Global Trade HQ changes [ Edited ]

[RippenStorm]

The "Buy Queue" is an interesting suggestion, but it seems based on the idea that the Global Market problem is due to competition for resources, that there is a shortage of certain items and that is why we have trouble getting them. Sadly, this is not what is going on here.

The real  problem is that after you have built your city a certain amount, the items you "need" to progress are DENIED you. There is an active FILTER on the Market so that you CANNOT get the items you need. When I open the Market I usually hear voices chanting "We're saving it for an emergency" and no matter what items I currently need they are almost always not listed, and when they are listed and I visit that city, they are usually not shown in that city's panel, and when they are shown in that city's panel and I tap them, there is usually a delay and then the error message about not being available.

Sometimes, obviously, this could be due to the item being obtained by someone else. But there is an unusually large number of items being listed that I don't currently need, items I am able to get if I care to acquire them for later use. Those items are never suddenly unavailable (obtained by someone else). It's only the items I actually need right now that are denied me. We can't all be needing the same items simultaneously. My needs vary as hours and days go by, and it is ALWAYS what I need that is missing.

EA's policy seems to be all about creating a frustrating experience that will encourage people to spend real cash to progress. They won't stop doing that to provide a "Buy Queue" unless the queue is designed to choke as badly as the Market.

[logo4x]

You are kidding me. Added one extra script (30seconds) reflesh and think it solved anything? I though EA was an serious company of eexperts...

[Breezobleeze]

They want your money. You think not finding what you need is a coincidence? Negative batman. They want your real bucks.

[cohokayak]

Dear EA staff,

Your latest changes to the global trade HQ have effectively made it redundant as it is rendered useless unless you are in the market for the 2 items that it seems every player is producing for no apparent reason (at time of writing it was light bulbs and wrist watches).  Before the timer I could still but a dozen or more necessary items per hour with some perseverance, but now I am lucky if I find one item I need every day and then is it likely not available when I finally do find it.  Please remove the clock or allow a search feature by product or product category to improve efficiency.  One reason your servers are overloaded is the inefficient way that you market is designed.

Very disappointed and soon to be former user of your game. 

[ourWildfire]

Judging by the lack of response to this thread from anyone who represents EA, I think it's safe to say--no one is listening. 

Ah well; it's just a game. Regardless of how awesome or how crappy the global trade is, suckers will still continue to spend real money on the "game". 

I'm not even considering this a game anymore; games have objectives, competition, winners/losers--with the SimCity BuildIt app, the only winners are EA and the only losers are the suckers who pay real money for simulation money. 

[mrichardbeatty]

It is good to see that you are giving the most frustrating part of an excellent game some attention, but I think you are going the wrong direction.  It appears that you have tried to slow down the buying.  That is increasing my frustration.

Wouldn't a better alternative be to facilitate the seller's ability to know what the buyers want?

I suggest that you add a simple option for the buyer to "offer" a higher price than the HQ or Trade Depot allows.  My thinking is that as soon as I would offer a price and quantity for any particular item, the total cost would be taken away from my Simolean total immediately and be lost if I've not made an attractive offer to any buyer.

You would need to either add a new building for sellers to use (perhaps called "Auction House") or add a second room to the Trade Depot.

I believe that adding this functionality would completely solve all the frustrations players feel with the HQ and also totally resolve all imbalance of items in the market.  The way it is it is almost impossible for sellers to satisfy the buyers.  This functionality would fix that problem too.

Think about it.

Signed: An almost totally pleased Simcity fan.

[ourWildfire]

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@mrichardbeatty wrote:

It is good to see that you are giving the most frustrating part of an excellent game some attention, but I think you are going the wrong direction.  It appears that you have tried to slow down the buying.  That is increasing my frustration.

Wouldn't a better alternative be to facilitate the seller's ability to know what the buyers want?

I suggest that you add a simple option for the buyer to "offer" a higher price than the HQ or Trade Depot allows.  My thinking is that as soon as I would offer a price and quantity for any particular item, the total cost would be taken away from my Simolean total immediately and be lost if I've not made an attractive offer to any buyer.

You would need to either add a new building for sellers to use (perhaps called "Auction House") or add a second room to the Trade Depot.

I believe that adding this functionality would completely solve all the frustrations players feel with the HQ and also totally resolve all imbalance of items in the market.  The way it is it is almost impossible for sellers to satisfy the buyers.  This functionality would fix that problem too.

Think about it.

Signed: An almost totally pleased Simcity fan.

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How would an increase in price limits improve trade? I do not see how this would encourage players buy more frequently, nor would it fix the historical issue of multiple players attempting to purchase the same item at the same time, nor would it improve the current refresh rate of 30 seconds. 

It seems to me, that your "suggestion" actually complicates the problem further. Then again, I could be simply misunderstanding your confusing suggestion. 

[04710471dsfdsfgd]

AmelieEA,  ANSWER MY QUESTION

Why have EA decided to keep the stupid, stupid timer on the Trade HQ? WHY?

Prove you listen to us and answer this. We are very anxious to hear the reason. Seems EA doesn't listen.

[etamni103]

There are several issues with the Global Trade, but one of the easiest to fix is the pricing limits.  By artificially limiting the maximum prices for items, the game has an imbalanced supply and demand curve.  While it is true that any computer program will need a limit, setting it at something like 999,999 (per item) would ensure that the market prices for needed items would settle at their true worth, and buyers would nearly always be able to find items for sale.  Combined with a filter so that buyers can screen out the items they don't want, plus the ability to cancel a sale (without forfeiting the item being sold, or having to pay real money for the privilege), and eliminating the data- and time-intensive task of loading the other player's city for each purchase, and the Global HQ might start to work the way it ought to.

I don't know if EA uses a broken Global HQ in order to encourage players to purchase items with SimCash, or if this is just cynicism talking, but it would be more ethical to get players to spend SimCash (and thus real money) by offering compelling gameplay and exclusive premium content.

[freemarketmike]

Your suggestion about removing price limits is not new. I think we've already concluded that there are many ways EA could make the Global Market a true free market capitalist economy, such as letting anyone set their own price, and allowing buyers to see just the items they want, sorted by price. That ultimately would be really cool. . . but would totally defeat the purpose of the game, which is to get people to spend real money.

I also think there are much better ways to make the market more ethical, while still aligning to EA's objective. The 30 sec refresh isn't necessary, but what about if the items are dimmed once they're not available anymore? I know there will still be issues around concurrent transactions, but at least this would save the 95% of trips I have to make to another city just to see that its not available anymore.

EA, you really must get a competent Solutions Architect on your team. Yes, they exist.

-FreeMarketMike