* Enabled editor (for full instructions, as well as two necessary utilities, please check out out the tropico editor file, which should be available on-line as tedit102.exe)

* Added programmable hot keys for quick jumps to map locations, people, and almanac pages. The number keys on the keyboard (0 through 9) can be programmed. (Instructions on how included in .txt file)

* Airports should now be built about 35% faster (including ground clearing, etc.) Other large buildings should now be built about 10% faster...

* If the world bank forces low wages on you, the prior wages will now be remembered and restored, if and when the wage restrictions are lifted, PROVIDED that you haven't changed the building's wages yourself in the meantime.

* Fishing wharfs can no longer be placed in such a way as to trap the resulting fishing boats.

* Cleaned up a few obscure crash bugs

A New Political Presence Emerges in the Caribbean… and It’s You!

PopTop Software's and GodGames' Tropico Ships to Stores Nationwide

Dallas, TX, April 24, 2001 - Today UN officials recognized the political situation brewing in the small Caribbean nation of Tropicoä and have issued a global watch. A new dictator, instated by game developer PopTop Software and high-end computer and videogame publisher GodGames, both subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO), has taken over the island and is implementing new rule.

More details are being revealed as Tropico, a 3D building, strategy/simulation PC game, ships to stores nationwide today. Tropico invites desktop dictators to develop a remote Caribbean island, overseeing all building and resource management, as well as political, military and population aspects. Distributed by Jack of All Games, another Take-Two subsidiary, Tropico is available for the PC for a suggested retail price of $39.99 and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. A Mac version of Tropico will be released in May.

"Tropico has a unique, tongue-in-cheek humor that is very appealing to gamers," said Phil Steinmeyer, president and lead programmer of PopTop Software. "Its simple interface allows for an easy learning curve for casual gamers, and at the same time its many layered modes of gameplay will challenge hardcore gamers."

In Tropico, players take on the role of a newly instated dictator of a remote Caribbean island and are challenged to build a path of progress for a nation mired in poverty, civil unrest and infighting. Based on their economic vision, gamers build hotels, mines, factories, and over 80 other structures. Diplomacy and politics factor heavily in Tropico, as players must pacify various internal factions and external threats. If the island's growth is well planned, the player will have plenty of money to buy the peoples' favor and ensure prosperity. If growth is poorly planned and the economy falters, the population may revolt, forcing the player to institute martial law.

"The simulation game genre is incredibly popular right now," said Harry Miller, president of GodGames. "PopTop has done an incredible job incorporating the engrossing gameplay and 'virtual voyeurism' that lend to the popularity of sim games, and combining it with a unique storyline and tropical setting to create a distinctive and groundbreaking title."

Tropico's Features Include:

• Over 500 people of more than 45 different character types including peasants, the rich, military and clergy. All the characters' attitudes and actions are determined by their socio-economic status and personal biography, including educational level age, gender, intelligence and nationality.
• Various internal and external political facets and activities that are at the discretion of the dictator. The three main facets to Tropico's internal politics are political popularity, uprisings and elections, while the United States and Russia serve as the two major external forces. Political activities include suppressing rebellion, maintaining political popularity and trading with foreign powers.
• Extensive industries including manufacturing, mining, agriculture and tourism.
• Resource management duties which give desktop dictators the ability to construct new buildings, set worker salaries, declare various edicts, manage labor and time, and grow and trade various food, minerals and crops.
• More than 80 types of structures and environments from hotels and spas to banana groves and sugar plantations, to residential housing and ports and airports, with some rum distilleries and cigar factories thrown in for good measure!

Tropico is based on an improved version of PopTop's proprietary S3D engine allowing for highly detailed 3D graphics and renderings. The S3D engine was initially used in highly acclaimed Railroad Tycoon II. The engine will support hardware acceleration, variable resolution support from 640 x 480 up to 1600 x 1200 and variable color depth support from 8-bit to 32-bit color. Screenshots can be found at http://tropico.godgames.com.

