Why Are There So Few Trades?

[DeletedUser3616]

I haven't seen this explained in the forum or in the Wiki, and if this post belongs elsewhere please move it...

I have seen posts by people talking about sorting through 50 pages of trades. On a good day, I'm lucky to have 3 pages worth of trades, including fellowship trades. There are only 5 non-fellowship names I see on a regular basis, and 3 of them offer really awful 1-star trades (which I try to avoid, but sadly I do get desperate!). Only 1 of these names is one I recognize as a neighbor, and I've explored pretty far away from my town.

So how are the available trades made available? When we start moving towns, will I get an increase in the number of trades listed? Or do I not see many trades because players just don't trade? It's tough to believe that out of an entire world, only 5 players outside of my fellowship do any trading! I depend on trading to help me play, so this is very frustrating!

 

[DeletedUser3312]

I have seen posts by people talking about sorting through 50 pages of trades. On a good day, I'm lucky to have 3 pages worth of trades, including fellowship trades. There are only 5 non-fellowship names I see on a regular basis, and 3 of them offer really awful 1-star trades (which I try to avoid, but sadly I do get desperate!). Only 1 of these names is one I recognize as a neighbor, and I've explored pretty far away from my town.

Some players are stand alone players. they build all the various factories and wait until they have enough of something and then build the next thing. They do not interact with others for the most part. Their choice of course smiles. I have about 12 or so of these cities on my explored map. My fellowship is another thing entirely. smiles. trades are posted constantly. chatter is posted for "I need.... and the trade goes up and gets grabbed. That is the kind of FS you want to belong to. If your FS is not supporting trades you are in the wrong FS. Now... this truly depends on the level you and your FS members are at. If you are in chapter 2 or 3, trades will not be all the frequent or in large amounts. But they should still happen unless your FS members have all 9 factories. I suggest moving to a more active FS. There are some good ones out there. Post in your world's page in the forum and check out the "FS looking for members" section. then visit the FS read their overview and the level their players are at and find some you like and apply. You can apply to as many as you like. However you will have to leave your current FS to do so. and you will have to wait a day before you can join another FS. But ... I have done this and will be doing it again as My current FS is disbanding and we are starting a new one with a new AM. Hope this helps.

 

[Sir Squirrel]

As to how trades are available from neighbors, they will show up in your trader if a player has discovered you on the world map, but will have a fee from the trader (1 star trade) and will not have the fee if you have discovered them on the world map.
Yes you will have more trades after the move (if you get moved) and more neighbors around to visit as well.

 

[DeletedUser3610]

they will show up in your trader if a player has discovered you on the world map

I don't think this is true, Sir Squirrel. I have people in my trader that I haven't discovered yet and there's only a minuscule (but most probably zero to none) chance that they have discovered me (judging by their progress and the distance of their city to my city). I've read somewhere on the forums once that simply a certain number of the players around you show up in your trader regardless of discovery (I don't know the exact number, nor how they are picked). This seems more probable to me because of my experiences playing the game.

Edit:

It's tough to believe that out of an entire world, only 5 players outside of my fellowship do any trading!

Neferemi, not all the people on your world show up in your trader, only a selected number of them do (see my reply to Sir Squirrel above). Unfortunately it's possible that out of the players selected to show up in your trader only a few are active.

 

[Sir Squirrel]

You might be right, I was pretty sure that's how it was, though now that you have said that I have seen a couple in my trader that I questioned could have discovered me, good point. I know if I discover a player on the map I can see there trades even if they haven't found me so I just figured that's how it is.

 

[DeletedUser3312]

i know there are several people in my trade window that are not discovered neighbors nor are they in my fellowship. As Blue Panda said.. they are just there. smiles. I do however have a very active FS that is big enough to accept trades regularly and quickly. you post and ask.. bam it's done. smiles. I do know that not everyone has a FS where a majority of the members have a very minimum of 100,000 of each good and usually several hundred thousand. smiles my suggestion is.. if you are not getting trades accepted within a couple of hours, leave and find a more active FS (if you are at level 5 or higher) before that, you need to understand that people are growing as you are and don't often have excess materials to make big trades. However trades under 500 should be daily at chapter 2 of the tech tree.

