Tropico 3: The Secret Police

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

After the failed assassination attempt on my life, I decided to build not only a police station but an immigration station to try control the flow of people onto the island. This way there would be less rebels coming in, and certainly less rebels escaping! I also decided to create a secret police force and chose their base as the immigration station, but since that meant it stopped doing it's original function I was forced to build another immigration station right next to it. Hopefully no one noticed...

Because all of these people are totally under the radar. (Photo by baketsuki)

The construction of a foreign embassy also fixed matters with USSR as their warships departed, leaving me to deal with the constant nuisance that was the rebel threat. I again had to close the jewellery factory due to bomb threats and fought off another group attacking a gold mine (got injured this time to a grenade). My secret police actually managed to capture the rebel bomber which was great as it gave me someone to execute. They also had a hot lead on the assassin but during the chase it was they who got killed, leaving me to hire more experts from abroad to fill their now empty and bloodied shoes.

At the same time I'm trying to meet the demands of the populace, giving them churches, cathedrals, cabarets, schools, markets, restaurants and newspapers which somehow increase liberty. I also gain the favour of the military, building a second base and armory. Increasing the respect of the general public for me just angers rebel leader Enrique as that assassin again comes after me. With a lack of funds and forces to counteract this I tell the secret police to get my double ready. Soon enough my look alike is dead and the killer is again in the wind. I'm going to have to do something about that.

Tropico 3: An Island with No Name

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

On this island with no name, I have been installed as Governor in the stead of General Luis Navarro who realized that while he is a good fighter - he's a crappy leader. I learn early on that this isle has not one but two gold deposits and immediately set to work making the most of that for export, putting up a jewelry crafting factory soon after. It is the most expensive start to a term ever and I find myself so deep in debt with the World Bank that there are times I cannot actually purchase anything. Luckily there are quick pesos to be made here and there, like exporting Fool's Gold to our neighbors for quick profit.

The other problem is the ever growing number of rebels led by someone named Enrique. They manage to incite a dock strike, one that I cannot afford to be violent in so I just pay off the people striking. More painful is when I am forced to temporarily shut down the Jewel Factory to disarm the bombs they planted there. With their very strong presence it isn't long before I increase the soldiers wages, bases, and technology. It pays off too when my soldiers, led by me personally, destroyed a rebel group attacking one of the mines.

Are you a rebel?

With all my focus on the military the people again were forgotten and when an election was called I faced a steep defeat once more especially as my speech was not so effective this time. Fortunately my old tricks of Food for the People, Social Security and Tax Cuts led me to victory against Barrut Ramirez to the tune of 43 to 29. His reaction was to send an assassin after me, most likely an agent from one of those USSR warships circling the island. The attempt failed, but with the assassin in the wind and no proof to throw around I simply made an announcement to calm the people. Finally, things are getting interesting!

Tropico 3: I Hate Tourists

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

By the horrible machinations of fate, I found myself assigned next to the small island of St. Pata which was famous for being poor and having no natural resources. The only way to make a thriving community here was to embrace... tourism. Shit. With no time to spare I immediately set to task constructing tourist docks, hotels, souvenir shops, tour guides, beach resorts and the like often putting the finances into debt with the World Bank and hanging on barely with support funds from the US and USSR.

However, having totally ignored the needs of the actual residents at St. Pata I found myself on the losing (and losing badly) end of a sudden election and only through splurging money to put Social Security, Food for the People, and Tax Cuts edicts out did I win against Colleen Flores, 55 to 31.

Despite that strikes at the dock and construction sites forced my hand to kill more people until they obeyed my command. Somehow, more people end up joining the rebels and they succeed in destroying a corn farm, making everyone else hungry with their lack of foresight. They also capture and execute some tourists (way to go stupid rescue team) which hurts the treasury even more.

It's ok guys, I brought the +2 hammer of letting kidnappers know we are here!

The tourists themselves also bring problems with one douchebag crashing the presidential limo into the house of the local religious leader. I graciously sentenced him to forced labor, becoming the man slave to some backwater locals. It turns out he is the son of a US diplomat who wants to pay $5k to see him freed. What sort of message does that send your son, and indeed - the rest of the world? I tell the diplomat to fuck off and that his son is a bitch for life. Soon after I am told US Warships are circling the island. Pfft. They just like to act tough.

All it takes is for me to modernize the military and hire mercenaries from overseas then poof, the ships mysteriously leave. Hah! Cowards. Sure, it might have had something to do with Typhoon Dahlia which came a few days after they left and killed 10 people and destroyed 2 buildings but I like to think I scared them off. Fortunately I reached my quota of 150 tourists soon after and heroically abdicated my position to travel elsewhere before people came back to look for me. Yes, I bravely ran away! :P

Tropico 3: Fist of Iron

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

My next office was at the isle of El Acantilado, where I had to govern refugees from some nearby conflict and ship out 5000 units of iron. I immediately got the mining operations, roads and housing started as I had the benefit of a foreign aid corporation helping out with medicine and food. Another set of foreigners, a group of explorers, also arrived and requested permission to go on an expedition into the deep jungle. I simply made them pay a $2000 dollar expedition tax and sent them on their merry way. They would never be found again, believed to have been eaten by El Chupacabra.

