TROPICO 3 – Interview with the developers

We got the opportunity to ask the developers of Tropico 3 some questions earlier this summer
Will you be able to directly control "El Presidente" in the game, move around the island and talk to people? Will you be able to see the island through the eyes of your president or individual residents?
Yes, you are able to directly control El Presidente and make him interact with people and buildings on the island - for example you may send him to calm down a protest, speed up a construction project or decorate a general with a medal. He is also able to address the people from the balcony of his palace.
In similar games you usually watch the maps from far above, rarely zooming down to street level. From a game play point of view this is practical, but you tend to miss all the cool little details that take place at street level. So, in addition to the normal game camera, we are preparing a street-level view that tracks individual units like El Presidente or a selected citizen in a close and personal third-person view. It is not exactly "through the eyes" of the unit, but it comes pretty close.
 
 Will the president have a staff of advisors to help him make the right decisions?
El Presidente is a man that likes to keep the power in his own hands and do things by himself and will continue to do so for now. We seriously considered having a cabinet of ministers or appointing particular citizens at key positions. Following this train of thought we generated a ton of ideas, but in the end we decided that they would shift the focus of the game too much - while the concept for a cabinet of advisors is a cool one, we would like to keep it in our drawer for now.
 
Will a player's chosen background/rise to power/etc. Play a greater role in this game?
You are still able to customize the background of El Presidente, the way he seized power, his qualities and flaws.
The impact of these decisions is roughly the same as it was in Tropico 1 and Paradise Island, but the number of available options is greater than those in Tropico and its expansion combined.
 
Will you be able to peacefully rule your island without ever using intimidation, suppression or violence and if so, what will your options be?
You mean that you want to be a politician that is neither corrupt, nor authoritarian, and cares for the wellbeing of his people above all else... Now that wouldn't be very realistic, would it?
Luckily for you, this is only a computer game, where even politicians can be honest, so you are welcome to try to build your very own Tropican utopia. If you manage to keep your people happy, there will be no rebels and coups, and probably everyone will respect you a little better because you never play "dirty". The people would be happy that they finally have found a leader that truly cares about their interests. Keep this thought in mind when you end up on the boat to Florida with an empty briefcase and no money in your Swiss Bank account.
 
Which consequences will the chosen political system (communism, democracy) have for the player?
This is not a straightforward black vs. White decision - El Presidente is a cunning politician and is able to balance democracy and communism, or even pursue them both at the same time. A ruler leaning more towards the ideology of communism will have better relationships with the USSR and the Communist faction, while a democratic society will strengthen the relationship with the US.
 
Has a lot of thought been given to the kinds of "moral choices" players will need to make as they run their islands? Will this be a fundamental part of the game, with real consequences?
We believe that the moral choices

MX-Technology to Take on SSD Market Leaders

There’s a new kid on the block in the Solid State Disk market and they plan to take on the big boys by being first to market with the latest standard of Sandforce controller sporting SSDs.
MX-Technology were quick to tout some of the new features of their upcoming hardware. Described as similar to OCZ Vertex drives – which were incredibly fast upon release anyway – but without any of the issues thanks to the new controller, the MX-Technology SATA II MX-DS SSD looks set to take the performance crown from the more commonly known firm, maybe even beating out Intel’s SSDs also.

They’ll be available in several different capacities of 50GB, 100GB, 200GB and 400GB all in a 2.5” form factor. Speed wise, the drives will have a maximum read speed of 250MB/s, maximum write speed of 230MB/s and a sustained write of 130MB/s; rather impressive specifications. In comparison, OCZ’s biggest and baddest Vertex drive in the 120GB range of 250MB/s read, 180MB/s write, and a 100MB/s sustained write speed.

Pricing wise they won’t be cheap though, so anyone looking to purchase will have to have rather deep pockets. Prices are expected to start around the $500 USD mark for the 120GB model, with the 250GB model costing a pretty huge $900 USD. In comparison, OCZ’s 120GB Vertex series are around $400 USD, with the 250GB model running at around $800.

They’ve taken quite an artsy approach to the design of the products which makes quite a change from the enterprise looking pieces that other companies have manufactured so far. Not everyone will see it as appealing, but all their SSDs come with graffiti style art designed by one of the world’s most prominent street artists, a fella’ named interestingly “Does.”

There are no official retailers or e-tailers for the hardware in the UK yet, but they are expected to be available in the coming months.