Ayiti: The Cost of Life
Things don't feel right out here... despite the optimism.
Ayiti: the Cost of Life is one of the best political web games released this year, right up there with The McGame and the comic genius of Airport Security. You control the activities of a Haitian family trying to get by, the experience is like Oregon Trail meets Wyclef Jean ("if I was president..."). Health, education, community service and just making ends add up to a compelling strategy game thats easy to play but hard to beat.
Unlike most games with a political message, such as September 12th or 3rd World Farmer, Cost of Life actually has a strategy that works, but it's buried in a heap of revealingly faulty approaches. The balance of the game's randomized elements shows the designers subtly imbued their message; where health risks can be marginalized and hurricane disasters rare, unlike 3rd World Farmer's frustratingly even spread of bad luck that ensured you'd lose it all every few turns.
Here's a strategy guide diverted from fanboy tradition to become incisive analysis:
If you live poor everyone gets sick quickly, preventing them from working and incurring health costs to get well, which effectively spirals the family into a negative feedback loop that kills everyone. You need to keep the living rates at a decent level to keep the health profile going, but that alone isn't enough. If you help build up the local community center (run by Unicef, which also had a hand in producing the game) you'll get health and educational benefits more frequently. Volunteering also increases eduction for free, as opposed to paying for school in addition to not earning money. Having at least one educated family member able to work as a secretary (for an NGO office, hmmm, fingerprints of the producers?) is the mid-game breakthrough that lets you live good (where health doesn't deteriorate on a seasonal basis; mmmmm, delicous middle-class stasis). The trick is getting the wife up to education level-four before the negative feedback loop pulls you under the tide.
It took me about six or seven plays to hone-in on the precise winning strategy that lets you break into middle-class stability: self-education. Spending the fifty goul every season on books will earn the whole family educational points much more cost effectively than schooling (since they can also work), so you only need to take Marie to vocational school a handful of times. Schooling the children is a good bet, but only through home schooled books, the Christian schools are too expensive and affordable public schools require an artificial barrier of purchasing a school uniform.
Nothing demonstrates hypocrisy more sharply than losing at the game. Reading on your own time, because you want to, is the cheapest and most effective way to learn and better your earning prospects. The political message seems to be then: where there's a will and a library, there is a way. A counter-message seems to be: where there's an NGO proliferating the availability of libraries, the odds of people having the will to better themselves are higher because the means are presently available. The first message is implied from the game's material constraints (books, cost economy) and seems to be decidedly conservative (get a job! read a book! American Pie discourages loveless sex!). The second message comes from the game's formal constraints (the progression of an explcit reward cycle deriving from macro-scale mechanics) and is seemingly quite leftist (NGOs are the answer, hurrah!). The beauty of the play's resonance, of the messages only games can imply, comes in the gap between these constraints, and orthogonally, from the gap between the game's representations and its simulated mechanics of economy and randomized interdiction. In that quiet space, you are not a pawn in an agenda, but a family, and holy flavin, thats art.
Its also kind of fun as you figure out how to get ahead, if you prefer fun to preachy political subtext. I'm not sure which was more compelling, the later feelings of success as I worked that dominant strategy, or the early feelings of anguished sympathy as these people helplessly struggled with no way out.
Walkthrough Guide
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What a pity Biti didn't say how you get all the diplomas!
I've managed a maximum of 11 diplomas by sticking to the following rules. I think getting the final 4 is mostly a matter of luck with the jobs that come up and the availability of the right schooling. Sorry it's so long-winded:
Things to buy at the store:
Before you do anything else, buy shoes and books. The shoes allow their health to deteriorate more slowly as they work
Buy books EVERY single round after that - this is the key to everyone getting education in the game. Buy these before you buy anything else.
Once you are into the third (or even the second) season start to buy the Home Remedy every turn. It won't stop you getting colds forever, but it does seem to approximately double the time before the family come down with them.
Usually you won't need the toys or the radio at all. That is, if you pick the right jobs, and don't "work hard" all the time, so that you don't let your health deteriorate to the point where you have cholera/TB etc. you won't need them. Only buy the school uniform either when the child you want to educate needs the uniform, and not "just in case".
Buy the books and as soon as you still have over 350 goud left after that send either Jean (the father) or Patrick (the elder son) to work and see if the construction worker job is available, if it is, buy the bicycle).
The bed, the livestock and the plumbing are all very useful for helping the family stay healthy or making money, so get each as soon as you have enough money.
Lastly, if you can help it, don't let your money go right down close to 0 for the start of the round, sometimes the balance will drop before it begins to go up again, you could end up with poor living because of it.
