Desperately Need Help Making Money

[yankee60]

Ahoy! I've been playing Tropico2 for a few weeks now, and I was truly hoping this was going to finally be the pirate game I was looking for. I'm real frustrated though...try as I may, I just cannot seem to stay ahead of the game, money-wise. I feel I'm doing everything right...making wenching houses (my personal favorite), taverns, etc to keep 'em all happy, sending ships out on cruises that usually come back empty-handed. The treasury just keeps shrinking till I'm in a downward-spiraling negative balance, then I just give up. Should my ship settings be on "miserly", or "big spender", should I bother making a nation a patron (I usually do, after declaring peace, releasing their captives, etc) to get money from them...anything else?
I'm so frustrated, I've even tried to use the cheats that I've seen, just to keep my head afloat, but I cant seem to bring the console up to type anything in...how do I type in the cheats? It says "press and hold cntrl/shift"...nothing happens when I do that, nowhere to type anything!
One last thing...no matter what i do, I cannot seem to make a ship "explore" a new region. I'll supposedly select a ship, change view to region overview, select a new region, switch back view, then send the ship off to explore, but they never go to that region! They just explore the region we're currently in!
Sorry for the long, tearful rant...I can see the potential this game has, but I'm ready to give it up, as it's becoming very frustrating. FYI, I have the latest patch, if that's any help.

[Charlemagne]

yankee

To make money, in the end, you need successful pirate cruises. In the sort term you can sell off excess resources to one of the (friendly) great powers with a smuggler's cove. Just make sure to build it close to the sites that have excess so your haulers don't have to take the goods too far.

It seems to me that, generally, when players have cash problem it is because they are spending too much early on. It seesm likely to me that you are trying to grow your island and are spending money too freely. You need to get pirate ships ASAP because in this game they are the foundation of the economy.

Playing the start of the campaign might help. Then going back to sandbox with some simpler wins under your belt...(I assume you are playing sandbox.)

Finally, to explore: Are you actually dragging the icon that prepresents the ship into the other region, or just selecting the oher region? Make sure the icon moves into that region.

Hope this helps.

[yankee60]

Thank you so much for your help. No, I was not dragging my ships icon into another region...that is exactly why explore was not working   ! Also, I think you're right in that I am probobly trying to grow my island way too soon, spending money like crazy early on. I was allowing myself to just spend, spend, spend (just like real life!). I'll take it slower now.
Could anyone please tell me how to bring up the console to type in cheats? I know, it's lame...

[Hayreddin Barbarossa]

 
About explorations, I've noticed that the bigger your ships, the better the results. IOW, a "blind" cruise with a Frigate returns much more information than three explorations with a Snow. (Correct me if I'm wrong. )

Cheats? Are there any? LOL!
 

[Coffeebean]

Welcome to the Cafe/Tavern yankee

You don't actually need to explore a region before cruising it and whilst cruising you still learn about the region! I learnt that doing Dave's scenario. It may be better to explore first, but why not plunder whilst you explore!

Regarding the cheats see here http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/~tropico/cafe/index.php?board=19;action=display;threadid=8093

[Shorty]

Hey, Yankee ive been playing Trocpico 2 for about since 2 years ago, and i could help you.First, try to place a few extra corn farms, so you have a surplus of corn, then you dont need to worry to much later. Then get the cheapest and lowest entertainmant built near docks (so piartes dont have to walk so far). Then while or before the entertainment is being built, set the cots to "Middling rates". Try to get a Schoonor as quick a possiable. Then get a full raitons and raid some towns. Then get weapons up and dont rush building places.


           Once, you have a stable Ecomony, build firagtes or brigs, dont matter,( i like firgate:D) and get them full crews of good shipmen. Build the Schools and train your fleets to get a maxinum average in their most used attack ablitlty. Thats all you really need to get good ecomany and good raids.

           Though i dont recomend it, i know the cheats for the game, dont use them unless you must!!!
 
P.S. Hold Shift and Ctrl while typing these in and then lift up your fingers!.

booty=2000 goldtimber=100 lumber
winit= winloseit= loseBritinv=english invasion
Thats all i remember, ill add your topic so i can give tips, CYA

[Severous]

My tips at the start of any game:

- Low wages.  All overseers get paid $1pm. Use the low priority settings on all buildings.

- Fleece cash out of your pirates using the housing scam. They start with $75 each (Captians $100)  Thats quite a lot of dosh.
http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/~tropico/cafe/index.php?board=19;action=display;threadid=8158

- build only lowest level entertainment. Animal pit, dive and wench houses. Set these on bargin prices.  Bargin prices for these low buildings means $0 entrance fee.  So your scum, who have no money, can always be entertained.

- Always gouge em scam.
http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/~tropico/cafe/index.php?board=19;action=display;threadid=8148
This generates a trickle of money into your game so you dont even have to cruise.

Thats how im playing. Micromanagement. Money isnt a problem.

More generally useful tips:
- fire all your palace guards. Even on lowest they are on $2pm. You dont need em early in the game.
- Dont bother with overseers in docks except as a mechanism to keep onshore pirates close to ships.
- only use medium priority to pay any broke mid+ rank pirates in overseers jobs. $6pm means they can afford most entertainment whenever they need it. Not necessary at game start.
- Never use high prioirty settings. $12pm pay buys you nothing.  If you are short in supply of overseers then increase supply by press ganging new ones.  If short of working captives then go raid for some.

[Shorty]

yea, i argee with Severous tips, also, put on the edict that gives pirates better gambling, AND, then one that makes them pay more, so they get good betting and you get money.