Tourist Personalities & Desires
Version 1.0 overhauled tourism beyond foot traffic counters. Visitors now arrive with distinct personalities, spoken thoughts, and desire categories that feed EGO reviews and Town Rank stars. Prideful Sloth confirmed nine regular tourist personality types plus seven otherworldly visitors — clowns, robots, dinosaurs, aliens, ghosts, mummies, and werewolves — each expecting different entertainment, rest, hunger, health, exploration, and shopping coverage. This guide explains how to read desire panels, stock the right recipes, and use the Tourist Tracker app without guessing why a clown left one star.
Desire categories explained
Build menu props show how well they satisfy desires: Entertainment, Rest, Hunger, Health, Exploration, and Shopping. Hover or move props in build mode to preview desire panels — a lifesaver when planning a high street that must please both foodies and explorers.
Food and shopping items use a three-star preference system. One-star snacks will not satisfy tourists hunting three-star meals. Rotate General Store and restaurant stock as new personality mixes arrive on the train.
| Desire | Typical fix | Rank tie-in |
|---|---|---|
| Hunger | Restaurants, food courts, varied recipes | Revenue + tourism |
| Shopping | Stocked shelves, decoration variety | Revenue stars |
| Rest | Benches, hotels, quiet zones | Tourism happiness |
| Entertainment | Landmarks, events, museums | Town Rank tiers |
| Health | Clinics, clean districts | Cleanliness overlap |
| Exploration | Caves, desert gates, fast travel | Expansion pacing |
Regular vs otherworldly types
Steam launch notes list nine standard personality archetypes with distinct voice lines and preferences. Major Update 5 Tourist Trap refined spawn balance so trains deliver a healthier mix instead of flooding one type.
Otherworldly visitors — Aliens, Clowns, Dinosaurs, Ghosts, Mummies, Robots, and Werewolves — add spectacle and unique desire spikes. They still ride the train but may need specialty shops or decorations unlocked through EGO Tech or rank challenges.
Exotic tourist types no longer dominate train arrivals; exotic Townies can still appear for recruitment quests.
Tourist Tracker and phone apps
Open TAB → Tourist Tracker (or equivalent 1.0 widget) to see who is in town, what they want, and satisfaction trends. Pair with Collections and rank panels for a full mayor dashboard.
Gameplay settings let you tune how vocal tourists are — useful for streamers who want fewer thought bubbles during co-op chaos nights.
Garbirds, litter, and mood
Messy districts scare tourists even when shelves are full. Garbirds raid rubbish piles when cleanliness slips, frightening visitors. Combine guides/how-to-keep-town-clean with desire planning so you fix both stock and litter before rank stars stall.
Efficient high-street layout
Cluster hunger and shopping on the main tourist path; place rest benches after entertainment landmarks. Desert and cave expansions feed exploration desires — unlock map parcels before chasing alien satisfaction in the starter valley alone.
Co-op teams can split roles: one Vice-Mayor monitors Tourist Tracker while another runs courier restocks — see guides/how-to-play-co-op.
- Check desire panels before bulk-buying decorations
- Upgrade recipes before inviting personality-heavy train days
- Claim Town Rank tourism tiers at Town Hall — guides/town-rankings