When comparing Tabletop Simulator vs Tropico 5, the Slant community recommends Tropico 5 for most people. In the question“What are the best Simulation games on Steam?” Tropico 5 is ranked 15th while Tabletop Simulator is ranked 34th. The most important reason people chose Tropico 5 is:
There is a mission mode (which is great for those that want to learn the ins and outs of the game through progression) and a sandbox mode (which is more like a city builder where it is up to you how to create your civilization). This makes for a good choice of different play depending on what the user wants at the time. There is also a multiplayer mode that works through competition (who can export more cigars, build a bigger plantation, etc.) that can extend the endgame content when the player feels they have experienced all the single player has to offer.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Variety of games
This game has pretty much anything you want to play. You can even make your own stuff for d&d or such.
Pro Huge amounts of user-created content
Users create and share assets among the community, allowing for a limitless number of tabletop games.
Pro Local multiplayer is possible
A "hot seat" mode is available, allowing for multiple players to play on the same computer by taking turns. Although this kind of multiplayer seems to work well for turn-based games, it does not work for all game types.
Pro Allows for choice in play
There is a mission mode (which is great for those that want to learn the ins and outs of the game through progression) and a sandbox mode (which is more like a city builder where it is up to you how to create your civilization). This makes for a good choice of different play depending on what the user wants at the time. There is also a multiplayer mode that works through competition (who can export more cigars, build a bigger plantation, etc.) that can extend the endgame content when the player feels they have experienced all the single player has to offer.
Cons
Con The UI is somewhat clunky
Con Table size is overly limited and you rely on completely community created content
Con This game isn't very intuitive
Con Rely on friends not to cheat
When playing games such as Uno, you have to rely on your friends to not cheat (by looking at your cards). There are settings that in theory prevent this, but people still find ways to cheat, which can get irritating.
Con Poor representation of changing times
The art in the game does not represent different time periods very well. The game starts out in the early 20th century and eventually builds up to the modern era. It does not matter what time period the player is in, little in the design of the games is representative through graphics changes.