Hi there,

Not much said about this classic since Tropico Reloaded had been released.

For those sad people stuck on the original games and running into compatibility issues and errors like game crash or Black and White scenes, This guide will hopefully clear up most of those issues as well as upgrading the game to v1.2 which has a lot of QOL improvements.

First off, after downloading and installing Tropico 2: Pirate Cove.
You will need to find and update to patch v1.2 which can be found easily by googling it. There are some spam links so always use a trusted source. I am not responsible for any damage done by following this guide. Use at own risk!

Once you have downloaded and updated Tropico we need to then find a way to run the game without a CD.
The patch is for the retail version of the game and expects to still see and need a CD to verify the game is legally owned.
I can't say where or how you can run a Game without a CD but I'm sure a few savvy people know what to do. GBW is a great resource to start.
* Also before using any .exe to overwrite anything always create a folder called 'Backup' and place any files you plan to edit or overwrite inside that folder. i.e an original backup of Tropico2.exe

Now your game should more or less be launching at least without cd check errors, but the game may look bad or unplayable or crashes after launching a map.

Go to HDD \SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Tropico 2
and find Tropico2.ini copy and paste this file into your already made 'Backup' folder if you followed earlier guide.
Now right click - edit Tropico2.ini
**For anyone who hasn't opened a .ini file before, right click - open with - notepad
Paste the following overwriting the file.
[X]--------------------------------------------------[X]
[A16App]
AmbientDanger=0
DisableTaskSwitching=0
MouseControl=0
ShowFrameRate=1
Borderless=1
FullScreen=1
MinFramePeriod=5000
MaxFramePeriod=0
ClearScreen=0
MouseWheelDelta=1

[DDraw]
SoftwareDevice=1
TextureManage=1

[DRenderer]
ZBuffer=0

[Sound]
Channels=2
Frequency=22050
SampleBits=16
Voices=6
Volume=50

[PirateApp]
ScreenShotCounter=0
LastCampaignSave=Campaign/Thaerenfyre/ep06/Thaern-mid-att113.{}
TransitionMovies=1
PlayOpeningMovie=0

[PirateUI]
CancelMButton=2
MapScrollSpeed=1600
ScrollMButton=1
SelectionMButton=0
UIScreenSize=4
DisplayShipsLog=1
MultipleCondemn=0
ResolutionTextDuration=7000
SpeedTextDuration=3000
RainbowMeters=1
AntiAliasLevel=7
BlendingLevel=4
BuildingLevel=7
CharacterLevel=7
DisplayIslandLog=0
DrawGrid=0
DrawOverlay=1
ShadeLevel=7
TextureLevel=7
TreeLevel=7
AnnounceHats=1
AnnounceParrots=1
AnnouncePeglegs=1
AnnouncePlunder=1
AnnounceRecruits=1
AnnounceNewShips=1
AssistantVolume=75
BorderSize=0
FaunaLevel=7
OceanLevel=4
UnitVolume=75
FXVolume=50
ShipLevel=7
DisplayTutorial=1
PersistentSmitty=1

[PirateGame]
MaxFramePeriod=100
ParticleCount=200
DisallowSillyShores=0
AutoSavePeriod=1000

[TMapView]
AntiAliasLevel=7
BuildingLevel=7
CharacterLevel=7
DrawGrid=0
DrawOverlay=1
ShadeLevel=4
TextureLevel=7
TreeLevel=7
BlendingLevel=4

[MapTreeSprite]
ShowStumps=0

[Music]
Volume=50

[TIslandLog]
ReselectTOCChapter=0
ShowUndiscoveredInvasion=1

[AmbientSound]
Volume=50

[EventSounds]
Voices=12

[PathConstructionModule]
AllowSingleTileConstruction=0
HideTreesDuringConstruction=1
[X]--------------------------------------------------[X]

This has a few minute changes to make Tropico work under software render as well as a few minor tweaks like no intro video, FPS show etc. If there are values you wish to change generally swapping it from 0 or 1 to the other turns it on and off.

Now it doesn't seem to change much for me, but also can't hurt.
Right click Tropico2.exe and change compatibility to Windows XP SP3

The game should now be fully working and look almost as good as it did when you were a child playing it for the first time.

Unfortunately the game does seem to be stuck in 4:3 format and trying to run the game windowed and borderless on or off seems to have broken with the v1.2 patch, If you find a way to implement borderless or windowed please feel free to add to comments.
Maximum resolution is 1600x1200 which actually looks and plays great fullscreen on my 2560x1440p monitor.

I have tried using DgVoodo2 but I get constant errors or graphic glitches so if someone finds a way to make that work with resolution forcing I would love to know as well.
[X]--------------------------------------------------[X]
Now that the game has launched, when you go into a map you can now get to the settings menu for the game.

Here you can adjust resolution and a few other graphic tweaks.

You can change everything to make or to your choosing including resolution but there are a few fields that need to be left off.
- Setup Videos - Ticked
- Ocean Animation - Ticked
- 3D Mode - Software Ticked
- Reduced Graphics Shifting - Unticked ( makes the game slow down tremendously )
Level of Detail
All settings here generally can safely be maxed out expect for border, try it to find out why.

That's it ! Enjoy Tropico 2: Unreloaded

If you still have any issues, Write a comment with your hardware, windows version in the comments and i'll do my best to help.
If you have done everything here and still have issues last step to take is in the main folder of tropico2.exe you can run 'Tropico 2 Safe Mode.bat' and that should allow the game to play and reduced graphics.

Big thanks to Pcgamingwiki.com for the extensive fields of settings
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Tropico_2:_Pirate_Cove

Big thanks to Salomj at GOG forums for providing his .ini file that I used for this guide and then modified.
https://www.gog.com/forum/tropico_series/tropico_2_wont_run_in_windows_10

Edit: 13/11/2022 - Updated guide for file - open as notepad reference