick at it. ...