Back in the city I increased the wages for the miners to encourage a better performance from them, paying out big time with each export freighter that left our shores. Most of the money I had to spend on importing educated experts to run a lot of the facilities though - I completely forgot to put a High School up. Along with a few, other mistakes... like not connecting the garage to the road, so no one had cars. Despite me enacting the Food for the People and Social Security edicts again some people were leaving the island, and some were becoming rebels!

This came to a head when a gang of them decided to attack the police station. I went with my handful of soldiers but they were so untrained (oops, forgot to tick that option) that they all got killed. I managed to take down some rebels too but was wounded in the encounter and had to withdraw, letting the remaining two destroy that building. Fortunately my heroism must have shone through because in the next election I easily won 63 to 29 against Veronica Martinez, who I assume was a rebel. In no time at all, I had again met my quota and finished my task here so I left my subjects to the tender cares of the real Chupacabra, which I was keeping in a cage all this time. And boy was it hungry.

It can smell fear.

Tropico 3: Planting the Wrong Seeds

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

After a crash course in presidency with the supposed toucan worshipper named Penultimo, I have been sent to the "fruitful" island St. Helena and have been tasked to oversee the exports of 8000 units worth of agricultural goods as a test of my abilities. Being isolated, these islands have no other form of income other than exported goods so it was good to see that they already had a shipping port up and running upon my arrival. Using my superior skills I quickly decided to build more farms to get this task out of the way so I could move on to the more lucrative islands. And I mean personally. These builders are bloody slow!

Alas, while enjoying the salsa music from the radio it seems I overlooked the small matter of actually having enough housing and food for my subjects. I foolishly set all the farms to plant tobacco which, while being a profitable export, doesn't actually feed anyone so I was forced to switch a number over to be corn and banana plantations instead. This wasn't an instantaneous as I would have liked, and with falling popularity I quickly decided to setup a church and army base (for paladins! lol) to deal with any trouble makers.

Like this, with the figure in the back being El Presidente!

Just in time too as some plantation workers went on strike due to their poor wages and terrible hours. They quickly changed their tune when I sent the army in to shoot a few of them dead. They didn't ever strike again after that incident, but instead called for elections! Though my opponent Kiril Kikitin started off with the majority vote, a well constructed speech (yes the game lets you construct speeches) and my sudden "generous" edicts of Social Security and Food for the People (where they get two meals a day instead of one) was enough to swing the votes to my favour, 58 to 32.

I'm not sure if I would have survived a second election but it didn't matter because I soon reached the quota I had and finished the mission, leaving someone else to govern the remaining dissidents.

Tropico 3: Revista De La Presidenta

Thanks to guildie Wrothak, I was gifted the game of Tropico 3 which in short is a city building and management game set on a handful of remote tropical islands. Since I haven't done a game journal thing for awhile I thought I'd start one up for this game. I cannot guarantee how long I'll stick with it though as strategy games and I don't really get along! One of the highlights for me is that the game lets you create your own "El Presidente", complete with background story, traits and flaws so let me introduce you to him now.

As a famous war hero (+bonus in combat), El Presidente claims his calling to rule comes from a heavenly dream where the Pope himself anointed him as savior of the people (+rep to religious folk). He is a good Administrator (cheaper to construct buildings) and an Incorruptible spirit (reduces crime) but is Short Tempered (-rep from intellectuals, -rep from military) and is considered a bit of a Cheap Skate (-rep to communists and maximum salary people can earn is -50% less than from a non cheap skate leader). He also dresses up like a pirate for some reason. Let's see just how well he does when given the chance to rule...

Chapters:
Planting the Wrong Seeds
Fist of Iron
I Hate Tourists
An Island with No Name 
The Secret Police
No Puppet
Voodoo Tech
I am Undone
Swimming in Money
A Generous Thief
Stability of Law
The Pirate King
Idle Advisor

This story has ended! Hope you enjoyed reading! :)

Warframe: Trinity's "Secret" Combo

Despite being a "healer" Warframe with all four powers geared to restoring the Health and Shields of her allies, the Trinity has one nasty combo that makes her a very efficient boss hunting machine (against some bosses anyway). It all has to do with the math of her first and second of her abilities, which is conveniently the sequence you need to remember to use her secret "attack".

Step 1: Cast Well of Life on Target.
Effect: Target will GAIN a health multiplier (x10).
Effect: Anyone that hits it will regain health.

Step 2: Wait for Well of Life timer to reach near 1 second.

Step 3: Cast Energy Vampire on same Target (that should still have Well of Life)
Effect: Deals pulse damage based on enemy's remaining amount of health and shields.
Effect: Anyone that hits it will regain Energy.

Step 4: Well of Life expires.
Effect: Target will lose the health multiplier, returning to original values.
Effect: Energy Vampire will still do damage based on the original, boosted values.

Result: Target very owned.

Using this I soloed Ambulas, the Corpus MOA boss on Pluto to farm up some Excaliber parts even though my Trinity was still under leveled. Alas, the bosses that require soft spots to be shot will probably be immune to this and on the many normal mobs it's generally faster to kill them with your weapons.

On a side note, that's an interesting design decision Digital Extremes made there. If you didn't pick Excaliber as your "starting" frame the only way to get it later on is to fight your way from Mercury outwards, beating all the bosses to unlock more planets and satellites until you reach Pluto which is home to some pretty high level Corpus.

I can't think of any other game off hand where something you are offered right at the start can be so difficult to get later on. :P