The latest entry in theTropicoseries,Tropica 6, initially released on PC and Mac in March 2019, before coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in the months and years that followed. Themanagement gamekeeps its core gameplay very similar to its predecessors and has been well-received by critics, scoring a respectable78 on Metacritic.
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Tropico6has recently had a sharp increase in its player base, following the game’s inclusion on Microsoft’s Game Pass service. Consequently, there will be numerous new players to theTropicoseries who are currently struggling to work out the game’s complex mechanics. Worry not — these tips will help new players through.
Updated April 28th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Tropico 6 is a fantastic and fun island-building experience with players running their own empire and community. It features a lot of depth and numerous mechanics for players to utilize but can definitely be a bit overwhelming to newbies. Those that are just starting out will likely find themselves swimming in all the resources, politics, and other stats that need monitoring and attention. Those that want to succeed can make use of someTropico 6 tipsto help them get their island up and running. The following list has been updated with even moreTropico 6 tipsto help new players on their journey.
13Don’t Rush To Construct Buildings
In many management andstrategy games, rapid expansion is the best course of action. Therefore, there will be many new players toTropico 6who will do this without thinking, treating the game as a race like it’s part of theCivilizationseries.
Rapid expansion from the game’s start isn’t a great idea inTropico 6,however. Players have to keep a constant eye on their budget. Moreover, rapid expansion often isn’t even possible during the start of a save file, as there won’t be enough people on the island to cover all of the required jobs.
12Focus Mainly On Agriculture When Starting
There is a lot of depth to Tropico 6 and players will likely feel overwhelmed by all the mechanics and things that they need to keep on top of when they first begin a new island. While many of these facets are important, players should definitely focus heavily on agriculture at the start. Agriculture is, arguably, the most important thing that players will want to grow when beginning a new island or game as players will find that they need food for their citizens and that many of the other aspects of Tropico 6 require food-based resources to get up and running. Putting a hefty amount of time and understanding into agriculture and how to grow food stores can go a long way towards progressing things smoothly as time goes on and players begin to grow their empire.
11Cut Down Travel Time As Much As Possible
Following on from the previous point, it’s common that new players will not only rush to construct buildings as soon as possible but also rush to spread them across their selection of islands.
Doing this is a mistake. It forces workers to constantly travel to and from each island, significantly increasing the time it takes to generate money. Instead, it’s best to build close-knit, intricate building layouts to ensure fast turnovers. As the game progresses, gradually expand and branch out in a way that is economically efficient.
10Stay On Top Of Education
Education differentiates itself from the previous two points, as fast expansion is indeed the best course of action. As the game enters into new eras, it’s imperative to have workers who are educated enough to take required job roles.
Consequently, players should ensure that they build aHigh School and Collegeas soon as it’s financially viable. Otherwise, they will have to start paying employees from outside of the island to fill the required jobs.
9Put Plenty Of Effort Into Tourism
Considering how many ways there are to generate income inTropico 6, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and miss numerous different revenue streams. One revenue stream that can be extremely profitable but is often ignored by new players is tourism.
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This is predominantly because tourism takes a while to become financially beneficial when starting a new save. When done right, tourism can bring in a ton of money and also provide new jobs, including plenty for Uneducated Workers.
8Maintain Good Trade Routes
Trade routes are a great, reliable way to earn money inTropico 6and are fundamental to a thriving economy. Players must ensure that they’re frequently visiting the trade menu to see the best deals for both exporting and importing, as both are constantly fluctuating.
It’s also a good idea to keep a spare trade slot open. This ensures that if a big money-making offer comes along, players can instantly accept it.
7Focus On Both Imports And Exports
It’s not only important to keep good trade routes, players should also be constantly checking in on what is importing and exporting, in order to find the best deals. While many players will focus on the importing mechanic and what types of resources and items they can get at a hefty discount for their island, exporting can be a great way to make extra cash and resources. Finding items that players may not need early on and simply buying them at a lower price to then sell later on for more money is a great way to steadily build funds on the side. It’s a classic case of buy low and sell high, and once players get more familiar with the general prices for imports and exports they can use the knowledge to pad their pocketbooks.
6Invest In Factories Early
Factories are a great, reliable way to earn money at the start of a new save file. They may not be particularly flashy or glamorous; however, they’re stable earners, easy to maintain, and don’t require a large workforce. These three factors are hugely beneficial in the early game.
The Creamery, Cigar Factory, and Rum Distillery are particularly good money-makers. They will reliably earn a good income in the opening hours of a new game, and often remain top earners throughout the save file.
5Think Logically About Housing
A common beginner mistake is building housing based on aesthetics rather than practicality. Although building a row of mansions may look pretty, it’s not going to be beneficial at the start of the game when residents can’t afford to live in any of them.
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Instead, players should be sure to walk before they run and ensure that they are building houses that suit the needs of their residents. It’s also important to think about placement, ensuring that houses are close to where the residents will likely be working.
4Don’t Lower Wages Unless It’s Essential
When trying to improve profit margins, cutting worker’s pay may seem like a quick, simple solution to keeping costs down. However, this move will backfire more often than not. Cutting pay will lead to bad morale, which will subsequently lead to poor productivity.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, it’s often more financially beneficial to pay workers the maximum amount. Their increased productivity will provide a profitable return on the investment.
