Tropico 4 Message Board

Today is the final day in Microsoft's Xbox Live sale on Xbox 360, and includes discounts on nine games. The following six discounted items are available through Games on Demand: Saints Row 4, Metro: Last Light, Tropico 4, Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon, Oblivion and Overlord 2. The other three games on sale through Xbox Live Arcade are Limbo, Puzzle Quest 2 and Rock of Ages.

Head past the break for the full price breakdown of the discounted prices, which are good through the end of the day. Don't forget, 13 other games are on sale on the platform until tomorrow as well, including Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City and Mass Effect.

Bundle Stars is offering up a tempting smorgasbord of Steam games for only $5. The Brutal Bundle is headlined by dictator-em-up Tropico 4, along with Curve Studios' stealthy puzzle platformer, Stealth Bastard Deluxe. The two complement each other quite well - one teaches you how to rule a nation, and other helps you sneak out of the country as soon as the people revolt.

The Brutal Bundle also has a few vehicular combat games. Iron Sky: Invasion puts you in the cockpit of a starfighter, while Steel Storm: Complete Edition lets you maneuver an advanced hovertank in an alternate future. Port Royale 3 offers boat-based combat in the Caribbean, circa 17th century, and Naval Warfare tackles modern naval skirmishes.

King's Bounty: Legions True Tactician Ultimate Pack and Earth 2150 Trilogy represent the strategy section of The Brutal Bundle, while Day One: Garry's Incident focuses on a man trying to survive in the Amazon jungle. Rounding out the list is Dungeonbowl, a twist on the fantasy football game Blood Bowl.

The Brutal Bundle ends in little over 29 days, so walk - don't run! - to the website if you're curious.

A new bundle of mutually-assured destruction Tropico 4 content has landed on Steam and the Xbox Marketplace, adding the thrill threat of nuclear annihilation to your quaint little island meritocracy for the one-time cost of $4.99.

The Apocalypse DLC pack adds a Nuclear Shelter building type, a "Survivalist" trait that reduces the amount of food Tropicans require, a hazmat suit for El Presidente and a new mission entitled "How I learned to love the bomb," which requires that the player (and their country, hopefully) survive a doomsday scenario.

El Presidente knows how to capitalize on the mistakes of his enemies. The offline-capable Tropico franchise is taking advantage of the always-online SimCity debacle with a 75 percent discount on the entire series on Steam.

The best deal in all the discounts is that the excellent Tropico 4 in its "Collector's Bundle," which includes every piece of DLC, along with the Modern Times expansion (which includes another full campaign), is only $10.

The Tropico sale will last one week until March 15. That should be enough time for EA to figure out the SimCity servers. We really, really, really hope.

Taswellissimo and Je' Gerstvara commit ruthless acts of unscrupulousness, all in the name of happiness.

Tropico 4 Gold Edition launched this week, and what better way for El Presidente to celebrate the compilation than with an upsell? The "Megalopolis" downloadable content pack is available now for PC, adding a "new campaign, new avatar clothing and more" for $5. The DLC will be available for Xbox 360 later this year.

The Megalopolis DLC adds the conventillo, which offers cheap housing with plenty of room before the ziggurat comes along. There's the new trait of bureaucrat to create residential buildings cheaper and with greater profit for El Presidente's personal account through the "building permit" edict. Finally, the game adds the Megalopolis mission, so the island is never lacking dutiful citizens bringing El Presidente a fresh pina colada (made from Tropico rum, of course).

Kalypso Media has released Tropico 4 DLC pack called Pirate Heaven, which brings a distinct swashbuckler vibe to the island-dictatorship simulation game. In addition to the Pirate Queen outfit seen above, the DLC adds a new "Smuggler's Hut" building for bringing in resources from beyond internationally guarded waters, a Sailor trait for charactersm and a few other piracy-themed tweaks.

You can see the update in action in the gallery below. Pirate Heaven is available today from Kalypso's own website, or any other places you'd normally grab such things, including Steam. In North America, the pack will run you $4.99 - no actual piracy allowed.

Good news, El Presidente! The people are honoring you with a gold edition of your latest coup d'état du jour. Tropico 4 Gold Edition, which includes the core Tropico 4 experience and its lengthy 'Modern Times' expansion, will be importable November 13 for Xbox 360 and PC at a suggested $39.99 price.

