Need help with 4th Scenario

[AntiMaim]

First, on a general note ... is it just me, or is everyone finding the canned scenarios in Tropico 2 MUCH harder than those in the original Tropico?  I swear it took me about 60 tries to win Scenario 3 (rated "Easy"!), and I'm in despair of ever getting past number 4 (medium difficulty).

This scenario only starts you out with $150 ($100 of which is needed to build a Pirate Cove), with an ultimate goal of $800 (to build a shipyard) in six short years.  There are only two ways I know of accumulating money:  raiding and selling stuff through a Pirate Cove.  Maintenance costs alone will erode the $150 long before you can build a ship big enough to raid with, and since the only skilled captives you start with are traders, I take this is a further indication that Pirate Coving is the way to go in this scenario.

Unfortunately, the lack of money prevents the kidnapping of any other skilled captives, and the lack of a raiding ship precludes getting any on a cruise, which means the only things you can sell at the cove are beer and cutlasses.  Problem is, it seems no matter how quickly I build my breweries and blacksmithies, and no matter how many of them I build, it is impossible to raise the necessary money in the time allowed.  So far, I've gotten up to four smithies and four breweries and still fail miserably.  Part of this is caused by the extreme laziness of the Cove hauler.  I know a smithy or brewery inventory has to be at about 15 before he'll go pick the stuff up, but even when I have multiple manufactories with those inventory levels, the hauler will sit for months at a time without venturing forth except to eat.  As a result, my treasury just keeps going farther and farther in the red, and the six years streak by without my being able to raise sufficient capital to build the shipyard.

I've tried exploring all the surrounding areas to see if I can find a Military settlement (for the skilled captives I might net in a raid), but have found nothing beyond the trade settlement they start you with and a farming settlement a couple of zones away.

Am I missing something obvious???

[Lachrymologist]

Here's what I did.

Don't build the pirate cove right away, you don't need it.

There's another way you can make money!!!

Get that pirate economy up and running asap.  You can grow corn and make beer and you can put wench houses & gambling dens without skilled workers.   Once you have some money coming in and some beer stored up, put the cove down.  As for the iron production chain, I've found the most efficient to be 2 mines, 1 blast furnace and then 1-2 (depending on proximity to mine and rate of material flow into them) of whatever I'm trying to make.  

If I recall correctly, you don't have skilled captives, or a ship to go out and get them with, so focus on the pirate entertainment, beer,  and cutlasses untill you get enough money for the shipyard.  Your pirates can be spending money as well, set buildings to middling rates.

With this strategy, I was able to win economically without building a shipyard in August 1654.

Hope this helps, best of luck.

Lach

**** NOTE ****
In my original post, I made an error of fact with regards to the sea rations and the cove, apologies to anyone that was mislead by the error.  I've edited this post and corrected the mistake.

[Charlemagne]

Hmmm, I don't think I ran into any problems on episode 4.  

I think the orignal poster is talking about scenario 4: Peace or Plunder, not episode 4. So if anyone has advice about Peace or Plunder post it.

Here's my take on this one:

I think it is very hard to succeed in the time limit if you mix a peace strategy with a plunder strategy in this one. You must makea choice and stick with it the whole way.

For the plunder strategy the key is ransoming off your skilled traders to gain some extra money. Build a snow first to raid for unskilled captives. Then develop a cutlass industry and start crusing. You may lose a snow here and there but you should keep building more snows and schooners.  Six years is a  long time, and you can absorb pirate losses on the small ships by continuing to raid and press ganging.

For the peace strategy, the first key (as you say) is an immediate cove. Then, yes invest in industry right by the cove. Make money on beer and cutlassss --you don't have time to waste money kidnapping skilled workers. Just have one little ship raiding for unskilled. If you build pirate entertaiment, either block off the hauler slots or don't build entertainment that wants beer. Build only one dock so cutlasses are not wasted. Make sure you've opened the cove to a great power. You should be able to get money from  cutlass and beer sales.

Now, I can't explain why your attempt at this hasn't worked. I don't think I ever needed four industrries to complete it. Masbe lack or corn for the breweries? Or perhaps other buildings taking stuff out of the stockpiles? Are things close together?

Good Luck.

[AntiMaim]

Charlemagne is correct; I was talking about Peace & Plunder.  Sorry for not being more clear.

Ironically, I beat this scenario about half an hour after I posted my first message, and I did it with a variation on the first strategy described by Charlemagne.  I focused on getting a boatyard, dock, and sea ration factory built as quickly as humanly possible, but first I prevented any pirates from acting as overseers.  This kept my overhead very low (maintenance only, which is unavoidable).  Once I had enough lumber to build a ship, I ransomed off one of the skilled traders, which (with what I had left in my original bank) was enough to build a raiding ship.  Once I'd accomplished that, the scenario was won within minutes.

