Originally published on CHECKOUT.com

Tropico Interview with Phil Steinmeyer

There's just something about being a ruthless dictator that appeals to us all, no matter how grounded we are in democracy and fairness. Sometimes, you just want to call the shots and be a bastard, imprison people who disagree with you and make the rest suffer hard labor for your own personal benefit. Such will be the case with Tropico, a new strategy game from Phil Steinmeyer and the team at PopTop Software, creators of the popular Railroad Tycoon II. Having seen Tropico in action at the 2000 E3 convention, I can safely say it will be one of the more original and addicting strategy games to be released in quite some time. Ultimately, it's Age of Empires for Fidel Castro. I can't wait.

What was the defining moment that brought Tropico into being? How did the idea of running a "Banana Republic" come about?

I had had the idea of a "Banana Republic" game for many years (probably a mental juxtaposition of SimCity and the very old Utopia game for Intellivision). I had even considered doing it ahead of the game that became Railroad Tycoon II, but went with the railroad idea, because, among other things, I thought it was more commercially viable. After RT2, we played around with a number of concepts. I continued having doubts about the commercial appeal of a game with a Caribbean/Latin setting, but ultimately, the concept was so appealing to me and the other developers here at PopTop that we went with it. We've been very gratified at the enthusiastic response Tropico has received so far, proving my doubts about its commercial appeal to be unfounded.

What are a few of the sources you've used in researching the background for the game?

We've done a bit of actual research; a few books on the region, especially picture and travel books for the artists to work from, plus some of us (including myself) have been to the Caribbean on vacations. Finally, we're going off of our gut instinct a bit, drawing on popular conceptions (and occasional misconceptions), of the land of aging communist dictators, oppressed workers, Yanqui tourists and the corruption brought on by their greenbacks, and so on.

How closely does the current state of Tropico match the original idea?

The game has probably drifted towards a bit more of a "builder" and a bit less on the political elements, in part because the builder stuff derives gameplay, and in part because we've done it first, and are only just now adding many of the political elements. The pendulum might swing back a little before we're done.

What ideas, if any, were abandoned or added?

The biggest thing we dropped was multiplayer. We simply couldn't come up with a way to create a game that played great in both multiplayer and single-player. Each aspect was dragging the other away from its natural and best course. We decided to cut multiplayer because we thought there are far more single-player gamers out there (especially for strategy games), and that trying to keep multiplayer in the game in a meaningful way would detract too much from the single-player game.

What has been the most challenging aspect of creating Tropico?

The complexity of the people. Each person (over 500 people on a typical, large map) tracks over 50 variables. That's more than the main character in most RPGs! Trying to develop the people's personalities and have them behave realistically and in a way that makes the game fun is a challenge.

Are elements of the RT2 engine being used in Tropico?

Yes. The Tropico engine is about half left over from RT2, half fresh. The game side code is pretty much all fresh. When we started, we thought we'd reuse more, but we kept wanting new features and abilities, forcing the re-writing of old code. I thought RT2 was the best looking strategy game to date when it came out, and Tropico will be much better looking than RT2.

What are some of the more unique and special buildings players can erect on their islands?

You can be a booze baron with sugar plantations and rum distilleries, a tourist island with grand hotels, casinos and nightclubs to lure wealthy Yanquis, or a foreign puppet with Russian military bases and offshore oil rigs. Democratically elected presidentes can use radio and TV stations and newspapers for a free press. Not-so-democratically empowered presidentes can use the same broadcast methods for government dogma. There are about 100 structures, total, so there's a lot of depth in Tropico.

When starting a new game, will players be selecting a dictator from a finite list or will they be able to build their own dictator from scratch? If players can create a dictator, what are a few variables they'll choose from?

Dictators can be chosen from existing templates, or customized from scratch. Every Latin American bad guy you can think of can be portrayed, and just for fun, we'll let you be a good guy, if you'd like. You can be a great orator or diplomat, but you'll also be hobbled with a few personality flaws, such as Kleptomania, Alcoholism, Cowardice, Flatulence or Dementia.

How will players be gaining the bulk of pertinent information? Visual cues within the game or separate screens of charts and graphs?

There are three main methods of feedback. The first, and most important, is the actions of the characters within the game. If all the workers are congregating in front of your palace, shaking their fists and throwing rocks, it's probably a bad sign. Second, you can drill down for information by clicking on any unit. The bottom part of the interface changes to show unit details (you're not taken off to a separate screen). Third, for summary information on your island as a whole, including the overall political situation, your budget, etc., there's a popup window with multiple layers to it -- summary information on the main screen, and you can click on various categories for more information.

What are some of the more dastardly deeds players can unleash on their populace?

For would-be generalissimos out there, there's the old dictator favorite -- martial law. If your allegiances lie with the church rather than the army, you can unleash an inquisition to ferret out heretics (a heretic is basically anyone who opposes your enlightened leadership). Capitalists can gain sway through bribery. Finally, if your jails are overflowing, do as Castro did and give each of your prisoners an inner-tube and a good push in the general direction of Florida. All total, there are about 60 edicts you can issue, though not all are nasty attacks on your people as the above ones are.

Will the player have political rivals vying for control?

You won't have any equals per se. However, any one of the inhabitants of your island could emerge as a rival, if they have high enough leadership skills and courage. Look at Lech Walesa -- an obscure Polish welder triggered national strikes and paralysis, and helped bring down the entire Eastern Bloc.

Are there any plans to continue supporting Tropico after its release, by way of new units, building, etc., that can be downloaded by players?

There will definitely be downloadable maps, both created by us and by users. Beyond that, it's too early to say.

How many attributes does a citizen consist of and what are a few of the more critical components?

About 50. The most critical ones are leadership, courage and intelligence (the makeup of a political threat). For keeping everyday citizens happy , the most important are hunger, rest, religion and entertainment. Satisfy workers' demands in those areas and you're halfway home.