Does this game have VARIABLE time in LAN games

There isn't currently any speed changing settings in the public beta but we do have them in our internal builds. We haven't decided yet if we will make this a public option or not.

Well, you have one thing going for you with Sins:

The devs give (very) prompt answers to reasonable questions like if you can save multiplayer games. (Last I heard on that was a "probably, yeah, sure" kinda answer ).

Yes you can save mulitplayer games.

Will the single player sandbox option still be available in the multiplayer build or did you end up stripping that out for beta3?

Singleplayer is still in and it got a whole lot better

You will still be able to play single player

Please dooooo

Please do. At least for the single player mode. That would be the improvement I want most. It could speed up game play in single player so much.

And it would help a lot with testing maps. Pretty please.

You'll find a new map option in there as well for quick games.

Which isn't what I want.

I do like the current speed of research, of the ships etc.

I also like very large maps.

But every game has phases where nothing much happens. If it is when I have to wait until my fleet arrives at the front or when I'm upgrading my planets in the back. Or when I just quickly want to try out how some changes in a map changes gameplay.

There are times when I've to wait 15 minutes until something interesting happens, but also times when stuff happens every second.

So I would just need a speed up option for those times when nothing happens. Not changes to the other things in general.

You won't find it in Beta 3 and Ironclad hasn't decided if it'll be in the final version either yet.

Am I allowed to ask what reason is there against an implementation?

I would understand why not for multi player, but I don't see a reason why not for single player.

I personally think that speed controls are the best thing you could add to the single player mode, since whenever one of my friends sees me playing, they tend to get bored during intersystem jumps, fleet building, strategic maneuvers, and generally anything that isn't blowing things up. And to be honest, I have been known to fill the empty space of a game by... playing another game of Sins, so if I could speed the empty time up and only have to play the one, that'd be great.

@Yarlen:

I don't know if you ever played SW Rebellion, but their system is quite good I think (well I like it). You can choose between those speeds (if I remember correctly):

1- Pause: Nothing moves. You can assign move destinations, order building and research, but nothing starts;
2- Normal: Normal pace;
3- Haste: Everything goes faster;
4- Realllllly fast: not interesting;

It is good for single player and for multiplayer. In multiplayer, the game checks the lowest speed setting between both players and use it. Ok, Rebellion is just head-to-head and with 10 players it might get frustrating when someone always select Pause/Normal because he has a huge empire to rule. Actually, I would make it an option in setting up the multiplayer game so when you just want to destroy your good friend, you can have it enabled and when you play with 9 others, well it can be disabled (always normal pace)

But for single player, definitly a must in my mind. Everybody will be happy, because players who don't want this only have to leave the speed to normal pace!

I think Multiplayer Varibale speeds at least for the HOST to control is a must indeed. PLease PLesae add this to the finished product. I think this will enhance and get the Space Empire V crowd to try it and of course they will fall in love with the product.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have game speed running at the lowest setting. So if 60% of the players set it to X2 speed, but the rest are at normal speed, the game will play at normal speed.

Sure that would be ideal. My understanding is this would take more man hours for programming. But that is indeed a Superior method.

Honestly, I'd prefer if other methods of picking up the pace is used -- I'm a bit opposed to choose-able speed in game.

DEFCON did something exactly like you're proposing. The game would run at the slowest speed players 'voted' on. Unfortunately, you then end up with a ton of "SPEED IT UP" "C'MON FASTER" chat-spamming. :/

Now, as a game creation option (ala StarCraft), I'm fine with it -- you know what speed of a game you're getting into. Variable speed inevitably pisses *someone* off, leading to complaining and people dropping.

With the upcoming patch, the game creator will be able to select an overall game speed which will slow down or speed up the play experience as a whole.