As said before, I don't read the message in their town name I just mesh some buttons.
But surely it takes hardly any longer - on either PC or mobile - to read a few [usually pretty standard] abbreviations? And it's [more] helpful for the player you're visiting, not only yourself? It actually considerably irritates me that I can spend the extra 0.5 of a second to read a player's preferences (or to remember them, which isn't difficult once you've visited the same person a dozen or more times...) but some others, who I know very well are in-game an awful lot of the time just based on their activity levels (or personal knowledge!) won't do the same in return.
Neighbourly Help should be
mutually beneficial where possible, I think? Where players persistently donate Coins every day, month after month, despite my asking them not to, I almost wish they wouldn't even visit at all... it's clear that they're interested only in their own Coins & Supplies earned. Strikes me as selfish.
In particular, it drives me mad when Cities which themselves ask for Culture or BH - and sometimes even those which ask for MH last, or say 'No Coins Please' - still just drop Coins on my MH every day, when my City is clearly called [something like] 'BH - Culture - MH Last'. I even alter this, occasionally, in the [usually vain] hope that the Coins-droppers might notice it's changed and actually read/follow my preferences...
/sigh.
Elvenar relies a fair bit on a useful level of returned NH, and many players - I've been one of them - get stuck in Map wildernesses and their FS may or may not be able to provide enough returned NH. Extra Coins are of no actual use to me at all... my City relies upon maintaining high Culture Bonus, all the time - as the game itself recommends! - and at my in-game stage on Live (Ch.13 Amuni) a reduction in Builders' time is also useful - but MH Coins, not at all. I just waste them stockpiling even more Goods I don't need in the Wholesaler (I don't buy KPs outside of Events).
And I will go for the Builder/worker first for 10% on a 2 day building time is 4:48 and that is a very good first target to help on for you only have 5 maximum.
Not useful at all for an early City - who also need help! - perhaps more so, if they're not in an active FS - and of course they have only 2 Builders as well, before buying any more. They DO need Coins, almost always - lots of them - due to the new Tech Tree and the removal/alteration (I think?) of the repeating/cycling Coins & Supplies Chapter Quests from the early game for those who have that new setup. The seem very Coins-starved.
and only the last option would by city hall
Again - it's the best for most early-game Cities, especially those of [genuinely] new players who may well not yet understand Culture Bonus etc.
So this entire discussion would be pointless if all players keep doing the same sequence on pressing the right (more logical) buttons.
To be fair - in the view of players who NEED and value MH Coins donations - that would be MH first, wouldn't it? Not all players think or play alike.
Whatever is the most logical for you, might not be so selfevidant for others... so being able to indicate a preference is a good thing.. if others take notice of that (in any language) is an entirely different issue. I aways try to comply, providing I understand the request
^ In short - this - and I also always try to comply with whatever NH request each City may have... including paying more attention during Events & FAs in particular, when quite a few players temporarily change their NH preference to Coins. Again, though, I don't - I make far more Coins from my EE-supported Culture Bonus (and Supplies, of course) - so where players take it upon themselves to assume that
everyone wants MH Coins during Events & FAs, regardless of City Name NH preference, I do get rather annoyed. They get the same reward - I don't.
Oh, and on a side-note - I actually wrote a quick Inbox Message to a Neighbour City of mine on Live, which had the City Name 'Pla-Scr-MD', because I really tried to work out what this meant in terms of BH, C, or MH (in another language, I thought?)... until I realised it was obviously a City belonging to a player with several more, and it's short for 'Planks-Scrolls-Magic Dust', which are its Boosts! I never got a reply anyway... oh well
NB : All this said - while the Beta Server rules state the English is the Beta language, I would guess that many Beta players don't even know this...? When I joined Beta, there was no popup or similar message of any kind, indicating that I should refrain from using any language but English.