Hard to play a true dictator in tropico 5

[Emperor Mao]

Has anyone else found that Tropico 5, while vastly improved in some areas, is lacking in options for true dictators when compared to previous versions?

Firstly, most games are super easy. You build some farms, maybe some mines, build industry, then rake in 10000's.

Then you progress easy mode through till Modern age, where a bunch of Globalists will likely cause a few uprisings. You bribe some faction leaders, build a few hospitals, newspapers and churches, then go back to twiddling your thumbs and sleeping on your million dollar treasury.

In previous versions of Tropico, I felt like intrigue was somewhat more important, and that playing as a maniacal dictator was a possibility. You didn't like a person? or he didn't like you!... you throw him in prison (which doesn't even exist in tropico 5). Someone running against you in an election and might actually win? have your goons kill him (this doesn't seem to do anything in Tropico 5 right now). Want to build a giant 20 ft gold statue of yourself in the middle of some slums? go for it (where is the gold statue? or monuments to el presidante). There were so many more options, from design (e.g decorations) to intrigue (killing, imprisonment, branding someone a heretic). Currently in Tropico 5, all your decorations end up looking the same. And if you want to use intrigue (e.g assassinate or banish), be prepared for an arbitrary uprising, which is easily dispatched, and seems completely unrelated to the actions you take. In the past versions, if you ♥♥♥♥ed of a certain faction, some members of that faction would turn to rebels. That made it a realistic possibly to oppress one group (e.g the Capitalists) and empower another (e.g Environmentalists).

But this post is constructive at its heart. So I wonder if anyone else felt the same, and if they had any suggestions to build upon this critical aspect of the game. Frankly what makes Tropico stand out from games like Anno and Banished is the political side. Without that, you really just have a simple city builder.

[Sundowner]

Allegadly alot of DLC will restore some of the things you mentioned like building monuments and prisons.

[Emperor Mao]

Originally posted by Sundowner:

Allegadly alot of DLC will restore some of the things you mentioned like building monuments and prisons.

hmm well that is a tad disappointing, but what can you do eh? DLC is how things are designed now.

[Valore]

Truth be told, I found it always far more beneficial to not be a dictator. There's really no benefit to oppressing your people. Its a vicious cycle.

Happy workers = better workers = easy election wins.

This applied even for the previous Tropicos.

[Emperor Mao]

Originally posted by Valore:

Truth be told, I found it always far more beneficial to not be a dictator. There's really no benefit to oppressing your people. Its a vicious cycle.

Happy workers = better workers = easy election wins.

This applied even for the previous Tropicos.

I dunno, having a super majority of your people be highly religious, and living in a land full of churches, all the while ever fearful of el presidentes heretic branding is pretty funny.

Essentially Tropico has always been an easy game at heart. Build the farms / mines, build industry, build tourism = roll in money forever. But that is why Tropico 5 feels so bland. What made other versions fun was the fact that you could always spice it up by role playing as an extravagant manic.

As I said, if you wanted to build an entire city block of prisons to persecute people you could. If you wanted to play the corrupt, cheat of a leader who stole all the elections, and siphoned countless dollars to the swiss account, you could. If you wanted to play the charismatic capitalist that looks after the rich, you could. You could even play the military general, who had 1/2 his country in watch towers overlooking the other 1/2.

Why play Tropico to "win" the game? IMO there was no real winning. The journey is what counted. There are far better pure city builders and / or trade game out there. Tropico was unique because you got to play a dictator. It wasn't unique because you could build some farms, rum distilleries and hotels, which led to insane wealth.

[Rapior]

I agree completly

[GameKitten]

Well, I am sure DLC will help some of the things you said Emperor Mao. This game was a big flop for me. Seems they decided to do an EA with Tropico 5. I didn't mind some of the changes. But others were just not thought out well. Taking away being able to control El Presidente, leaving out base game items (maybe to add for DLC later), and rushing out the product.

And then you have gamers that support these companies shady dealings of broken products, and nickel and diming their customers.

Tropico was never about rebels and armies. It was about being a dictator and building an island your way as the dictator. Somewhere they lost their trail in Tropico 5. I feel sad at what they did to one of my most favorite games.

But that is okay, because it made me decide upon the announcement of two new games coming out on Nintendo 3DS to just go back to my handheld game that doesn't sell me broken products or nickel and dime me to death.

I am sure Nintendo will appericate me as a customer and my money that they so surely need, because they refuse to nickel and dime their customers. This is not saying they don't put out terrible games..every company does at one time or another.