Voluntary work:
As soon as they are available, get the maximum number of people voluntary jobs - they (obviously) don't give you money, but you do get some added education from them, and hopefully, if you can get 2 volunteers for the first 2 seasons you'll begin to build the community centre and this gives tons of benefits the further you get with it.
After the main community centre, you'll automatically build the library (which gives you an education bonus every turn, once it's finished), after that you have a choice - take the health information office, if you can get that built before the end of year 2, with a bit of luck you may never need to send anyone to the hospital or clinic as that will give them all a health boost each turn.
The final thing to build is a soccer field - by then you don't need more than one person as a volunteer, the others are better occupied either working or studying, even if 2 slots are available. Once that's built you really don't need to put anyone in as a volunteer again.
Jobs:
If possible, you need 3 people in paid work every turn (until you get your own stall, then 2). The other 2 should either be volunteering or in education.
Unless there are no other jobs available, the Rum Distillers should never be used. It impacts far too much on their health, even though the pay is better than the Farm Hand or Market Woman, they are far better options in the early part of the game.
Construction worker is slightly tougher on them than Mechanic/Mechanic Assistant, but quite a lot better paid, and as soon as you have a bicycle either Jean or Patrick should take this job. If both are qualified enough to be a Mechanic/Mechanic Assistant and both jobs are available, give it to the one who has better health.
Follow the tips below about schooling and you should have Mechanic/Mechanic Assistant options quickly for Jean and Patrick and (with luck) Secretary for Marie by the end of year 2 (or if you have a bad selection of jobs by the end of year 3). Secretary is the best paying job that anyone will qualify for but Marie is the only one who can hold it, and she has to have a technical degree before she can take it.
If you are lucky, when you have over 750 goud during your turn you will be offered the chance to buy a stall and that makes as much money for one of the parents as the secretary's job. Ideally you can have both parents working for 420 goud each and have all 3 children in school and still be making a profit.
Education
Jean, Marie and Patrick (the parents and the elder son can get better/more choices of work by getting educated, so they are the ones that you need to concentrate on initially when you are educating the family. Jean needs least education to become a mechanic. One season at the vocational school, if you click on study hard, will qualify Jean as a mechanic.
Two seasons of studying hard will see Patrick qualified as a Mechanic Assistant, and it takes 3 seasons of hard study to get Marie a technical degree, which she requires to become a secretary.
So it's best to educate them in that order to give the maximum chance of 3 people always having a decent paying job.
Vocational school for the adults isn't available every season, so do take advantage of it when it is. It's worth noting that, for all school doesn't run for the kids over the summer, occasionally the vocational school for the adults does.
The Private "lottery" school really isn't worth bothering with for the children - if you can't afford Protestant school or the Public school and a uniform put them into work or working on their own farm and make sure they have the books to study at home.
Of the other 3 schools, the Public and Catholic schools can't be used right at the start even if you buy a uniform. You'll need the child you want to send to one to have either studied at home/worked/volunteered for at least 3 seasons or to have already spent 1 season at a different school.
Where possible, buy the uniform and use the public school. Catholic school gives the best education, but is VERY expensive and should only be used if you have a stack of extra money for some reason and you've bought everything that will be helpful.
Don't forget, that you shouldn't educate people if there are volunteer slots to fill, and you haven't finished building everything, these will overall give more educational benefit for everyone.
Everything else:
1. Use Decent Living every turn, make sure that if it drops because of poverty you put it back up at the end of the turn.
2. Make sure you have at least 150 goud before the start of the hurricane season as you could be asked immediately to pay that much to hurricane-proof your home. If you don't, you're almost certain to take 400 goud damage during the season.
3. At Christmas, unless you have a huge excess of money don't buy the festive stuff, your money can be better spent and if you stick to the other rules you won't need the happiness boost.
4. Only send people to the clinic/hospital when there are jobs they can't do because of illness or when they have a named illness and it is offered during a turn as an option. Once you have the health information office just use the clinic to get their health back up to where they can work again and the health awareness nights will do the rest. Don't waste money on going to a clinic/hospital before you have to. It's better to continue volunteering and get the health information office built, which will stop health deteriorating each turn and gradually improve it.
Posted by: GeordieLass
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October 24, 2009 7:15 PM
Oof this is long. But helpful! Click for advice.
+ The object of the game is to finish with both parents alive, so yeah, it does matter.
+ Volunteering = good. (Guess which family member is best for volunteering...) Actually, there's tons of info in the blocks of text, it can help a lot.
