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Tropico 4 eGuide
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Contents

  • Essentials
    • Buildings
      • Housing
      • Welfare and Economy
      • Entertainment
      • Government
      • Education and Media
      • Food and Resources
      • Industry
      • Infrastructure
      • Tourism
      • Attractions
      • Luxuary Attractions
      • Landmarks and Beauty
    • Economics
      • The Economy
    • Politics
      • El Presidente
      • Foreign Relations
      • Political Factions
      • People
    • Gameplay
      • Game Modes
      • Achievements
  • Walkthrough
    • Chapters 1-10
      • Rise to Power
      • It's All Mine
      • Into the Spotlight
      • IMPORTant Business
      • Tropico Above All
      • Bickering Factions
      • Crysis
      • Survival
      • No-one Left Behind
      • Independence Day
    • Chapters 11-20
      • Fruity Business
      • The Olympic Heist
      • The Blind Revolution
      • To Bait Fish Withal
      • Best Served Cold
      • Operation Endgame
      • Forgiveness
      • The Clandestine War
      • Perestroika
      • Tropican Utopia

Tropico 4 Guide › Walkthrough › Chapters 1-10

Crysis

The Cold War is ramping up, and the USSR and US are pointing sharp sticks, nuclear weapons, and other fun things at each other.

Your Presidente has a plan to exploit this to Tropico’s advantage, and with luck this won’t turn into a Bay of Pigs or anything else unpleasant.

Caution

Right away, you’re introduced to a friendly little thing called DEFCON. The gauge starts at 5, and if it falls to 1, the world goes to nuclear war, and everything dies.

Neat! As the chapter progresses, you will be offered Tasks and political choices that can lower the DEFCON level, as well as reputation with the US and USSR.

Weigh carefully what you choose to do, and if you’re going to do anything that lowers the DEFCON level, make sure you’ll have the money to dig back out of it afterwards.

Tip

There are plenty of mines you can make use of on this island to help fund your growth. Don’t hesitate to expand out as far as you need to exploit these resources.

The first Task is to to get a stable economy going. You need to amass $30,000 in your treasury to accomplish this.

One of your corn Farms starts off in an area good for Tobacco growth, so convert it, and build a replacement sustenance farm to avoid starvation.

During this, a Task to export Iron shows up. You get $10 grand for your trouble…but the DEFCON level goes down by 1, as the US will be upset with you.

Once the Iron is shipped, Von Hoof reminds you it is your responsibility to be a leader in the region, and that you can improve DEFCON by 1 for a price that will increase each time.

This Task is benefited greatly from having many Loyalists and by having structures that inspire more Loyalists.

When the $30,000 is in your treasury, Antonio Lopez celebrates, and says this is a good time to build a Weapons Factory. Simple enough, build one to complete the task.

What could possibly go wrong with peddling weapons during the Cold War?

Penultimo will come in during this time with some exceedingly bad news: A coup on St. Clara was possibly backed by the USSR, and now it and the US are eying Tropico.

From here on out, any Rebel attacks and coups will lower the DEFCON rating.

When Van Hoof says a crisis will result in the US lowering the DEFCON level in six months, take this seriously. The US will lower it by two, so be aware of what you can do to keep it above 3.

Tip

Rebel attacks can be handled discreetly with the right Edicts.

Tip

Two ratings that fall down quickly in the Almanac are Liberty and Environment, and this can lead to rebels you can’t really afford to have attacking you.

These can be addressed with a Newspaper and Garbage Dump respectively. These are good bargains early on, since they don’t require electricity and can cover your starting area nicely.

You’ll be tempted by various offers to accept military assistance from either the USSR and the US, and they can provide military assistance you may need.

You can also reject their assistance and move the DEFCON back up by one. Remember to walk that fine line carefully. This series of objectives include in order: building an Armory, 3 Guard Stations, and having 20 soldiers.

Things escalate when both super power want to set up Nuclear Program on the island. You will need to have a Nuclear Reactor on the island before this.

Once the reactor is up and running, you need to accrue 500 units of nuclear research, using scientists you have. You will want a Science Academy to help with this.

Things get even crazier when the US President is assassinated, and the blame rests entirely on you. This will drop the DEFCON level down by one.

You need to build 10 docks within 48 months before the UN comes for you specifically, or $75,000 to switch your identity.

You’ve lost everything, you’re a wanted fugitive, and you still don’t know who has been plotting against you, but you’re still alive.

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