my 2 cents worth..

[vancomycin]

i feel that tropico is a good game overall but since there is a need for much micro-management, why can't we have more direct control on the functions of the various units:

for example:
1)  why not let us control what the teamsters for each office move, 1 for food, 1 for cash crops..etc. seems better than them wandering all around the island.

2)  why can't we specify who exactly to live in a certain housing. i know we can do this indirectly but why not a option to include say, farmers in this block?


secondly, i feel that some of the islanders are behaving illogically,

for example:

1)  priests and bishops visiting nightclubs and casio   should i fire them?

2)  pple living half way around the island from where they work...even when i build a apartment for them near their workplace, they still dont move...but will be solved if i can control who live where ( see 1st point )


thirdly, it really seems strange to me that vehicles are excluded from this game as the 20th century is one of the automobiles. even the poorest country have trucks to carry its produce to the docks and markets. i wonder if this is a fear of increasing the system requirements to play this game then then vehicle animations could be a option only on certain zoom and their detailness can be adjusted. afterall, simcity 3000 has vehicles and it surely run on low-spec machines


ok, that's about all i can think of now and this just about summarizes my view on this great game!

[El Pero Apestoso]

secondly, i feel that some of the islanders are behaving illogically,

for example:

1)  priests and bishops visiting nightclubs and casio   should i fire them?

If everyone did that, there would be a lot of unemployed priests and bishops in the world...

[Scrogdog]

No, no! Direct control misses the whole point of the game! You must affect people’s actions via your policies. The tutorial illustrates the concept well. There is a farm far from town that no one wants to work at. So, through policy, you must entice the population (raise wages). Then people want to work there.

You’ll see some oddities as far as behavior is concerned, no doubt. 60 year old cabaret girls; a 55 year old tourist with a 13 year old wife… a whole bunch of things. It doesn’t really affect gameplay, so I’m just amused by these things.

You can control where people live. Again, policy, not direct control. Just because you built a house closer to where an individual needs to be does not mean that person will move there, even if the rent is cheaper. Generally people only move on their own if the new housing is better in quality (and if they can afford it). I usually hold mass evictions every few years, and the people will tend to relocate closer (even if the new house is exactly like the old) to where they need to be. Sometimes you want to reserve a house for an individual. Build the house and charge rent that no one can afford. The raise the persons pay until he or she can afford the rent. Eventually the person moves in. Now lower the rent and the person’s pay RENT FIRST (else the person can’t afford it and moves out again!). Thanks to whomever gave that tip the other day.

Many have mentioned vehicles, but I really don’t think they’d add much to the game, to be honest with you. To each their own.

Good luck, El Presidente!

[Kendahlj]

The best way to get a Tropican to move to a newly built house/apt is to evict them from their current home.

I agree that vehicles wouldn't really add much to gameplay.  It is a design decision.  What does stink is that some of those slowpokes could take years to get from one place to another.  I hate it when a teamster decides to take a walk and he goes out into the wilderness while you goods are waiting to get picked up.

[Luke]

could be like real life in a way. i mean we arent always doing what we are supposed to, know what i mean?

if you tell someone not to do it, what do you think they are going to do

plus the teamster looks a bit out of shape. let him walk it off man

[Eddy]

Hmm, that presents possibilities.  

Ok, I know I just built a power plant and you have a college degree, but I don't want you to work there.  No.  Go to that farm and pick corn all day.  I don't want to see you holding a clipboard.  I mean it!

Oh, so you took the job.  Fine.  Don't move into that nice luxury home next to the plant.  Argh!  Stop.  What are you doing?  

No working 16 hour days senors.  I mean it. If I see anyone working 16 hours I'll get mad!  

Heh heh heh.

[Santos_L._Halper]

I have a theory about the relationship between the clergy and the cabarets...

When the island's clergymen go to the cabaret, we see them enter, we see them in the building's manifest, but do we really know what they were doing in there?  So my theory is, the clergy, in their sanctity, go to the cabarets to preach fire and brimstone to all the sinners... if they take in a few drinks while they're there, who are we to judge?  

[Eddy]

Well,l the clergy drink the fizzies not because they enjoy it, but to keep other people pure.  If the people can't drink, they won't sin.  It's the same with the cabaret.  If the girls are busy debating theological issues, then they won't be tempting some poor innocent man into being bad.

[BananaBaron]

I wish I would have been quicker with a screen shot....I built a new house and a priest and cabaret gilr moved in together!!  Soon afterward she was a working at the restaurant.  Score one for setting the poor girl straight!!  

[Eddy]

Oh no!  I did an educated guess and it paid off!  I just hope Brian doesn't see this!

[El Pero Apestoso]

The real reason that priests go to cabarets is that they have a secret tarantula breeding facility in the back room...

[Lord_Corwin]

I was wondering where the secret breeding facility was hidden...

Thank you for your informatin you SMELLY DOG!!!!

Lord Corwin

[Coconut Kid]

No, no! Direct control misses the whole point of the game! You must affect people's actions via your policies. The tutorial illustrates the concept well. ...

An excellent reply by a relative newbie. Too bad he didn't hang around.