Has there been any discussion regarding modifying the trading system? It always seemed to be one of the weaknesses of Civilization. You can't really understand ancient trade (especially at this scale) without understanding the role of strategic routes and middlemen.

In addition, the exponential increase in value for accumulating goods doesn't make much sense. For staple goods, perhaps. But the value of luxury items should be in proportion to their rarity and exclusivity. If I have one dye and my neighbor has one dye, my dye should be much less valuable than if I have one dye and my neighbor has none.

I obviously can't speak for the rest, but IMHO AdvCiv was never a simulation game. For me, trading is the heart of the game, and doing things to restrict the trading below your 7 or so nearest neighbors slows the game down and makes it less fun.

On the other hand I do know several people who have tried variants to fix things in the same way you suggest. I've never heard from them how it went however.

As Mcbeth said, the trading system is just a game mechanic and doesn't translate out well to a simulation. Most people really like the negotiation aspect of the trading rounds. As it stands now the mechanics of the game come first - the chrome/thematics are secondary IMHO.

I'd be very interested in some historically accurate trading rules for perhaps an official variant (I think its a cool idea) - but keep in mind it has to play clean and smooth in a face-to-face game. A lot of stuff gets proposed on here that is too cumbersome for an huge boardgame.

It is always easier to trade with your neighbors than with people around the table from you so that is similar to life.

ACiv isn't a simulation, but trade makes all the difference between it being a computer game & playing with real people.

Our group really enjoys this way of trading. I agree with this being the heart of the game.

I might not really be any realistic, but what the heck. There are so many thing not realistic in any game.

It's just great to see a silent game. People building cities, gaining their cards. And then hell breaks loose. Everyone shouting over eachoter to get the best deals before anyone else gets em.
And in the last phase of the trade you see desperate traders, wanting to trade the lower values just to get rid of these calamities. When it's so obvious both players hold calamities, they still trade to get the least terrible.