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[Feedback] Trade in BA and IA hampered by 1FP cost.

DeletedUser

I have only been playing a few days, but I have noticed that trade, particularly for Bronze Age and Iron Age goods, seems to be hampered by the 1FP cost to make the trade.

As you may have guessed, I am not particularly interested in the combat element of the game and would rather get by through negotiation and trade. The developers seem to have taken my attitude to heart to a certain extent and I praise them for their efforts in allowing negotiation as an option to combat. However, because a player is only able to produce two of the Age's goods efficiently, it does mean that the player is very reliant on trade to make up the deficit.

In the Bronze Age and the Iron Age FPs are a premium commodity. Not only are they used for research, which is vital to making progress through the Ages, but they are needed for the construction of GBs; which are also a vital element. This means that there is rarely enough to 'waste' on trading.

My experience is that, generally, there are very few trades listed from players and usually the ones that are listed are not for the goods I need. This means that I have to put some trades up myself in the hope that someone will take them. This means that I am relying on another player willing to make the payment of 1FP to make the trade happen.

I am very aware that joining a Guild will remove this burden but, firstly, a player cannot join a Guild immediately on starting the game and, secondly, choosing a Guild that has active players who are willing/able to trade with lower level players is problematic. Both these reasons mean that for some time a player is left at the mercy of the Open Market.

Also, although trading within a Guild is free it does limit any potential customers to the members of the Guild. If this privilege could be extended to a player's friends, as well, that would be a very useful start. However, I wish the developers would consider removing it altogether, as it hampers play in the beginning and I do not see any useful purpose for it at higher levels of the game when, presumably, FPs become more abundant. I do wonder why this mechanism was put in in the first place.

The intro to the game states, quite clearly, that you have the option to be a fighter or a trader. In practice, however, it is very easy, indeed players are encouraged to become, fighters but it is very difficult to be a trader because of this 1FP cost.

Why would the developers want to frustrate people who are just starting out in the game?
 

DeletedUser113901

Guild free trade stimulates relationship inside your guild and your custumers will more likely choose you and not someone else if it's not extanded, plus extanding it to friends will remove all the special thing.FP for trade outside guild are there to enhance guild cohesion.
 

DeletedUser115071

I am very aware that joining a Guild will remove this burden but, firstly, a player cannot join a Guild immediately on starting the game and, secondly, choosing a Guild that has active players who are willing/able to trade with lower level players is problematic. Both these reasons mean that for some time a player is left at the mercy of the Open Market.

Also, although trading within a Guild is free it does limit any potential customers to the members of the Guild. If this privilege could be extended to a player's friends, as well, that would be a very useful start. However, I wish the developers would consider removing it altogether, as it hampers play in the beginning and I do not see any useful purpose for it at higher levels of the game when, presumably, FPs become more abundant. I do wonder why this mechanism was put in in the first place.
Not always true. The problem between joining another guild is having to do GE on a basis and still donate goods so they can unlock it without problems.
Some guilds actually look for players like you so they can trade with each other.
 

DeletedUser111359

The 1FP has never been a hurdle on any of the 5 worlds I've played, and I'm not a fighter at all.
 

DeletedUser99438

I have only been playing a few days, but I have noticed that trade, particularly for Bronze Age and Iron Age goods, seems to be hampered by the 1FP cost to make the trade.

Best to join a guild Dwalefoot, then trades are free. You can get to the blacksmiths tech without needing goods.

econdly, choosing a Guild that has active players who are willing/able to trade with lower level players is problematic.

Call on global, sometimes there are more advanced players willing to foot the bill for starting players, usually you have to send them a friend request though.

Both these reasons mean that for some time a player is left at the mercy of the Open Market.

All part of the fun buddy :)

I do not see any useful purpose for it at higher levels of the game when, presumably, FPs become more abundant.

Prevents abuse and like Bradype pointed out, it encourages team play in a guild.

Why would the developers want to frustrate people who are just starting out in the game?

If the game wasn't a challenge it would be boring ;)

Best of Luck with the game, I hope you enjoy it
 
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DeletedUser111359

The biggest hurdle I find around the FP cost of trades, is people that insist on making multiple crappy little trade offers, of 10 goods at a time, rather than 50-100 at a time instead.
 

