Planet M.U.L.E.

Overall, this game is a very solid.  Here's a few suggestions that I'll make trying to use the best of whatever game theory knowledge I have.

Auctions - You can go up, but never go back down.  It makes sense for buyers to set their desired prices above the store when the store is out of stock.  The problem, I've seen is that sellers can't to the same after such a surge in order to sell off their remaining stock to the store's prices after the buyers are served.  So the auction needs to the ability to go both ways.  This will become more important for other suggestions.  There also seems to be no "shoving" between sellers and buyers.  The buyer shouldn't mind being shoved down in price neither should be seller being shoved up in price.  This would open up some auction warring on goods that are in short supply or have limited demand.  If I meet a price point and keep trying to go the same direction after a second, I should be able to start moving the price that way and get my product bought or sold at the price I want.

Smithore Issues - The only way I can see to fix this issue with Smithore being THE way to win the game is to change the behavior of the only buyer, the Store.  The Store is being WAY to generous about pricing which is opening some big game logic loopholes to take advantage of.  The Store needs to have tiers of prices for Smithore, depending on demand.   Also, the the connection between cost of materials and MULE pricing should be loosened greatly.  Just because they bought the parts cheap, doesn't mean they won't gouge you on the MULE prices.  They ARE the only producers of MULEs and buyers of Smithore.  So, there should be at least a 25% markup, going no higher than 50%, on the minimal price of a MULE.  Now this price could still be higher, depending on demand, but would never go below the minimum price.  When it comes to determining the prices, the Store should be the deciding factor and it's always going to come out better.  So if the Store wants to sell MULEs for 250, they'll take their markup out first, then determine the price they buy Smithore for.  Also, the Store should never undercut themselves, which they seem to do fairly often between Smithore price hikes and crashes.  There may be a need to keep track in the background how many MULEs were produced at what price of parts to prevent the price of MULEs dropping below that point, or at least until any loss is significantly made up for by profit and the "proper" demand-based price differs greatly enough.  In summary, the Store needs to be more of a money-grubbing, cutthroat bastard.

Tiered Pricing - The Store needs to have tiers of price ranges for auctions that would be active when certain quotas aren't met.  This would mostly address Smithore issues, but could also be applied to other items, too.  The Store could have 5 ranges: Emergency, Shortage, Normal, Surplus, Overload.  Each of these ranges would be based on how far off the idea stock an item is.  For example, here's the Smithore ranges based on the number of MULEs, including those that will be made with current parts.

Emergency:  Less than 4 MULEs
Shortage:  Less than 10 MULEs
Normal:  Between 10 and 18 MULEs
Surplus: Over 18 MULEs
Overload: Over 24 MULEs

The pricing for Smithore would change depending on the active tiers.  
Emergency: Nominal Price x 2^2
Shortage: Nominal Price x 2^1
Normal: Nominal Price x 2^0
Surplus: Nominal Price x 2^-1
Overload: Nominal Price x 2^-2

These tiers are seen the in auction by multiple providing auction "floors" or even a store purchasing agent that moves around depending on which quotas have been met.  This also opens up competition for Sellers in a new direction as they try to sell their goods before a particular "floor" goes away or the purchasing agent moves to the start of the new price range.  With auction shoving, this would start a war to get your goods sold before the quota goes away.

These tiers could also work both ways, hence creating new auction "ceilings" or store selling agents for buyers.  As the store drains of it's stock, it would adjust the prices accordingly.  If both these floors and ceilings or purchasing and selling agents were active at the same time with the quota ranges being able to turn on and off immediately...  Auctions would become VERY INTERESTING and open up many new gameplay tactics.  

Crystite - I think the average price needs to be raised significantly, but also the greater variance of price.  This would then make it enticing to play the Crystite game.  The risks are plenty enough, but the possible rewards just aren't enough to make worthwhile.

Land Grants - If you want something the lower right corner, you are screwed.  So, a simple fix is to allow a second pass if someone hasn't selected land yet.  That way if you get jumped for something the lower corner, you'll get another pass.

AI - The main problem I have with the AI is that is doesn't seem to factor in the budget and market to it's actions.  I've caught it trying to do something without next to no time left, attempt to purchase a MULE with no money and get stuck, get a MULE but have no money for a kit and get stuck, or pay ridiculous amounts of money for MULEs and kits to enter a flooded market.

Whumpus - The "hit zone" needs to be enlarged slightly.  It's pretty annoying to waste time by only being a few slight pixels off in some indeterminable direction.

Well, that's all I could come up with at the moment.  Hope my inane ramblings help ya'll out.