In-Game Chat workaround - communicate with your friends for item trading in SimCity BuildIt

Over the holidays, I started playing SimCity BuildIt on iOS (which I wanted to try since I was a fan of the original SimCity back in the early 90s). Having "researched" the game for more hours than I care to admit and reading through its discussion forums, I came up with the following guide to facilitate social gameplay (since the game's basic design certainly does not make it easy):

In-Game Chat workaround - communicate with your friends about the items you need and have

1. Quick Summary
2. Details
3. Item Codes
4. Rationale
5. Tips

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1. Quick summary

Use your City Name as a method to communicate with your friends in-game to maximize item trading opportunities.

2. Details

The City Name text area can hold 20 characters (numbers, letters, or symbols). You and your friends can use the City Name to communicate with each other using a code you've agree on. For example, my City Name might be:

hPl nMt cCh 14 0104

Which means:

I have Planks for sale, need Measuring Tape, and am crafting Chairs as of 2pm on January 4th.

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Here is the schema (not including the brackets):

h[**] n[**] c[**] tt mmdd

h = Have (things you have in your Trade Depot)

n = Need (things you want)

c = Crafting (things you have in your production queue, intended for sale)

** = item code (see below)

tt = time (e.g. 00 = midnight, 06 = 6am , 12 = noon , 18 = 6pm)

mm = month (e.g. 01 = January, 12 = December)

dd = day of the month (e.g. 01 = 1st, 31 = 31st)

3. Item codes

Crafted

Br = bricks (20 min)

Ch = chairs (20 min)

Ck = cooking utensils (45 min)

Ce = cement (50 min)

Fb = fruit and berries (90 min)

Fl = flour bags (30 min)

Gl = glue (60 min)

Gr = grass (30 min)

Mt = measuring tape (20 min)

Pl = planks (30 min)

Sh = shovels (30 min)

Tb = tables (30 min)

Tr = tree saplings (90 min)

Vg = vegetables (20 min)

Factory made

Cm = chemicals (120 min)

Mi = minerals (30 min)

Sd = seeds (20 min)

Ss = sugar and spices (240 min)

Tx = textiles (180 min)

4. Rationale

One of the most frustrating aspects of SimCity BuildIt is waiting around for items in order to upgrade homes. Using the Global Trade HQ in an attempt to find what you're looking for is even worse. Clicking on a listed item will typically show a store that is empty. Clicking on a displayed item will often result in "This item is no more available" (because demand is so high and supply is so low).

The much better alternative is to connect with a smaller set of friends (via Game Center or Facebook).

What the game lacks that many people have asked for is an in-game chat feature. Having that would allow you to coordinate with your friends by letting them know what you need, what you have for sale, etc. I recommend using your City Name as a form of in-game chat (until EA decides to add such a feature, if ever). Clicking on the Friends icon will display the city names and levels of all your friends. From there, you can browse people's codes, as described above.

5. Tips

• Including the time and date will allow your friends to know when you last updated your code, so they'll know how accurate your information is likely to be.
• Don't go crazy with an overly huge friend list. While a larger friend list means you will have a better chance of finding what you're looking for, it also means that anything you advertise will disappear more quickly, which will lead to your friends becoming frustrated (possibly causing them to unfriend you on Game Center).
• It's probably best if most people on your friend list are around the same level as you (+/- 6 levels), or else some friends will benefit way more than they contribute (unless you don't mind helping them out).
• While you can trade items beyond what's listed above, I only listed items that require 20 minutes or more of wait time.
• Even though some factory-made items take a long time to farm, it's generally better to trade crafted goods since those don't show up on the Global Trading HQ nearly as often.

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All of this is just an untested idea, so there may be kinks to work out (if it works at all). The item list above is based on what I know being at Level 18. More info is appreciated if you have it (including which item/level information).

If there's anyone ( level 12 or higher) who wants to try this with me, send me a Game Center friend request. My username is Lawmune .

Thanks!