[Ethonal]

"Currently in Tropico 5, all your decorations end up looking the same"

<and > will change the decoration, although there is only 6-7 models each (small and large)

[Theme Park Games]

A speech from El Presidente:

My fellow Tropicans. With elections around the corner I've called you together to tell you why you should... er... WILL vote for me...

(Penultimo whispers in El Presidente's ear)...

What do you mean I can't give speeches now? Sit down, Penultimo.

As I was saying, you will vote for me because I am your master. In fact, today we are unveiling a golden statue honoring me...

(Penultimo whispers in El Presidente's ear)...

What do you mean there is no statue? What kind of dictator am I that I can't honor myself? Sit down, Penultimo.

You, my fellow Tropicans will vote for me because if you don't I will throw your sorry excuse for a life into Prison!

(Penultimo whispers in El Presidente's ear)...

WHAT? NO PRISONS?!?!? Are you kidding me?

That's it. I'm done speaking. At least I have my money. I'll just go visit some production facilities to make sure everyone is working extra hard and to make them work harder...

(Penultimo whispers in El Presidente's ear)...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(El Presidente jumps off the Palace balcony)

[Grey Buddhist]

@jtracy - rofl. now that was funny. :)

[NekoHime]

I don't get the Anti-DLC thing. Okay what would you rather do?

Buy a game that costs $40 and has 12 OPTIONAL $5 DLC.

Or....Buy a game that has everything, EVEN THE STUFF YOU DON'T WANT, for $100.

Tropico 5 cost $40 instead of the full $60. I'm perfectly fine with them having a few DLCs.

[eram]

Originally posted by Mori:

I don't get the Anti-DLC thing. Okay what would you rather do?

Buy a game that costs $40 and has 12 OPTIONAL $5 DLC.

Or....Buy a game that has everything, EVEN THE STUFF YOU DON'T WANT, for $100.

Tropico 5 cost $40 instead of the full $60. I'm perfectly fine with them having a few DLCs.

Why is that the only option? Im sure most of us would prefer a fuller game at the time of release for a normal price. I'm ok with some dlc but not when they start to abuse it, in fact id much prefer proper expansion packs than what we got towards the end of T4. $4 missions were starting to abuse the loyal customer base.

[MassiveBallSack]

I agree with you, Tropcio is all about the journey, I always loving taking a spin on each island. Being a revolutionary who controls a communist island! Having a redicoulsouly sized military and of course the old Religious nut who controls an inquisition.
DOn't get me wrong Tropcio 5 has things that make it so much better than 4 but it looses some of the great things from tropcio 4 like free housing. I like the new wealth tax and wealth system, I feel I can get a much larger rich/poor ratio in 5.

[Killer Rabbit]

Originally posted by eram:

Why is that the only option? Im sure most of us would prefer a fuller game at the time of release for a normal price. I'm ok with some dlc but not when they start to abuse it, in fact id much prefer proper expansion packs than what we got towards the end of T4. $4 missions were starting to abuse the loyal customer base.

I agree with that. Lump the DLC into proper expansions.

[Kateri690]

Tropico 5 has successfully assassinated the concept of what it is to be "El Presidente", to choose what type of ruler you want to be...and I think for me, this is why I played Tropico VS straight city builders. I do feel like this game was rushed top catch the crowds of players who just got out of school. I do feel that the base game of this should have had most if not all of the features available in 4. I think things like multiplayer and dynasties were thrown in as a last resort cash grab. I think THESE things would have been better throught through and added as DLC. NEW features, not just making us buy back what we already have...

I also feel the game tried to over-simplify but did so in a a way that utterly failed. I am glad I don't have to spam garages anymore but don't like I can't set an actual amount I am paying my people... whatever happened to being a cheapskate El Presidente?

Who else here feels they have been replaced by Penultimo?

[astrosoup]

Originally posted by Valore:

Essentially Tropico has always been an easy game at heart. Build the farms / mines, build industry, build tourism = roll in money forever. But that is why Tropico 5 feels so bland. What made other versions fun was the fact that you could always spice it up by role playing as an extravagant manic.

I remember the original Tropico being very difficult at times. Construction workers refusing to do their jobs. Dockworkers protesting when you were broke and tons of goods lined up at the pier. I still miss seeing all my bananas lined up by the dock.

Tropico has just gotten more and more glitzy, and that's the opposite of what made it awesome in juxtaposition to all the other games back in the day.