Hi everyone,

First of all, I'd just like to get some disclaimers out of the way:

1. I'm very new here, just registered on the site.
2. The post is related to multiplayer, which I worry has probably been beaten to death in years past. Sorry if that's the case.
3. I love 4x games, and TBS in general.
4. What keeps games interesting for me in the long run is multiplayer, hence my post.

Now, if I remember way back when to when I heard GalCiv was released, I think there was an interview where it was stated that they had to pick and choose what features they wanted to focus on, and since a lot of TBS players only played single player, they opted to leave out multiplayer. Perfectly understandable.

I have to admit, however, that I was very disappointed to hear that GalCiv2 also did not incorporate multiplayer. I have a group of 4-5 friends who enjoy playing epic games of Civilization 4, Age of Wonders 2, and other TBS games via multiplayer. Playing with a live human being just gives such a great random dynamic that can't be found in AI.

I did look at the poll that was taken about what features the playerbase would like to see in an expansion/sequel, and I think only 9% stated multiplayer. The thing is, I think that might be a bit skewed considering that those taking the poll are already established fans... i.e. that didn't want to play Multiplayer to begin with. I think the inclusion of a Multiplayer feature might expand the fan base even more.. I know it would with people I know, in any case (and yes, that's completely anecdotal )

Now, the point of the post isn't to gripe about the lack of multiplayer. I understand business and design decisions necessitate features be left out. My question is, with the popularity of "simultaneous turn" multiplayer that Age of Wonders brought to the genre (and was used very successfully in Civ4), are there any plans to implement something like this in a future release? I did purchase the original GalCiv, but quickly lost interest as I tend to do when fighting only against the AI. I guess I have become too much of a social gamer, and like to play with (either competitively or cooperatively) my friends. I would love to pick up GalCiv2, as the game sounds great, but the lack of multiplayer makes me wary of losing interest again quickly.

So, any plans for multiplayer (simultaneous turn) down the road, or is this horse long dead and beaten and should I move along to something more to my personal tastes?