This is not directed at any player, i too have skimmed some replies, but this is how i feel. As an AM, a player of many years and a fan of community, fellowships and Elvenar.
If a player wants to learn this game, and be good at it, they don't need cross trades. They will need to advance properly and sustainably and make solid choices in their city to be a good player. This game is based on making boosted goods, one per tier. and trading for what is needed, and if everyone is doing that, there is a balanced 1:1 trader.
I don't care what other groups or players feel is appropriate trading in the game, but I will not take cross trades. I never needed them, they are not needed and while the new ratio is closer, its not 100%. small cities need to do their time and play the game the way it was designed, when they can sustain their desires they can decide to give away their goods how they choose to.
I don't make any Tier 1- Tier 3 goods unless its an event quest or collection from a set building. My goods i use to trade must be at a 1:1 and same tier to maintain what i have. i can take unlimited trades and help unlimited players by passing within the same tier. If i cross trade, this costs me extra buildings, space, supplies to run them, time personally to set and collect them. i don't feel i should have to compromise how i want to play my city, nor should any other player be made to play how i play or sustain another player's growth. cross trading allows for the cross trader to skip a few steps and acquire what they need easier then doing the correct steps themselves. Cross trades are the cheap way for the cross trader to advance and the player who helps by taking them are always at the disadvantage. Helpers are the type of players I don't want in my group. I feel fellows have a more realistic expectation of their contributions to the group if they are not asking for help - cross trades indicate to me that a player needs help, is unbalanced The fellowship will never have enough goods to feed cross trades. The chapters are not equal in relied upon goods, making it not predictable or reliable to trade this way with a variety of chapters in a fellowship.
When my fellowship trader is 1:1 and same tier, I can always help, and other fellows are more inclined to help regardless of chapter. Asking everyone to follow 1:1 trading allows all players to make their own allowances and changes to their city and growth based on the growth and efforts they put forth by leveling correctly, advancing sustainably and respecting others desire to do the same on their own respective schedules.
I feel cross trades have made my life as an AM personally a nightmare as players needing their goods back have real concern about getting it back. but the cross trader is always reluctant to return what they wanted in the first place and the player who involuntarily helped is out the wrong tier for their city needs.
Cross trades have zero need to exist to be the best player in this game and cause a boat load of issues including accidental collection in the trader which really screws players over. I hate losing goods i wasn't expecting. happened just the other day with sentients. with decay and the gross requirements at a higher chapter, this is a huge loss. I don't care if its 3 stars. I didn't want or need what i accidently took. I encourage helping small cities but its not sustainable for sentient players to cross trade. Players often want to do more then they can, push further or acquire the same as a higher chapter city. but that is not a necessary to pass goods cross tier. It is easy to bulk up any chapter players with same tier trades.
If a player can't balance the goods they make, they will struggle learning that balance is needed in every chapter, learning to create the goods needed for its requirements to pass through. And it is not on anyone else to adjust for by trading in a way that benefits the player not making efforts to balance. We are not allowed to trade sentients for non sentients, why are we allowed to trade magical for non magical? If the game wants us to reach ch. 8 and start orcs or reach ch. 11 to get seeds, it asks us first, to be in the correct chapter. The game requires us to to unlock ch.12 to trade for sentients. Players should also, need to unlock a tier and trade within that tier only. Tournaments don't require tiers outside of research, spire doesn't ask for tiers outside of research acquired. If we received the same treatment that magical can buy only magical and crafted can only buy crafted, basic goods for basic goods, this whole conversation on cross trades would be mute. The game may not be consistent in the early chapters but it pays off in the later ones having followed the main quests and being prepared in every chapter with the request goods and resources unlocked.
If an entire fellowship is cross trading, with more of one tier then the other, they affect and unbalance the world trader which will unbalance other goods. If everyone stops making tier 1 and cross trades for it, the small players can not support the large players, and there will be a shortage. make any scenario of tier goods and and this happens, there will be shortages. crossing up or down, there is a disadvantage to someone. we will have more issues then scrolls, gum and bismuth. My scrolls certainly are not moving faster because of cross trade requests, if anything, there is way too many players posting scrolls for one type of tier 1 and that tier 1 is only buying one type of tier 2 so now, i need a different tier to trade up for but that other tier 1 is buying gems, so I am trading for something else, to get back to what i originally needed and this is not efficient, fun or without a need for foreseeable demand to be ahead of it. Trading basic for basic, boosted for non boosted gives everyone a fair and equal chance to move through the game. It doesn't need to be faster. Time boost everything and don't have the goods, tough. Want to acquire next chapter resources in advance, tough. This is not possible in later chapters, best to learn and be prepared earlier on. There is no joking about how much slower players end up advancing in later chapters. Following the game and how it unfolds has an appropriate growth rate, speeding any part of it up and players will need to adapt city design and strategy but, not need to cross trade. Keeping this in mind, players can manage expectations from neighbors, fellowships and the trader in all chapters