I had tried this strategy once before, but didn't take the step of keeping the pirates unemployed.  That made all the difference.

Thanks for your responses.

[CafeDave]

I thought this one looked interesting thanks to your question, so I tried it both ways.  The plunder method is definitely more fun and profitable, but it may take longer to get cruising.  I tried this method first and forgot to block out the overseers, so was about $1200 in the hole before I started cruising.  My first cruise went out in March 1652.  I made do with only two snows to cruise, set to miserly.  I didn't ransom the traders either but did set pirate entertainment to gouge 'em.  I won gold in Nov. 1653 with a score of 10,691, but it would have been a lot faster without overseers.

I tried the peace strategy with no ships whatsoever.  This meant I was limited to the original 36 captives and 18 pirates so hiring and firing to fill jobs was critical.  I built a pirate cove first then the weapons industry.  I forgot you can sell beer so didn't even build a brewery.  I also set entertainment to gouge 'em and that's where most of the money came from rather than the cove.  But pirate satisfaction was dropping fast just as my shipyard was completed so this is not recommended for a longer time period.  Lach's middling rate suggestion is probably more reasonable.  My score was only 6066 in June 1652 with a pirate happiness of only 30% compared to 62% for plundering.

[Severous]

My score...not very high.

Anyone guess how I did it.  It wasnt much like any of the above postings.

Hint....Finished in 1650.

[el Coco]

I've tried exploring all the surrounding areas to see if I can find a Military settlement (for the skilled captives I might net in a raid), but have found nothing beyond the trade settlement they start you with and a farming settlement a couple of zones away.

I'm still kinda new to T2; still plodding through the learning scenarios, in fact.  Last night I was playing the one in which you're a privateer for England, and the only settlement I have been able to find on the map was an English settlement.  Treaty forbade me to raid it, but I was in need of skilled workers, so I sent a schooner out to a section where there were no settlements (just to see what would happen), and sure enough it came back with a Spanish skilled farmer.  Subsequently, I've kidnapped a cook, server, and tobacconist all without breach of treaty, and all (apparently) from the open sea.    Is the learning scenario being easy on me?  Or do kidnapping mission not require a settlement as its target?

[Sea Scourge]

el Coco

Or do kidnapping mission not require a settlement as its target?

Kidnapping does not require a settlement and Severous discovered it uses fewer rations if you leave your ship in home waters.

[Sea Scourge]

Severous

Anyone guess how I did it.  It wasnt much like any of the above postings.

You mean like this? Darn, I should have gotten everybody on building the shipyard faster. That let the pirate satisfaction slip.

[Severous]

I know you got it SeaScourge.  No ships built..let alone lost to some invisible force.

Theres enough cash on your island (trader ransoms and in pirate pockets) to afford the shipyard. So get hold of that dosh in any underhand way you can, produce lumber as fast as possible, then build the shipyard.

Note: Careful when you ransom the ship wright - he automatically comes back next month and costs you $250 which is less than you get in ransom.

el Coco
Heres the link to the thread about raiding.

http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/~tropico/cafe/index.php?board=19;action=display;threadid=8187

I am intrigued about the Spanish captives coming back. That suggests something a little different in your case.  If you do it again check the ship log carefully.  Page 2 of the message as it returns to dock confirms where you have been raiding.

My game ended 4 June 1650

[Sea Scourge]

Severous

I am intrigued about the Spanish captives coming back.

If you check the encyclopedia entries for the various types of skilled captives you'll find that the different skills tend to come certain nationalities but it isn't a set rule. Skilled farmers tend to be English but el Coco got a Spanish one which isn't all that rare and proves that the settlement isn't where the kidnap victims are coming from. This kidnapping business is sort of hokey when you think about it. I would rather have a trade school building where captives could be trained in the various skills. Guess I should add that to a wish list if it hasn't already been suggested.

[el Coco]

Still, it strikes me odd that you need a settlement to kidnap an unskilled captive, but you can sail anywhere to get a skilled one.  

[Sea Scourge]

Still, it strikes me odd that you need a settlement to kidnap an unskilled captive, but you can sail anywhere to get a skilled one.  

Yo también.

Darn, now you've got me doing it.


¿Cómo se dice "Duérmete" en inglés?

[el Coco]

Yo también.

Darn, now you've got me doing it.


¿Cómo se dice "Duérmete" en inglés?

Who knew Spanish was infectious?  Duérmete=Sleep, you.

[Sea Scourge]

Who knew Spanish was infectious?

In my experience the most useful phrase to learn in any foreign language is "Does anyone here speak English?" (in the UK it would be "Does anyone here speak American?"). Equally important is the local word for beer. Fortunately in most countries that word is beer or very close to it. Be warned though that there is a least one comedian in Italy who will pretend not to understand what you're talking about, so in Italy be sure to say bira.