Tropico 6 from Limbic Entertainment

[Toffeli]

So, what's the best Tropico? I don't care about graphics.
I played Tropico 2 ages ago, but don't remember much.

The original. 1.

 

[Delterius]

tropico 1 is more of a politics sim, later games are more of city building sandboxes

 

[Toffeli]

I would also say the 3-6 are basically the same games.

 

[ZeniBot]

I would say 6 is worse than 3. 3 runs good, its economy works well, your progress carries over from previous plays.
6 is really a massive step backwards. 4 in my eyes is the best 3D tropico.
1 is great if you want Tropico 3 but 2d isometric.
2 is great if you want something that isn't Tropico.

 

[sser]

But how is 5?

 

[Keshik]

5 was ok, nothing special I found. The dynasty system was sort of cool. At least it had a campaign, even if it was sort of bonkers. 6 has the same system like 3, I think, where you just pick at missions.

 

[Space Satan]

5 was...mediocre. Super-income solutions worked too well and oil granded infinite money. But Kalypso never bothered with such negligable things as balance or economy.

 

[Nutria]

Go with Tropico 1 if you're actually interested in a coherent setting (Carribean 1950s-2000s) and you're interested in that era. If you want a generic city-builder with some interesting visuals, go for Tropico 3+. Skip Tropico 2.

 

[ZeniBot]

Tropico 5 was Tropico 4 but missing content, though you could command Armies now (pretty much the only good thing 5 added).

 

[typical user]

Tropico 6 is better than 5, gets rid of the dynasty system, adds missing stuff from previous games, tries to bring back more factions.

The true bank was tourism which would be your main powerhouse for other lucrative income sources like clothing or chocolate factories. But tourism will never deplete and once it's running, there is no way to screw it up. Don't know about 6 though, heard of some balance changes or bugs.

 

[orcinator]

I too would put it above 5 since you don't need to buy DLC to be able to imprison people.
Still the series hasn't evolved all that much since 3, and 6 brings it's own problems like not having to worry about elections since rebels only spawn when liberty is low, crime not being a thing and the new raid mechanic having a tendency to glitch out.

Don't know about 6 though, heard of some balance changes or bugs.

I couldn't figure out how to get Tourism to make money at first, turns out you need to rely on the right entertainment buildings since Hotels don't make their money back (bit of an issue).
Also the real source of free money is the office building, which generates money based on the total population.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Fame and Infamy in 280 Characters: 'Spitter' DLC For Tropico 6 Out Now
​

Strategy publisher Kalypso Media today launched Tropico 6's second DLC, 'Spitter', with the US PlayStation®Store version to follow a day later on April 24th. Continuing the series' penchant for dark humour and city building, Spitter DLC sees Tropico leader El Prez pursuing online infamy in the ever-changing world of social media.





Spitter DLC adds a new fame feature to Tropico 6. Using Spitter, the only social media app approved for use in Tropico, players can make a name for themselves through interactions with faction leaders, courtships with influencers and connections with celebrities. They can also build new attractions such as the Rehab Centre and Beauty Farm to ensure that citizens and visitors have everything that they need right at their doorstep.

Information
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Title: Tropico 6 - Spitter DLC
Platforms: Windows PC, Linux, Mac, PlayStation®4, Xbox One
Genre: City Builder
Release: Out now for Windows PC, Linux, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 (24/04/2020 for US)
Hashtag: #Tropico6 #SpitterDLC

In Spitter DLC, it’s all about the fame and prestige and nobody knows this better than a self-declared despot...uh, statesman, such as El Presidente. Tropico 6’s second DLC skyrockets players into the world of stardom and illustriousness. Interact with superstars by using Spitter, the only short message social networking app officially approved by the Tropican Ministry for Modern Communications & Smoke Signals. Court the stars to gain their support, unlock their individual strengths and in turn, receive even more respect and adulation from subjects. But beware - fame and money can also attract some seriously shady types…

At the heart of Spitter DLC is the new Spitter mechanic, which allows players to interact with celebrities and faction leaders via social media to increase their social standing. Use new buildings such as the Rehab Center or Beauty Farm to attract celebrities and make them permanent citizens of Tropico. Plus, enjoy even more content with three additional music tracks, more customization items and a new trait for El Prez.

