Early Game Start Questions (Vol. 2)

[TruthForAll25]

 

as you all know how you start the game can decide whether you rule or get removed from office

at the beginning of the game when the people start whining for a church, do you guys normally build it? or wait until you reach around 30k

also what kind of houses do you build?

i also noticed it seems very important to get a early clinic going, so you can keep the few starting educated workers you get

i'm anxious to know what some of you starts are

[tater259]

Soon as I begin a game I normally have 4 farms...I switch 2 to a cash crop like coffee or tobbaco ( what ever is best )    Then I fire all my teamsters to fill the empty slots in my construction office farms etc.  Then build a clinic.  Then build a pub.  If I got the spare cash I build an apartment building.  I wait till I get more cash and build another apartment building.  Next I add another cash crop.  I always use tobaco.  And go from there.  I gradually save and save and go from there.  Good luck.  

[Brf]

Never start with coffee for cash. It takes 5 years to produce your first crop. Tobacco, sugar, maybe pineapple....

[TruthForAll25]

your right i've heard about how coffee takes a while to grow, tobacco seems to work pretty fast for me

i once got my happincess up to like 60 something before it fell pretty sharply i ended up getting kicked out of office, everyone had nice homes, my treasuray was like 200k, two churches, a clinic, a pub, and i was issuing the mardi gras edict like every year, how could there be such a sharp fall in happiness, despite all i did for those ungrateful citizens?  lol

 

[Brf]

Why would you want two churches? I usually close off the slots in the one because they have such a low quality level  

[TruthForAll25]

i usually use two becuase it takes two to give your whole island a high quality church service

In addition to this it makes the people of the island more content overall

try it and see how much of a difference it makes

[Brf]

Nope. Church is not quality.... If you are worried about religeon quality it is much better to build the cathedral as soon as possible and close off the church....

Same with the Hospital and close off the clinic...

[Severous]

Stats from watching a fisherman for years.

My conclusion: he spent less time working once a church was built.  Prior to the church he only needed to wonder a short distance, then read a bible for 0 days before wondering the short distance back to work (or something else).

Impact on productivity was marked.  Was one of things i applied to Trop2 when I got that years later.  I dont build a church in Trop2 - the captives just go without nor do they have a vote I need to worry about.

[Cam]

I'm very much in agreement with Brf on this one.

Churches are useful only for small populations, and barely 'cut it' after a while. They can make certain edicts available towards the game start (thinking principally of the Contraception Ban) which can have a profound impact later in the game. They can sure help get you over the first or second elections, but really beyond that they're a stepping stone to Cathedrals. They can also perform a useful role in acting as a 'transit lounge' job for cowardly-inclined secondary school educated workers before they become factory workers (or whatever). Personally I leave my Church open for business rather than rely completely on Cathedrals, but it's a good thought.

at the beginning of the game when the people start whining for a church, do you guys normally build it? or wait until you reach around 30k

Typically I build it by around 1955 after the first few export shipments have gone off but before the first election.

also what kind of houses do you build?

I get the Russian Development Aid edict around 1960 and go with Apartments. When it gets into the mid- to late-game, I'll start going after blue unelectrified houses. If I'm playing a scenario where happiness is of concern, I'll consider condominiums for university-trained.

i also noticed it seems very important to get a early clinic going, so you can keep the few starting educated workers you get

I tend to agree ... especially if you go with obstetrics at the start, again this can have ramifications later in the game when the population growth becomes 'more exponential'. Like the Church, a clinic is usually built around 1955.

i'm anxious to know what some of you starts are

Putting the tourism exploit strategy aside, it's hard to generalise as your map will dictate to some extent the strategic approach you take; for instance there's only so much rationale for switching two farms to tobacco and building a cigar factory immediately if there's a whopping mound of gold sitting just outside of your town. A game with the 'Rebel Yell' attribute may see me think twice about building too many coffee farms, as they take a while to become productive, only to be knocked over in an instant ... then again, they're so darn profitable that if you lose two of eight, you'll still more than make up the loss.

