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Constructor

Leaky roofs, dodgy electrics, cranked-up meters... they're all part of  the fun of being a landlord. Now you too can exploit low-rent tenants with Acclaim's comedy building simulator.

Learning The Trade Build
The greater the variety of buildings you construct, the more options become available to you. If you build one each of the wooden houses, the concrete yard can be built. After one each of the concrete houses have been raised, the brick yard option is available. The steel yard is accessible when all the brick houses have been built.
Once a yard is constructed, be sure to upgrade it. It may take a lot of time and money, but an upgraded yard can hold more supplies and takes less time to be restocked. It also increases the amount of buildings that can be built.

Birds Of A Feather
Always place matching tenants and buildings on the same estate. Guaranteed, if the Sloane family find you've built a bungalow on their doorstep they won't be best pleased. Level 1 tenants will put up with the most abuse. If they don't, you can always chuck 'em out. At the start of the game, devote at least two or three estates to Level 1 tenants. You can keep their properties at the smallest size as long as you have a few trees to stick in their garden to keep them happy.

Best Defense
Before you start taking on the other builders, always be sure your estates are well protected and maintained. Have a few rat traps built in the gadget factory just in case an infestation occurs, as they spread rapidly from house to house.
Having a good police presence also stops you being overwhelmed by tumultuous events. Assign them to your most expensive constructions and work yards to stop undesirables from breaking in. The lower rent houses aren't worth protecting, so you are better off concentrating your force on the more luxurious properties.

Go Forth And Multiply
The problem most players seem to have is lack of tenants. Without tenants, your rent money drops, your houses are open to infestation, and your workforce is greatly diminished. Dedicate one of the first estates you build to breeding workers or tenants. Upgrade the bedrooms and kitchens to ensure that the tenants don't die of botulism and stick around to do some breeding.

It is a better idea to produce workers rather than spare tenants. If too many tenants are hanging around, the council will get uppity and impose a fine for overcrowding. Workers, however, can be turned into repairmen, foremen, or even into tenants. They are also immortal when created and will wait happily in your hut until called for. Don't forget, tenants will only reproduce if they are in the appropriate level of housing. Level 1 tenants won't reproduce in a bungalow, for instance.

The Council
These bunch of spuds are the main cause of grief in the game. They can get you the sack if you accumulate too many black marks. The most lethal threat the council poses is when they set missions. Missions have to be completed in the allotted time or it's game over! It is therefore a good idea to save the game when a mission has been given. Concentrate all your efforts on getting the mission completed - don't try to do anything else until it is done. Once a mission is completed, a ton of white marks
are awarded.
The council has its uses. You can sell obsolete or damaged property to them for reasonable prices. You can also sell a newly constructed house for a healthy profit, to make some quick money. Selling to the council can also be a good option if you have property in the wrong place. Rather than sending the foreman in to blow it up, you can let the council have it for a few months, after which it will explode of its own accord.

Money
Ultimately, to win the game, money is what you need. Try and get as much out of your tenants as they can afford: if they complain you can always chuck them out! Always make constructing a school and a hospital a first priority. The school helps raise higher level tenants, whilst the hospital provides much needed R & R for your workers.
Don't forget the bank manager is always there; and if he isn't, there is always the mob to turn to when you need money. The best way to complete the game is by borrowing only when necessary. If you desperately need cash to finish a mission, then fine, but don't waste ready money on undesirables that you don't need. If you are flat broke, crank the rent up on your worst estate and sell the houses to the council when the residents get unhappy - you can always build more!
Try and get a good force of gangsters working for you, but never send them in alone. Three gangsters can take out a building or character in minutes and get away before the cops turn up, unlike the solitary man that can be picked off easily.

Like any landlord, do the bare minimum to stay in business. Remember, it is a seller's market and you can do what you want as long as the money is still rolling in. Don't redecorate or repair unless the buildings are becoming uninhabitable. Save your cash for building more houses instead of upgrading new ones.

Undesirables
This is the fun element of the game. Your undesirables can cause a severe headache for your opponents, when deployed correctly. You can also use them to fend off enemy attacks, if you prefer a more sedate game.

Hippie
Long hair, love beads, and a laid-back attitude to match. The hippie becomes available when a commune has been constructed. This guy has many uses (aside from cultivating illegal herbs), but subscribes to a nonviolent code. The hippie's best use is as a squatter. Send him to an empty property, preferably an expensive one, to stop the owner moving tenants in.

Clown
Good for telling jokes and getting rid of unwelcome ghosts, the clown isn't as annoying as he seems. Use this character to lure guard dogs away from property with an array of amusing tricks. He can also entice some of the more deadly enemies you face into the house of fun and onto the lethal egg machine.

By far his finest weapon is the classic Molotov maneuver. The clown can be employed to firebomb an opposing property, causing severe damage for your enemy and severe laughter for you.

Ghost
It seems that even the dead are open to bribes these days. Use the ghost to cloak one of your characters and send them in to commit a stealthy act of terrorism. Haunting is also one of the ghost's specialties. Send him to an expensive property and use him to drive away the residents.

If you are planning a major raid against your enemy, use the ghost to infest a pavement in their territory. After a few seconds, zombies will appear and send the police into a frenzy, leaving the way clear for your attack.

Mr. Fix-It
Classic DIY disasters await when Mr. Fixit calls. If you want to make a house uninhabitable, send him in to do the wiring. If you want to cause more permanent damage, get him to check out the gas mains. Pretty soon there will be a huge explosion. If you want to take out a whole block, let him try his hand at plumbing. After a couple of water mains have burst, the entire neighborhood will be knee deep in water, adding to their stress.

Psycho
Norman Bates has nothing on this guy! Once the biker bar has been constructed, this Hell's Angel will go on the rampage. Get him to put his chain saw to good use. Attacking fences to weaken property is a must. He can also clear unwanted workers off a building site by going postal with his saw, sending the enemy packing so you can move in on their territory.

If you've seen Scream and desperately want to emulate some excellent terror tactics, send the psycho to attack a house. After this raving madman comes to call, they better cancel their milk and renew their life insurance.

Thugs
When not watching football, they love nothing more than to cause a rack. Use them to fight off rival thugs or just to cruise the neighborhood looking for bother. As with the ghost, they can be employed to drive away tenants using intimidation and threats. They are more effective as they cannot be exorcised.

If you like a decent bit of ragga, send them into a enemy house for a party. After a while they will get legless and trash the place, reducing its value and stressing the tenants within.

Thief
The underworld can be a useful tool for increasing your funds and really aggravating the other players. The thief can steal equipment from the gadget factory, money from a base, weapons from gangsters, or plain old gear from a yard. The thief needs to be nursed towards his destination or he will be easily picked off by enemy gangsters or police. Use parks or invisibility to cover his approach, so he stays alive long enough to strike.

Gangsters
These are your rank and file foot soldiers. Use them to destroy buildings and rub out enemy characters. For every kill they get, better weapons become available in their arsenal. The gangsters are good for destroying expensive characters such as foremen or repair workers. They can also be employed as guards on empty building sites, to scare away anyone thinking of usurping your position.
The gangsters require careful maintenance though. If they are used too frequently, they will demand mob favors from some of your higher level tenants. Be aware of the cost and only send them in when you can meet their demands

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