Tropico's PC System Requirements:

• Windows 95/98/2000/ME/NT4
• 200 MHz CPU
• 32 MB RAM
• 820 MB Disk Space
• CDROM

Tropico's Mac System Requirements:

• System 7.5.3
• 200MHz CPU
• 64 MB RAM
• 820 MB Disk Space
• CDROM

It's likely, but not guaranteed, that we'll release the editor in some form within a fairly short interval after the game's release (a couple weeks), probably as part of the first patch. We'll wait to see what, if any, problems crop up, and release a patch that includes editor tools.

We currently have no plans for an expansion, though that could change - if the game sells really well (as I expect it to - presales have jumped way up in the last couple weeks - the U.S. first printing was supposed to be 85,000, but they bumped it up to 125,000 at the last minute), it's quite possible that Take 2 management will be on the phone asking me to create something new to extend the franchise - I'm not sure how I'd handle that though, and again, we don't have any plans at the moment...

Right now - about half the office is doing stuff for Age of Wonders 2, me and Brent are doing follow-up Tropico stuff for international versions, Mac, etc., and Franz, Steve, and Guillermo are doing preliminary stuff for our next full original game.

Gold Mastering Tropico was more or less a cakewalk compared to GM'ing Railroad Tycoon 2. Not that it was easy - I was still working 16 hour days, but at least it wasn't 18 hour days. Tropico went out very solid - on the GM version, across about 25 testers and 200 tester man-hours we had only 2 crashes (one was a driver problem, I think). No broken functionality that I know of. (With Railroad Tycoon 2, we knew the multi-player was pretty shaky going out the door - it didn't get stable until version 1.03).

I've been spending this week helping get the foreign versions out, but that's going reasonably well, also.

Overall, I think the game has turned out really awesome - we've gotten great previews based on the beta build from about 3 or 4 weeks ago, but the final version is even better - more balanced, very stable, includes 8 scenarios (plus the awesome random-map generator), and just very nice all-around. Of course, we had a few things on our wish-list that didn't make it, but again, less so than with anything I've done in the past.

Now go out and buy the game!!! (or at least pre-order a copy - at www.ebworld.com you get a free bonus CD with all sorts of goodies with your pre-order).

Sorry, in the final days of going gold, it was decided that the implementation of the editor just wan't up to snuff yet, so it was disabled. We do want an editor available, so Phil hopes to release a patch later which will re-enable the editor. Hopefully it won't take long to get that patch ready, because I know that a lot of people want to be able to create and exchange maps. But for now, it's not in there.

Local Claremore, OK resident John Grant will be featured as a character in the upcoming PC game, Tropico. Tropico is a 3D building sim that allows users to oversee all resources needed to develop a remote Caribbean island -- from cash, labor and time to food, minerals and crops. Grant entered and won the "You Rule" contest sponsored through developer PopTop and publisher GodGames. He will appear in the game as the dictator character, Palido Jaguar. Tropico has gone gold and will ship to stores nationwide on April 24.

El Presidenté,

As you know we have been monitoring the political situation in the Caribbean. The tiny island known as Tropico is ready for leadership. We have intercepted a message to the American press from the factions known as Pop Top Software and God Games, subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO).

The message is calling for the Americans to send their best leaders for consideration of the dictatorship of this new island nation. It seems that "Project Tropico" has reached a mission status of "Gold" and the Americans will be ready to ship the PC faction leaders on April 24th followed by the Mac faction leaders in May.

Pop Top and God Games hope to make Tropico a strong nation by installing dictators who can balance its economy, develop the countryside and build public opinion amongst island natives. These newly installed dictators can build more than 85 unique structures, each benefiting various factions on the Island.

Among the structures they can build are housing, schools, market places and clinics which will give them the ability to maintain a populous. Additionally, the new dictators will begin the construction of factories, mining facilities and tourist attractions like spas and hotels to ensure the islands prosperous economy.

The Americans also plan to give the newly installed dictators free reign of domestic and foreign policy. If the island's growth is well planned, the new dictators will have plenty of money to buy the peoples' favor and ensure prosperity. If growth is poorly planned and the economy falters, the population may revolt, forcing martial law.

IT'S A GIRL!!