Simultaneous Turns in MP - Virtually real time?

[Shah of Persia]

The subject says it all. If you've played multiplayer simultaneous turns, please tell me/us how it is. Does the game become "virtually real time"?

[Grigger]

It makes it easier to "hide" your units with things like Deep Pressure Hulls, or place them in fungus squares near cities. One thing is does do though is mess you up if you get a call on your commlink, other players can wreck havok on your troops without your full knowledge. It can be aggravating when many units are trying to move when they are close to each other, such as in battles. Nonetheless, it helps keep the action going and speeds the game up so is still worth it IMHO.

[MichaeltheGreat]

I prefer putting time controls on. Some inferior grade chickensh!t players I've run into (who know each other) have this trick of one guy calls you on the commlinks, and the others simultaneously try to jump you.

It's too easily manipulable, and like much else in SMAC, poorly implemented. The ideal way of implemting it would be Sim moves for everything but combat resolution, and then combats resolved by separate moves. I've seen enough games in sim moves where if two or three players pile on a number of unit moves, you lose the ability (for an undisclosed and variable period) to move your own units due to pending combat resolution - you have no way to know which of your units are affected, and each one you select in the area adds to the que of unresolved movements. It makes combat management near impossible, and I've seen it bring 5 player games to their knees, where everyone had cable or better connections. SMAC is just not a real time engine.

[Shah of Persia]

Well, instead of playing 1 turn per week or something, why dont people just play simultaneous turns and have more action?

[MichaeltheGreat]

It turns the game into an Impact rover rush.

It's very rare to have a PBEM move one turn per week, unless everyone's casual about it. My worst ones are three turns per week, best are about 10.

IP without simul moves is OK, but you still don't get the strategic depth and diplomatic maneuvering in PBEM.