Are you ready for a game breaker ? Well here it comes.

[Splotch]

Welcome back to the bad old days of trading, the trade system is about to be "improved"... We will once again be required to accept trades via mail but not in the same way, it is being done in a way that makes absolutely no sense.

For reference purposes there are two other threads related to this :

1. There's a discussion thread on the test forum Trade-and-e-mail.....
2. BlueFairy has started a poll on this, please cast your vote and vote NO! : New trade system messages, as implemented on test

BB_SlasH has stated in the testing forum thread that "this feature was requested by a lot of people from the community" but I'm not one of them, nor do I know of anyone who wanted this and after talking with friends they don't know anyone who wanted it and everyone they have spoken to also hates the idea.

I think that a concept of a passive confirmation e-mail for trades has been misconstrued by the developers, that's the only reason I can see this change being implemented. If we got a mail that simply said "Trade Accepted" for traceability without the need to accept the mail then that makes sense, it is a workaround for the history system being a bit quirky but the change as it is now is borderline insanity!

For the record, all that this change means to me is I'll have more clicks to go through. I don't need to buy in and when I do I don't do it to cope with any kind of deficit that's going to hurt production. However, perhaps somewhat inexplicably, I do care enough about the state of the game to be as vocal as possible in opposing this change. Players who are buying in to support deficits that can't be around all day to accept their mails will be penalised with their production lines running dry even though they already have the resources to support them!

Here's a brief look at the old and new system for those of you who haven't tried it on the test server and I must encourage you to go and try it for yourself. Try it, see if you like it, make sure read my post entirely as well as the other threads and then if you still think it's a better way of doing things feel free to disagree with me, I'll then shoot down every argument you have in favour of it with no effort at all.

:: As a Buyer ::

Current method :

1. You find something you want.
2. You accept the trade.
3. Resources are exchanged.

New method :

1. You find something you want.
2. You accept the trade.
3. Resources are removed from your storage in exchange for a mail.
4. You click "Accept" within the mail to add the resource to your storage. (note: there is no cancel option)

The change for buyers is that you have to go and accept a trade and then accept that you have accepted it. You can't decline to accept the trade you have already accepted so this just adds an extra step to obtain the resource... Useless!


:: As a Seller ::

Current Method :

1. You set up a trade listing of 4 lots of resource X in exchange for resource Y.
2. Resource X is removed from your storage once you complete the listing.
3. Over 6 hours all 4 lots are sold and resource Y is passively added to your storage.

New Method :

1. You set up a trade listing of 4 lots of resource X in trade for resource Y.
2. Resource X is removed from your storage once you complete the listing.
3. Over 6 hours all 4 lots are sold and with each sale you get a mail.
4. Resource Y is added to your storage when you click "Accept" within each of the mails. (note: there is no cancel option)

The change for a seller means that someone with a deficit of a resource cannot list a trade for said resource and have it enter their storage without first accepting the mail and this has some very, very undesirable consequences. This means that someone who logs on Friday evening and wants 4 lots of coal to support production until they can log on again Saturday morning is going to have to either buy at the prices people are currently selling at to avoid selling, stay logged on and wait for the sales to happen and the mails come in, wake up before the coal runs out and accept the mails or run out of coal despite already owning enough coal to cover the deficit! This is of course the same for all resources that are part of a chain of dependant structures like wheat, flour, water, etc, etc... Utter lunacy!


:: Storage Exploitation ::

You have a storage cap governed by the number of store houses you own and the upgrades you have applied to them but there is no mail limit, nor is there any kind of time limit on accepting the mails... This means that we can store an infinite amount of resources in our mailbox indefinitely and it makes both the storage limit and Mayor/Stores upgrades purely cosmetic after a certain point. You will be able to log on, list your entire resource quantity for a ridiculous price, cancel it and store it in your mailbox opening up your entire storage again for that resource.

