Their was a person who said earlier that "TBS games are uniquely unsuited for multiplayer", that comment is completely and 100% factually incorrect. The first multiplayer games WERE turn based strategy. Not to mention that board games are also turn based and their is no AI for that. The problem is, you need friends, something that some people lack.

Their is/was an entire market based on TBS multiplayer. STARS! and simular games were incredibly popular due to its PBEM feature, people would submit a turn on certain days and play a multiplayer like that.

Another form of popular multiplayer is hotseat, every so often you will get your friends to come over on certain times and play, and continue at a later time when you cannot. This is simular to the way that DND and other games are played by people and is also popular.

Then their is online play, its simular to what is mentioned in the above paragraph, you have certain times that you get together with your online friends and play a game. This is an option that is exploited by many community sites for Civilization especially apolyton with its democracy games and simular tournament style gameplays. Some sites, like with Master of Orion 2, kept ladders (kali) and received a cult status due to this.

People who say its "unsuited" for multiplayer or say that the kiddies you play against will leave in 20 minutes literally know absolutely nothing about multiplayer and shouldn't even have their opinions considered due to the amount that they are ill informed. Many people do this type of thing constantly, just because these people dont do it they think nobody else does/will. The problem is that these are the only people that are listened to, the ill informed unknowing masses.

Multiplayer is added to all the Firaxis games for a reason, its played. One of the reason why they are so popular is because IT IS PLAYED. Just because you dont see many people in the lobby doesn't mean that it isn't. People who play these type of games usually dont play like that and usually play either lan games, hotseat, or pbem. Online play is usually done with a direct connection to the IP. I, in fact, only use the lobby in those such games if i'm behind my router and done have forwarding enabled.

This game is uniquely suited for TBS multiplayer. It has a large dedicated fanbase that is needed to jump start it to that kind of gameplay. With multiplayer it will be taken to the next level of popularity. Right now people are just the over and over again comp stomp and many if not most will eventually be bored of the repetative gameplay. While, for example, a game like MOO2 was played actively be a decent sized fanbase for upwards of 6 years. People's complaints about "ai" will always happen as its a imperfect scripted code and not actual intelligence. With multiplayer this will go the the next level, in fact that very idea of this game having no multiplayer gets in cons on virtually all reviews due to the fact that the real TBS fans all enjoy the multiplayer in these types of games.

Their is literally no arguement against multiplayer, the only one is that it takes time to develop and takes away from work done on other things. What other things? Their is really nothing much to add the game is allready finished. The game is practically built for multiplayer allready, every element in the game is perfect for it as it is and only diplomacy needs to be checked for multiplayer compatibility. So their saying "its hard work" is nothing, the only hard work is the multiplayer code itsself as nothing else needs to be converted. The other arguements i've seen people use besides that are lies bred from ignorance due to the fact that they never even played or tried to play multiplayer for this type of game.

Myth:
1. Kids you find online will leave in 20 minutes after they see they are losing
Reality:
1. People dont play these games with kids online, they play them with friends and fellow dedicated gamers.
Myth:
2. It takes a lot of time to play this
Reality:
2. Thats entirely the point, people play these games for months on end. The game STARS! had many games that went on for YEARS, literally years.
Myth:
3. A lot of things would have to be changed for multiplayer
Reality:
3. Only diplomacy needs to be changed, even then if a player initiates it it could pop up a windows on the other players screen real time. Everything else is completely fleshed out for multiplayer, look at SMAC and CIV they are exactly like this game and multiplayer is a quick and easy transition.
Myth:
4. Nobody plays multiplayer in TBS
Reality:
4. Couldn't be more wrong, TBS has the most dedicated multiplayer community out of any game. Like I said people will play a game for months or years on end if need be. Its not like Warcraft where you go in the lobby and pick up a quick game, its a game you play with friends and people you know and fellow addicts to the game. Simular to fans of pen and paper and games like Warhammer 40k its a more personal game in that aspect.
Myth:
5. Adding multiplayer would take away from other aspects of the game
Reality:
5. Like what? Note that this is never answered, because it doesn't effect anything. The only things that could be added to this game, really, are UI additions, races, and eyecandy ships/componeants. None of which take much effort to create as people do it daily in mod form.
Myth:
6. They woud have to spend a lot of money on servers and lobby or matchmaking.
Reality:
6. That is what gamespy is for, also people who play multiplayer on this usually hook up a game with people they know in real life or through things such as these very forums. Direct IP connection, PBEM, Hotseat, and Gamespy do not require any money from Stardock.

Reality:
1. The only thing that is a detractor for multiplayer is the work on the netcode required by the programmers. I'd guarntee if they put a vote up that said "Do you want multiplayer in this game", without stating money, about half would say yes and thats typically the amount of people that play mutiplayer for any game. If its not worth making multiplayer for this, multiplayer is worthless in any game.

Multiplayer is a requirement for games like these. No turn based strategy is built without multiplayer for a reason, this is the first game of this genre since Master of Orion 1 that i've seen without it. And in all those previous games it was popular and played. In fact in MOO2 it kept the game popular for upwards of 6 years and delivered that game, and others like it, to cult status. If this game is the reach the next level and to receive the TBS crown multiplayer is a requirement. Until then its just another comp stomp game that people will eventually get bored of. Community efforts and support and continual patchs and additions dont keep interest forever.

Also dont be surprised if I done reply to any of your arguements, the only arguement that uses logic is the fact that it takes time and effort to develop multiplayer. Everything else that people have state is tired nothingness that isn't based in reality and bred from never having participated in the TBS multiplayer experiance. Their is no good arguement against it besides the one i've stated, thats reality. Any others is easily countered with simple fact.