Except: we've talked before about penalizations. Do we want to make MORE penalties?
I understand what you're saying. But in a way, it's like Chenier said: If the people that have the food don't give a damn, and don't do anything, then there is *no* disadvantage to them. Particularly those regions which have high food production, as they also have high gold production. They don't sell their 600 bushels a week? Who cares? They also got 600 gold this week.
The advice normally handed out to deal with these people is to start fining, and then eventually banish them. Oh look, they got penalized.
The game used to be overly centralized, and the realm basically controlled everything. The rural lords had all their food taken, and got nothing for it. Then we went over the top the other way. Now the rural lords have all their gold, all their food, get more gold for their food, and have zero reason to sell it, or even pay attention to it. Unless they're feeling patriotic, or whatever.
What we need is a balance. The people that have the gold need to food. The people that have the food have to need the gold, or we're totally lopsided.
But even so, that's not my chief complaint about the food system. My problem with it is that it takes way too much time and effort. I shouldn't have to be looking at the marketplace several times a day hoping to find available offers. And I shouldn't have to keep on doing it every day, day after day, forever.
