Tropico 4 is an upcoming game that allows players to try to run their own banana republic. We recently mailed the development team a few questions about the project, and even with the strict censorship practices under El Presidente’s rule, we still managed to get some responses. Here is the documentation from the private communications with the regime.
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This document contains no falsehoods to the benevolent regime of El Presidente.
Signed: Penultimo
(Head of the Tropican Censorship Bureau)
CCC: What is your favorite new addition to the series?
Lyubomir Iliev: I like the fact that I can offer different tasks for el Presidente. He always dismisses them He is very busy, of course, which shows how much he cares and I completely understand that not everything can happen at once.
This system caused pandemonium on the island is really progressive and will bring us much joy as the Communists want the capitalist leader arrested, the nationalists want the minister of education shot as she is not from Tropico, and Father Esteban wants more rum and a new Church the different factions all come together to work for the good of Tropico.
CCC: What can you tell us about the new Minister system?
Iliev: Our ministers are all insane perfect professionals. The Defense minister just spent 5 days dressed as a tapir and performed an excellent tactical operation against the rebels. The Economic minister blew up the Rum factory during an inspection and the Foreign minister called Europe his favored state of the US I just love our ministers and the fact that nothing bad has happened as a result of their actions.
CCC: Europe and the Middle East have been added as superpowers. What sorts of demands and expectations do these groups have and how does that impact the gameplay in Tropico 4?
Iliev: Our friends from Europe the kingdom of Europe are just crazy for our bananas. Unfortunately, that is all we can give them as they also want us to preserve human rights and stop the political killings in the streets give up our national identity, and return to colonial times. Presidente is still mad at them for not giving us extra disaster aid when a shanty collapsed during the last earthquake we suffered direly from Mother Nature’s wrath.
The Middle Eastern sheik is a weird guy. He keeps sending us camels vile beasts of terror in return for our shipments of weapons tractor parts. Presidente says he will continue to be friends with the sheikh until they give us enough cash to continue to respect the Tropican integrity and spirit and then we will backstab them to improve our relations with the Upper and Lower Easts instead. We may even have enough money to bribe to instill an air of friendship with the Chinese to get them to lift their embargo and unprovoked economic measures.
CCC: Tropico 3 took place during the Cold War era, but Tropico 4 extends all the way to the modern day. Which kinds of technological advances will be showing up in Tropico 4 that weren’t really on the table for 3?
Iliev: I just love going to the Mall to look at the new luxury goods. Of course, I can’t afford them I have everything I need under Presidente’s leadership. My shack luxurious home is built near the climate control stations of the new Apartment block so I can shower with the water falling from them am humbled by the view of progress on our island. We have power from the new Nuclear Plant that Presidente uses to enrich Uranium for peaceful purposes only.
CCC: Judging from the screenshots and video footage of Tropico 4, it looks much more colorful than Tropico 3. What influenced this new visual direction?
Iliev: That is to mask the ugliness of the shack ghettos nearby Presidente likes his people to enjoy all the colors of life around them and has ordered everything to be alive with color. And they just made everything pink The color scheme is much more vibrant.
CCC: It also looks like there are a lot more civilians than in previous entries. How does this affect player choices?
Iliev: They are all a bunch of yes-men and toadies that just tell They are the best advisors a man can ask for and always tell Presidente what he wants to hear the best course of action. Especially Penultimo. They are all shady characters who should be behind bars and should be commended for their efforts—el Diablo is a bully and is a rallying point for all Nationalists, Father Esteban is constantly drunk very devoted and claims he can hear God, Miss Pineapple has a shady reputation is a very classy lady and is always seeing men after dark trying to educate the masses with what she calls her tutoring sessions.
CCC: There seems to be a much stronger focus on natural disasters and providing relief efforts during these hard times. Which new disasters can we expect to see, and what tools will we have to help our islanders get through them?
Iliev: The biggest disaster of all is We are all safe because of the new Weather Station. They predicted a huge earthquake so Presidente had them set charges and cause an explosion to prevent it and took immediate action to minimize the damage. That is when my shanty fell.
Before that, we had a Tornado that destroyed my country house because the Tornado alarm sounded just as I was making it tornado proof caused no major damage.
Before that, my house was set on fire when the volcano erupted. Presidente decided that the Armory was more important and sent the firemen there and there wasn’t enough money in the treasury for a chopper to be sent to put it out prioritized the rescue efforts even though we had limited resources, saving us all.
Before that, I managed to leave my Mansion just in time and head for high ground just as the Tsunami struck I like surfing so much I sold my old house. The weathermen were drunk and sounded it at the last possible minute It was the most awesome wave of my life.
CCC: Also, I just have to ask: Will Tropico ever be returning to Pirate’s Cove?
Iliev: Alas, I am only a pawn humble servant of El Presidente, and below such decisions. It is entirely up to him. At the moment he is having the time of his life terrorizing ruling Tropico, but it is never certain what he will do next.
All communications are courteous of Lyubomir Iliev of Haemimont Games the head game designer and newly appointed entertainer for Presidente’s alligators.