+ I've never confirmed it, but what you choose in the beginning affects your gameplay. It may become a challenge to achieve your set goal. If you feel like a random event is/isn't happening and time's running out, chances are it really won't kick in as much as you'd like -- change course before it's too late.
+ Pay attention to the seasons, and associated costs. Plan ahead. Budgeting is your friend!
+ Figure out which power-ups are worth it, both in reward and cash. There will be different rates for everything.
Ok, if that's too vague, I'll have pity... a home remedy may not stop serious illness, but it might qualify someone for a job that's otherwise closed because of sickness. AND: books? They work. But again, it's just a nudge. Sometimes they can be at the same # level and with no diploma, and yet suddenly qualify for a job with purchase of books. Another detail is some kids learn faster than others...
Sometimes an option (or person! or building...) that doesn't seem to pay off / buff will actually cut down the time required to reach a goal. Or not. It's a bit like the Grow games that way.
+ Standard of living matters a great deal.
+ Be able to make adjustments on the fly. That's the fun-gaming part of this. (for length:)
I.e. if Rum Distiller is the only thing available, you can maximize income while minimizing injury with good mgmt. Prioritize which family members to power up or down before you start, because random events will interrupt.
+ One mean trick is
sending one to work or school if they're sick but not seriously dying. If they're really that sick, they'll be sent to the clinic, and you could save cash AND time whilst doing two-birds-one-stone. This is the only way to really move them mid-season.
If they're just getting worse, though, send them home just before the end of the season. There's a chance they'll be sent to the clinic from there, plus you'll get close to a whole season's effects.
The whole family cannot afford to be sick at once.
+ Normal stuff can happen such as
parents being worried if their child is too sick. in which case sending them to volunteer may not help their happiness. Or health affecting efficacy of the task.
And yes, I've done all 15 diplomas, though not often. I never take my own advice.
Posted by: Shudog
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November 26, 2010 9:43 PM
Rules of thumb:
Try to always have 3 incomes and 2 students/volunteers, unless you have enough saved to get by on fewer than 3 incomes for a season and there are good educational opportunities available.
Fill all volunteer slots until you have everything built. To have a realistic shot at 15 diplomas, you need the community center to get started in season 1 or 2, and you should have everything done by halfway through year 2.
Educate/volunteer the parents early and often, because their educational opportunities are rarer, since vocational school isn't year round, but there is always a school option for the kids year round. Also, the two younger kids give you no monetary benefit from education anyway. Just fit them in when either there are no volunteer slots and no vocational school, or when jobs are scarce and one or both parents need to work jobs the kids can't do, or the kids are run down and need a little break.
You don't need any of the expensive items (beyond the bicycle). You need all the money you can get to further education instead. Do buy the books every season, and early on the herbal remedy as well (until the health awareness nights kick in). You probably won't need the toys, but the radio can be helpful, and the uniform is necessary for public school. Pick the bicycle up in year 1 or it probably isn't worthwhile.
Buying the stall only makes sense in the first two years... later on you're just breaking even or even taking a loss and it's better to have the financial cushion or get more people in schools.
Keep your living standard on good as often as you can afford it early on, then drop it to decent once everyone's health gets back up to 8 or so due to the health awareness nights.
If anyone is getting low on health, use them as volunteers or send them to school. Ideally, their health will hold out long enough for the health awareness nights to start their magic.
Always have everyone work hard. Taking it easy doesn't seem to save much health, except if they're working as rum distillers (which should only be a last resort job if it's a very weak job market otherwise). You get quite a bit more money (and presumably education/volunteer work) than if you take it easy.
For schooling, early on take all volunteer slots, but when there aren't two slots, priority should be vocational school for the adults, then public school for the kids (cheap and effective, you can sometimes get all three kids in at once if you have the parents working good jobs), then if necessary protestant school or professional tutor. Try to avoid local tutor and lottery school, since they are not as helpful, and catholic school since it basically cancels out one of your incomes (though it is pretty effective... can be a good choice in the last two seasons of the game if you have some money saved and one of the kids needs more than 1 education point to get to 9). Once everything is built, public school and vocational school are more effective than volunteering, but volunteering is still better than a local tutor or lottery school, and it's free so it can be more useful than the other schooling options.
Keep at least 150 on hand to start hurricane season, and make sure you are making money that season in case there is a second hurricane to boot. More than once I've paid through the first hurricane only to be out of cash and had my game effectively ended by the second one.
Posted by: rewster1
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December 9, 2010 12:23 PM