Hello, I've been enjoying Tropico 4 for the past few weeks and I am wondering if certain buildings have a "range of influence" much like television stations do.

1) Primarily, I am wondering about schools. I've noticed that both my high school and college tend to be empty after the first couple batches of students push through - so I usually don't build anymore, even if my residential district expands a bit beyond where they are located, and I never seem to have an employment problem. My primary schools however are constantly full.

2) Fire stations also do not show a "sphere of influence" so I am wondering the same.

3) Newspapers and radio stations I think have a sphere of influence on liberty, but for some reason when placing them the map doesn't highlight (unlike when placing a tv stations, which shows the areas of liberty) Could anyone clarify this?

3) Finally, do horticulture stations need to be placed near whatever crop / forest they are affecting to be effective?

Hello, welcome to the Tropico 4 community!

(26-12-2011 11:32 AM)Candalos Wrote:  1) Primarily, I am wondering about schools. I've noticed that both my high school and college tend to be empty after the first couple batches of students push through - so I usually don't build anymore, even if my residential district expands a bit beyond where they are located, and I never seem to have an employment problem. My primary schools however are constantly full.

- The sphere of influence for educational structures is island-wide.
- High schools and colleges empty out after the initial batch of students because there aren't any further incentives for your population to pursue a higher education. Create more jobs for high school and college workers.
- The "Literacy Program" edict will accelerate the rate at which students graduate.
- The "Social Security" edict will pay your retirees and students 1/3 of the average wage, which would stimulate the number of students.
- Once the need for the educational structures diminishes, layoff some teachers/professors to reduce payroll expenses, then rehire them as necessary.

(26-12-2011 11:32 AM)Candalos Wrote:  2) Fire stations also do not show a "sphere of influence" so I am wondering the same.

- The sphere of influence for fire stations is island-wide, but response times can affect results if there is a fire or multiple fires.

(26-12-2011 11:32 AM)Candalos Wrote:  3) Newspapers and radio stations I think have a sphere of influence on liberty, but for some reason when placing them the map doesn't highlight (unlike when placing a tv stations, which shows the areas of liberty) Could anyone clarify this?

- It could be a glitch, because it works for me.

(26-12-2011 11:32 AM)Candalos Wrote:  3) Finally, do horticulture stations need to be placed near whatever crop / forest they are affecting to be effective?

- Yes

(26-12-2011 06:16 PM)Boston Wrote:  

(26-12-2011 11:32 AM)Candalos Wrote:  2) Fire stations also do not show a "sphere of influence" so I am wondering the same.

- The sphere of influence for fire stations is island-wide, but response times can affect results if there is a fire or multiple fires.

I assume he means the housing quality increase effect of the fire station. I haven't seen a sphere for it either but it seems to have a radius of about 2-3 tenaments/apartments.