March 2015
March 2015 - last edited March 2015
"Global Trade HQ has been a very popular feature"
Haha! Do you know what is far more popular? Toilet paper. By your logic, toilet paper is possibly the most popular product in the world! Probably only water is more popular.
"Certain items have a higher demand than others, and generally the high demand items will sell a lot quicker than the low demand ones.
If we added a feature that would enable players to search for a specific item type, it would make the high demand items sell incredibly fast...."
How about solving supply and demand the same way real markets do? Don't have price ceilings. If I could put my nails up for sale for 500 simoleons each instead of 20, it would NOT be a race to see who can tap it first, but a rational choice of whether something is actually worth the value requested.
March 2015
April 2015
April 2015 - last edited April 2015
"Adding a search of filter functionality would make it highly unfair for those who are not able to quickly grab each new item that is put up for sale."
"for those who are not able to quickly grab each new item that is put up for sale"
That already happens all the time. I don't see how it could make it any worse.
I wonder how many people are shown the same items on the global trade hq because sometimes it seems like there could be 10 people all going for the same thing at once.
The thing is though, if you could search and buy any item you needed any time, it would probably be a lot easier to upgrade buildings and make money, making the game a lot easier.
April 2015
@werslty wrote:
I wonder how many people are shown the same items on the global trade hq because sometimes it seems like there could be 10 people all going for the same thing at once.
The thing is though, if you could search and buy any item you needed any time, it would probably be a lot easier to upgrade buildings and make money, making the game a lot easier.
I agree, except that I think you've under-estimated the number going for the same items at one time. EA reports that they are clearing about 8 million Global HQ/Trade Depot transactions a day in this game. Some quick math shows that this is an average of over 5500 per minute. And these are just the transactions that clear -- they haven't reported how many people don't find what they were looking for. I'm not sure they know.
Personally, I think EA would make more money on the game if it wasn't frustrating to play. They need to develop compelling gameplay and combine it with desirable premium content to get players to spend real money on SimCash. I've addressed the points made by the OP and detailed an extensive overhaul of the of the Trade Depot/Global HQ on page 6 of this thread (look for the green monster of a reply!) and won't repeat it all here.
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April 2015
Maybe the GTHQ is not as bad as you think.
Maybe it's your wi-fi connection.
I have crappy wi-fi at home. I don't even try to buy anything in the GTHQ unless it's really early in the morning. Especially Sunday mornings. Otherwise, it's a waste of my time.
I have very good and fast wi-fi at work. So that is where I do all my GTHQ shopping. Yeah, I probably have way more misses than hits. but if I work at it long enough, I'll get what I need.
So before you blame GTHQ, take a look at your wi-fi connection first.
April 2015 - last edited April 2015
If you start fabricating something in your shop, it seems to then become more available in the GTHQ.
I think part of the algorithm involves you at least trying to make an object. Evidently they don't want you to be able to buy something unless you at least tie up your shop resources for the amount of time it takes to make it. So you can then buy it without waiting the time to make it, but your shop is now tied up and you can't use it until it finishes, obviously.
I would say it definitely looks at what you need. You won't be offered it. Start making one....bingo, you'll see it show up. Occasionally you will come across one without making one, but it's like it only shows you ones that are sold. Also, once you buy or make one and have satisfied your needs, you'll see oodles of them on the trading block. That's the fun part where it rubs salt in your wounds.
April 2015
April 2015
I also have noticed that when you need something it is rarely available, but if you start making it then it shows up, still is rare, but once you no longer need it and have it in inventory the Trade HQ is flooded with it.
Lets face it, the advantage is with EA here, they have the metrics written so they come out ahead, its no difference than throwing your money away in Las Vegas, to quote Robert Dinero "Look around, do you think we build huge hotels by losing at gambling"
The new refresh button and its sold thing is ok, but still I think they should stop the travel to a place to buy it, it wastes time and energy.
I have decided that rather than worrying about it, Ill just search as many peoples stuff as I can in 29 seconds before hitting refresh, that seems to work, although takes a huge time bite. But it is what it is and EA has shown they are only in it for the money. So why complain.