Alpha Centauri
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As with all parts of Alpha Centauri, multiplayer AC will have lots of user configurability and player preferences. Multiplayer AC features "simultaneous movement," meaning that all players take their turns at once; we use a record-locking system similar to an airline booking system to make sure that two players don't try to do something to the same square at once - whoever hits the key first gets first shot. We have an optional and configurable "turn clock" to keep the slowpokes moving along. You can assign a fixed amount of time per turn and can also add bonus time as more units, bases, and events come along. Players can also earn "bonus time pills," which they can expend to add extra time to a particularly hairy turn.
Diplomacy in multiplayer AC games includes the usual human-to-AI diplomacy, but also direct human-to-human negotiation: Each person adds things (tech, energy, treaties, maps, commlinks, war plans) to the list of what they're offering. If both players click "agree," the trade takes place, and everything on each list is traded simultaneously. You can also convene the Planetary Council, where all players in the game (human and AI) vote together to elect a Planetary Governor and set global policies.
A "full game" of Alpha Centauri, from Planetfall to Transcendence, can take quite a while to play, so for multiplayer purposes we're also working on some nifty scenarios, both cooperative and competitive. Find the artifacts, escort the ambassador, wipe out Morgan Industries, etc. Elegant "mini-centauri's" that you can bite off in an hour or two of Net play. But the true diehards can go all out for marathon games on huge maps (and yes, of course, we do support "save game" for multiplayer).
Any other questions? Good. We'll go spend a few more weeks polishing this thing, and then we'll see you on the Net!
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Alpha Centauri