Which Tropico game is the best?

Which Tropico game is the best?
and why is it 4?

4 >> 3 > 1 (nostalgia) > 5 >> 1 >>>>> 2

What makes Tropico different from other games?

To drive home how little I know about this series: I don't know if it's more like Alpha Centauri, Sim City, or rollercoaster tycoon

It's more like Anno lite, except less polished and with more humor.

5 Could have been so much better if they had put real effort into the different eras but instead its pretty much pointless not to start at Modern.

Am I the only one who likes progressing from colonial times? Sharing islands with a bro was also pretty fun for the first few weeks.

5 just suffered from low production values compared to 4 and a number of stupid design decisions.

4 >> 3 > 1 >> 5 >>>>> 2

5 is much shittier than your ordering implies; otherwise this list is correct.

I just can't face going through that stupid research system starting from early era. That was the worst possible way to implement tech progression. I think that's the mechanic of 5 I hate the most, actually.

It's not really a city builder (scale is smaller too), it's a banana republic dictator simulator.
The simulation part isn't really that deep but in the campaign the scenarios constantly throw different events at you so you have to adapt.
It's super comfy and genuinely funny.

I just want for them to implement market capitalism in a way that isn't retarded. And don't take getting into the late game to do.

>I just want for them to implement market capitalism in a way that isn't retarded

How do you mean? What aspect?

As in not having to use central planing for everything. there was the one building towards the end that let you build private business but that was it.

>5 is much shittier than your ordering implies; otherwise this list is correct.
Perhaps, I was trying to be fair because Tropico 1, Industry Giant II and Rollercoaster Tycoon defined my childhood so most likely I'm biased as fuck.
Also 5 isn't terrible, it's just a disappointing.

>Also 5 isn't terrible, it's just a disappointing.

I don't know. I can't think of a single reason to buy 5 instead of 4. Every iteration from 1 to 3 to 4 was a real improvement and then 5 just shit the bed with a shoddily-made cash grab that I think had no respect for the franchise whatsoever. Whoever took 4 and designed 5 had no idea what they were doing - I think I would be shocked if they were designed by the same person.

What I was trying to say is that 5 is not a terrible game in its own right, it just really pales in comparison with its predecessors. I always recommend 4 and 3 to people that want to get into the series, there may be less eye candy but they're less convoluted and they're way cheaper too.

The only thing that I really, REALLY hate in 5 is the dynasty system and how random it is. What the fuck were they thinking?

>The only thing that I really, REALLY hate in 5 is the dynasty system and how random it is. What the fuck were they thinking?

Yeah, agree - that was really bad too. Completely tacked-on with little thought, like most of the new stuff.

> 3 to 4
> improvement

Really? You think 3 is better? How come?

But city sims and tycoon games are '''''literally''''' about central planning. If market capitalism was implemented, the game would be just looking at the screen and watching random, inefficient city-building happen on its own.

Aren't you just in charge of zoning in Sim City games?

Oh wait, that reminds me of an upcoming game I saw recently. They actually have an interesting take on this idea, focusing on the high-level political aspects of city-building:

store.steampowered com/app/352550

Zoning is still a figment of central planning. A free-market city would have no zoning, everything would be built according to the whims of the plot owners.
Looks cool, thanks user.

Don't really like how at least in tropico 5, i'm plopping the same buildings a million times and calling it a city

You think they can compete with Cities: Skylines?

I don't know; I really haven't seen much about this game yet (it gets released January 2017). I'm guessing that it'll cater to different audiences - it looks like it emphasizes simulation over Cities' sandbox, as one other post put it.