A traditional game will often see me keep a corn farm, switch one to papaya, and switch another to tobacco. Up everyones' wages by a bit, build a pub (Mardi Gras), construction office, Diplomatic Ministry, and farms/mine/ranch. A church, clinic, and high school are almost inevitably up before the first election. I rarely build housing before this point.

I tend to play scenarios a lot more often than random islands, so the scenario objectives will inevitably push me in one strategic direction.

I suppose my playing style might be a little different from the norm in the mid-game, in that I tend to race towards building an Airport for the benefit of Trade Delegations ... a +60% price bonus on pineapples for example will change the type of development that I'd otherwise undertake. Farm-wise, I also rate smoked beef highly - especially on large maps where there are a few outlying valleys. I'll also build a 'Coupons and More' newspaper pretty well immediately after the construction of a College. I practically never pursue sugar and rum, goats, or furniture, unless they're part of a scenario's requirements or in the 'rum case' I'm playing as a Booze Baron.

[TruthForAll25]

hmm that was very interesting, i guess illl start postpoining plans for a church by a tad and focus  more on oother important areas

i must say that you all have been very helpful

please see my new post " Mother Of All Cigars"

thanks again guys,

[belbincolne]

I'm basically in agreement with what's been said. Churches come last (sometimes never) in my plans and I ALWAYS ignore the whine. Only if happiness is important do I build one as a stage to one/two cathedrals.

I disagree with Cam's list though. I get in the Russian edict at the earliest possible date (before 55 if I can) and build tenements/appartments, then a surgery (if I've got male collegians) then school and shop long before I even give consideration to a church - perhaps 1970 unless my economy is incredibly strong.

[Cam]

You can certainly disagree, but you will suffer horribly for it! Miguel, where is that 'Eliminate' button?  

"Churches come last (sometimes never) in my plans"

Isle of the dadgumeded?  

I'm wondering if TruthForAll25 is going to offer any more strategic advice to Brf?  

[TruthForAll25]

i used to think building a church had a tremendous impact on happiness, but i found it really doesn't

i found that improving beauty of the island by putting fountains in certain parts of the map along with a clinic, 1 or 2 pubs, and the mardi gras edict, goes a long way

also getting a early police station and 2-3 police help alot too, especially since crime tends to slightly increase w/ the mardi gras edict

i also throw in some cheap bunk housing

in late game i found you have to add more pubs to keep the mardi gras pretty effective entertainment wise, together with a movie theatre completely takes care of your entertainment

building a hospital, college, and cathedral are usually some of the last things i do in a game

[Captain Carrrghter]

I tend to build at least one factory and a high school first.

It's not just the religious happiness that suffers if you don't build a church, but also respect among the religious. And that's one of the bigger factions--not a good one to have unhappy with your rule on election day. Of course, if election day never comes on your island, the religious aren't the people you're trying to keep happy anyway.  

[MadDog]

My strategy is to switch one of the farms to tobacco/sugar/coffee (respectively), and another to pineapple/banana/papaya (respectively), leaving one corn farm, and build another two farms, one corn, and one of cash kind.
Then I go and build half a dozen bunk houses, clinic and roads, then, as money start to get in, I build marketplace then pub, afterwards ranch and fisherman's wharf.
Simultaneously I give them food for all, litter ordinance and pensions. As money start to flow in more and more, there soon are blue houses and country houses, logging camp, another clinic and second dock, and a min as well if there's enough minerals close enough.
If I'm still president at that point (it's usually around mid 60's), I'm going after college, church and university and industry, starting with furniture and canning.
After that, there comes second construction, teamsters and marketplace, together with restaurant and night club, and some cheap hotel (there already are some bungalows), with a bank and souvenir shop.
Working my way to the mid 70's, I build diplomatic ministry and immigration office.
In the 80's I usually build electric plant, develop historical sites, build spa's, tennis courts and all fancy tourists mambo-jumbo.