Although the game does feature a sandbox mode, it would be a shame if you picked this up and missed out on the ridiculous campaign. Tropico 4 is a milestone in the simulation genre, mixing the classic building aspects with an enjoyable over-the-top narrative: clone plagues and a zombie outbreak that can only be solved by plants, included. After this Gold Edition ships, El Presidente is taking a little siesta, but he'll be back.

Kalypso Media USA is teaming up with Atlus to publish the following Kalypso games in North America: Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants, Tropico 4 Gold Edition, Omerta: City of Gangsters and Dark.

Under this partnership, Port Royale 3 is heading to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 9; Tropico 4 Gold Edition drops November 13 for Xbox 360 and PC; Omerta is out in early 2013 for Xbox 360 and PC; and Dark launches in March for Xbox 360 and PC.

The most mysterious game in that list is Dark, a stealth game featuring a freshly turned vampire as he takes down elder vampires, modern corporations and young adult paranormal romance writers worldwide. OK, we made that last part up. We can dream, can't we?

Just for the weekend, of course. Mr Zacny – who has a review coming up right after this article! – rather liked the fourth iteration of the colourful dictate ‘em up. You’ll be able to download and play the game on Steam tonight from 8pm GMT, and play it through the weekend. Should a purchase be aroused in your wallet, then there’s a 66% discount, too. So that’s pleasant. (And sort of appropriately timed.)

This weekend, everyone can be El Presidente! Tropico 4, easily one of the most charming and polished simulation games in recent memory, is free to play on Steam until Sunday at 1PM Pacific.

The game's enjoyable campaign is looooong, so if you like your taste of Tropican life and want to continue, the full game is going for $13.59. If you find yourself plowing through the campaign, the lengthy Modern Times expansion is also on sale for $14.99.

Tropico 4: Modern Times, whose PC launch was officially announced for next week, clearly shows El Presidente is a man of technologication and has learned to export through digital distribution. The Modern Times expansion is available now through Steam and Amazon for $20.

The boxed retail version of Modern Times will still be available next week. The shipments are currently en route within large storage containers with air holes. El Presidente didn't want to keep filling Tropican prisons with rebels... so he found a new export. Oh, that El Presidente, he's a clever one!

Gameplay Fixes:
- Buffed hotel profits and tourism
- Edicts with monthly/yearly upkeep are no longer free
- Fixed favored trade partner foreign relations bonus
- Private investment offers will not appear for disabled buildings
- Foreign aid given now matches the amount displayed in the notification
- Fixed some cases where citizes walk to their destination instead of taking a car
- Oil cost increase depends on the map's start year
- Weather Station chance of success depends on the workers' skill
- Weather Station properly displays and charges operation costs
- Fire Station area of effect on the Cat-In-Tree work mode increased
- Fixed Mine upgrades
- Radar Dishes on Clear the Airwaves work mode block subversive activities more efficiently
- Fixed housing quality boost of Climate Control upgrade

User Interface Fixes:
- Added option to open the almanac from a choice dialog
- Added setting for controlling scroll speed
- Mouse rollover of people in the Almanac displays their names
- Correctly display resources under embargo in the almanac
- Food-producing buildings now display exports in the info panel
- More information added to some building info panels
- Added controls for navigation to the top and bottom of the highscore list
- Fixed incorrect display of army count in some cases
- Fixed some wrong texts in respect and relation modifiers in the Almanac
- Fixed work mode names text sometimes being cut off
- Fixed a bug preventing users from removing certain building shortcuts
- Various other user interface fixes and improvements

Other Fixes:
- Fixed a rare issue causing the game to freeze shortly after loading a saved game
- Fixed performance problems in some rare circumstances
- Fixed hotkeys that didn't always work for some buildings
- Fixed battleships moving backwards
- Fixed ship sounds
- Game is no longer paused when visiting user-submitted islands
- Challenge Editor: multiple fixes and improvements
- Tropicans now enjoy even longer walks on the beach
- Added Steam Cloud support

El Presidente has survived numerous assassination attempts and will be ready to enjoy the modern era on March 27 and April 3 on Xbox 360 and PC, respectively. The expansion may have slightly shifted its original launch window, but the price remains the same, at 1200 MSP ($15) on Xbox 360, and $19.99 on PC.

Nothing says "I'm rich" like merging four buildings into one giant...thing.

