Trading is an important part of The Settlers Online, and for some players, trade is the activity they most enjoy. I would like to suggest for the BB Developers to consider exploring the idea of expanding the options and features available to players who use Trade.

Each trade slot currently cost a progressively increasing amount of gold coin to post in trade. This system does do a good job at deterring spam and limiting over posting or flooding of Trade by any one single player. For that reason offering an option to expand trade capabilities on an individual player basis may best preserve the safeguards we have in place.

A easy solution: add the ability to buy additional free trade slots similar to the way we can buy additional building queue slots.

A not so easy solution that could be many layers deep: create a new building that will be an Island Store and in that merchant building players could offer a number of resources for trade visible to the general TSO community and in addition player could offer items that can only be purchased from the player's store by visiting the player's island. The resources in the store visible only to visitors would not expire.

Competition is what regulates a fair trade market. The greater the number of people who can freely participate the greater the number of people who will be likely to do so. Our trade market should offer everything our islands can produce, but it doesn't.


If anyone has some ideas or suggestions please share by adding your comment.