IGN recently got to sit down and take a look at the sequel to Tropico, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. Unlike the previous game, in which players took the role of a socialist dictator controlling a tropical island, players in Tropico 2 take the role of a pirate lord. As can be expected, the game has a totally different feel and slightly different style of play than its predecessor.

Here's a snippet from the preview:

Tropico 2: Pirate Cove puts the player in command of an island as the Pirate King. The player's primary role on the island is to decide where to build structures. Unlike the system in some other builder games, the location of the structures in Tropico 2 matters both because of environmental auras issuing from buildings themselves, and because of the need to supply the characters in the game with access to the buildings. Planning and carrying out a strategy for island development that takes both factors into account should be rewarded. At the same time, we didn't want Tropico 2 to be difficult, especially at the beginning of a game.

Balancing the game to offer easy success at the start and still reward players for strategic planning is at the core of the Tropico 2 design. Game design starts with the idea that the Pirate King builds up his island to make pirates happy and to keep captives under control, or resigned to their fate. We came up with the generic word 'satisfaction' to describe pirate happiness and captive resignation together. All of your islanders, whether they are pirates or captives, achieve 'satisfaction' as a combination of two types of elements: environmental and immediate. For example, a pirate becomes happier when his environment seems safe from foreign invasion - when he feels well defended. He also becomes happier if his immediate need for grog or wenches is met. Captive resignation works the same way, with different immediate and environmental factors.

Tropico 2 Hands on

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