 

[DeletedUser3616]

I guess I will wait until my city (hopefully) gets moved and see how trading goes in my new location. I am surrounded by empty cities (coins) and low-level cities where it looks like the player started and then dropped soon after.

I belong to a great fellowship with active, friendly players. There are a few who post trades on a regular basis, and they do help me out when they can by taking my trades. I feel like leaving my fellowship is a last resort for me.

 

[DeletedUser3312]

I guess I will wait until my city (hopefully) gets moved and see how trading goes in my new location. I am surrounded by empty cities (coins) and low-level cities where it looks like the player started and then dropped soon after.

I belong to a great fellowship with active, friendly players. There are a few who post trades on a regular basis, and they do help me out when they can by taking my trades. I feel like leaving my fellowship is a last resort for me.

FS are the backbone of the game. As long as you belong to an active and growing FS you are fine. there are many FS that have no clue. I join these and attempt to educate for a month or 2. I strive to show them how to monitor things like activity, growth, visits, trades .... then I start all over with a new FS. smiles. I love seeing noobs grow and develop as they learn and understand. I wish there were more that helped out like this. we would not have so many 1 day wonders if we, more experienced players did smiles

 

[DeletedUser3468]

When hubby and I were in the middle of changing Fellowships today, he mentioned he had a lot of trades up. They didn't show up in my trader since we weren't in a guild at that particular moment since we were waiting for the invitation to both join another one ( Yes, we are now both in a much better fellowship!) and our cities are really far apart. I'm just guessing that distance may play a role in whether someone shows up in your trader's listings. This is just a guess on my part but it would make sense.

 

[DeletedUser3640]

My trades list from neighbors is usually 6-9 pages long.....but with the same goods: steel, scrolls and magic dust....and the best part is - my boosts are planks/scrolls/dust..... Yeah, that's right, a pain train.

 

[Sir Squirrel]

My trades list from neighbors is usually 6-9 pages long.....but with the same goods: steel, scrolls and magic dust....and the best part is - my boosts are planks/scrolls/dust..... Yeah, that's right, a pain train.

LOL, steel, scrolls, and dust are my boosts as well, I might be on your list. Hope this changes for you tomorrow after the move.
Edit I meant that I hoped her situation changed, not her boosts, but thanks for clearing that up, Varren.

 

[DeletedUser594]

I haven't seen this explained in the forum or in the Wiki, and if this post belongs elsewhere please move it...

I have seen posts by people talking about sorting through 50 pages of trades. On a good day, I'm lucky to have 3 pages worth of trades, including fellowship trades.
So how are the available trades made available? When we start moving towns, will I get an increase in the number of trades listed? !

There are people both discovered and not yet discovered in your trade zone. Those that are in your trade zone but as of yet undiscovered have a 50% fee tacked onto their offer by the trader. Once discovered you can accept that players trades with no trade fee.
There was a formula for your trading zone calculation that was something like 4 cities in each direction- but that was scrapped long ago. It must be calculated based on #of cities or #of active neighbors...but to answer your question- yes you should see an increase in trading as you get moved centrally and the neighborhoods get more dense
@Reiq isn't that the truth. That's the danger of joining one of those fellowships with all neighbores. Now the fellowship has the same shortage as the hood and no one has the goods needed.
@Sir SquirrelI have steel/scrolls/dust as well- my understanding is that you will be moved to a spot that is also steel-scroll-dust, so boosts stay the same

 

[DeletedUser2191]

The range with which the trader covers applies basically applies to anyone not in your Fellowship, since the trader fee is waived among fellowship members. The trader will show you trades from the 200 closest neighbours around you (discovered and undiscovered). No fee if they are a discovered neighbour unless they are posting an unfair trade.

 

[DeletedUser1901]

The range with which the trader covers applies basically applies to anyone not in your Fellowship, since the trader fee is waived among fellowship members. The trader will show you trades from the 200 closest neighbours around you (discovered and undiscovered). No fee if they are a discovered neighbour unless they are posting an unfair trade.

