This guide maximizes the efficiency of your first 10 turns by ending and avoiding negative situations (Red circles) as well as balancing the budget. This guide is intended for an America play through with no adjustments to the default settings.
Turn 1
- Community Policing – Max
- Police Force – Max
- Private Prisons – Max
- Save remaining political capital
This turn sets you up to end Prison Overcrowding, Antisocial Behavior, and Alcohol Abuse.
Cracking down on crime now will also help avoid the easily triggered “Drug Addiction” situation.
You need to save your remaining political capitol for turn 2 because…
Turn 2
Health Food Subsidies – Max
Obliterating your military spending early ensures a budget surplus by the end of 10 turns without the need to majorly raise taxes.
Health food subsidies begin to bring down obesity levels sharply.
Note on Taxes: Raising taxes (especially income and corporate taxes) can cause a major headache because it can tank your popularity and easily snowball into to the red “Tax Evasion” situation. After the first 10 turns the only taxes I would consider raising would be those that have net positive benefits such as a “Plastics Tax” ($31B gain) and “Packaging Tax” ($26B gain) which strengthen “The Environment” with minimal GDP impacts.
The only tax that I suggest raising in the first 10 turns we will raise in turn 3 and it is…..
Turn 3
Competition Law – Max
Reforestation – Max
Now that Prison Overcrowding, Antisocial Behavior, and Alcohol Abuse are trending down it is time to continue to address Obesity with the Junk Food Tax. This tax brings in ~$5B and is the only tax I recommend raising in the first 10 turns.
The competition law begins to combat “Media Monopoly” while reforestation fights “Respiratory Disease” and helps keep the red “Pollution” situation from triggering.
Note on “Obesity” – Do not attempt to fight obesity with “State Health Service”. The cost to max this is 21 political points (Very high) and the financial cost is ~$270B which will break your budget.
Turn 4
Food Standards Agency – Max
Healthy Eating Campaign – Max
Maxing out Import Tariffs is all you need to do to end the “Uncompetitive Economy” situation. We also max the food standards agency and healthy eating to continue to chip away at obesity.
Turn 5
Free School Meals – Max
Compulsory School Sports – Max
We continue to chip away at obesity with cycling and school sports. Maxing the state broadcaster will be the last policy we need to end “Media Manipulation” and has the dual purpose of combating the red “Fake News” situation from triggering.
Turn 6
- Adult Education Subsidies – Max
- Cycling Campaign – Max
Adult Education Subsidies fight the “Skills Shortage” and the cycling campaign continues to fight obesity.
Turn 7
- University Grants – Max
University grants are the last policy we need to end the “Skills Shortage”
Turn 8
- Ban Coal – Max
Banning coal helps combat “Respiratory Disease” and is good for the environment.
Turn 9
- Agricultural Subsidies – Max
At this point the red “Food Cost Crisis” becomes imminent. Agricultural subsidies subdue this threat.
Turn 10
- New Car Subsidies – Max
- Keep the Country Tidy – Max
Continue to fight “Respiratory Disease” with “New car subsidies” and “Keep the Country Tidy”.
From here you can choose to focus on anything you want (Subduing assassination attempts, gaining popularity, re-election, reshuffling or keeping cabinet ministers happy). I personally found ending policies such as “Rubber Bullets”, “Water Cannons”, and “Tear Gas” will make Liberals (a large voting group) love you, save money, and raise your compassion stat.
I would also suggest from here to start focusing on science funding, high technology, and high equality. These can eventually lead to new green situations such as “Technological Advantage”, “Egalitarian Society”, and “Private Space Industry”. Just try to keep rare earth metal prices low as it can tank the benefits of high technology.
Note on “Environmental Protests”: At this point you will likely still have the “Environmental Protests” situation active. I generally leave this one be since its negative impacts are minimal and its not worth hurting “The Environment” for.
Note on assassinations: If you follow the guide your popularity with the “Religious” can get low enough that the “The Angels of Heavenly Justice” may make assassination attempts in the next few turns. Minimizing the “Gay Marriage” slider should subdue them.
