"Let Them Trade", which controls the economy of multiple cities, is a city builder that you can play quickly on weekday nights [gamescom]

"Let Them Trade" (LTT), which is currently being developed by Spaceflower, is being exhibited at gamescom 2024. This game is a city builder similar to classics like ``Sim City'' and "Cities: Skylines" , but it simulates an economy between multiple independent cities . We asked Maximilian Diversi of Spaceflower to explain the details of this work.

LTT players view multiple cities at the same time from God's perspective, and develop the entire economic zone through transactions between cities while taking advantage of the characteristics of each city.

The core economic system of the game uses a mechanism that mimics real-world market principles. Each city has its own budget and production capacity, sells surplus resources to other cities, and purchases scarce resources. During this process, resource prices fluctuate depending on the balance between supply and demand. For example, if wood production cannot keep up with demand, the price will rise, and if there is an oversupply, the price will fall.

This system requires players to not only enlarge their cities, but also to make strategic decisions that take into account the balance of the entire economy. For example, when building a sawmill in a city, should the local forest resources be used, or should wood be imported from another city and processed? These choices affect resource flows and prices, which in turn have ripple effects on the development of the entire economic region.

What is even more interesting is that the movement of physical resources is simulated. Within cities, transporters move resources between buildings, and trade takes place between cities through trade routes. With this system, the size and location of cities and the efficiency of trade routes become important strategic elements. While large cities have high productivity, they also have the disadvantage of taking longer transportation times. Players aim to optimize the entire economic zone while constantly considering the balance between city size and efficiency.

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Research System. Players can invest resources to unlock new technologies and buildings. For example, by researching sheep farms, it is possible to produce wool, a high value-added resource. As a result, as the game progresses, the economic structure becomes more complex and the range of player strategies expands.

What sets LTT apart from traditional city builders is the role of the player. In this game, rather than directly managing cities, in-game income is generated by taxing transactions between cities. In other words, players aim not only for the prosperity of individual cities, but also for the development of the entire economic zone by promoting active trade between cities.

There are two game modes available: ``Campaign mode'' where you challenge various scenarios and ``Sandbox mode'' where you freely develop your economic zone. In campaign mode, the player's skills are tested by setting specific goals such as ``prepare the economic infrastructure necessary to build a huge palace.''

What is noteworthy is that it is designed so that one scenario can be completed in about an hour. Unlike other city builders that require long hours of play, LTT proposes a more casual play style, such as ``clearing one scenario on a weekday night.''
On the other hand, a detailed building customization system
has also been implemented for core players who seek deep strategy. For example, a quarry can normally produce stone without any input resources, but it can be adjusted to increase productivity by inputting fish to feed the workers. This creates room for play that further complicates the economic system and pursues optimization.


LTT is scheduled to be released in mid-2025, and alpha testing is planned around February 2025. Multilingual support is also being considered, and global expansion seems to be in the cards. LTT is an ambitious work that combines the appeal of a city builder with deep economic simulation elements. A sophisticated economic system that involves interactions between multiple cities and the movement of physical resources will stimulate intellectual curiosity. At the same time, the game design, which can be completed in a relatively short amount of time, should appeal to working gamers with time constraints.

Maximilian Diversi

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