• Spitter social media feature: interact with superstars and faction leaders via a social app to increase your standing and unlock new traits for celebrities
  
• New mission and sandbox map
  
• 3 new buildings: lure celebrities to Tropico by building a Rehab Center or Beauty Farm, or assist in their decision to become permanent residents using the Super Villa
  
• New trait: Narcissist
  
• 3 new audio tracks including: 'Comercio Feliz', 'La Celebridad' and 'Fiesta en el Club'
  
• 5 additional customization options for El Prez and his palace

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

this game is crap.
being forced to advance through time is crap, the edicts system is crap, the customization is crap, there's absolutely no balance between playing stiles earnings making trade the only viable one, the politics must be played libruls style otherwise rebels will keep spawning at the same point one after another out of thin air dooming your nearby buildings with very very little influence from police and army and with the slowest firefighters ever, the cap to population is crap because 1800 people are the bare minimum, i wanted endless favelas and instead i had like 15 apartments and little else, stealing world wonders is a crap idea and it's crap because some are mandatory and some others are 100% useless.

 

[thesheeep]

Indeed. The game is fun for a few hours until you've seen all the nonsense at least once and you realize there is only one good way to play this and you're already doing it so there is no point to continue...

 

[vonAchdorf]

The foundations for interesting political interactions are there, unfortunately they don't make use of them. Instead we get more silly hats and outfits for the president. Some silliness is ok, but a couple of iterations ago, they unfortunately decided that Tropico is now 99% silliness.

 

[TemplarGR]

All Tropico games are essentially the same with minor differences. Always play the most recent one, cause it has the best graphics. It is a game to design some tropical cities and have some fun as some pseudo-dictator, those games are not serious simulations. Yes they get boring eventually, they are not meant to be played hardcore, just play a little, get bored, leave it alone, go back a few weeks later, play some more, etc. They are comfort food, not quality. And i like them for it.

 

[Sukhāvatī]

Tropico 6 having a free weekend starting July 9th.

https://steamdb.info/sub/467043/

 

[Lycra Suit]

All Tropico games are essentially the same with minor differences. Always play the most recent one, cause it has the best graphics. It is a game to design some tropical cities and have some fun as some pseudo-dictator, those games are not serious simulations. Yes they get boring eventually, they are not meant to be played hardcore, just play a little, get bored, leave it alone, go back a few weeks later, play some more, etc. They are comfort food, not quality. And i like them for it.

 

[typical user]

So I've played the game few months back. The economy system sort of works because you have to constantly manage bottle-necks before the whole system collapses into spiralling debt.

First thing I had to learn was to discard challenges which I wouldn't complete in a reasonable time. These challenges are opportunities that can give you an edge at elections or stim your funds for a time of huge investments. Otherwise they will block the queue from faction-leader and screw you over the longer they are unfullfilled. Winning elections on normal difficulty is easy once you figure out you can:
-use ultimatum edict, you will get 3 demands from lowest standing factions
-you can buy with your swiss funds the "convincing talk" to instantly complete those demands
-you can also buy better standing with those factions
-and you can use tax reduction edict near the end of elections

EDIT: To make elections even easier just ignore healthcare, faith and fun happiness for your citizens and focus solely on economy. During the elections build what people demand and witness how your support is raising. Quite cynical when you compare it to real-world election campaigns but quite effective.

Those things combined would sky-rocket my support from measly 20% to 60-70% of all votes even when certain group was pissed off (usually religious people, then ecologists in my case). On all missions you will have indifferent society, they will only vote against you if some of their needs get abysmally low (like liberty if your constitution is oriented towards totalitarism and mass control). To deal with rebels you have to stage attacks from spy-ops centre - this can force all remaining rebels out of hiding. One mission has scripted rebel threat, and no matter how many you uncover, kill, arrest, institutionalize their revolutionary ideas will spread like a disease regardless of your politics, policy detente and social conditions. But if you kill them all in open battle, no new rebels will spawn and the threat will fall back to 'none'. Provided they weren't pissed off in the beginning by your actions.

When it comes to economy, the biggest issue I faced was traffic. You have to build houses next to factories even if it means lung cancer to inhabitants. If they have to travel to their work and back to their home you will notice how your economy generates 'waves' of low-high income. Second thing is tourism. The most bang for your buck you will get from world wonders placed closely to ancient ruins. AI will prioritize them instead of opera houses, cinemas or high-end bars, the whole 'tourist-types' is a scam. There are only economy, rich and filthy rich tourists like in Tropico 5. To get rich tourists you have to build airports, to get filthy rich you have to use certain building modes for airports and tourist cruisers. Third point are trade licenses. The higher your relations with foreign powers the better offers you get, but from time to time or using swiss bank you can get unique offers. Sometimes you can make money by importing guns for -5% of it's standard price from Allies then sell them to Axis for +10% like a true capitalist improving relations on both sides. Even better if you secure yourself a sweet deal for -50% for weapons or cars. Once you build proper factory you will get huge amounts of money. The best thing to do after starting the game is to check the market, sort products by their price - jewelry, weapons, boats, cars sell really well in World Wars era, jewelry is slow to make, but one or two weapon factories, a nickel mine and an import contract for steel will give you plenty of money provided people live close, and have basic commodities like churches, bars and clinics and bus stops. Also double-shift edict will make them more motivated to constantly produce the merchandise instead of slacking off for a month or two.

