Small is beautiful

[Raul]

I've seen lots of posts by folks proudly discussing the hundreds and sometimes over a thousand people on their islands, but is it possible to keep the game going with a small population?  Under 100?  Under 70?

What are some strategies that would make this possible, or is the game designed to force you to constantly expand?

And.... if possible, can you have a small, happy, unoppressed population?  

Has anyone experimented with this idea?  What did you do to make it work?

[Lachrymologist]

You can certainly do fine with a smaller population.  Try playing a game with the "Immigrants Out!" Special Circumstance for a serious challenge.  I myself tried a scenario like that, and I think I succeeded.  You can read about it on the AAR Forum under the journal of Presidente Dante or you can click here....
http://www.cafetropico.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tropicoaar&action=display&num=992478202

Good Luck and Have Fun.  Oh, and welcome to the Cafe!

[Raul]

I am glad to be here!  Your story is inspiring.  

I look forward to hearing from others about their success at this strategy.

[Diego_de_la_Vega]

I have found I enjoy playing with the smallest and flatest Island possible.
You really have to plan out your island from the beginning.I try and stake out where my tourist, industrial and town center will be. My population seems to max out at around 300 people. And I find it alot easier to micromanage with the small Island.
  And I can micromanage those little buggers to death..LOL

[calm_blue_sea]

So size doesn't matter, eh! Sure, that's what they all say, but...


Yes, I agree. My best games have been with small populations on very mountainous terrain. It's easy to keep track of everyone and the game runs much more smoothly. It's great if you really want to probe into your Tropicans' personal life and keep an eye on family lineages etc.

[bear_e]

i've tried all the variants, and all of them have certain advantages. i favor an island of medium to large size with a very mountainous interior, holding a populace of under 250 or so... under 200 if possible. i've had islands go up past 800-1000 easily, but after i get past 500 citizens the island's quality of life always seems to go to hell in a handbasket and i end up spending more time managing than creating.

i switch back and forth between the "Imigrants Out!" and "Love It Or Leave It" immigration policies as necessary - using the first policy to contain the immigration population, and the 2nd to give people who don't like living on the island ample opportunity to get out, thereby providing a way to not only lower the population a bit, but also to help reduce the risk of a rebellion, uprising, coup etc. when i'm shorthanded, i'll go with the "Skilled Workers Welcome" policy because educated workers seem to reproduce less than the farmers do. (don't know if the game is designed that way but it seems to work that way.)

[calm_blue_sea]

Well that would be rather realistic if true. Family size is (on average) inversely proportional to income....as silly as that is.

[Eddy]

I generally prefer the tiny map since you don't have to scroll all over the place.  I've found that you can have fairly happy populations if you are careful in your initial planning.  

You have to keep the population small which can put a damper on your economy in the long run since you can't build too much, but on the other hand, you can have a very efficient island.  Learn to use fisheries since you'll need them.  Also, concentrate on the smallest buildings whenever possible instead of the huge space eating structures.

Don't overbuild since you won't be able to staff the places and you also wont have any "greenbelts".  Oh, and an immigration office set to Tropico First is a must later in the game or you'll be flooded to the gills with uneducated workers who are adding nothing to the economy.

[Coconut Kid]

You can certainly do fine with a smaller population.  Try playing a game with the "Immigrants Out!" Special Circumstance for a serious challenge.  I myself tried a scenario like that, and I think I succeeded.  ...

The updated link:
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tropico/cafe/index.php?topic=639.25

[Coconut Kid]

... I switch back and forth between the "Immigrants Out!" [?] and "Love It Or Leave It" immigration policies as necessary - using the first policy to contain the immigration population, and the 2nd to give people who don't like living on the island ample opportunity to get out, thereby providing a way to not only lower the population a bit, but also to help reduce the risk of a rebellion, uprising, coup, etc.  When I'm shorthanded, I'll go with the "Skilled Workers Welcome" policy because educated workers seem to reproduce less than the farmers do. (Don't know if the game is designed that way but it seems to work that way.)

Interesting information except that bear_e seems to have had a brain fart and confused "Immigrants Out!" - a setup special condition - with "Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive" - a setting of the Immigration Office.