Tropico 7

Welcome to the island, Presidente! In order that the people won't remember your reign as the reign of "El Presidente Muy Stupido", these words of wisdom are offered. Follow them, and you will reign forever, living to an age of hundreds of years, all while the world stands still in an Orwellian time warp. Ready to take command and start to move the island into a great, prosperous future?

Alright, let's talk about the real engine of your island nation: money. Without it, you're just a figurehead with no real power. This guide's all about leaning into capitalism to get that cash flowing. Remember, idealism is great, but it gets expensive fast. Industry and tourism are your best bets for a robust economy.

Your island's natural resources are the foundation of everything. You'll be farming for food, mining for raw materials to sell, and then refining those products into even more valuable goods. Let's break down what you can grow and mine, and what it's worth.

You can check the in-game messages by clicking the 'Eye' icon. It'll cycle through crop info, but honestly, just looking here is easier.

Farming and Mining

Farms

Corn Farm

Sale Price: $400 per load ($2000 per full 5-load teamster cart).

The Eye Says: Corn is pretty forgiving and grows fast.

What That Means For You: Corn will grow almost anywhere, unless the soil is truly terrible, like a beach. It's your go-to for feeding your people.

Notes: Don't export corn unless you absolutely have to. Your teamsters will only take surplus corn to the docks after your people have eaten. If you have way too much corn, consider switching to more profitable cash crops. A well-staffed corn farm can feed way more than the 30-40 people the manual suggests – think closer to 60 if your teamsters are efficiently moving goods to marketplaces. Just make sure your farms aren't too close together, or your farmers will get in each other's way, hurting overall output. Give them some space!

Pineapple Farm

Sale Price: $900 per load ($4500 per full 5-load teamster cart).

The Eye Says: Pineapples need good soil, plenty of rain, and decent drainage.

What That Means For You: If you have a small, sloped hillside on the windward side of the island where rain can run off, you're in luck for growing lots of pineapples.

Notes: Pineapples have a few uses. First, they're food – people will eat them if you don't have enough corn. If you see lots of marketplace meals coming from a pineapple farm, it's a sign you need more corn. People tend to eat pineapples grown nearby, so consider it part of your farmers' compensation. Second, pineapples are great for canning. Canned pineapples fetch $1500 a load, which we'll cover more in the industry section. Third, pineapple farms work well with sugar plantations and coffee farms, especially when using the 'chain of command' farming method we'll discuss.

Coffee Farm

Sale Price: $1300 per load ($6500 per full 5-load teamster cart).

The Eye Says: Coffee tolerates okay soil but needs high elevation, lots of rain, and good drainage. It grows slowly.

What That Means For You: This is your reward for having rugged terrain, or for choosing a more challenging map setup. It pays well if you don't flatten everything.

Notes: Coffee is the best of the crops used for canning (along with fish and pineapples). It's most profitable when refined. If you have a Flash Freezer, you can turn it into Freeze-Dried Coffee Crystals for about $3000 a load. Who cares if it's not authentic? The Yanquis will pay for it, so why not?

Coffee is also key to the 'chain of command' farming strategy, alongside Sugar and Pineapples. More on that next.

Sugar Plantation

Sale Price: $800 per load ($4000 per full 5-load teamster cart).

The Eye Says: Sugar needs good soil and ground that stays wet, like swampy areas.

What That Means For You: If you've got flat, low-lying land near the sea, that's perfect for growing sugar.

Notes: Sugar is the first step in the lucrative rum industry. It's a solid cash crop with a good export price. If you're aiming to be a 'Booze Baron', sugar will be your main agricultural focus. You'll want to send trade delegations to boost your rum prices because it's that profitable.

Now, about that 'chain of command' farming I mentioned:

Think about it: coffee likes high ground with good drainage, pineapples prefer slightly lower ground with good drainage, and sugar thrives in low, wet areas like floodplains. Here's how to connect them: Place your coffee farm at the top of a hill (check the weather patterns to see the windward side, where rain will run down). Put your pineapple grove on the next terrace down, and your sugar plantation at the bottom near the sea. This setup maximizes production for all three and ensures you're using the water runoff effectively. If you terrace along the windward side of the island, you can get the most out of all these crops.

To avoid negative election outcomes in Tropico 7, you must keep your citizens happy. Unhappy citizens may vote against you, revolt, or emigrate, leaving your island deserted and your rule a laughingstock. This guide covers the essential aspects of citizen happiness: housing, food, and healthcare.

4A. HOUSING

The type of housing you provide should correspond to your citizens' education level: uneducated in tenements or apartment complexes, high-school educated in houses, and college-educated in luxury houses. Consider the maintenance costs versus potential rental income to ensure profitability. State-run housing can be a significant source of income and help offset rising wages.

Maintenance costs and break-even points for rent (monthly) to cover maintenance:

Apartment complexes are often a good choice, allowing for high rent to recoup costs and generate profit. Luxury houses require significant power (2 MW each) and high rent, potentially restricting access. Ensure you have regular housing available for those who cannot afford luxury options. Profitable housing is crucial for economic recycling and preventing wasted resources that can lead to pollution and unhappiness.

4B. PEOPLE FEEDING MADE EASY

To keep your citizens fed in Tropico 7, focus on growing corn and catching fish. While these may not yield high export profits, they are essential for domestic consumption. Fishing wharves cost $120/year and farms cost $40/year to maintain.

Monitor the 'Food Quality' rating in the Almanac. If citizens start skipping meals or food production falls below consumption, assess your marketplace network or build more farms/wharves. Subsistence farming and fishing ensure efficient resource use. Export crops like papayas and bananas can be used for food in a pinch, but building another fishing wharf is generally more efficient if food becomes scarce.

4C. KEEPING THE PEOPLE HEALTHY

Adequate healthcare in Tropico 7 has two main benefits: it increases life expectancy and contributes significantly to the overall Happiness rating. The comparative ratings, costs, and capacity of healthcare structures are:

Hospitals offer superior healthcare quality but come with a very high maintenance cost, which can strain your national treasury. Clinics are less effective but significantly cheaper to maintain. Balancing the number and type of healthcare facilities is key to managing both health quality and your budget.