Kalypso Media are happy to unveil the first third of an interview with the developers of Tropico 3. In the first 15 questions Haemimont Games discuss amongst other things - the online part of the strategy game and give insights into diplomacy, weather, natural disasters, production chains and game editors.Tropico 3 goes back to the roots of the hit strategy series closely following the original Tropico story-line. Tropico 3 is being developed by Haemimont Games who previously developed the popular Imperium Romanum and Grand Ages: Rome for Kalypso Media.
Kalypso Media would like to invite you to their tropical paradise, Tropico 3 – El Presidente is awaiting you this September!
Tropico 3 will be released in September 2009.
TROPICO 3 - Interview with the developers (Part 1)
Kalypso: Is Tropico 3 going to be more complex than its predecessors? Will it still be
accessible to casual gamers?
Haemimont Games: One of our goals during the development of Tropico 3 was to make the
game even more accessible than its predecessors without sacrificing the gameplay elements
we all love. While Tropico 3 has cool new features and expanded mechanics in addition to the
classic Tropico gameplay, we are confident that the game is still accessible to regular gamers.
Kalypso: Will there be an overview of your people's status (happy/neutral/angry)?
Haemimont Games: It is possible to monitor the individual happiness satisfaction of every
citizen in several categories. Various overviews summarize this information.
Kalypso: What new edicts will there be?
Haemimont Games: Just recently El Presidente firmly denied the rumors of nuclear testing on
Tropican land and the establishment of a Secret Police in Tropico - http://twitter.com/el_prez.
And, as you know, when the government denies something, it is probably there. Don't tell
anyone, but these are two of the new edicts we are working on.
Kalypso: In the multiplayer component, will you be able to visit islands of other
presidents and help them with their administration or start trade alliances?
Haemimont Games: After the successful completion of any game scenario or player issued
challenge, you will have the opportunity to share your country and island online and invite
other players to visit it. Visitors have the opportunity to take over and reign in your place after
your mandate is over - this is just for fun and doesn't grant score, campaign progress, or any
other in-game benefit.
This should be the island you are most proud of and you can identify yourself with - the one
with the biggest population, the most beautifully decorated, or just the most challenging
scenario that you've ever completed. Of course, you are always able to change your mind and
invite visitors to another island of yours.
There are no trade alliances between players possible.
Kalypso: Since music was such a big and impressive part of the game (more than
graphics, which is rare), how will this aspect be handled in Tropico 3? Do you have any
plans concerning the soundtrack?
Haemimont Games: The music was one of the most important parts of the game's unique
identity and we are staying true to the style established by it. Certainly, to feel like Tropico,
the game has to sound like Tropico.
Kalypso: Will diplomacy and the education system in this game be expanded upon?
Haemimont Games: Veterans from the original Tropico will quickly recognize the base
mechanics behind diplomacy and education.
Players have to balance the external affairs of their countries between the cold war
superpowers USA and USSR, possibly even allying with one of them. A ruler who disregards
the foreign politics will receive less foreign aid and may even have to face the threat of an
invasion. Diplomatic negotiations will be themes for several missions in the campaign.
High-school and college education are still required for prestigious jobs such as doctors,
engineers, soldiers, and generals. Qualified foreign experts may be attracted, but it is often
better (and cheaper) to educate your own people.
Kalypso: Will there be "political" events such as a world finance crisis?
Haemimont Games: Yes, there will be many such events in the game. Furthermore, players
will be able to use them to create their own scenarios with the Timeline Editor.
Kalypso: Will the weather and/or natural disasters have an effect on the game and what
will these effects and disaster be like?
Haemimont Games: Various plants require different humidity and soil conditions. The
Caribbean winds spread the effects of industrial pollution. There will be various disasters such
as earthquakes and tropical storms, but they will function differently than the disasters in the
original Tropico. Players will be able to play and create both – scenarios without any disasters
and disaster-themed scenarios.
Kalypso: Will your people be able to express their complaints directly to their leader (for
example by petition or open letter)?
Haemimont Games: Factions will express their major concerns by petitions. Individual people
are able to protest, and if their demands are not met they may even become rebels and take
arms against the government. El Presidente is finally able to meet the protesters and calm
them down personally.
Kalypso: What will the production chains in this game look like? Can you give an
example?
Haemimont Games: A classic example - Logs are produced from nearby forests by a Logging
Camp. While the player is able to export them directly, it is more profitable to convert them to
Lumber in a Lumber Mill. Furniture, constructed from Lumber in a Furniture Factory, is an
even more lucrative export.
Another example would be Oil that is found in two types of deposits – under the sea and on
land and may be refined into advanced oil based products.
Kalypso: Will Tropico 3 be presented tongue in cheek like the last one?
Haemimont Games: We are currently replacing the hamsters powering our own patented
tongue-in-cheek humor generators. We are assured by our finest experts that the new hamsters
are of the highest quality, so we hope they will do their job well.
Kalypso: What kinds of new industries (aside from the ones we know from Tropico 1)
will we be seeing in the game? Will there be new things to mine? Different kinds of gems
for instance? Maybe "advanced" metals such as titanium, or maybe radioactive metals
such as uranium/plutonium/radium or even oil that the Superpowers might take a lot of
interest in?
Haemimont Games: Oil is a new natural resource found both in water and on land. Players
will be able to export it or process it into advanced oil based products in their refinery. Prices
of oil generally go up over the years, so it is wise to save your oil reserves for later in the
game, instead of exploiting them instantly.
Kalypso: Will there be political parties/factions and elections? If so, how will elections be
handled? Will there be campaigns, debates or interviews? If there are political parties,
will these replace generalized citizen factions, or be in addition to factions?
Haemimont Games: There are political factions - the six from the original Tropico and a new
one. Factions have leaders and their own agenda, so they may be perceived as a generalization
for political parties.
Election Speeches are a new feature for Tropico 3 that allows the player to sway voters in his
favor before the elections. He is able to make election promises (and bear the consequences
from them at the next elections), praise a faction or foreign power, or address a hot issue by
blaming it on someone else.
Of course, the player will be able to listen to his own election speech just before the elections.
Kalypso: Will there be a trade system with import/export goods?
Haemimont Games: Goods export prices change over time. For instance a lucrative trade
agreement will adjust the prices of processed goods in the player's favor, but the rumors of a
mad cow disease will lower the price of beef. As said before, Oil prices generally go up over
the years.
Like in the original Tropico, there is no general mechanic for imports.
Kalypso: Are there any plans for building a community through modding and scripting
support? How "open" and customizable will Tropico 3 be in this regard? Will you
provide an easy to use map editor?
Haemimont Games: The timeline editor is a powerful tool allowing users to create their own
custom scenarios called challenges. Events in these challenges will be very customizable,
right up to the flavor text. So if you want to create a challenge about aliens abducting
Tropican citizens, or to recreate a historical event like the Cuban missile crisis, you can now
do so. The game will fully support sharing and rating user created scenarios online.
The players will be able to customize some aspects of the maps. The Map Generator allows
you to quickly create a wide variety of random islands by setting various parameters such as
map size, elevation, vegetation and natural resources.