Added Italian and Spanish localizations including full audio support

People of Tropico! El Presidente here, and I am happy to announce we expect to complete the 40 year plan in just 30 years. View our future magnificence in these photos of our upcoming "Modern Times." Please be sure to contribute $20 in March to invest in our emerging capitalist glory.

El Presidente will deal with modernity when Tropico 4: Modern Times hits Xbox 360 and PC this March. Propaganda claims the expansion will feature an "extensive" new single-player campaign. Considering Tropico 4's normal campaign lasted dozens upon dozens of hours, we'll take the officials at their word on this one.

Along with the new campaign, the expansion includes 30 buildings, 12 challenges and 10 edicts to make El Presidente's bank account expand on the labor of the grateful working class. El Presidente's temporal travel to Modern Times will cost 1200 MSP ($15) on Xbox 360, and $19.99 on PC.

Tropico 4's first expansion, Tropico 4: Modern Times has been announced. Slated for a March release, it will be priced at $19.99 for PC players and 1200 MS points on Xbox Live. The expansion adds things like The Internet, terrorists, global financial markets and the ability to send citizens to s...

Yes, it seems to be real. Kalypso have sent word that the expansion for Tropico 4, which is called Modern Times, will features the possibility for enforced modernisation of your little republic, including a space programme. They explain: “El Presidente must modernise his island nation while battling sinister underground forces that threaten the future of Tropico itself in an extensive new single-player campaign.” That means fending off the collapse of capitalism, blocking your citizens’ access to the internet, and other signs of the times. Modern Times is due out in March, but at £19.99 it seems a little pricey! Trailer below.(more…)

The latest batch of DLC for Tropico 4 has been released. Available for PC and via Xbox Live, the "Plantador" DLC sees El Presidente trying his or her hand at agricultural dominance, adding a new agriculture-boosting character trait, the plantation building, several new decorations and, perhaps best of all, a sombrero. The DLC also contains a new "Research" mission that "challenges players to become a captain of their island's industry."

The Plantador DLC is available now on PC or Xbox 360 for $5.

Some upstart rebels are about to upset the iron rule of El Presidente, as the "Junta" DLC descends upon Tropico 4 on Xbox Live. The DLC includes a new "bunker" building, a "veteran" character trait, a new character outfit and a handful of decorative items. Players will be able to utilize these features in the "New Sparta" mission, which has players "build a militaristic society while being constantly pressured by the rebels."

The Junta DLC is available now on Xbox Live for 400 MS Points ($5).

This weekend's Steam sale will feature all that Tropico has to offer between 33-66 percent off. Tropico: Reloaded, which includes Tropico 1 and 2, is $2.37, which is less than a bunch of bananas.

Another (politically justified) steal is Tropico 3 and its Absolute Power expansion at $3.39 apiece. Both titles are a great way to dip your dictator desires into the pool of power and see if Tropico 4 is worth the coin.

Finally, Tropico 4 is only 33 percent off, is $26.79. The game is an evolutionary step up from Tropico 3, with a robust campaign that takes players through the rules of ruling the island nation.

People of Tropico, lend us your ears! A demo for Tropico 4, the latest iteration of the sim series, is available now on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo features tutorials and one campaign mission, all in the interest of finding out if being El Presidente is a good career path for you.

Tropico 4 launched in early September on PC, acting as a more refined experience from Haemimont's first swing at the franchise with Tropico 3. For those without the PC specs to handle all the tropical fidelity, take the Xbox 360 version for a test drive.

The release date for the Xbox 360 version of banana republic dictatorship sim Tropico 4 has been moved to October 18. The game's previous launch window was "mid-September," but a representative for publisher Kalypso Media confirmed the new date for us today.

The PC version of Tropico 4 is available now, and although it isn't radically different in terms of visuals from its predecessor, it's a better and more focused experience.

[Thanks, Ricky C.]

Tropico 4 is my type of game: I can rule people with love or an iron fist, create a society of my own devising, and decide the fate of all those around me. Its complex city management might understandably turn off some players, but it leaves me utterly engrossed. If you take the time to learn the nuances of ruling, you'll find it's good to be el presidente...