Method of reproduction :

1. Allow a resource to cap out.
2. List all of the resource on the trade office at a price you know people will not buy at.
3. Cancel the trade and the resource enters your mailbox. (note: confirmed - repeat for infinite mailbox storage)

NB: I know we are not meant to discuss exploits on the forum but I am posting this in an attempt to prevent you CREATING this exploit! If you want to do something about it then instead of censoring/deleting/banning me because of this part of my post I suggest you resolve the issue before you create it.


:: Additional Issues ::

1. It has been noted that players purchasing gems and those who get the weekly 45 rewards are going to be less likely to spend the gems on additional trade office slots if they are going to have to sift through countless trade mails each day instead of the trades being automatically accepted and added to storage.
2. Under the new system, trades that expire or are cancelled send you a mail that has a {X} option. Clicking this results in the contents of the mail being lost and nothing added to your storage/star menu. (confirmed that this happens with cancelled trades in the new test version! Confirming expired trades in about six hours time)

NB: I'm posting this in "General Discussion" because it is not a suggestion, it is a warning of an impending game change that already exists on the test server and effects everyone in some way. I'm trying to make people aware of a real game changer on the horizon and am providing links to the relevant part of the testing forum. It's not trollbait and it doesn't belong in a different area of the forum so please don't close it, move it or delete it.

[MutantKid]

gotta agree, what a pointless and useless update to the trade. I'm baffled as to how will this benefit anyone.

[Rendor]

With all the things they could be changing to make the game better the one change they actuality do makes it worse .. nice one BB.

[Geoffrey_the_3rd]

Could someone from BB explain how this is going to help. No benefit to anyone as you cannot refuse the trade as it is already made. The only thing this does as explained above is turn a relativly simple trading system into an overtly complex one.

I thought programmers were supposed to find the best and simplest way of doing something and not having found it, try to complicate it again!!!

This must have a rational or else why would BB spend resources and time coding it into the game. Please BB explain.

[whiter]

Well, it sure as hell is one way to continue chasing away your high-level players. Those players who are very actively trading, and as such will do tons of more clicketyclicking.

Why on earth would I want to have a mail that I need to accept to have the resources? Having a mail would be a nice thing, if it just states "this person bought your resources", but the trade history screen already shows that, doesn't it? Or at least, it should do so. If I put resources up for trade, I want to forget about it and just see the items appear in stock. If I buy items, I want to get them instantly, without having to do a ridiculous side-tour to mails.

I guess BB has some stock in the pharmaceutical industry, and they benefit from Repetitive Strain Injury treatments, painkillers, ...

[Rendor]

I note that BB_Slash says "As far as I know" this was requested by players not "This was" requested. If a politician talks like that it is a sure sign that he knows it aint true. I strongly suspect that this change is to make life easier for the programmers not the players ... fix the game!

[Lazy_Fruitbat]

Having read this .I think i can see a reason for it .You put a trade up and it is the wrong way round the mail system will stop those mistakes.Sorry mistakes happen and you learn from them it is all part of life.Now i could be wrong but trying to keep a cool head and understanding.I would like for the real reason to come out as i don't see a reason for this at all.

[Dragavon]

This is the worst idea ever. I hope they go back on it.

[Splotch]

Having read this .I think i can see a reason for it .You put a trade up and it is the wrong way round the mail system will stop those mistakes.Sorry mistakes happen and you learn from them it is all part of life.Now i could be wrong but trying to keep a cool head and understanding.I would like for the real reason to come out as i don't see a reason for this at all.

Unfortunately, your are mistaken.

If you put a trade up and it is the wrong way round, walk away from the keyboard and end up with four mails in your inbox your only option is to "Accept", there is no option to "Decline" the trades like there used to be. That would at least make some sense, if they were implementing it how the old trade system worked then I would be a bit more forgiving but they're not.

Taking in to consideration what you said the only way that this system would help is if you were at the keyboard and noticed the first trade come in, you read the mail, realised your mistake and then went to cancel... If you list something wrong you've got precious little time to cancel before it all flies out of the door and that isn't going to change... What is sold remains sold.

[Lazy_Fruitbat]

thanks for reply Splotch.Shakes head am sorry but i try and be understanding but it is just getting worse