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[Grendus]

Cattle makes a surprising amount of money. The downside is it's no good for employing your workforce. Employment is a bitch.

Your best bet is to find a good crop, preferably an inedible one like tobacco, coffee, or sugar, and develop an advanced economy. That makes the capitalists happy, which will keep the US off your tail, and doesn't make the communists pissy at all (though it will probably lead to high economic disparity, which does). Plus it generates a large number of jobs, between the farmers, factory workers, and teamsters. Generally, I don't worry about making the people happy, my philosophy is that the nation is built on it's economy, if you are making money and building general improvements (decent housing, garages, education, entertainment, electricity, etc.) they'll be happier in the long run than if you drive yourself into debt trying to pander to them. Winning elections is easy anyways, just suck up to the factions that hate you in your speech and maybe do a tax cut if you're still losing.

Generally speaking, if your island has anything marketable like crops, beaches, or minerals, you probably will be fine. It's not a very hard game, you just have to learn how to find the information you want.

[Akura]

<DOESN'T HAVE TROPICO 3, USING EXPERIENCE FROM TROPICO 1>

Tobacco is surprisingly easy to grow, sugar wasn't. However, Rum brings in a hell of a profit if done right. Logging->Lumber->Furniture is good if you have a large population, the majority being uneducated, and don't give a damn about the environment or the elves who should be shot dead by your soldiers environmentalists, but the money that goes into supporting that population can eat into your profits. Did they reduce the cost of a mine from the first one to the third one, since I remember mines being somewhat expensive to put up(the profits helped this, though)?

[Rakonas]

<DOESN'T HAVE TROPICO 3, USING EXPERIENCE FROM TROPICO 1>

Tobacco is surprisingly easy to grow, sugar wasn't. However, Rum brings in a hell of a profit if done right. Logging->Lumber->Furniture is good if you have a large population, the majority being uneducated, and don't give a damn about the environment or the elves who should be shot dead by your soldiers environmentalists, but the money that goes into supporting that population can eat into your profits. Did they reduce the cost of a mine from the first one to the third one, since I remember mines being somewhat expensive to put up(the profits helped this, though)?

I think they're less than 5000, and considering that a farm is ~2000 it's not really expensive.

[Sowelu]

Also, if you want to cheat, you can play as a Booze Baron character.

Seriously.  +100% export price of rum?  That's broken beyond belief.

[Sergius]

<DOESN'T HAVE TROPICO 3, USING EXPERIENCE FROM TROPICO 1>

Tobacco is surprisingly easy to grow, sugar wasn't. However, Rum brings in a hell of a profit if done right. Logging->Lumber->Furniture is good if you have a large population, the majority being uneducated, and don't give a damn about the environment or the elves who should be shot dead by your soldiers environmentalists, but the money that goes into supporting that population can eat into your profits. Did they reduce the cost of a mine from the first one to the third one, since I remember mines being somewhat expensive to put up(the profits helped this, though)?

Right now Tobacco is a bit annoying to grow because it's usually on like, hillsides or something, and finding a spot that's not too steep to build your farm is kinda hard. But yeah, it's a moneymaker...

[forsaken1111]

<DOESN'T HAVE TROPICO 3, USING EXPERIENCE FROM TROPICO 1>

Tobacco is surprisingly easy to grow, sugar wasn't. However, Rum brings in a hell of a profit if done right. Logging->Lumber->Furniture is good if you have a large population, the majority being uneducated, and don't give a damn about the environment or the elves who should be shot dead by your soldiers environmentalists, but the money that goes into supporting that population can eat into your profits. Did they reduce the cost of a mine from the first one to the third one, since I remember mines being somewhat expensive to put up(the profits helped this, though)?

Right now Tobacco is a bit annoying to grow because it's usually on like, hillsides or something, and finding a spot that's not too steep to build your farm is kinda hard. But yeah, it's a moneymaker...

Coffee is the same way, but if you can get a decent supply and a cannery with a flash freezer, you will roll in the money.

[Antioch]

I remember winning the extremely hard mission in tropico 1 (the one where you had to issue free elections every 5 years in a hostile political setting), by building a rum factory and a high school as 2 of my 3 free buildings. After that cash just flowed in and with some early elections and tax cutting I remained in power.

[forsaken1111]

You can save quite a lot of money if you play a diplomatic presidente and build your free diplomatic ministry right away, then grab the USSR diplomatic help that reduces the cost for all apartments and tenements.

[Myroc]

I usually go for a Capitalist president with a lot of production and education boosters. Oh, and also, Cheapskate. I fail to see how that one is a flaw in any way (Wait, I get a free building discount from a flaw? And I can't set anyone's wage to an amount higher than I would ever set it to anyway? Jackpot!)

[DJ]

Cheaper buildings mean less money in Switzerland. It's also why development aid isn't something you shoul have throughout your regime.

[Myroc]

Cheaper buildings mean less money in Switzerland. It's also why development aid isn't something you shoul have throughout your regime.

I never use that edict anyway, since I horribly, horribly try to avert having more costly buildings, I'm having difficulties enough in the beginning as it is. Plus I don't care that much about swiss banking. Though I do tend to drop down a few banks with slush fund, though.

[andrea]

cheap buildings are good, especially when said buildings are houses. it makes people happy. with less effort or money. And if people are happy without taking all your money, you can focus more on economic development. and if you increase economy, you can have all the money you want in Switzerland through careful use of 5 banks.
Beside, cheap building allow you to have a quick start.

[DJ]

You have enough at start to build a cigar factory, and that's all that matters. It'll make you enough money to start a tourism industry, and once that gets established national budget is not a problem, but siphoning money into Switzerland fast enough is.

[andrea]

I value people's happiness over Switzerland wealth. 2 different ways to play the game. I encourage population growth and that means that I need to build MANY houses.

question: do you think petrol industry is something worth having? prices are good, but I found that output is relatively small. The option to hold exports mean you can use it as cash reserve for hard times, but other industries produce more things worth more money, and they employ more people too.

[Nikov]

Why swindle money away to Switzerland and spend your retirement cowering in Miami when you can be loved by your fellow Tropicans and retire their revered and respected leader of a golden age?

Generalissimo Coup Patriotic Incorruptable Paranoid Jingo

I like to think my military discourages invasions. Although that's really one element I'd love to see; Hueys or Hinds zipping over my island dropping off squads of invaders with the odd snowball's chance in hell you could actually win.