I started the game 3 times, and only then understood how to play. 100% gonna play again, just to try to win.
I will be honest, I have no idea how to make the UI more intuitive for such a complex system.
Maybe some drag and drop mechanic that allows you to “draw” direction. Also maybe it makes sense to remove the mechanic of choosing what to buy and what to sell, just make towns sell what they produce and buy what they consume. It will prevent using complex UI with step by step planning on individual resources.
But I really don’t know if it was all on purpose, since such control suits the vibe of the game, and that planning desk gameplay.
Starting with only 2 towns would also help I think, since you actually start with a 2 town loop in any case. It’s a cool game, since no other game is heading in that direction of theme. I only wish more players got the idea of the game, and could get fun playing it.