Another issue I faced while playing the game is how many buildings you have to place and how quickly you will run out of space even on bigger maps. Maybe that's because I had experience from Tropico 5 which feels like a vanilla while Tropico 6 like an expansion but I immediately open borders and use huge influx of people to get things going fast and make huge bulk of money. Initially the problem on every mission is how many vacant jobs you have. Tropicans aren't really that good at reproducing it seems.

But maybe things have changed since then. Anyone playing now and can tell if there were any interesting patches balancing the issues from the release?

 

[LESS T_T]

https://blog.kalypsomedia.com/en/realmforge-studios-takes-over-future-development-of-tropico-series/

Realmforge Studios takes over future development of ‘Tropico’ series

• Realmforge Studios now a 100 percent subsidiary of Kalypso Media Group
• Developer expands team and office in Munich
• Extensive Tropico 6 add-on ‘Caribbean Skies’ will be available before Christmas

Publisher Kalypso Media has today announced that future development of the hugely popular Tropico series will be taken over by Realmforge Studios GmbH.

The German developer, best known for Dungeons 3 and the upcoming Spacebase Startopia, will make its debut contribution to the series before Christmas with Caribbean Skies – an extensive add-on for Tropico 6 which will be available from 16th December for PC, PS4, Xbox One.

To ensure that the developer had the resources necessary to do justice to the ‘Caribbean Skies’ add-on and beyond, Kalypso Media Group extended its previous shares in the developer from 60 to 100 percent, ensuring a complete takeover of Realmforge Studios at the beginning of 2020. Throughout the year, work has been done to expand the studio both in staff and space, including a relocation to a larger office in Munich.

Realmforge Studios and Kalypso Media have held an exclusive publishing relationship for more than a decade, notably making a name for themselves in the strategy market with fan-favourite dungeon management simulator Dungeons 3, which received a 94% positive user rating on Steam. Their next full-scale project, Spacebase Startopia, is already eagerly anticipated among strategy fans and is set to release in Spring 2021 for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch™. The current heads of Realmforge Studios, Benjamin Rauscher and Christian Wolfertstetter, will lead the studio for the long term.

“The expansion and complete takeover of the shares is a logical consequence of our strategy to expand our own development resources not only in Germany but internationally. We are offering the highly qualified, motivated team in Munich the opportunity to focus exclusively on the further development of exciting franchises such as Tropico, Dungeons and Spacebase Startopia in the future,” says Simon Hellwig, Managing Partner of Kalypso Media Group GmbH.

“Developing complex city-builder and strategy games with that special x-factor element, that are well-received within the community and the wider market on all platforms – that’s something we do well. The Tropico brand is therefore a perfect fit for us,” adds Christian Wolfertstetter.

“We are very fortunate to have had a strong and secure publishing partner in Kalypso for over 10 years, who supports us at all times and shares our philosophy. At the same time, it is a great honour and a great responsibility for us to have such an important franchise as Tropico in our hands,” says Benjamin Rauscher.

Realmforge Studios is currently working to put the finishing touches on long-awaited sci-fi strategy game Spacebase Startopia, in addition to the Tropico 6 add-on ‘Caribbean Skies’.

Both games can be pre-ordered for PC at the Kalypso Store. A closed beta for Spacebase Startopia is also available exclusively to those pre-purchasing the game before its spring launch next year.

 

[Delterius]

there's absolutely no balance between playing stiles

you have to be a true red-blooded latino man to appreciate that you shouldn't grow rich and stable with coffee juntas, you should be a war torn shithole and enjoy it as such

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

that's actually the other way around. with coffee juntas you're filthy rich, with tourism you rake shit.

 

[Delterius]

death to this game then

 

[Burning Bridges]

this game is crap.
being forced to advance through time is crap, the edicts system is crap, the customization is crap, there's absolutely no balance between playing stiles earnings making trade the only viable one, the politics must be played libruls style otherwise rebels will keep spawning at the same point one after another out of thin air dooming your nearby buildings with very very little influence from police and army and with the slowest firefighters ever, the cap to population is crap because 1800 people are the bare minimum, i wanted endless favelas and instead i had like 15 apartments and little else, stealing world wonders is a crap idea and it's crap because some are mandatory and some others are 100% useless.

As if this was about winning

 

[Quilty]

Playing the first one is always a joyful experience for me. Even when half my island is overrun with rebels and the economy starts to tank, there's a smile on my face: the music, the atmosphere, the lovely 2D art, it's just special.

The 3D ones have a level of cynicism and bad humour that I simply cannot stomach.