Request: In-game speed change

A recent news post said "If you have any ideas or suggestions on tweaks and such you'd like to see, visit our forums and we'd love to hear them! We plan to release free updates based on player feedback."

Ok, you asked for it ;)

Summary: Please allow players to change the game speed during a game. Specifically:
1) Add an in-game function that increments the speed setting to the next level, wrapping around if already at fastest (so slow->normal->fast->slow->etc.)
2) Add a toggle option to the "New Game" screen that allows or disallows the use of the above-requested function, and have this option default to off (disallow).

Reasons:
for 1) -
a) I really like the slow, 4XTBS-ish feel of the game pacing on Slow or Normal, but sometimes I want to accelerate the game because it's just a matter of waiting for something to happen.
b) To put it another way: in GalCiv I love being able to take all the time I need to make decisions, but sometimes I just hit "turn" a bunch of times in a row because all my orders are going to take multiple turns. In that way, GalCiv lets me alter the pace according to how much my involvement is necessary.
c) To put it yet another way, I like how Europa Universalis managed to be a "Real Time" strategy game that allowed both careful decision making and the ability to greatly accelerate game pace in the lulls (which could be a game-decade at a stretch in that game).
d) I have some gameplay modding ideas that would be quite a bit more feasible if the speed were adjustable in-game.

for 2) - I imagine many multiplayer players will not want this option on because people will abuse it for an unfair advantage. On the other hand, if a group of friends who trust each other are playing (coop against the AI, for example), it would make sense even in MP.

Other specifics:
on 1)
- you don't even have to bind this to a key by default, just add it to the "Key Bindings" function list and I'll take care of it from there ;)
- I probably won't get quite the acceleration I want from default "fast", but when the mod tools come out I can change "slow" to as slow as I need it (reducing the need for in-game pause on multiplayer) and "fast" to as fast as my computer can handle and it'll all be good.
- I'm just talking about the speed setting, not the specific "research speed" and "resource speed" settings. Hopefully I can mod the speed settings to also affect research/resource appropriately.

If there are technical issues which prevent this, just let me know and I'll drop it. Hopefully it's just a matter of reassigning the values of the speed-dependant variables.

Thanks!
-Keith
25,186 views 9 replies
Reply #1 Top
Just a time compression feature for those times when your just waiting for resourses or something to build or a fleet to arrive would be great. Changing the "speed" of the game mid game may be problematic, becuase I don't think it scales with things on real-time timers now.
Reply #2 Top
Signed - yet another thing I suggested before. Oh why did the Gods of gaming not hear my prayers??? I guess I must learn to sacrifice more virgins to them.... :SURPRISED:
Reply #3 Top
Time compression would be fine, I'm not sure how it would differ implementation-wise, however. Something like 'skip to 10 seconds from now, stopping in the middle in case of an event' would work, but I imagine that's more complicated than changing the time-multiplier variables.

Whichever is easier for the devs.

And Spartan - sacrificing virgins has problematic long term consequences, and not just for population growth.
Reply #4 Top
make slow slower, make fast faster, keep normal like it is.....
Reply #5 Top
lordkosc - agreed (though I intend to do that through mods, if the devs want to do it in the "official" version that's fine too). The other part is to allow the player to switch between "slow", "normal", and "fast" during the game.

At least in my experience, no one speed setting is appropriate for the entire duration of the game. It still plays fine, but I'd have a lot more fun if I could switch the speed.
Reply #6 Top
Wow, this thread hit page 10 in less than 12 hours...

Anyway, I just wanted to update with a reference to the 1.02 changelist that Brad so kindly posted here

-Game update rate change hooked to - and = buttons (singleplayer only).


It's conceivable that "update rate" refers to something other than game speed, but I'm thinking it means game speed. If so, then I think my request is granted, or my request was unnecessary and they were already doing this. In any event I am quite grateful =)

As for "singleplayer only", I would like to make my case for allowing in-game speed change AND pausing in multiplayer *as a game setup option* ("Lock Speed"), but I'll wait until after I play singleplayer with in-game speed change.

Thanks again SD/IC =)
Reply #7 Top


And Spartan - sacrificing virgins has problematic long term consequences, and not just for population growth.


Yes I'm well aware of those issues. That is why whenever I get hands on one I do the right thing and remove her from the options list so to speak. Hence my problem with the Gods methinks... :p

Reply #8 Top
I'd call this a vital feature, it's certainly a feature every good RTS has and I've just been baffled it's not already in.

In multiplayer couldn't it just be handled democratically? Pick an average speed amongst what everyone 'votes' for by tapping their = and - keys and there you go, nobody gets forced that much. Even a single dissenter could stop it from being maximum speed, at least, but the majority still gets it 'pretty fast' so they don't boot the poor bastard.

It must be difficult engine-wise or it'd already be in, but I can't think of a feature I'd want as much as this one to be added.
Reply #9 Top
I'm more for an game-setup switch that either allows or disallows pausing/speed-changing than a vote-based system, from the perspective of development effort required, but I wouldn't be opposed if the devs wanted to do a vote-based system.

I was also surprised to see the feature not in by default, but there may be design and/or technical reasons.