FAQ about the Global Trade HQ

[Torgo65]

Ive seen nothing but wood and metal a few times. I'd like to see a ban on both. Who can't wait three minutes on wood. Its not worth selling either.

[Shadowd3mon69]

The 30 seconds isn't horrible although it doesn't seem to fix anything. The game still crashes, the market is still slow,we see the same items over and over again and even after waiting 30 seconds the game often gives me mostly the same people!

[DocPooki]

I knew getting involved with an EA freemium game wasn't the best decision I'd ever made, but for the past few weeks of playing this game I'd legitimately believed SimCity BuildIt was pretty good, that EA wasn't against us, and that it was possible to succeed in this game with a strategy of managing resources instead of simply waiting for everything.

However, with the 30 second timer being implemented I've suddenly shifted gears. This new feature has made the Trade HQ intentionally slow, difficult to use, and impossible to realistically make a profit. What's worse is that, because it's going to be received negatively, less people will use the HQ, making it even worse. A downward spiral, much like any trade market.

The difficulty I experience with the new 30 second buffer is that you can no longer wheel and deal, buy and sell like an actual broker. There was a certain charm to manipulating the HQ to make a profit, something I hadn't experienced before in a game. And it was satisfying and fun, it made me constantly want to play this game. I could make a profit by being intelligent (although really it's basic economics).

But now EA prefers to make a profit the usual way, force its userbase to become frustrated and not want to think with their head, but instead their wallet. The 30 second buffer eliminates profit and creates a slog of waiting around, hoping something might happen. Whereas before you could update the HQ anytime, experiencing quick prices and deals, in turn it's now about waiting. More waiting. And more ways for EA to get a dollar out of you.

I believe this was intentional, EA knows what they're doing. And it's disappointing, especially because I've come to write this. I've never really liked EA, I get the disdain, but when I gave SimCity BuildIt a go (thanks to my girlfriend playing it), I found myself actually considering otherwise; the creators of this game had the usual freemium IAP's, but there was still a great system involved to 'make it on your own' if you put the time in.

But now that's gone as well, and it's replaced with a time slog. And it's never coming back. Nobody from EA will read this; the only people who do will be the ones in my boat. And my boat is sinking, just like my interest in the game.

Please change this back, EA. I realize you're not making a quicker buck with the buffer off, but have a heart. The game was BETTER without the buffer. It's now much worse with it.

You wanna make quality games? You wanna be the better developer? Here's a small window of opportunity. Now climb through.

We're all waiting.

[ncfroc]

With each GTHQ update I've thought, "it can't possibly get any worse" and I've been proven wrong each time.

Could they make it even worse than the current 30s version?  I want to say no but I've been surprised with *every* other update. :robotembarrassed:

[BPPhotog]

@ DocPooki
Very well said. I can especially identify with what you say in the third paragraph. I mean really what is the point of a global market like this in a game, if it cannot be 'worked'. It is as if they are determined to keep dumbing it down to the point that everyone can feel like they are progressing well; regardless of whether or not they are driven to actually figure it out.
My best example was when the trade center was flooded with donuts, I was making none, why would you? They are a low profit/time item anyway and they were always available. Anyway, I would wait for one of these huge request from one of the towns supervisors for donuts at over $1000 a unit, and then pop onto the trade center and 'fill' the order with $750 units. Was feeling pretty smart ; ). Also, I made and sold things on the market that there was a shortage of, not a bunch of uneeded items for Daniel to buy. I wanted to 'do it right' and feel like I had progressed through the game honestly, using my wits, foresight etc.. Is'nt that the point, EA?!
Anyway, it is over now. I put up with the cargo ships orders now, being 3-5 times the number of items for much less per unit, I put up with Vu disasters being completely changed, but I too am beyond my patience with this game and the 30 second delay. I mean what are we supposed to do for thirty seconds? I go to the trade center usually to find a specific thing that I need to continue, this 30 second delay is just that a delay; then one gets to try to guess when the 30 seconds is up and if it is not you Still have to wait for the window to load the same items and still have to close and reopen, amazing.....
I think what gets me the most is the major changes AFTER the game has been released for several months. If all of these things had been the case I would have immediately seen it as requiring way too much time and would not have gone to the pains to produce a city with only two polluting factories, over 575,000 population, 100% happy since level 15 and have only 'had' to reach level 27; too bad I cannot finish it. I even made spreadsheets to figure out what were the the most profitable items per production time - I was Reallly! Into it.
I close with the fact that I am not a game player. I mean really not. I play an occasional round of Mahjong, etc.. But this game was a blast, so many things to figure out and plan. But they have decided that making a little more off of it, is more important than making something that is really fun to play. I will not be making the mistake of trying one of their games again as I feel quite betrayed at this point. EA you are losing a whole new potential market here - CheerZ!

[yowachugot]

I read your post and can't disagree more. You boast that the Global Trade HQ has more trades than the New York Stock Exchange. However, with the NYSE I can at least see and buy everything that is for sale. I should be able to search for the item I am looking for and if in high demand, I better be quick to get it. If I'm not quick enough, I should be able to see any secondary items I am looking for. Why do I only have a choice of 20 or so items? Why are there always duplicate items? I constantly see a ton of light bulbs, or watches. I just want to see everything available. I know there is a ton more items that are being advertised elsewhere.
Also, with the 30 second refresh, when I go to another city to buy the item, I go back to the Headquarters and the items is still there? Why? It should go away as soon as it is purchased eliminating confusion of another mayor shopping for the same item but is unavailable to them. I have noticed this as the 30 second refresh gets down to single digits, any other city I go to, to buy an item being advertised is already gone.
I see expansion materials frequently when shopping with my 10k population level 8 city. But rarely with my 500k population level 45 city. Why? I get that there is more available to the level 45 city. This being the reason for the necessity of a search menu. I know the expansion materials are out there. Why can't I find them with my level 45 city, but they are there all day and night with my level 8 city?

[ilmostro90780]

The delay really messed things up. I've posted about this in a few of the threads, but I'll add it here too. Just some advice for the sellers in GT. Nobody wants your raw materials like steel and wood. We can make our own and in a very short time. Quit clogging up the GT with theses items. I just went through 3 refreshes, and had nothing but metal and wood available to buy. I wish there was some kind of filter in the GTHQ.

[ilmostro90780]

We need a filter for the GTHQ.

[MXsoBx]

Trade HQ is utterly useless ... wait 30 secs for my next response

1001

1002

1003 etc etc

8 million users you say and what I get is a 32 sellers in which nearly half sell the same item but not the high demand item which everyone needs. Its quite obvious the Developers purposely created this scenario in order to force players to spend their cash .. Free to play until it prohibits you from achieving your goal. Rewarding your city with items but unfortunately not equally with items required to increase storage, expanded , rebuild or upgrade. So to fix any of this will undermine EA ability to cash in, that s it in a nuts shell. So what is left but to fix the crashing of Trade HQ and tweak the Trade HQ for fair balance, in the sense to what balance they referring to is unknown to us users because what they have done was created they unbalance in the first place.

It a bloody pickle is it not . how can this be done and still get user to buy simoleons ? 

good luck with that

[wwloon32]

I got a suggestion. If you really want people to visit others people city instead of letting people placing direct buying orders, why don't the trade becoming both ways?

There is a buying order, which price is fixed and amount is fixed by the system, and also a selling system, where the price and quantity can be fixed by the player. Imagine A player can visit B player to buy things, but B player can also place a request listing what he need and A player to sell whatever he needs at B player pre-set price, provided A player has the items that B player want and agreed with the price B player offered. Thus, true market is born with real trades.