I need help! :)

[bittenheroes11]

Guys!  I have been playing Tropico for 3 days and I have checked several online guides for help.  Although I rake in money because of my cash crops and food is abundant, I have a hard time making the people happy.  

First thing I construct are tenements.  Then I move on to apartments.  My only problem is that the denizens of my island clamour for certain things, and yet when I place the structures, they do not build them.  (I set the vegetation level to high so initially, there are lots of trees)  

What should I build first?  What should be the order?  

I also want to know why everytime I place a structure far from where they are, it just ends up sitting there for a long time, not built.  

Please send me a guide (.pdf, .doc) or anything.  

Thank you people!  

[Mike]

Welcome, bitten!

Construction workers have to walk over to the site from their office, so the building will take longer to build if it's far away.

As for your structures not being built, make sure that you have people working in your construction offices.  It would be a good idea to build a second construction office early in the game.  If there's no one working at your construction office, raise the salary and fire some workers from other places (i.e. farms)

Another possible cause would be the building priority.  That would be the little green arrows at the bottom of the profile that pops up when you click on the construction site.  Set the priority to full if you want a building done before all of the others.

As for a list of buildings, there is no set 'solution' to tropico.  If you're playing freestyle (no scenario), then your choice of buildings will differ based on your playing style.

[Railnut]

Welcome to the only online guide you need, bitten.

Yeah, what Timmy said. Especially about building a second construction office. It's always one of the first buildings I place. Since you have lots of trees, you might as well build logging camps to clear them out.
One more thing, don't waste your money on tenements. Especially not early in the game. Let your peons live in shacks. You can easily win the first election with no housing at all. And when you do start building it, tenements are barely better than shacks. Go for apartments or houses. This will help to raise the housing rating, which will in turn raise Happiness.

[bittenheroes11]

Thanks guys!  Oh.  I have another query?  Is there anyway I can designate a job to a person or people?  For example, if a worker works in a farm and I want him/her to move to a specific job or building, is that feasible?  

[el_malo]

No, but I do suggest you go to the URL listed below.

http://tangerine.asp-world.co.uk/firingandhiring.asp

[Railnut]

No? You say no, and then send him to an article that will tell him exactly how to do it. I think firing is just what he's looking for.

[CafeDave]

I think el_malo means, 'no, you can't fire a worker and tell the game exactly what building they should work in'.  All you can do is hope they go to the one you want or keep firing until they do or end up back where they started.  At that point I give up or shoot them.    (J/K, I don't think I've ever used the Eliminate edict, until Nicaragua that is.... )

[Railnut]

Whenever I fire someone, I X out all the jobs except the one I want them to take. This works most of the time if their faction leanings and education are appropriate for the new position.

I'm an RT2er, micromanagement is my middle name.

[Chairman Robbo]

Rail micromanagement Nut

has a ring to it  

[Railnut]

hehehe It does, doesn't it? Maybe a name change is in order?

[el_malo]

You got it Dave... I should have explained in more detail.   I figured that if he read the article... he would understand.  Em explains the do's and don'ts... much better than I ever could.

[Multivac]

My first buildings are an inmigration office, to give a useful work to the educated women I begin with, a second construction office and perhaps a diplomatic office to begin with diplomatic edicts. Then, the money. I place the basic industry buildings (farms with money crops, wood, a mine if there is a source nearby). And later some good houses, not only this makes them happier but also I spend less money in wages because I gain a bit with rents (use the russian edict first). Then a bar, a clinic and a church, in that order. Import a worker for them and set the inmigration office to bring skilled workers, so you can fill those buildings.
It is also advisable a market in a strategic location, to avoid people having to go too far away for food.
This is the basic part, the way I begin all my games. The next part depends on the way you want to play and achieve goals

[Multivac]

Resuming were I left yesterday (sorry, I had to go away) the next buildings depends on the type of island you want.
If you want a tourism paradise, build a bungalo (or an hotel, but don't let it have workers yet) and then torism atractions around. Try to place all of them near the archeological site, wich is one more place for them. If you build a cheap hotel place cheap atractions or turn them into "for everybody" mode, but if you build a common hotel (more advisable) build both atractions, for cheap tourists and for rich ones. Don't forget a police station to keep crime low, edicts to keep pollution low (if possible, avoid the regular industry and mines), houses for the people working in tourism places (no shacks nearby) and 3 "atractions" wich are not in the tourism list: a bar, a cabaret and a bank with secret accounts. Don't forget to place beaty things like statues of fountains, specially in the places were the tourists will be around.

If you want happiness, build more and more houses, until almost everybody can live inside a good one. Place various types of entertainment buildings, so everybody can fill their desires. Place a cathedral when you can, it provides abetter religious service than churchs, and an institute and a university. Check each year the factions desires and try to build things for all, but don't forget the economy or the least expected day your treasury will vanish away due to maintenance. Allow elections, try even to edict them before people ask them (you are informed a year before) and win without cheating. Perhaps a radio or a TV to talk about you is advisable.

And for economy, build a second teamters office, an institute and later a university, and then 2 buildings of each high industry, except for sugar wich is very big. Place roads to help efficiency in transport