#Tropico 3 gold edition review series#

Of course they may (and often do) oppose each other, and you can't make everybody happy all the time, but that is part of the game. These factions have identifiable interests and can take (some) action to make you see things their way. Running a nation is not like playing Civilization, where everybody just does what you say.

Tropico 3 is one of the best games in terms of simulating the way domestic politics actually works. militarists, industrialists, ecologists, religious and so on) and the things you do can make them like you or hate you. They each belong to one or major factions (e.g. And these are not the sort of people to take being unhappy lying down.Įvery citizen has political opinions. Things like health clinics and high schools cost money. There is a balancing act to be done between expanding too fast (and spending the money required to do so) and waiting for the ship to come by and getting income. Dang! Turns out most things in Tropico 3 are mined/grown/created for export and the trading ship only comes in from time to time. Except that all cost money and you're broke. So that's great – you have a mine and some apartments and it's all good. You'll want to do that from time to time to see how you're doing. They have thoughts and hopes and dreams that you can see by clicking on them. Watching the little people go about their business is one of the best parts of the game. Of course this happens in reverse at the end of the day. Then, every morning, your workers will get up, walk to the nearby garage, turn into a car, drive to work, and get going. The solution is to build a parking garage near the housing and another near the mine. Of course, if the housing is too far away the workers will not work at the mine, but if the housing is too close no one will want to live there (as the quality of life is low due to it being next to a working mine and all). You'll start out with some housing, but you'll want more to house the workers for that new gold mine you're building.

iron, gold or bauxite) and the climate (for growing crops like sugar, bananas or corn) can start you on your way to a basic economy. Taking a few minutes to determine the mineral deposits (e.g. Tropico 3 has a nice set of overlays to help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of your island. A playable set of historical leaders is provided for your amusement. Male or female? Intellectual or moron? Army leader or pacifist? Each choice can provide benefits or handicaps based on the scenario. This leads to a sort of “high score” competition along the lines of more arcade-style games.īefore you actually run the island you get to choose your characteristics. Each scenario is scored on several factors and you can submit scores to a central server. For example, a scenario might require you to lure 500 tourists to the island over a span of 20 years while simultaneously avoiding bankruptcy and assassination. Each scenario has a primary goal to accomplish and several pitfalls to avoid.

#Tropico 3 gold edition review series#

The game itself plays out as a series of scenarios.