#TROPICO 4 MODS FARM SERIES#

Commodities don't really change prices, so you don't need to worry about being plunged into poverty by a sudden collapse in the price of bauxite or tobacco. That's a big problem since the late-game economy is entirely about managing that exchange of resources.Дelicious food!On the other hand, that might actually be why Tropico 5 stays interesting.

But Tropico doesn't give you a clear sense of what's coming in and what's going out. In the late game, when your mines are depleted, your forests have all been clear-cut, and high-output farms have drained the soil, you need to start importing basic commodities and exporting intermediate and finished goods. Tropico is particularly abysmal at helping you map out your economy. There are a few useful overlays in Tropico, but I was dying for SimCity's awesome arsenal of infographics. There's no clear display of what the coverage area of a police headquarters actually is, or why people in one block are happy with their local entertainment options, while the next block are seething with boredom and resentment. I do wish Tropico 5 did a better job of showing you what's happening, and why. Suddenly my island was divided between gleaming apartment towers and shantytowns, and the desperate have-nots were starting to join the rebel movement. The slapdash plantation town you built at the start of your game begins to get pretty creaky as residents demand better living conditions and utilities, but nobody likes having El Presidente just demolish his house to build a modern apartment complex. It also creates tricky and demanding re-development challenges. From the Cold War into the modern era, you have to be thinking about making the switch into a more developed import/export economy, lest you risk stagnation. Each new era brings more factions to the forefront, while your own efforts steadily strip your island of its resources.

The circus is in town.That pattern continues through the Cold War era, at which point your problems are starting to become more economic and political. It creates some basic risk-reward decisions, as getting cozy with one gives you the most favorable trading offersвЂ¦ but could also get you swatted down by the other power. The early Colonial Era gives way to the World Wars, where both Axis and Allies are furiously buying up supplies and vying for your affections. The march of time also escalates the challenges you face. You start in the early 20th century and work your way up to the modern era, though the art doesn't convey the changing eras very well.

#TROPICO 4 MODS FARM SERIES#

First, it now unfolds across a series of eras, each with their own associated buildings (unlocked via a simple and almost meaningless research tree) and world events. Tropico 5 largely sticks to that formula with a couple key changes. You slap down a few plantations, start exporting bananas and coffee to the rest of the world, and then get to work expanding your shantytown empire - all while taking in the lush sights and sound of a slightly debauched tropical paradise. That's not necessarily a bad thing: it's generally let you get on with the fun of building without tearing your hair out over finicky optimization games like the (also excellent) Anno series. As a city-building game, the Tropico series has historically emphasized fun and style over challenge.

Tropico 4 mods farm