A couple of suggestions
1. iPhone/iPod frendly forum.
The forum as is, is very hard to use I had to seach suggestions then click on suggestions from someone elses topic. If the forum was easier then most newbies could be sent to FAQ instead of asking the same questions over and over again on world chat. But the forum as is is quite daunting to navigate.
2. Oasis takeover button for another alliance member.
This would be a great way for alliances to help out their members. Since alliance trading at the moment is out of the question. I have had one member pretty much quit because he was been severly farmed. And there was nothing we could do.
3. Alliance protection idea
an alliance member can send troops to guard another members city.. It will still cost the owner crops. But the troops can t be used to attack only defence if the city is attacked.
4. Alliance trading/ to avoid abuse(I know this has been orrery much out of the question but this an idea to make sure there can't be too much abuse.
Make it that you can only trade once with an alliance member a day if you want to trade more than once a day it will cost you coins( say 20 or 30)
another idea is to make it that every trade costs the seller 10% resources and a automatic minimum price for the buyer... Say for example 0.25 for a resouces or whatever.
5. Oasis menu thingig shows what city is holding it.
When looking at the overview of the oasis you own/occupy (in cities) it only has troops and how much you get from it. If it had waht city the took it over then it would be easier to decide from that information wether it would be better to resign and get bigger oasis..etc
that's about all I can think of thanks for reading:) hope it might be of some help!