DeletedUser97166

I just had a BA player join my guild, because I am so nice to people I doubled all the goods they had for them (we will pretend I stopped there) and it didn't cost us anything. Find a really good guild, that's all you need
 

DeletedUser99438

The biggest hurdle I find around the FP cost of trades, is people that insist on making multiple crappy little trade offers, of 10 goods at a time, rather than 50-100 at a time instead.

Aye but at the very beginning, balancing all can be difficult and sometimes smaller trades in those cases are necessary

well maybe not difficult but certainly can be necessary lol :)
 

DeletedUser111359

I had a friend from one server join En5, so I traded him 100 Future goods, for 50 Bronze goods. And then traded 2:1 all the way down to EMA from there. Gave him a huge jump start on the game.
 

DeletedUser97166

I had a friend from one server join En5, so I traded him 100 Future goods, for 50 Bronze goods. And then traded 2:1 all the way down to EMA from there. Gave him a huge jump start on the game.
Basically what I just did I was just trying to act all innocent about it
 

DeletedUser111359

Basically what I just did I was just trying to act all innocent about it

No need to. I got nothing in return from him on the original server. Any exchanges we've made have been purely limited to a single server, complete with a paper trail to back that up. :)
 

DeletedUser97166

No need to. I got nothing in return from him on the original server. Any exchanges we've made have been purely limited to a single server, complete with a paper trail to back that up. :)
Oh I know that, I am only friends with this person on my main world. I would never do something like that for a profit elsewhere, I was just doing it because I like helping people
 

DeletedUser111359

Yeah, I wanted him to get up and running on the new server, so we could trade there as well. :) And I've given a boost to strangers before too.

If Dwale is on any of my worlds, hopefully they'll add me as a trading option. I tend to have stuff from all ages.
 

Emberguard

Legend
The biggest hurdle I find around the FP cost of trades, is people that insist on making multiple crappy little trade offers, of 10 goods at a time, rather than 50-100 at a time instead.
Agreed those small trades are cringeworthy when FPs are involved. But at the beginning players don't have much to trade and that's where guilds come in. Sometimes it may be worth putting aside one round of regenerated FPs for gathering the goods you need. It's not like it'll be a major setback in the long run. Just a little "painful" in the immediate future
 

Galladhorn

Monarch
The nearly only feasible way to get around this is joining a guild.

– Find a guild with open gates, check how many members they got, the more the merrier. (Minimum 20)
– Check if they got some resonable leveled players - we are talking about the 2 millions points at least.
– Then Join them and hope they got their trades system up and running. Some even have spcecial Trade threads form mutiple small trades – exactly for the players in the entry Ages that needs a lot of small trades taken and which can not really afford to buy them all.
....In case the guild is not to your liking, simply serach for another Guild, there are hundreds on each server.

– The other solution is called Patience is a virtue Sale.
You put up your needs and then wait till someone take your trades.
But that is really not adviceable in the very early Era´s, due to exactly what you are pointing out.

The third option only works if you know somebody that already plays and have a City on the same server as yours. The you can ask for favors, like giving you an amount of slightly higher age Goods with an unfair trade. Then you can trade that down to cover your early Era Needs.

But yea the best option is to look for a good Guild that can and will support your needs.
 

DeletedUser113470

I have only been playing a few days, but ...

Welcome to FOE. Yes, you will need to make countless decisions about the relative value of things. Things you need, or at least want. And you will almost always think they are too expensive. Make a decision and move on. If you don't want to spend a FP to get some goods, then get them some other way. Make your own trade offer, so the other person pays the fee. Do a guild trade, so there is no fee. Wait until you get the goods from an incident or a GB.

There are lots of ways to get the goods you need . Whining isn't one of them.
 
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DeletedUser

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have finally realised that purchasing the odd FP is not so great a burden. Also I have found a good, active Guild that is helping me a lot.

I still think it is a bit of a struggle at the beginning, but perseverance pays in the end.

I realise, now, that my greatest difficulty was finding a Guild that had not just active players, but ones that were communicative.
 

DeletedUser111359

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have finally realised that purchasing the odd FP is not so great a burden.

If it makes you feel any better, on En5 (my original world) my current price for FP's is 508,500 coins...
 
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