Well, that's it, and providing I managed to get alive through all this, I have enough money to start build airport as well.

Perhaps my strategy is not very succesfull, because, at least until now, due to timeline, I never managed to get functional airport before Y2K...  

And yet another thing - I never succeded to win third elections without adjusting the results, or skipping those third elections.

Never got to the stage I could build cathedral or stadion or luxury houses... Maybe I'll need more time... or more starting citizens (I start with 30 of them, game lenght 50 years...)

Allright, enough blabbing... let's govern those darn Tropicans!
Bribe 'em all! Eliminate 'em all! Prohibition all the way! No election at all! Hey! I'm your president! You can't do that! I'm not a lunatic! I'm sane! Hey! Where are you taking me!?! Ammgrhfpfghrmmmmm...

[TruthForAll25]

hmm i admit i have been slacking on houses sometimes, it seems individual houses effect house quality more than just throwing up a few apartments and tennements

after my money comes around 1955-60 i will make it a point to get  more blue houses asap

to me it seems apartments dont do much for your house qulaity score?

is it just me?

[Cam]

The Cafe Tropico Game Guide on Housing might be of value here. Note that this doesn't seem to take into account Paradise Island / Mucho Macho, as Condominiums, Army Bases and Social Security are not addessed.

It sets out; "So what's the final conclusion?  Get Russian Aid and build lots of apartments!" - which is not bad general advice I'd say.

[TruthForAll25]

i build apartmen housing for mostly homeless etc, afer all its not exactly a tourist attraction

     

[Cam]

Technically, I'm the same. I don't see the value in building anything less than apartments unless the Russians give me a tenement for nix. Usually I can get through the first election on the existing housing, but typically from 1960 to 1970 it's Russian Development Aid --> apartments unless there's some other extraordinary need.

[ceausescu]

my approach is to spend every penny on hand immediately for a quick start on the world bank's money. a second construction office is a must if you have to develope an area further. after turning existing farms to cash crops (but only fruit so that every bit of surplus is exported) i build another four of five farms or a combination with woodcutters or mines. i save a thousand for edicts. prohibition, contraception-ban and anti-litter may each be useful. (the first two i cancel by 1960 so as to meet liberty expectation)
than i let the game run fast for about two years, until the cash balance becomes positive again...

[ceausescu]

there's one thing i forgot for 4k i build a tenment so some of the people are accomodated. later i use mostly apartaments and let the tenement for zero rent for the students, old and unemployed

[Brf]

If you are going to waste 4K on a tenement right away, you might as well spend 5K and get the foreign ministry and then russian aid. I would never pay full price for a tenement

[ceausescu]

i take it as a symbol of the new welfare state
the diplomatic ministry is not necesarily a good investment right away, when you don't have the money to build several apartment buildings. i'd rather invest the money in something productive and gather more cash than the 2k "wasted" on the tenement.
to win the first elections, most of the times you have to offer something else than jobs, and i found that a tenement does better than pub, clinic or church. this way i can use the money for hischool, industry and some more housing (via diplomatic edict) and only build the church and clinic after the second elections when money is not as much of an issue

[Brf]

I have only had problems with the first election in scenerios with extremely-hard political settings.... Other than those rare cases, I never worry about the first election.

[Privateer0]

I usually build the diplomatic ministry before the first election, but not solely for the sake of the Russian discount.

First of all, I like to have it as a *gasp* diplomatic tool If the United States gets too annoyed at me like they often do early, I will be able to appease them by having my diplomats sweet-talk Uncle Sam. If that doesn't happen, I can have the diplomats please the commies and get a little more aid out of them.

Second, I try to get the Russian blueprints as early as I can. The local commies are going to start complaining sooner or later at the lack of housing and inequality of incomes, which will make Russian relations less than sweet. And I sure am not about to bust the treasury building housing for all those peon wonderful productive citizens of Tropico. Well, at least not until I have those discounts.