Have You Considered Tropico 6?
For those who are unfamiliar, the Tropico series lets interested individuals take on the role of El Presidente of the fictional Caribbean country of Tropico. Presentation-wise, it combines dark humor with surreal humor, so it should come as no surprise to learn that players are encouraged to run everything for their personal benefit while meeting opposition with either an iron fist or shameless sucking-up depending on the exact source. Something that makes for surprisingly satisfying construction, management, and political simulation play.
Keep These Tips in Mind When Playing Through Tropico 6
Be sure to put these tips to use when playing through Tropico 6:
You Want to Be More Than Just an Exporter of Raw Materials
It is perfectly possible for a player to set up a functional economy that relies on the export of raw materials in Tropico 6. However, this is not the recommended course of action because raw materials sell for much lower prices than manufactured products. Instead, players should set up the facilities that produce raw materials for the purpose of feeding the facilities that turn those raw materials into manufactured products for bigger profits than otherwise possible. One excellent option would be setting up sugar plantations for the purpose of feeding rum factories, which are very useful for a couple of reasons. One, they are available as soon as the Colonial Era. Two, they don’t need any qualified workers whatsoever, meaning that they have very undemanding labor needs.
Consider the 4:2:1 Ratio
Speaking of which, some players might be wondering about the appropriate ratio of facilities producing raw materials to facilities producing manufactured goods. If so, they should consider adopting the 4:2:1 ratio, which in practice, means four logging camps for every two lumber mills for every one furniture factory. Technically, this will result in more inputs being produced than what the facilities on the next level up can actually use. However, a surplus of inputs is beneficial because it ensures that the factories will always be productive. For that matter, remember that excess inputs can be sold for a smaller but nonetheless respectable profit.
Diversify
Players in Tropico 6 should make sure to diversify their economy to some extent. This is important because the prices of various products are changing on a constant basis, meaning that interested individuals can expect massive swings in their revenue numbers if they put every single one of their eggs into a single economic basket. In contrast, if players choose to spread out into multiple economic sectors, they can ensure more stability that will make it much easier for them to plan for the future. On top of that, they can reduce their need to import various resources to keep critical components of their economy running, which can get very expensive very fast.
Prioritize Your Teamsters
Teamsters are very important in Tropico 6. This is because they are responsible for sending everything to where it is supposed to go, meaning that without them, players can expect their entire economy to come to a crashing halt. As such, teamsters should be prioritized in Tropico 6. This means raising their pay to make them more effective. Furthermore, this means putting down enough teamster offices to meet the transportation needs of the economy. In fact, teamsters are so important that some people believe in building a teamster office whenever they build a factory.
Concentrate Your Efforts on the Starting Island Before Spreading Out
One of the changes in Tropico 6 is that players can now play on an archipelago rather than be restricted to a single large island. However, there are some things that remain true in both cases. One excellent example would be the need to concentrate on a single location before spreading out because that wreaks havoc on transportation needs and thus transportation efficacy as well as transportation efficiency. This particular principle has become more important than ever before because island-to-island connections are very detrimental in this regard to say the least.
Don’t Overdo It
On a related note, players should avoid overdoing it when they are making plans for their country’s future. Buildings do not come for free, meaning that every building that isn’t being put to immediate use means a sizable chunk of money that could have been put to some other much more productive purpose. Instead, interested individuals should expand in a more natural manner so that their labor needs will keep pace with their population growth lest they run headlong into massive inefficiencies. With that said, they should still have a clear idea of what they want to do with each region so that they can minimize the number of do-overs once their economy reaches the point that they can start implementing their plans.
Pay Attention to Popular Support
Players take on the role of a dictator in Tropico 6. However, that doesn’t mean that popular support isn’t important. If anything, managing popular support is more important because there aren’t a lot of pleasant outcomes for dictators on the losing end of a popular revolt. As such, when players pass Edicts, they need to pay close attention to the effects that those Edicts will have on their domestic support. Fortunately, Tropico 6 provides them with tools that can be used to shape the opinions of their population, meaning that they are by no means helpless if they find that their desired changes will not be viewed kindly by the bulk of their population. After all, they control the media, which can be very useful for shaping media consumers to say the least.
Have the Right Housing in the Right Places
Unsurprisingly, housing is critical for ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible. First, players need to have the right housing for the right population. For example, there is no point to building housing for wealthier residents at the very start because they won’t have anyone capable of affording such accommodations. Second, players need to have the right housing in the right places because amenities and other buildings of interest have a limited range of operation. Players can experiment with the perfect housing schemes on their own, but if they are interested, they might want to check out some of the other schemes that other players have come up with for maximum efficacy and efficiency.