Tropico 4 has been updated with the following changes.
- Tutorial: Fixed game getting stuck in pause mode and accepting tasks
- Tutorial: Fixed a task auto-completing when accepting very quickly
- Fixed refresh rate selection in graphics options dialogue
- Fixed several infinite money exploits
- Fixed several localization errors
- Fixed bug with cancelling edicts preventing faction respect from dropping to zero
- Corrected salary for unemployed citizens when Social Security edict is active
- Charater trait 'Religious Zealot' now properly decreases relations with Arab League
- Corrected fire station 'Cat-in-tree' work mode to properly boost housing quality in area of influence only
- Increased number of families living in shanties to two
- Restaurants now accept only citizens who can afford the service fee
- Fixed renaming a citizen when info panel is opened from Almanac
- Alternative building models can now be chosen with [ and ] during placement via keyboard shortcut
- Firing ministers and cancelling building prompts now pause the game to prevent instability
- Save/Load shortcuts to not work when there is an opened window which should not be closed
- Save/Load shortcuts now close some in-game UIs
- Fixed stuck UI when losing an election or island getting invaded
- When set to full screen mode, the game now minimizes when launching external challenge editor
- Fixed terrain error when buildings are constructed
- Fixed a foreign task incorrectly requiring Rum instead of Spiced Rum
- Fixed crash when building Aquaparks on high terrain
- Corrected free jobs display in Almanac, graph still shows year average values
- Corrected Mausoleum fee display in infopanel
- Fixed problem with demolishing Customs Office
- Prevented faction disasters from starting simultaneously and never ending
- Fixed check for faction distaster end condition in two consecutive months
- Road construction and other in-game tools now close when activating construction via keyboard shortcut
- Removed industrial props from random map jungles
- Soldiers and Generals can now be hired during Street Riots (Nationalist faction disaster) or criminal shootouts
- Fixed tourists gettig stuck in some buildings
- Fixed Presidente infopanel text bugs
- Fixed crash after long terrain editing sessions
- Goods required by certain buildings will no longer be transported to the docks
- Improved docks infopanel
- Removed save animation when saving player profile
- Fixed road cursor snapping problem resulting in overlapping roads
- Fixed building achievements unlocking by placing trees and decorations
- 'Kill Juanito' achievement does not trigger on special actions other than 'Eliminate' or 'Arrange Accident'
- Population limit raised to 1500 (can your machine handle it?)
- Road element limit increased (extra budget for fixing potholes)
- Tropicans now enjoy long walks on the beach

To my great disappointment, I am a benevolent dictator. The people of Tropico 4‘s do not fear the tread of the jackboot, but are instead smothered under the heavy yoke of first-rate entertainment options and lucrative employment opportunities. Even the communists and intellectuals have been yielded to the bourgeois hellscape I have created. There will be no revolution to televise.(more…)

Dear, magnificent El Presidente,

I, Penultimo, your trusted and loyal adviser, understand that you have ordered copies of Tropico 4 not be imported to the island stating, in your wisdom, that not enough has changed from Tropico 3 to this latest sequel to acquiesce on requested import taxes. Although you are correct on many, many levels, I humbly note the following changes that may shift your perspective.

On the surface, Tropico 4 is almost identical to Tropico 3. It looks the same, controls the same, the UI is incredibly similar, art is reused, you'll still have to put parking garages (seriously!) everywhere and it's difficult to initially discern what's changed at all. But, once the game begins, it becomes clear that this is the game that Tropico 3 should have been. Could it have been called Tropico 3.75: We Fixed It? Absolutely. However, publisher Kalypso Media and developer Haemimont Games went with Tropico 4, so here we are.

Dear, magnificent El Presidente,

I, Penultimo, your trusted and loyal adviser, understand that you have ordered copies of Tropico 4 not be imported to the island stating, in your wisdom, that not enough has changed from Tropico 3 to this latest sequel to acquiesce on requested import taxes. Although you are correct on many, many levels, I humbly note the following changes that may shift your perspective.

On the surface, Tropico 4 is almost identical to Tropico 3. It looks the same, controls the same, the UI is incredibly similar, art is reused, you'll still have to put parking garages (seriously!) everywhere and it's difficult to initially discern what's changed at all. But, once the game begins, it becomes clear that this is the game that Tropico 3 should have been. Could it have been called Tropico 3.75: We Fixed It? Absolutely. However, publisher Kalypso Media and developer Haemimont Games went with Tropico 4, so here we are.