Not sure if this is entirely true either. I have concurred well over 200 provinces in a circumference around my city to avoid the orcs negotiating requirement until I get to a point where I can produce them and there is page, after page, after page of trades that still have a fee tied to them, they wouldn't have a fee if I had discovered them on the map... right? Now I'm confused again lol

 

[DeletedUser2191]

Not sure if this is entirely true either. I have concurred well over 200 provinces in a circumference around my city to avoid the orcs negotiating requirement until I get to a point where I can produce them and there is page, after page, after page of trades that still have a fee tied to them, they wouldn't have a fee if I had discovered them on the map... right? Now I'm confused again lol

200 provinces cleared does not = the same amount of cities. Since you are clearing sectors of goods. Each city is surrounded by at least 2 - 3 goods sectors. There are more goods sectors than city sectors. This is just an estimate, but you probably actually have about 130 - 150 city sectors discovered.

 

[DeletedUser1901]

200 provinces cleared does not = the same amount of cities. Since you are clearing sectors of goods. Each city is surrounded by at least 2 - 3 goods sectors. There are more goods sectors than city sectors. This is just an estimate, but you probably actually have about 130 - 150 city sectors discovered.

Ah! Math! *smacks forehead* I knew that lol

 

[DeletedUser2191]

Ah! Math! *smacks forehead* I knew that lol

*hands you, your choice of headache relief medicine* lol

 

[DeletedUser3312]

I think that it depends where you are on the map. If all cities around you are small, they don't have goods to trade often and seldom in sizable qty's. Also there are so many lone players. they have all 9 factories and don't bother with trades. This is the reason to join a FS. And a good FS has a balanced number of members and goods and require players to visit and to trade. Having a good balance of goods among FS members is very important. and when you read the overview, they will usually tell you what goods they are looking for. If you don't produce those goods, chances are they won't accept your application. A FS also needs to have active members. So if you are not in a FS, check them out. Read the overviews on them before you apply. Check out the members and see where you fit in score wise. Can you contribute to the FS? When you belong to a good one, you don't have to worry about the outer world. My wonderful FS was salvaged and we are back at 18 members all from the old FS! So I have relaxed a great deal from yesterday when we each were expelled from the FS and it was dissolved and I had no one to trade with in my outer world. smiles.

 

[DeletedUser3686]

For someone to show up in the trade list, they either have to have discovered you or you have to have discovered them. Then of course there are Fellowships.


Here's a little bit of advice I have for trading if you are having a hard time finding what you're looking for:

1. Post lots of smaller trades rather than one large trade. I post a lot of smaller trades very frequently and these usually get snapped up within a few hours. It's unusual to have something sit in the trade for a day. When I didn't have very many people in my area, I'd limit it to sets of 100. Now I sometimes do trades of 200. Lots more are bound to have a few hundred of the item you need rather than 1000.

2. Trade goods at the same level. Steel/Marble/Planks, Scrolls/Crystal/Silk, or Magic Dust/Gems/Elixir. Of course you can always trade outside those brackets if you are patient, but if you want someone to take your trade quickly, it's best to trade goods that are from the same set.

3. Check to see what's being offered. If you need Marble and there's a ton of demand for Marble, make sure your trades are a better deal then the others. Definitely make them three stars if there's a lot of demand for it.

4. Try to keep the amount of stuff you have relatively even, that way you're not scrambling for a specific good. If you have say, 6000 Steel, try to aim to have 2000 each of Steel/Marble/Planks instead. When one goes down, trade for that good. Try not to have too much excess of the three boosted types. Trading in advance will help you not need to look for trades as often!

5. Be fairly consistent with the kind of trades you offer. You'll eventually get some regulars!

 

[DeletedUser188]

For someone to show up in the trade list, they either have to have discovered you or you have to have discovered them

You don't have to discover someone for them to show up on your trader list
They just have to be one of the closest 200 cities near you
If they are undiscovered there is a yellow exclamation point next to rating and the trader charges you a fee if you accept the trade